“You’re the VP of Iron Thunder?” she asked, surprised.
I said nothing and a soft smile played on her lips.
“Just when I think you can’t get any sexier, you do.”
“I thought you weren’t into bikers.”
“I’m into you,” she said and blushed, then looked away.
This conversation was getting deep very quickly. Yeah, I’d promised her a job at Iron Thunder and I said I would always keep her safe and look after her, but had I promised something else in the process? Was she expecting more?
I’d never done this before and I didn’t know what was appropriate to say at this point. I opened my mouth to speak just as Mercy sat up in bed.
“Ghost, I think I should go see my grandmother now. It’s been a while and she’s going to get worried. I don’t want her going to the cops looking for me.”
I knew I should have said something. Maybe something as simple as - I’m into you too - but now it felt like a missed opportunity and I would temporarily have to let it go.
“Yeah, get dressed, I’ll take you,” I said.
16
Mercy
First, we stopped at a chemist near my grandmother’s apartment so we could pick up some medical supplies for her.
This was the first time Ghost and I were out in public together—and I had no idea if we were doing it as a couple. And yet, I couldn’t stop a small part of me from bubbling with excitement at the idea that maybe when people saw us together, they saw us as a couple.
Ghost was attentive while I shopped, offered to hold the shopping basket for me while I wandered around the aisles looking for all the stuff Grandma would need. I also picked up things that would be needed at the clubhouse for Crash and for any other future minor emergencies.
From the corner of my eye, I could sense the way people walked out of our path when we came toward them. They turned to look at Ghost and most of the girls looked at me with envy. He was hot, even if he didn’t know it, every girl’s naughty bad-boy dream. They just didn’t know about the other side to being able to walk down the aisle with him. They couldn’t fathom the lifestyle he had. The sacrifices he made. The danger he was always in.
“I’ll get that,” he said and took the shopping basket to the cash register. I stood back while he paid for everything and brought the stuff over in two separate bags.
We walked back out to the bike and I watched him admiringly. I couldn’t take my eyes off him, couldn’t stop thinking about the amazing time I’d spent with him today. He said he was going to keep me safe, but that didn’t mean we were together.
He turned to me, fixing the bags to the back of the bike’s seat with cords.
“Looks like you’re used to doing all your shopping on this bike,” I said with a smile.
“I don’t do a lot of shopping, but I do transport some cargo from time to time,” he replied, but he was grinning too.
“Thank you for everything…for paying.”
“A deal is a deal.”
I nodded.
“Besides, you’re going to start working at the clubhouse soon and then you can buy me a drink,” he added.
It sounded good. It sounded like a dream job for me. I got to do the thing I loved most amongst people I liked being around. Didn’t I want to be as close to Ghost as possible? And yet, there was a part of me that wasn’t sure if this was the best plan.
I knew I was falling for Ghost and didn’t want to get hurt. If he couldn’t give me more than he had already given me, then that wouldn’t be enough. Right? Was I willing to spend the rest of my life waiting for him to pick me some night? To take me to his cabin once a month?
Ghost kickstarted his bike and waited for me to hop on. As I wrapped my arms around him, I couldn’t help but feel a darkness settling over me. That rosy afterglow of having the most amazing sex of my life was quickly fading.
* * *
Grandma was waiting for me by the kitchen window when I came into the apartment. I’d had to wear Ghost’s clothes today too and I knew she would notice.
“Mercy!” she cried when I walked in with the bag in my arms.
“Hi, Grandma, how are you? I’m so sorry I couldn’t be here sooner,” I said and went around to give her a hug. She put her bony arms around me and then turned to switch the kettle on.
“I was worried. I tried calling that phone number you left for me but you didn’t answer.”
“Yes, I’m sorry, I’ve been terribly busy at…at school and at the gas station.” I kept my back turned to her while I spoke, pretending to rearrange the mugs on the kitchen counter.
“Where have you been, Mercy?” she asked but not in an interrogative way. When I turned to her again, I noticed the way she was eyeing me closely. Looking at Ghost’s clothes, at the bruise on my face. I could feel my neck burning. I was a terrible liar, especially around her. She had always been able to see right through me.
“I…I got caught up with something. I promise I won’t be away from you this long again. Why don’t you sit down? Here, on the couch?”
I went to her and gently led her to the couch.
“I’ll get the tea,” I offered.
“What happened to your face, Mercy?” Grandma asked.
“I fell and hurt myself.”
I brought two cups with tea and a tin of cookies over to the couch. Grandma was still looking at me curiously.
“You’ve been alright? Were you able to sleep well? I’ve got your meds. You’ll feel better soon.”
“Who was that man?” she asked, interrupting me.
“Which man?”
“The one on the bike with the golden hair. All those
