Ghost (A Steele Riders MC #6) - C.M. Steele Page 0,12
his coma, I sensed the change in my mood as I entered the house.
“Oh my goodness,” I sighed as I turned on my car. What if they took him away from here? Would I ever be able to go home again if he wasn’t there?
Chapter 6
Ghost
The second I woke up, my body throbbed, pain every damn where, but all I gave a fuck about was finding my woman and kissing her senseless. Grunting, I worked myself into a seated position.
Sweat built up on the back of my neck and on my forehead. Standing went smoothly until the room started spinning. I gripped the wall until everything settled and my equilibrium righted itself. Each step I took, my legs shook like a newborn foal. I got this. I’d been walking for over thirty years; a month shouldn’t bring me down.
“Fuck.” Stumbling down the hall, I banged my shoulder on the wall. Overcompensating, I nailed my hip against the sofa. “Son of a bitch. Get your act together, Rico. You’re a grown-ass man with two working legs.”
Finally, I straightened up and moved around the house without slamming into anything else, hoping to see Grace.
When I reached the kitchen, I saw her father sipping coffee so I straightened up. “Good morning, Mr. Holden.”
“Stanley, please. Coffee?”
I really liked him. Hell, the man saved my life and didn’t try to kill me when I demanded forever from his daughter. “Please. Thank you. Where is Grace?”
He smirked, then handed me a cup of steaming-hot black coffee, just like I liked it. “She’s gone already. It’s a thirty-minute drive to the hospital.” I felt the disappointment acutely in my damn chest.
Soon we wouldn’t be sleeping alone ever again. My heart and soul belonged to her and her pretty blue eyes. They captivated me from the first moment I saw them filled with so much emotion. Everything about her revitalized my being, so much so that I couldn’t imagine her not in my life. I had to find her and tell her that I’d never let her go. I’d never had those feelings for anyone else. Could it be love at first sight? Damn right. It was exactly that, and I planned on making her mine as soon as humanly possible.
“Does she call when she’s working?” Fuck, I sounded like a stage-five clinger. I took a sip and looked around the white country-style kitchen, trying to hide my embarrassment.
“Not most of the time since she works at the hospital for only one week a month. Besides, we’re both very independent and solitary people. I run the clinic when she’s there, so she knows how busy it can get.” I couldn’t contain the frustration and the sense of defeat, and he read it off my face. “If she does call, I’ll make sure to give you the phone.”
“Thanks.” I took another drink, attempting to find the right words. The silence grew awkward as the seconds ticked by.
“Sit down. I’ll whip up a small breakfast for you before I head into the clinic area. All I ask is that you stay hidden. You won’t have to worry because no one comes into the house. It’s one of the things I made a number-one rule.”
“I understand. You would probably have the entire town creeping in when they were bored.”
“Yes. So tell me more about the men you have meeting with my daughter.” I’d been waiting for the interrogation to begin. No father in his right mind would let his daughter get involved with a man without knowing everything he could about him.
“I belong to a motorcycle club in my town. We’re a bunch of former soldiers and friends who moved to the town our president built with his brother.”
“A town built around the club? That sounds dangerous.”
“Not in the least.” I paused and took another gulp of my coffee as I formed my response. I didn’t want him trying to take her away from me. Not that I’d let that happen, but I sure as fuck didn’t want a family rift, especially when I owed him so much. “Well, it didn’t used to be an issue. A few months before I left, we started to feel the hand of the cartels in our area. We got rid of some of the issues, but not before they got to us. The town is now monitored for safety at all times to keep our residents secure. It has grown over the past five years, but the town for the most part is peaceful,