Sex & Mayhem 04 No Matter What (40 page)

Luca gently
massaged Ghost’s hand. “What do you think they will do?”

“I don’t know.”
Ghost shook his head. “Frederico will be after us. I shouldn’t have
killed Antonio…”

Luca wasn’t
sure what to say to that, so he just put his head on Ghost’s
shoulder and kissed him.

“Can’t believe
you ditched me for a prospect,” muttered Grim, without losing his
wide smile.

Luca snorted.
“I can’t handle you.”

Ghost groaned.
It looked like a spark of jealousy was bringing life back to his
form. “I’m not just a prospect.”

But Grim went
on. “I’m rich, you know.”

Luca sighed and
put his arm behind Ghost’s back. “I don’t like guys who smell of
money. Maybe you should try one of those Meet the Rich Guy
sites?”

Grim squinted.
“I’m not desperate enough.”

Ghost growled.
“You seem desperate enough to me. Hitting on a guy in a
relationship. Stop being a creep.”

Luca chuckled
and grabbed his jaw, turning Ghost for a kiss. Grim gave a sound of
disgust.

“I wouldn’t
mind a threesome,” Grim said, pushing his hips lower in the seat,
which made the fabric of his pants stretch over his crotch. It was
ridiculous to see him unable to let go like that.

Luca didn’t
care about him though, when Ghost engaged in the tender kiss. In
public. Sure, in front of Grim, but anyone else could walk in, and
Ghost didn’t care anymore. Ghost was willing to announce his love
for Luca to the whole world. It gave him a kick to know this, and
as pleasure roared somewhere in his brain, Luca realized it wasn’t
only happening in his head. The sound of engines was getting
intense enough for the Nails to notice. They all rushed for the
windows, blocking most of the light from coming in.

Grim smirked.
“Must be the Rabid Hogs. Guess they found their prez and VP.” He
got up and stretched, most probably showing off his body. Typical.
Luca actually liked Ghost’s smaller frame more. Tooth burst out of
the office and went straight outside, slamming the door behind him.
Luca winced, instinctively expecting the sound of shooting, but
when nothing happened, he relaxed into the seat again. Priest
walked out of his office with his hands down his pockets and leaned
against the wall.

“What’s going
on?”

Blitz looked
over his shoulder. “They have a pickup truck full of wooden
boxes.”

Luca closed his
eyes. If something happened, he’d pull Ghost to the backyard. They
could hide in the damn goat shed if there was no way out.

The Nails
walked outside, and Grim urged Ghost and Luca to do so as well. A
dozen men stood straight in front of their bikes and the beat-up
pickup truck. Silence stretched over the yard as the Nails all
poured out of the clubhouse, instantly engaged in the staring
contest with the newcomers. The tension was thick in the air, and
Luca squeezed Ghost’s hand as they stood in the back, waiting for
whatever was to happen.

Priest slowly
walked past his men and faced a tall guy of maybe thirty, who
nodded with his jaw set so hard Luca supposed it was hurting
him.

“We got your
message, and voted on a patch-over,” the man said with his face
like carved in stone.

The Nails still
looked menacing, but their bodies visibly relaxed even though they
hadn’t moved by an inch. Priest nodded.

“Good. We’ll
welcome you with open arms. I hear you bring gifts.”

“Our old prez
made the deal with the Italian without our vote,” the man said, as
two younger men, one still a prospect, went off to the van. They
brought out two heavy looking boxes and dropped them in front of
Priest. A whole array of guns appeared when they pulled up the
lids. “As we’re to become Nails, we want to share these. But we
have one condition. No more dealing with that lying piece of scum,
Villani.”

Priest snorted
and looked around. “You said
that
right. Didn’t he,
boys?”

The Nails
roared in agreement, and the temporary leader of the Rabid Hogs
reached out his hand to seal the deal, but Priest raised his
palm.

“We have a
condition, too. I hear your former president had young relatives.
Son and nephew, both tied to the club.”

Luca swallowed.
He could almost see the sparkle of electricity between the men.

It was Priest,
who reached his hand out this time. “We want them here, to ensure
the safety of the deal.”

The Rabid Hogs
moved, all eyes settling on the two youngest of them.

Tooth cleared
his throat. “They will be living at the club for the time being.
But they would be able to come and go as long as long as they don’t
disappear for good.”

The one with
the prospect patch, a handsome guy with his whole arms tattooed,
lit himself a cigarette. “I gotta get a proper patch though, I’m
sick of prospecting.”

Luca knew all
too well where he was coming from by now. Still, cocky fucker.

Priest laughed.
“You might if you prove your worth. How long have you been
prospecting?”

“Seven months.
Six too many if you ask me.”

His cousin
smacked him on the back of the head. “Ah, shut up.”

“Lively, aren’t
they?”

The Nails
laughed, and the atmosphere eased. Deals were made, and very soon,
Ghost and Luca watched the old club members welcome their future
brothers as if nothing had happened. As if the Rabid Hogs’s prez
and VP hadn’t been brutally murdered.

But as the guns
were being dealt with, Tooth and Priest’s attention turned to Luca
and Ghost.

“Now you two,”
Priest said and pointed to the clubhouse. “In the office with
Tooth.”

Luca exhaled
and pulled on Ghost’s hand. The deal he’d left behind was nothing
when compared to the decision that awaited them now. His hand was
quickly getting sweaty as they rushed to the office, with the
thudding of heavy boots echoing behind them.

“Sit down,”
said Tooth as soon as the three of them entered the office and he’d
closed the door.

Ghost followed
the order, holding on to Luca’s hand.

Tooth opened a
drawer and pulled out an envelope. He slammed it on the desk so
hard Luca flinched. “Your new passport.”

Luca stared at
it, breathless. He could feel goose bumps breaking out all over his
skin. “For the data?” he uttered, reaching out to grab the
envelope. He pulled out a shiny new document. It looked just like
the real thing.

“We can’t keep
you anymore,” said Tooth.

Ghost
straightened up in his chair and looked up at Tooth defiantly. “You
can’t do this. If he’s going, I’m going.”

Tooth groaned
and dragged his hand down his face. “You are going, too. I don’t
care where, but both of you need to disappear today. We can’t have
Antonio’s death connected to the Nails.” He gave Ghost a sour
smile. “You were a shit prospect anyway.”

Luca gasped,
tightening his hold on Ghost’s hand. He looked at him with his
heart in his throat.

“But…” Ghost
got choked up. “I owe the club money…”

Tooth tugged on
his beard. “I owe you one, too,” he said eventually, frowning.
“I’ve been shit at repaying that debt so far.” He dropped into the
office chair across from Luca and Ghost.

Luca exhaled.
“And?”

Tooth squinted
at him. “What I’m saying is that I’m gonna deal with the money
myself.”

Ghost’s grip on
Luca’s hand relaxed. “See?” He nudged Luca’s head with his nose. “I
told you Tooth’s a good friend.”

Luca pressed
his lips together. He nodded, knowing it was his time to step back
from yesterday’s conflict. “Thank you.”

Tooth waved his
hand and folded his arms across his chest. “Least I could do.”

Ghost got up
and shook Tooth’s hand. “Thank you. For everything. Have an eye on
my dad? I’m pretty sure he hates me now.”

Tooth gathered
him into a brief hug before shaking Luca’s hand with his massive
palm. “Take care. Pack and leave within the next few hours. Leave
the state and don’t contact us for the next twelve months. Unless
shit really hits the fan. In that case, contact me personally.”
Tooth gave Ghost a hard look.

As they walked
out of the office, said a few brief good-byes and left through the
back door, Luca was living a lucid dream. A dream in which he was
free. Free to go wherever, and no matter what the choice would be,
he’d be there with Ghost.

Zara:
Change of
plans. Sorry, can’t play tonight.

Ghost:
Is
something wrong? :(

Zara:
Gotta
pack. We’re traveling tonight. Two full days of travel :/ Not sure
if I’ll have Internet access on the plane.

Ghost:
Where are
you flying?

Zara:
Catching a
flight to Rome early tomorrow, and then New York. After that? No
idea.

Ghost was
packing the last of the few essentials that they were going to
take. Nomad was already tucked into his seat in the sidecar and
Luca waited by the bike with a small smile Ghost couldn’t wait to
kiss. He was saying farewell to all he knew―to the men he called
family, and his actual parents, the father who wouldn’t speak to
him anymore, and his poor mother.

“How long will
you be gone?” she asked, failing to keep her voice steady as she
watched him move around.

Ghost took a
deep breath and walked up to her to give her a tight hug. “I don’t
know, but it will most likely be a long time. I’m sorry I’m leaving
you with Don so angry.”

She rolled her
eyes and brushed away her tears with open palms. She was so tiny in
Ghost’s arms. “I can deal with your father. He’s a grump, but he’ll
miss you no matter what he says now. He’ll come around, and maybe
we could visit you in a few months?”

“Probably not,
Mom. I’m separating from the club. And don’t worry, I’m not in
trouble with them, but we need to leave the state. I’ll find a way
to let you know I’m fine, and maybe in a year we could reconnect,
think about a visit. Your family in Canada, maybe we could go there
when things cool off.”

Mom chewed on
her lip, and with a deep sigh, she looked around the front yard, as
if hoping for a sudden change of plans. Ghost knew it was much
harder on her than it was on him, but it needed to be done. Back in
his room, Mom pushed a big wad of cash into his hands and refused
to take it back. It was her savings, money she’d been collecting
for quite some time and hidden from Don, just in case. She said it
was the least she could do for him.

“Yeah, we could
do that.”

“Will you take
care of this for me?” Ghost took off the prospect vest and passed
it to her. “I won’t be needing it.”

Her slim
fingers tightened on the leather, and she nodded, folding it in
half and pressing it against her chest. “Of course.”

“I love you,
Mom.” Ghost gave her a kiss on the cheek and walked back to the
bike where Luca was petting Nomad’s head. They were Ghost’s new
family.

Luca reached
out to squeeze his hand. His beautiful dark eyes were tender and
still wide with amazement. They were both free at last.

“Is she okay?”
asked Luca, glancing toward the house over Ghost’s shoulder.

“Yes, she will
be fine. She wanted me out of the club more than she wanted me
under her wing.” Ghost got on the bike and patted the seat behind
him. “So where do you want to go first?”

Luca chuckled
and moved to sit behind Ghost. He put his hands on Ghost’s hips and
pulled on the helmet. “I don’t think we should go south. The sun
wouldn’t be good on your skin.”

Luca―always
thinking about him first. Ghost smiled and put on his helmet as
well. “We could get married in Canada. You still got that ring?” he
teased, because he knew Luca did.

Luca hugged him
tighter, and his chuckle sounded merrier than jingling Christmas
bells. “I do.”

Ghost:
So, where
are you? Which fancy restaurant this time? ;)

Zara:
It’s this
Asian place just out of New York City.

Zara:
Wish you
were here.

The End

Thank you for purchasing
No Matter What
.

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No Matter What
is the fourth in a series of outlaw biker books.
The series is called
Sex &
Mayhem and will include both longer and shorter stories.
The books in the
Sex & Mayhem
series will generally be standalones, tied only loosely by
cameos and mentions of clubs. Books published as K.A. Merikan are
M/M romance, while Miss Merikan is the pen name for M/F romance, as
the series includes both.

Kat&Agnes AKA K.A.
Merikan

[email protected]

http://kamerikan.com

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