Ryan lifts a hand to the man's chest and gives him a push outside. Despite Ghost's inebriated state, he barely budges and rebounds quickly. He's in Ryan's face and pushing him backward. Ryan stumbles, barefoot, and catches himself but only just before hitting the floor with his ass. Ian lunges forward, shoving Ghost toward the door. The boys restrain him long enough for me to breathe. Memories that have never ceased to haunt me rise to the surface.
Frantically looking around for something, anything, to help, I find my hands shaking. I hate this man and what he's done. It's bad enough that he fathered one child against the mother's will, but then he came back to town and did it again with one of the lost girls. I won't ever forget Rage telling me that story. I never thought much of it before, but it makes sense now why Josh has always been so close with the club while his mom tries to stay so distant. I just figured the boys were friends and she tolerated Forsaken for her kid. But that's not the case at all.
Quickly, I grab the first thing that can be used as a weapon--the wrench I was using on the washer--and use it to guard myself. I know what Ghost wants, and he's not getting it. The lost girl he raped pressed charges, and he went away for it. I know where she is because I keep an eye on her. Despite who her father is, Jenny is a beautiful girl. She has a good life with her mom and stepdad. I won't give Ghost that information even if he tries to kill me for it. Some things are worth losing for. It's just a shame that Josh won't ever meet his sister.
"Ma," Ian shouts. Ghost is bitching and cursing at the boys to let him go, but they're not listening. Because they're smart and know a psychopath when they see one. "Who the fuck is this guy?"
"I'm Josh Wilcox's father," Ghost yells. His eyes are wild, and he takes a deep breath, shoving Ryan against the wall beside them. Ian tries to restrain him, but he can't. Without giving it another thought, I lunge forward and swing the wrench out, making contact with Ghost's torso.
Ryan's shouting, Ian's trying to avoid the swing of the wrench, and Ghost is gasping for breath as he doubles over and crumples to the floor. The three of us step back, and we stare at the man on the floor.
"Duke's dad?" Ryan asks, his eyebrows raised. He uses the nickname the club only recently gave to Josh. "When the fuck were you gonna tell me, or maybe Duke, that you know his fucking dad?"
Even Ian is giving me a judgmental glare.
"This piece of shit isn't his dad--he's his mother's rapist," I say. I'm seething, my chest heaves, and despite the seriousness of the situation, I'm more angry than scared. I don't know how Ghost still has his cut, but he does. He's the fucking vice president of a charter that's not known for playing well with others. They'd challenge us over this, even if this asshole ends up walking away from it.
"I'm calling Butch." I back away from the situation and set the wrench down on the entertainment center, trusting the boys to watch Ghost while I find my mobile. It's on the bathroom sink, so I grab it and rush into my bedroom and snag the nearest hand gun at my disposal. Everything is quiet, for the most part, in the living room, so I take a moment to call Butch from my room. All I have to say is Ghost's name and he tells me he's on his way and hangs up the phone.
I've barely hung up and shoved the phone in my pocket when a loud crash sounds from the other room. Ryan's screaming at Ian, and Ian's screaming at Ghost. When I rush in, I find Ghost has Ryan pinned up against the wall. The entertainment center is wrecked, with it only half standing. The other half is a busted flat screen TV and crushed sound system. My stomach drops. Jim had Grady get that ridiculously expensive thing in honor of Ryan's prospecting and Ian's graduation. The angle Ghost has Ryan at is making it difficult for Ian to help. My boy is turning blue, though. I need to do something before he really gets hurt. Raising the gun to shoot, I'm blocked by Ian stepping in my way. His back is to me as he manages to free Ryan from Ghost's grasp using sheer force of will. Ghost slides down the half-broken entertainment center and grabs the wrench. He swings it high and hits Ian right in his chest. I watch in horror as my boy falls backward and sucks in a shallow breath on his way. His eyes fall closed as he hits the floor.