Boo nodded.

Ghost moved around the bar and down the hall. He opened the door, took one step in and froze in his tracks. The bed was empty, the handcuffs were hanging empty still attached to the bedpost, and the fucking window was wide open, the curtain blowing in the breeze.

Godfuckingdammit!

Ghost strode over to the window and leaned out; looking both ways on the sliver of a chance she'd just climbed out. Nothing.

He straightened and slammed his palm against the window frame causing the already cracked window to shatter and smash to the floor at his feet. A moment later he was storming down the hall.

"She's fucking gone!"

Everyone in the room turned to look, stunned at his outburst, but he only had eyes for one man. Boo. He marched straight to him, grabbed a fistful of his shirt and slammed him up against the wall.

"I left you with one fucking task! Keep an eye on her, and you fucked that up! Where the hell is she?" He slammed him against the wall a second time.

"I swear to God, Ghost. She was in there when I brought her the food."

"When was that?"

"Right after you called."

"Who the hell was in there besides you? 'Cause somebody let her out."

"Ashley swept up the glass. And Blood was in there earlier."

Ghost dropped him in shock. "Blood?"

"I didn't see him take her out, but I saw him bringing her back."

"When the fuck was that?"

"Couple hours ago."

"What the hell was Blood doing in there?"

Boo shook his head. "I don't know. I don't ask patches their business."

"Your fucking business was watching Jessie, fucktard!"

"Sorry, but wherever he took her, he brought her back. She was in there when I brought her the food."

"And you didn't uncuff her?"

"Well...yeah. I mean, she needed to go to the john and to eat. But I locked her back up. I swear."

Shades stepped in. "Ghost, we'll figure out how she got out later, now we need to find her."

Ghost whirled on him. "Don't you think I fucking know that?"

"Okay, brother, so where would she go?"

"Hell if I know."

"Think, Ghost."

"I don't know. Her mom is in Daytona. She said she wanted to go there."

"Okay, then lets hit the bus station."

Ghost nodded. "Yeah, okay."

Shades turned to Griz, Hammer, and JJ, who were the only other members in the clubhouse at the moment. "Let's mount up boys."

"I'll put out the word to the rest of the club," Hammer offered.

"No! Let's try and find her before Butcher gets word of this," Shades replied.

They all nodded.

"Let's sweep the neighborhood on the way out, everybody take a different route, we'll rendezvous at the bus station."

They all headed to their bikes.

Shades put a hand on Ghost's shoulder. "We'll find her, man."

Ghost's eyes connected with his best friend's, and he shook his head. "I can't lose her, bro."

Shades nodded. "You won't. We'll turn this fucking city upside down. We'll find her, Ghost. I promise you."

An hour later, they had canvased the neighborhood near the clubhouse, asking anyone they saw if they'd seen her. They'd staked out the bus station to no avail, and they'd even covered the old neighborhood where Ghost's father had lived.

They'd had no luck, and Ghost was running out of placed to look. They sat at a stoplight a few blocks from the old neighborhood, their five bikes idling as the sun sank in the west, rapidly taking with it the last traces of daylight. As they waited for the light to change, a hearse drove through the intersection, a small procession of four cars following behind it.

And it suddenly hit Ghost.

One last place she might be.

He motioned to his brothers to make a right turn, and when the light changed, they roared around the corner in a pack. They rumbled through the city streets until finally they reached their destination. Ghost pulled into the entrance to the quiet cemetery and coasted slowly down the long winding lane until he got to the section where Robert was buried. He saw her in the distance, standing next to the headstone.

She turned when she heard the bikes.

He pulled to a stop, dropping the kickstand and dismounting. His brothers all stopped their bikes, but sat on them, waiting while their brother handled whom he was sure they all thought of as his woman.

He strode toward her, relief that he'd found her swamping over him, replacing the fear that had held him in his grip ever since he'd walked into the clubhouse and found her gone. All he'd been able to think about was her falling into the hands of the DKs or Death Heads, or of her leaving town and disappearing, never knowing how he felt about her.

But all that was wrapped up in anger over the hell she'd put him through these last couple of hours.

Jessie turned at the sound of the bikes, and she felt her stomach drop. There were five bikes rolling up. She recognized Ghost immediately. He dismounted and headed toward her. For a split second she thought about running, even taking a step backwards, thinking she might be able to get away. And that might have been true, she might have had a chance if it was just Ghost, but he had four brothers at his back. They'd corner her and surround her. Hell, she wouldn't put it past them to tear through the graves on their bikes to run her down if they had to.

No, the best thing to do was to stand and face him. She was no coward. And besides, as she'd stood at her brother's grave, she'd replayed everything that Blood had told her earlier, and she'd reconsidered her brash decision to run.

She needed to give Ghost the benefit of the doubt. Maybe Ashley was lying to her about everything. As she stood there now, watching Ghost approach, she saw the hardness of his face. He was pissed.

He stopped about four feet from her and just stared at her, and she could feel the anger coming off him in waves. But he didn't yell. In fact, he didn't say a word. And perhaps his silence was more frightening than anything. It was almost as if he'd resolved himself to something. Something she wasn't sure she'd like.

She watched his eyes slide to Robert's grave, and his jaw ticked. Then his eyes moved back to her.

"You wanted to visit his grave, I would've brought you."

She didn't know what to say to that. She felt the words bubbling up from inside her to tell him she was sorry for running. But then her chin lifted. She'd be damned if she'd apologize.

"You done?"

She kept quiet.

"Come here."

Her eyes moved passed him to the line of bikes. His brothers sat watching them.

"Jess, not a good time to test me."

Her eyes came back to him.

"C'mere."

She moved a step toward him.

He lifted a brow.

She moved a step closer.

He reached out and grabbed her wrist, turning on his heel and pulling her behind him toward his bike.

Twenty minutes later they were back at the clubhouse.

Ghost led her inside, his brothers following, all taking up spots at the bar or at the pool table. Ghost looked over at Boo, who stood behind the bar.

"Who's here?" he demanded.

"Nobody but me."

"Butcher?"

"Home with his ol' lady."

"Boot? Slick?"

"Same."

Ghost must have been satisfied with that, because then he was dragging her down the hall to the last door at the end. He pulled her inside, slammed and locked the door.

She looked around. This was the infamous 'chapel', the room where the club held their club meetings. A room she was sure she wasn't suppose to ever see.

It wasn't all that impressive. Old, scarred paneling covered the walls. A big long table surrounded by a bunch of mismatched chairs took up most of the room. Her eyes were drawn to the opposite wall where several cuts from rival MCs were nailed upside down to it.

She turned to find Ghost's eyes on her as he moved around the table, stopping at the head. He leaned his hands on the back of the chair.

"Who let you out of the cuffs?"

She lifted her chin.

His eyes moved over her face, taking in her stubbornness, reading her like a book.

"Was it Blood?"

She looked away, unable to hold his eyes. Damn, how much did he know? Had he spoken with Blood? She didn't want to deny it and get caught in the lie. But he wasn't the one that had freed her in the way he meant. And while she didn't like Ashley and could care less about protecting her, the girl had stuck her neck out for her, and Jessie was no rat.

"I know he took you somewhere earlier today. Where?"

She met his eyes again. "The gun range."

That took him by surprise. She could see the shock written all over his face.

"The gun range?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Why?"

She shrugged. "Guess you'll have to ask him."

That pissed him off. He shoved the chair and stalked toward her so fast, she barely had time to react before he had her backed against the wall, boxing her in with his arms.

"I'm not your fucking enemy, Jess. No matter what you believe."

Her breathing accelerated as she looked up at him. It was a Ghost she'd only seen a few times before, like when he'd run those bullies off when he was a teenager. Or when he'd called her bluff that afternoon in his father's garage. The alpha had come out to play.

"Do you know the fucking hell you've put me through these last few hours? I turned the fucking city upside down looking for you! I was worried sick about you." He slammed his palm into the wall near her head, and she jumped.

Her reaction must have given him pause, for he backed up a step, running a hand through his hair.

"Christ, woman. You're enough to drive a man over the edge."

He shook his head.

She stayed quiet, a little stunned by his reaction. Did she dare to hope it revealed feelings than ran more deeply than perhaps he'd even realized? Was it possible he felt about her the way she felt about him? She had to know. So she pushed.