Ghost: Iron Thunder MC #4 Read online

  Ghost

  Iron Thunder MC #4

  Kasey Krane

  Savannah Rylan

  Copyright © 2020 by Kasey Krane & Savannah Rylan

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  1. Ghost

  2. Mercy

  3. Ghost

  4. Mercy

  5. Ghost

  6. Mercy

  7. Ghost

  8. Mercy

  9. Ghost

  10. Mercy

  11. Ghost

  12. Mercy

  13. Ghost

  14. Mercy

  15. Ghost

  16. Mercy

  17. Ghost

  18. Mercy

  19. Ghost

  20. Mercy

  Sneak Peak at Spike

  About Kasey Krane

  More Books by Kasey Krane

  About Savannah Rylan

  More Books by Savannah Rylan

  1

  Ghost

  We attacked Teasers last night, the strip club that used to be owned and operated by the Silver Knights, but now they’ve scattered. Their President is under lockdown here at our Clubhouse now, and he also happens to be Mary-Beth’s brother. The fact that Mary-Beth and our President, Drax, are back in a relationship again means that shit is going to get really complicated from here.

  Under any other circumstances, after the shit he pulled on us, Crash would be dead by now. There was no reason to spare him other than that he was Drax’s family, in a way. He couldn’t order the execution because he wouldn’t know how to console Mary-Beth. Despite everything, and even though we know her loyalty lies with Drax, Crash is still her brother.

  Yeah I was fuckin’ pissed off, and had no interest in hiding it. We should have just ended the bastard and moved on with our lives. Instead, he was locked up in our cellar, one of us constantly on guard. Waste of resource. Waste of space.

  Because of Crash and his stupidity, our MC had been under serious attack for the past months.

  We had always operated on a live-and-let-live motto around here. We’d had no intention of warring with the Silver Knights, till they stole our cargo and started this shitstorm. And now there’s no going back. We had to retaliate. We had to protect ourselves and what is ours.

  Even though we won last night at Teasers and sent them scooting on their sorry asses, it caused damage to us too. Our men were injured, some of them badly, many coming close to fatal injuries. And now our Clubhouse was teeming with the strippers from Teasers that Drax had ordered us to house.

  These girls were in Silver Knights’ employ for years. When their strip club was under attack, they emptied out but now they had nowhere to go. Drax ordered that we brought them back here. We were running out of fuckin’ space, but we were following the President’s orders.

  So now when I walked down the Clubhouse corridors, all I could see were chicks with bleach-blonde hair and copper-tanned bodies. On any other night, I would have taken my pick and fucked one of them in my room. Maybe two at the same time, depending on my mood. But tonight I was pissed off. Tonight, I just wanted to get my head around what we were going to do about Crash.

  I went up to my room to take a shower, to get rid of the blood caked between my fingers and in my ears. When I peeled off my clothes, I saw bullet-burn marks on my skin I hadn’t noticed before. The bleeding must have stopped some time ago because I wasn’t losing any more blood, but still they burned when the hot steamy water hit my body.

  There was a dull aching throb at the base of my skull. This shower was supposed to help, but now I felt like I needed something else. I needed another drink.

  * * *

  No, I didn’t usually think about what else I would do if I wasn’t here, where I might have been if it wasn’t for Iron Thunder. I had a different life now, sure, but that wasn’t how I started off. Where do troubled orphans end up?

  Before I joined this MC, I hadn’t pictured a life where I would wake up in the morning, drag myself out of bed, get on a bike and have somewhere to be. Have people who relied on me. Have a business to run and decisions to make.

  I didn’t think very much of my life or myself.

  Then I met Drax.

  Actually, he met me.

  I was a kid, but a kid with balls. Drax was drinking over at Denny’s, a dive bar they used to hang out at in the old days. I managed to steal Drax’s keys and was going to ride his bike away into oblivion. The funny thing was, I didn’t even plan on selling it or anything. I just planned on using it to ride away, to get out of that dump of a life. I didn’t get very far.

  In fact, I didn’t even fuckin’ get on the bike before I felt Drax’s hands on my shoulders, yanking me back. I thought I was done for then.

  And maybe I would have been if it wasn’t for the way I was willing to stand up and face the music. Now when I look back at it, I can’t help but laugh at how idiotic I must have looked like to Drax. Chest puffed up, eyes blazing, chin thrust up, but I was nothing more than a ratty orphan teenager trying to be a big man.

  Drax could have punched the living hell out of me but instead he just glared at me, almost like he was confused.

  “You have a fuckin’ death wish?” he growled. I still remember the words.

  “Depends.”

  “On fuckin’ what?”

  “How I die,” I replied. Drax still looked confused for a second but then his eyes started clearing and his lips started curling, and I realized he was going to break into a smile.

  He clapped his hands on my shoulders again. The keys to his bike were still hanging off my forefinger. He let out a big laugh and started pushing me in the direction of the bar.

  “You hold onto those keys but come inside and have a beer with me like a man first.”

  I could’ve run away, but I didn’t. Something about this guy told me he was going to change my life.

  So, yeah, no matter how pissed off this makes me—this whole bloody disaster with the Silver Knights, and having Crash here in our cellar—I will always do whatever Drax needs me to do.

  I was right; he did change my life. Now I was the Vice President of one of the most powerful motorcycle clubs in New York, and I owed it all to that man.

  * * *

  Drax was supposed to be up in his room, asleep and resting. He’d been injured badly in the showdown with Crash, but now I could see the door to his office open. I figured he was inside, so I walked in.

  Drax was poring over his diary. I’d never personally read it but knew this was where he wrote out his plans. He didn’t notice when I walked in, so I had to clear my throat.

  “How’s the place looking?” he asked, finally meeting my eyes.

  I shrugged and pushed my hands into the pockets of my jeans.

  “We’re overrun with strippers!”

  He sat back in his chair and let out a sigh.

  “You know, Ghost, most guys wouldn’t say that with as much resentment as you. Especially since you don’t have an old lady breathing down your neck.”

  He smirked and I did too. He had a point.

  “But we have shit to do.”

  “So you don’t want to get distracted, is what you’re saying?”

  “I’m not distracted by them.”

  Drax threw up his hands in the air and laughed, then the stitches on his side hurt and he winced and cleared his throat, hoping I hadn’t heard him.

  “I just want to
figure this out. Like, what are we doing with Teasers? We have a shipment arriving in a few days. Are the Silver Knights laying low for some time? Who the fuck knows?”

  Drax nodded but said nothing. He was thinking. Now I was curious to know what he’d been scribbling in his diary.

  “And what are we doing about Crash?” I asked. I tried to keep a neutral tone. I didn’t want him thinking I was trying to push him into a decision. Mary-Beth was probably pushing him enough.

  “I don’t fuckin’ know,” he hissed and rubbed a hand over his face. “There’s something going on with him. He’s fucked up.”

  I nodded, knowing what Drax was talking about. Despite my limited interaction with Crash, I could see there was something different about him. His eyes were bloodshot and crazed, and he wasn’t drunk.

  “Heroin?” I said, voicing my thoughts aloud. Maybe I’d spoken too soon.

  Drax was staring at me hard. He clenched his jaws and took in a deep breath.

  “Yeah, maybe. Those are my thoughts exactly.”

  An MC’s President with a drug problem was bad news. It was exactly the sort of shit that could get you killed and bring down the whole MC. Except, Crash wasn’t just any other MC President, was he? He was also Mary-Beth’s brother.

  I opened my mouth to say something. I was going to suggest going down there and beating the truth out of him through whatever means necessary. But before I could, Drax headed towards the door.

  “Where are you going?” I asked.

  “I need a drink.”

  We headed down to the common area, and Drax spotted Mary-Beth at the bar. He walked up behind her.

  “I have to go find him!” Mary-Beth said.

  “Find who?” Drax asked smiling.

  “Y…you. I was going to the room to look for you. What are you doing out of bed?” Mary-Beth asked as she turned towards him. The woman she was talking to looked down and quickly moved away from us.

  “I feel fine,” he said and he reached for her, pulling her into his arms and kissed her. It was weird seeing him this affectionate, and obvious to me that their relationship had grown and evolved over time. He was the kind of man who gave his old lady hugs now.

  “How did the talk with your brother go?” He asked.

  “Yeah, fine, I guess. He’s just going to have to deal with his current situation,” she said. “But there is something else you should know about.”

  “Tell me on the way. We’re going to the store first and then back to the apartment. The guys have offered to handle the scene here for the next few days. You and I are going to stay locked in the apartment,” Drax replied as he started to lead her away from us. I was about to grab a beer when I overheard Mary-Beth.

  “I wish this was funny, Drax. But Iron Thunders is still under attack. It’s Eagle. He’s planning it. He’s taken over the Silver Knights in secret and he’s going to come for us,” she said.

  “How do you know this?” I said interrupting them.

  “One of the strippers from Teasers. I was just talking to her. Her name is Mercy, I think. She said something about Eagle and Crash…and drugs,” her voice shook slightly.

  “I’ll get back to you guys when I know something,” I said.

  “No. Get her here! I want to talk to her myself,” Drax growled after me.

  I stepped away from them, giving them some space. I glanced around, trying to figure out who Mercy was. These girls all looked the same to me. I walked up to the bar where Sophie was serving drinks behind the counter.

  “Which one of these is Mercy?” I asked and she looked up at me inquisitively.

  “All you boys are feeling twitchy tonight,” she said and chewed on her lip, leaning toward me.

  “I’m not going to fuck her,” I growled and the smile on her face got even wider. “Which one?” I growled louder and she rolled her eyes.

  “She’s over there. The blonde. Sitting by herself.”

  I turned to look and saw her across the room. I recognized her straight away as the girl from last night, the one who’d screamed in fear when the shots started ringing. I’d had to grab her by her waist and pull her down to the floor so she wouldn’t get hit by the bullets whizzing past.

  And I hadn’t thought about her since then.

  I’d got kinda busy.

  But I did remember her blue eyes. Warm and big and sparkling with fear and excitement at the same time. This was Mercy?

  I stood at the bar for a few extra seconds, just drinking her in. I wanted to fuck her, but not now. Right now, I had shit to do. So, maybe some other time.

  2

  Mercy

  This wasn’t what my life was supposed to look like.

  I didn’t remember how long ago I’d decided, but the decision was made sometime in my childhood, that I was going to be a nurse. Maybe it was around the time that my grandmother got really sick for the first time. She had always been the most important person in my life and I’d wanted to be able to help her, wanted to be able to help other people like her.

  I was grateful that she was still alive, but she had suffered long and hard and her life hadn’t gotten any easier lately. She inspired me to train as a nurse, and now I didn’t know if I could even become one. My education and training had been suspended for some time and I didn’t know when I could resume it.

  I needed to earn a living so I could cover my grandmother’s medical expenses. If I wasn’t there to look after my grandmother, who would?

  It wasn’t just my career as a nurse that was on hold now.

  I used to be a cheerleader in high school. I used to be one of the ‘popular girls’, the one who was expected to be seen hanging off arms of jocks. I had friends. Well, most of them were bitches, but at least I’d had some girls to bitch with.

  Now, I had nobody at all.

  Cheerleading wasn’t a paying job. And even though I was very good at it, the question still remained—what was I going to do for money? My grandmother still needed her medication. Hospital bills were piling up.

  When I got home from school on those evenings when she was particularly sick, I’d hear her coughing wildly from outside the front door.

  She could barely speak, and in the bathroom were smears of blood in the sink where she’d coughed them out. But we never discussed it because she would always just say she was fine. She didn’t want to see me give up my pursuit of a nursing career, didn’t want to stand in the way of my life.

  I couldn’t just continue on as normal. I couldn’t keep going to school and returning home to find my grandmother crouched in her bed, clutching her stomach because everything hurt. I needed to buy the medicines. I needed to keep buying them and give her access to a steady supply. The least I could do was make sure she was comfortable in these last years of her life.

  I needed to find an alternative source of income. Other than my passion for nursing, there was only one other thing I knew I was good at. Dancing. But I needed to find a way to make that skill pay.

  I always thought I was too self-conscious and shy for a cheerleader, and was never like the other girls in my gang. Funny how life turned out.

  I was the one who started taking her clothes off for money.

  * * *

  The idea wouldn’t have occurred to me if my friend Nancy hadn’t introduced me to it. She knew about my grandmother’s illness, and that I was struggling to go to school and also make ends meet.

  I took up part-time jobs, whatever I could find, but I didn’t make enough to pay the medical bills. My grandmother was quickly running out of the last batch of medication I’d managed to buy, and I needed a solution soon.

  Between school, the jobs I was trying to juggle and looking after grandma, I barely ever had time to meet with friends. Nancy had been calling and texting me for weeks till she just showed up at the gas station one night. I was on a late-night shift. I didn’t even realize she knew where I worked.

  “You need to slow down. Look at yourself, hon, you look like you haven’t s
lept or eaten in days.”

  And she was right, too.

  We were sitting outside the gas station with cans of soda. I was able to take a fifteen-minute break and was already watching the clock. The last thing I needed was for my paycheck to be docked.

  “Yeah, I’m stressed, don’t worry. I’m eating and sleeping just fine,” I lied.

  “You look far from just fine, Mercy!” Nancy scolded and I shook my head.

  “Things are a bit complicated right now but I’ll figure something out.”

  She narrowed her eyes at me. “It’s not that complicated. You need money for your grandma and the bills. These petty jobs aren’t going to cut it. You need to find work that will pay enough. What’s complicated about that?”

  “I get that. I’m not qualified yet. I’m working toward it though.”

  “What if I said you could make that kinda money now?”

  “Doing what? These are the only jobs I could find on my hours. I can’t get a regular job and also go to school and look after Grandma.”

  “The hours will suit you fine.”

  “Where would I be working?” I asked and she bit down on her lip. I saw the guilty expression on her face.

  “Teasers. It’s a strip club.”

  “Are you kidding me?” I quaked, jumping up.

  Nancy remained calm.

  “Before you lash out, just think about it. You know how to move your body, and you’re fuckin’ gorgeous. You’ll be really good at it. Think about all the tips you’ll make. And besides, it’s fun. You know you love to dance.”