Page 6 of Ghost's Revenge
"There was some trouble in town that might not be over. Another biker club thought they could set up shop in our territory. We convinced them otherwise, but their boss got away. We're taking precautions until we're sure he's not coming back."
She processes this information with the kind of calm that tells me she's no stranger to dangerous situations. "And those precautions include babysitting a shelter full of women and children?"
"Those precautions include making sure no one uses innocent people as leverage against us." I meet her eyes steadily. "Everyone here is a potential target, whether they know it or not. My job is to make sure you all stay safe."
Something changes in her expression. The wariness is still there, but it's joined by something that might be curiosity. "Sarah says you helped another woman here. Annie?"
"Annie. Her ex tried to drag her out of the Piggly Wiggly three months ago. I happened to be there." I don't mention the way my vision went red when I saw a man twice Annie's size hauling her toward the parking lot by her hair. Don't mention how it took every ounce of control I had not to put him in the hospital. "Made sure she got home safe."
"Just like that?"
"Just like that."
She's quiet for a long moment, studying my face like she's trying to read something written there. Tyler calls out from the porch, asking if he can use the red crayon, and she responds without taking her eyes off me.
"What does this arrangement actually look like? You sitting across the street on your motorcycle all day?"
"Sometimes. Sometimes closer, depending on the threat level. Sometimes you won't see me at all, but I'll be around." I pause, trying to figure out how to explain this without sounding like the stalker I probably appear to be. "I'm not here to interfere with anyone's life or make you uncomfortable. I'm just here to make sure nothing bad happens."
"And if something bad does happen?"
The question is asked quietly, but there's weight behind it. This woman knows what bad looks like. Has lived through it recently enough that the fear is still fresh.
"Then I handle it." The words come out rougher than I intended, carrying more promise of violence than is probably wise. But she doesn't flinch. If anything, she looks... relieved?
"Okay." She takes a small step back, not quite retreat but definitely establishing boundaries. "I can't say I'm comfortablewith this, but Sarah trusts you. And right now, that has to be enough."
It's more than I expected. More than I had any right to hope for.
"Thank you. I know this isn't easy."
"Nothing about my life is easy right now." The admission slips out like she didn't mean to say it, and color rises in her cheeks. "I'm sorry. You didn't need to hear that."
"Maybe not. But it's the truth, isn't it?"
She looks surprised, like she's not used to people acknowledging her struggles without trying to fix them or minimize them. "Yeah. It is."
"For what it's worth, you're handling it better than most people would."
"How do you know? You don't know anything about me."
She's right, but I know enough. Know she had the courage to leave whatever situation brought her here. Know she's putting her son's needs ahead of her own comfort by staying at a shelter instead of trying to tough it out alone. Know she's strong enough to stand here talking to a man who scares most people, because she's more afraid of the alternative.
"I know you're here instead of wherever you came from. That tells me everything I need to know."
Tyler calls out again, this time asking if he can go play in the backyard, and the moment breaks.
"I should—" she starts.
"Go. Take care of your son. I'll be around."
She nods and starts toward the porch, then stops and looks back at me. "What should I call you? Ghost seems..."
"Ghost is fine. It's what everyone calls me."
"Even the people who aren't afraid of you?"
The question catches me completely off guard. Most people are afraid of me, and the ones who aren't are usually more dangerous than I am. But she's asking like she wants to be in the second category.
