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I woke with a start and looked around the dark room, confused about where I was. Looking at the sleeping man next to me, it all came rushing back.

The bar, Harry, trying to forget about Travis. Harry made a valiant effort. He was a great fuck, but just not good enough. At least he knew how to satisfy a woman, and I wasn’t leaving his bed rushing home to finish myself off. Harry had delivered.

Twice.

And while he was great, the sex wasn’t great enough to make me forget the man I couldn’t have.

Slipping out of bed, I gathered up my clothes and quietly stepped out into the hall. Using the guest bathroom, I quickly got dressed and ordered an Uber with my phone.

I contemplated waking Harry to say goodbye but decided against it. Like I said, he was ripe for the picking. I didn’t need him clinging to me, asking about another date. Though what we had wasn’t actually a date to begin with.

No, it was best to let sleeping men lie.

The sun was also still sleeping when I climbed into the car that waited outside to take me home. I needed to shower and take a nap before meeting my friends for brunch.

Chapter Seven

Ghost

December 17, 2024, Diamond Creek, Nebraska.

Normally, church was on Saturday nights, once a week with the officers and once a month with all the patched members. Tonight was different. King had decided to pull everyone in and fill them in about everything that had been happening.

It had taken time for King to come to terms with his new family. He explained about Fury and his connection as well as Braesal O’Malley. The brothers had been talking amongst themselves, and a lot of information had been misconstrued in the delivery.

King kept the information about the woman found on the Powell Ranch under wraps like Declan asked. Though Winchester had been made aware, seeing as how it was his family’s land.

Once that was done, we went over the toy drive the town was handling. Every business in town had put out a box for people to donate toys and clothing for children in need.

We also bought toys for every child in town, and Banshee dressed up like Santa and sat in a throne in the middle of Main Street and handed them out a few days before Christmas. It was just one of the ways we gave back to the town that had welcomed us.

Suddenly the church doors opened, and Ellie walked in, tears streaming down her face.

“Ellie, what are you doing?” Ryder asked, but she ignored him, walking straight to King.

“Ellie, honey what’s wrong?”King asked. We all knew something had happened. The old ladies knew not to interrupt church unless it was a dire emergency.

“There was an explosion.” Ellie closed her eyes. “Danny,” she choked out.

Ryder came up behind her and wrapped his arms around his wife. Cash moved and directed Ryder to his chair. He sat down, pulling Ellie into his lap.

King kneeled on the floor in front of them. “What happened to Danny?”

“The Harbor Security Building on 5thexploded. Sypher was in it. He’s in the hospital,” Bane explained. He had followed her into the room and stood in the doorway.King had invited him to sit in on church but he declined. Said he was on sabbatical from all club shit, not just his.

“Fuck. I told him whatever he was gonna do wouldn’t work.”

Ellie turned to glare at Ryder, and I knew he was in trouble. “You knew?” she sneered.

“I didn’t know anything, baby. I just knew he was planning something. He didn’t tell me what.”

“Fuck.” King bowed his head.

“He asked me to give you something, King.”

King’s head snapped up and he locked eyes with Ellie. She reached out, taking his hand in hers, and slipped something into his palm, curling his fingers around it.

“He said to tell you, time’s up.”