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CHAPTER ELEVEN

HAP

“So, when are you bringing her to the club?” Star asks as she places some chopped up fruit in front of Enzo’s high-chair. He claps his hands and kicks his feet excitedly as he grabs the fruit, mushing it into his mouth.

“When I think she’s up to it,” I answer. It’s been three days since she finally gave in and let me help her. She still pushed back against me often, and I hated to admit that I kind of liked it. She was managing to eat, and most of it was staying down. She was starting to get colour back on her cheeks, and her dark circles under her eyes were evaporating. It felt good seeing her like that. “She’s still unsure about everything,” I add.

Star looks at me, her lips twitching as she fights back a smile. “She’s pushing back, huh?” I nod. She lets out a laugh and claps her hands excitedly. “Yes, I love it when I see the women torturing you guys.” She places her hand on mine. “Not that I don’t love you all, I do,” she assures me. “But man, you guys have had things way too easy with women, thinking you can do what you like when you like, and then the right woman comes along and they just know how to tie y’all up in knots. It’s honestly the best fucking entertainment.” She grins happily.

I smirk. “I’m glad I can give you the entertainment you need,” I state sarcastically.

“F-f-uckin!” Enzo mimics.

Star’s eyes go wide as she whirls her gaze to her son. “Shit,” she mutters.

“Shh-it!” Enzo repeats back to her, strawberries mashed around his face as he grins wide up at Star.

“No, shhh.” Star winces. “Look, what’s this? Strawberry. Straw-berry,” she states, trying to get him to repeat it.

“Shh-it, shh-it, shh-it!” Enzo screams loudly, bashing his chubby hand down onto the tray where his food is.

Star covers her face with her hands. “Oh god, Ghost is going to tear into me over this. I have warned him over and over again about not swearing around Enzo, or he will start saying the words. Now he does it, but not with Ghost. With me,” she groans. “Why couldn’t you just do it with Daddy? So then I could blame him?” She groans, looking at Enzo.

“Dad-da-dad!” Enzo cheers, followed by blowing a raspberry at his mom.

Star smiles brightly. “Ah, fuck it, you’re too cute. Who am I kidding? You’re being raised in a biker family. If swearing is the worst of what you do, then I guess I can count myself lucky. Although, I will still tell you off when you do it, because I’m raising a gentleman, not a little hooligan,” she warns Enzo, like he understands every word she’s saying. She showers him with kisses, making him laugh. Sighing, she turns her attention to me. “If you don’t want to bring her here, then why don’t we go to her?” Star asks.

“What, and have all you ol’ ladies ambush her?” I laugh.

“We won’t ambush her, I promise. She’s your ol’ lady, so she is family,” Star asserts, and I know there is no room for arguing. She has made up her mind.

“She ain’t my ol’ lady,” I state.

“Oh honey, you can’t honestly believe that bullshit that is coming out of your mouth,” she tuts. “You practically kidnapped her and held her hostage just because she’s carrying your baby. Come on, wake the fuck up. No one is that possessive over someone they don’t want for themselves.”

“Fffff-uck!” Enzo yells.

Star just rolls her eyes. “I’m doing what’s right. I want to see my kid. I want to be a part of my kid’s life,” I point out.

“Right.” Star nods while giving me a look that says she thinks I’m full of shit.

Ghost walks over, his eyes soft and warm as he takes in Enzo. The only time you will ever see his gaze soften is around his son or Star, when she isn’t trying to piss him off. He bends down and places a kiss on Enzo’s head, then he turns his attention to Star and firmly grasps her chin to claim her mouth in a quick kiss.

“We are going over to Hap’s to meet Alina,” Star informs him.

Ghost crosses his arms over his chest, eyeing her. “Right, you know I get nervous when you all get together. Something usually goes really fucking wrong,” he points out.

“Fff-uckin!” Enzo screeches.

Ghost blinks, looking at his son. Star tuts. “See? This is why I tell you not to swear in front of him. He’s like a sponge, and he just absorbs everything,” Star chastises him before placing a kiss on the top of Enzo’s head. She gives me a side glance with a sneaky smirk.

Ghost leans in close to Enzo. “You mind your mouth around your mother, son,” he tells him. “But around me, you can say whatever you fucking like.” Ghost smirks.

“Fff-uckin!” Enzo repeats.

Star slaps Ghost’s arm. “Don’t tell him that,” she complains. “I can’t raise a mini you. My nerves can’t handle it,” she adds.

“Darlin’, if he has even ten percent of your stubbornness and rebellious personality, we are both fucked,” Ghost retorts.

Star is about to argue, but the door opens, and in walks Jared. He looks around until he spots Ghost. Pausing, he removes his sunglasses as he strides over. “You got a minute?” he asks, his tone firm.

Ghost nods. “Let me text and see who is available.” Ghost pulls out his cell and sends a text to the rest of the brothers. This is him, always making sure we are in the loop with everything that is going on. He rarely does anything without any of us here, always making sure there is complete clarity throughout the club.

“This is something that can’t wait,” Jared states.

Ghost’s sharp eyes snap to his, and they both exchange a look. Ghost nods. “Hap, get everyone on a video call now,” Ghost states as he walks off.

I follow, and as Star’s worried gaze lands on me, I give her a tight grin. It’s not much reassurance, but there isn’t anything we can’t fix.

Walking in, I shut the door behind me. Beast, Rage, Hawk, and Cash are all on video call. The others didn’t answer, which means they are already on their way.

“What the fuck is going on?” Beast snaps.

Jared pauses as he looks at Ghost. Ghost gives him the nod, and Jared exhales a breath. An uneasy feeling forms at the pit of my stomach. “There is something going on. I noticed a few of my colleagues acting odd,” Jared starts.

“Well, I’m sorry your work life is a little shit right now, but what the fuck does that have to do with us?” Hawk snaps.

Jared is about to answer but is cut off when Spider and Acid walk in. They don’t say anything. They just take their seats and wait for Jared to continue.

“Shut up and fucking listen,” Jared snaps. The room and the brothers on call all go tense. Jared never fucking snaps, and he never loses his cool. “A few of them were going off, making up excuses for shit. Anyway, I was suspicious. If it looks like bullshit, smells like bullshit, then it’s normally fucking bullshit,” he seethes. “They drove to a slaughter-house. I kept back. They went in for a long while, until they came back out with Eugene,” he adds, the venom dripping from his tone as he says Eugene’s name.

“So, Eugene has connections with the Feds. So what?” I mutter.

Jared shakes his head. “They’re coming for you. Yesterday the whole department was called in. By the end of the day, the judge will have signed off on the warrants for the arrest of Ghost, Rage, Beast, and Spider,” Jared warns.

“Like fuck. They ain’t got shit on us,” Spider snaps.

“I don’t know what they have, but whatever it is, it’s enough to arrest you, and it’s enough to turn over your entire club. I’m here to warn you. Whatever you’ve got that you shouldn’t have, hide it, burn it, whatever. Get yourselves a lawyer, and do not answer a single fucking question. The way they were smiling, it was like they had won the lottery. It makes me think what they have on you is enough to make sure you don’t see outside of a cell for a very long fucking time. You want to run, you do it now, and you fucking run for the border and don’t come back. It’s your choice,” Jared says through gritted teeth.

The room goes quiet, an eerie silence settling between us all.

“We don’t run,” Ghost seethes. “We stand our ground and we fucking fight,” he adds. “They got Rage’s address?” Ghost asks.

Jared nods. “Yeah.”

“Shit, Rage. You’ve got to burn it to the ground with everything in it. You get rid of your collection. They find that, you will never see Dixie again,” Ghost warns him.

Rage lets out a deep growl, like it actually pains him to do this. “Tell me I can kill whoever is behind this once we are out,” Rage seethes.

“I fucking promise,” Ghost affirms.

“Then I will do it.” Rage nods.

“Beast, you need to get rid of anything tying you to Bobby,” Ghost orders.

“What the fuck do you mean? I ain’t getting rid of Belle and my kid!” Beast snaps.

“No, of course not, you fucking moron. I mean bank statements, any money he’s left her, anything the Feds can use against you, and anything that can be used as evidence in the court,” Ghost snaps as he paces back and forth thinking. “Spider, you need to warn Rev; then you need to delete his number, the contacts, everything,” Ghost adds.

“What about you? What the fuck are they going to find on you?” Spider asks.

Ghost pauses and faces us. “Who the fuck knows? It ain’t like my hands are clean. I’m implicated in every single thing you do. All I know is if they are going to come here and arrest us, we need to get the ol’ ladies and the kids away from here. I don’t want any of them here when it happens.” Ghost sighs. “I ain’t having my boy, no matter how old he is, seeing his old man getting arrested,” he adds.

“How the fuck has Eugene managed this shit? He was near to fucking death. You don’t think he’s grassed?” Acid asks.

Jared shakes his head. “If he had, I would have heard about it through the normal channels. This has come from high level. He hasn’t just gone to the police and made a statement. He’s gone to his friends and handed them the fuel they needed. Whatever he’s been gatekeeping, he’s playing it, and I hate to say this, but it could be the end of you and this club.”

Ghost’s hand grips the chair so tight his knuckles turn white. He lifts it and throws it across the room while expelling a loud, furious roar. The chair loudly collides with the wall, splintering into pieces.

“That chair was solid oak,” Hawk mutters over the call.

Ghost pants back and forth like a rabid caged animal. “Here, Pres,” I say, offering up my cigarettes. He snatches the pack from my hand and lights it, taking a long pull.

“Jesus, fuck!” he roars. “Jared, you better go. The less you know, the better,” Ghost orders.

“I hear you. Take this and call me. It only has one number, my burner. I will call you on it if I hear of anything else,” he states.

“Thanks, but I will give it to someone who won’t be going to fucking jail, as I certainly won’t be shoving anything up my ass,” Ghost retorts.

Jared’s lips twitch. “Fair enough.” He nods before walking out the door.

“Safe house?” Cash asks.

“Yeah, and fucking now. Reach out to the Satans and give them the heads up. For all we know, they could be dragged into this shit storm, too,” Ghost orders. He stubs his cigarette out before storming out of the room, not saying another word.

Following behind him, we see him telling Star. Fury and tears sting her eyes.

“Shit, we need to get her out of here. If she sees them arresting Ghost, she will lose her shit and get herself arrested, too,” Spider mutters beside me.

“He knows. The only way she will do what she’s told, leaving him here, is for Enzo. He will remind her of that,” Acid states.

Ghost looks up. “Get everyone to the safe house. Only those that are being arrested are to be here. I need the rest of you to stay the fuck out of jail so you can work on getting us out,” he orders. He looks down at Star and tucks her hair back behind her ear. “Pack everything up and go with Hap and Alina to the safe house,” he tells her softly. Her jaw is tight as she swallows, trying to hold back her emotions. Ghost kisses her. “This ain’t a goodbye kiss, darlin’. It’s an ‘I will be back real fucking soon’ kiss,” Ghost promises her. Star nods, and Ghost places a kiss on the top of Enzo’s head. Before she walks towards me, a baby bag on her shoulder and Enzo in her arms, she looks to Spider.

“You look after him. Anyone touches him, hurts him, you fucking kill them. You make sure he comes back home to us,” she rasps, her voice close to breaking.

Spider gives her a stern nod. “Of course.”

She swallows and leans in to give Spider a hug. “Be safe,” she says softly before walking out.

Ghost comes to my side before I can follow her out to the truck. “You take care of her and my son like they’re your own,” he orders.

“You know I will,” I assert.

Ghost turns and walks away, and I slap Spider on his shoulder. “Stay safe, brother,” I state before walking out to the truck, the feeling of dread lurking beneath me. Never has the club been this split before. I’ve never felt dread like this. It feels like the end of the Black Hearts MC.