Page 107 of Ghost

His eyes flare at my comment, and the invisible band around my chest tightens. I still haven’t said that to Ghost, and I don’t like that the first time the words are out loud, they were to Grimm. Especially when his gaze darkens with his irritation.

“You only think that because you’ve been around him, and he’s brainwashed you. But I know you, Luna. In ways he never will.” Grimm grabs my arm, and I wince from how hard he holds onto me. “You don’t belong with them.”

“Where do I belong then?” I already suspect his answer, but I need to hear it to wrap my head around what’s happening.

“With me, baby doll. With the Iron Sinners. Where you were always meant to be.” His face softens as he steps closer. “Think about it; you were always one of us. Helping us out against those assholes.”

“I didn’t know that. I didn’t want to.”

“You think you’re loyal to them, I get it.” He brushes my cheek with his hand. “I let you stay too long. I should have pulled you out sooner.”

“You knew I was there?”

“Of course I knew.” His eyebrows scrunch. “I didn’t want you to go with them, but once you did, I knew you would make it work for me.”

My blood chills. I came here planning to bargain with the person who hired me, but that’s not what this is at all. This isn’t about a job I did or didn’t do. Grimm thinks I’m his.

“Titan needed someone on the inside, just in case. And after I saw how the hacker looked at you, I knew he’d trust you enough to let you close.” Grimm’s eyes flare. “Reyes was prospecting, but he was a little shit. He was bound to fuck it up. I told Titan we could trust you. That when you came home, you’d know enough to help us take down those Twisted Kings assholes.”

“I can’t.” My entire body shakes as I process what he’s saying. “I won’t.”

What he’s suggesting is the opposite of what I intended by coming here.

“Oh, doll, they’ve really broken you, haven’t they? You’ve lost where you belong. Don’t worry, I’ve got you now.”

“I’m not telling you anything. You’ll have to kill me.”

Grimm smiles, and it’s filled with so much malice that it makes my stomach turn. “Don’t say reckless things, Luna. I waited for you. I trusted you to do what my presidentneeds. If you’re not careful, he’ll turn you to mulch like that bitch Paulina.”

“What do you know about Paulina?” It’s nearly a whisper.

“How do you think I met the Iron Sinners, Luna?” He steps forward. “Don’t you remember them from back when we were teenagers, always coming and going in the middle of the night?”

I think back to living with Steven and his family. His dad had lots of visitors, and they usually came by late at night, but I never knew what they were doing.

“Your dad was an Iron Sinner?”

“Fuck no.” Grimm laughs. “He was a fucking drunk who couldn’t be trusted to hold a whiskey bottle upright, much less a gun. But he had connections in Glendale, so he hooked them up with people who could sell product for them. In return, they loaned him one of their girls when they came through town.”

I think back to that time—to a night in particular. I woke up for some water and walked in on him and some girl I didn’t recognize in the living room. She was much younger than him, with long dark hair. She was the girl in the photograph in Ghost’s desk.

My stomach turns, and I wonder how much of that Ghost knows. He seemed to think Paulina was the one being cheated on, but Grimm is saying they were using her as payment.

“She wouldn’t do that.”

“Are you sure?” Grimm leans in, grinning. “How do you think Titan knew she was going to turn on the club? Sheconfided in dear old Dad that she was done and that she had a friend in the Twisted Kings who was going to help. Who knows, maybe he would have if I hadn’t spilled her plans to Titan first.”

“You got Paulina killed.” A tear slips down my cheek. “They tortured her.”

“Don’t say it like I’m the villain. She knew what she was getting into when she started letting them pimp her out. She’d do anything for a bump. Girls like that don’t give a shit. She wasn’t loyal, and she got what she deserved.”

“You’re sick.” I shove at his chest, and he grabs me by the cheeks.

He pulls me so close I almost vomit at the smell of him.

“You’re right, Luna. I am sick. Sick for you. If you’re smart, you’ll remember that, or you’ll end up like her. These next few weeks might be rough while you learn your new place, but it could be worse. I promise.”

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