The gunshot was still ringing in Phantom's ears. Around him, a stunned silence had settled. He could feel his brothers' eyes burning into him.

The image he had projected onto the white wall had frozen.

"I... that's your Old Lady, right?" Martinez finally said, dazed. "The girl who used to clean up around here?"

Phantom hadn't offered any introduction. He had wanted to hit them with this cold, just like he had been hit with it yesterday.

"Yeah," he replied. He noticed that his calmness drew questioning looks. He was the rookie of the group, the guy who had almost whispered for help two months ago when Lola's friend had been kidnapped.

But now, he didn't feel uncertain at all. He felt strong. Angry. And yes, somewhere underneath there was grief, but he pushed it down—there was no room for weakness right now.

"Yesterday I went to the fundraiser hosted by Lola's father, who's running for senator. We got into an argument, she stormed off, and then her ex-boyfriend shoved her into a van on the street." He glanced at Esai, curious whether he'd come clean too—not that he had much choice. "Esai saw it happen. He called me, I jumped in his car, and we ran Lola's ex off the road. We interrogated him and found out that her father orchestrated the whole thing in the hope that it would win him more votes. Rumors are already spreading that his rival played dirty."

Silence followed his words. As expected from the club president, he was the one who finally spoke. "My condolences, Phantom. What a goddamn mess." His eyes lingered on him for a moment before shifting to his son. "But I don't understand what you were doing there."

"Does it matter?" Esai shot back, offended. "Be glad I was."

Alvarez raised his eyebrows. His silence made it clear he expected an explanation. He probably had his suspicions.

"I followed him, okay? I've had a feeling for months that he was hiding something, and you didn't believe me anyway." He took a deep breath, glanced briefly at Phantom, and said, "And I was wrong, okay? I admit it."

Esai had discovered Phantom's secret. This wasn't the moment to lay it all out there, although Phantom almost wanted it in the open. The spotlight was elsewhere now. Eventually, someone was going to find out he had cheated with Lola's brother.

"I was hiding something," Phantom said. He looked at the now-blackened projection on the wall, then forced himself to meet the president's gaze. "I like men. I tried to hide it from you all, since you've all treated Raine like shit. So Esai wasn't entirely... wrong."

His eyes briefly met Esai's. Something had shifted between them last night. Because of his determination and genuine help, Phantom now saw him in a very different light. And it probably went both ways.

"I was afraid you'd kick me out. That you wouldn't want 'another fag' in your midst. I even used Lola to..." A lump rose in his throat. He took a deep breath. "I take responsibility for what I did, but I didn't feel like a brother here. What I did with Lola was wrong, and now she's dead. If it weren't for me, she wouldn't have gone there—although I know her father would've found another way to kill her. Still, maybe things would've ended differently." He tried to ignore the shame boiling inside him, deeper than what he had done to Lola. "I was afraid of losing the club. Afraid of being alone again. But I'm also done hiding. I don't want to avoid talking to a guy I like just because I'm scared you'll all drag me through the mud. So if this is a reason for me to step away from the club, I'll accept it. But I'm done pretending."

It had turned into a full monologue. Most of the guys stared awkwardly at the table, unsure how to respond.

"Thanks for your honesty, Phantom," Alvarez said. "I'm sorry you felt like you had to hide. And I understand why." The club president looked him in the eye. "But as far as I'm concerned, it wasn't necessary. I love Raine like a son. The fact that he likes men hasn't changed that at all. So you have my blessing." His expression hardened. "As long as you don't get involved with a rival. No guys from another club. No gang members." He narrowed his eyes. "No cops."

A faint smile tugged at Phantom's lips.

"And none of that hanky-panky in front of us," Martinez grumbled.

"Don't mind that old crank," Alvarez waved him off. "Well, now that that's out of the way..." He turned to his son. "I'm not sure how I feel about you tailing your own brother. Honestly, I don't have much good to say about that. But on the other hand—it seems like the two of you finally see each other as brothers."

Esai looked at him briefly, then nodded.

Phantom didn't see any disgust in his gaze. His expression was neutral. If anything, he seemed relieved to have come out of this fairly clean.

"All right. Now back to what happened to Lola. She wasn't really your Old Lady, but I assume you want justice?"

"Absolutely." The growl in his voice made that clear. "She was a good friend and I... I didn't want to lose her."

"It's a murder that will be investigated," Ant, the VP, mused. He stroked his stubbled chin. "So it can't get too messy. Do you want us to plant the idea that her dad was behind her death?"

Phantom considered that. How would Lola want to be remembered? As the victim of some religious nutjobs, or a political pawn sacrificed by her own fucking father? Lola is dead, man. Think about yourself. A nagging feeling pulsed in his chest. As if he hadn't already been thinking only of himself since his brother was murdered. He suppressed a sigh. First that cop he shot, now Lola, murdered... Death surrounded him, dragging old ghosts back to the surface.

"No," he finally said. "If it comes out her dad was behind it, then I've got a motive to kill him. They'll be knocking on my door first."

He expected them later today anyway, but hopefully they didn't suspect him of anything else. They probably just wanted to know if he had noticed anything strange about Lola. If she'd been stalked or harassed recently.

"Okay. Then I suggest we go for a clean shot. We can hire a pro. Right after the funeral, maybe." Ant's dark brown eyes held his. "Or is that not enough? Want him to suffer longer?"

Part of him did. But he knew himself. He wasn't a torturer—not like some of the others. When hatred drove him, he got reckless. His mind flashed back to that cop's bedroom, the bullet holes in his chest. He hadn't even remembered pulling the trigger.

"He deserves to die. I don't care how."

"All right. Make sure I get all the info. Photos of the guy, where and when the funeral takes place."

Phantom hesitated. "It's not happening at the funeral, right? I don't want her farewell to be ruined."

"After," Ant promised. "As soon as he walks back to his car."

Part of Phantom still wanted to do it himself. Just to be in control. But he knew it was time to trust his brothers. They had experience with hits like this—he didn't.

"Good." Alvarez took the lead again. "Anything else we need to talk about? What happened to the ex—can he still talk?"

"He's dead," Esai replied. "I hid the body well. I had to ditch my car, though. Spent half the night cleaning up every trace in case they find it anyway. Phantom erased all the digital evidence."

Alvarez nodded approvingly between the two of them. "Good work, boys."

A small smile crept to Phantom's lips. Then his thoughts shifted to Lola again, and the hollow feeling returned.

She was really gone.

After the meeting, Phantom picked up his work at the concert hall again. It was hard to focus—images kept flashing through his mind. Lola's shocked face when she caught him with her brother. Her body collapsing after the shot to her head.

They morphed into other images.

His brother's body jerking before it hit the floor. The blood that spilled so quickly, the pool that reached Phantom's own feet. The screaming sirens.

"Fuck." Phantom exhaled shakily. He rubbed between his eyes. Swore again when he saw the smirking face of the killer.

The gun shifted, now pointed straight at Phantom.

"Boom!"

He screamed.

The gang member burst out laughing and sauntered away without a care in the world.

Phantom shook his head, trying to get rid of the images. I was fifteen and unarmed. I didn't stand a chance against that asshole. He opened Spotify and blasted the music, hoping it would drown out the memories.

It didn't help much. A question simmered beneath the surface, one that had been gnawing at him all day. Why does Lola deserve justice, but your own brother doesn't? Ezra said he left the gang. You don't spark a gang war and a bloodbath by going after him.

His phone rang. It was a relief, the accusatory train of thought grinding to a halt. He pulled the device from his pocket and, to his surprise, saw that Juice was calling. It had been a while since they last spoke.

"Hey," he answered.

"Hey. I... heard the news. About your girlfriend. I'm so sorry."

"Oh... that was quick." Phantom rubbed his forehead. "I just told my brothers. I didn't know you two still kept in touch."

"No, Ezra called me."

Ezra. For a moment, it felt like his heart stopped. "Ezra called you?"

"He recognized her from the news. He wanted to reach out, even if... you'd pushed him away. So I just wanted to check how you're doing. And if you need a break or anything, you're always welcome at our place."

Phantom didn't quite know what to say. He was a little blindsided by the fact that Ezra had reached out to Juice. Something hard inside him began to crumble.

He hasn't forgotten me. Phantom shut his eyes and swallowed with difficulty. Suddenly, he longed deeply for Ezra's calm presence and the strength he radiated. If he called Ezra now, he would come and make sure Phantom felt less like crap. He knew it. That's just the kind of man he was, even if they'd only spent a few hours together.

"Thanks," he managed. "Everything's just... overwhelming. Lola got caught up in some sick conspiracy. We're working on it."

"Damn. That's rough, man. Did her death have anything to do with the club?"

"No." Phantom didn't want to say too much. It wasn't that he didn't trust Juice, but he and Raine had left their clubs for a purpose. They'd wanted to leave all that violence behind. "Some kind of political game."

There was a short silence. "And are you holding up okay? Shit, I just can't imagine what you must be feeling. Even though Raine's brushed death a couple times."

"We weren't nearly as close as you two. Of course it sucks. But..." But I didn't love her. I used her as a fucking smokescreen and was about to fuck her brother while she was less than a hundred meters away. He had appreciated her company, and she really didn't deserve what had happened, but right now it was mostly rage and self-loathing that had him in their grip. "We'd only been hanging out for a few weeks," he concluded. "And I'm managing. My brothers have my back."

"Okay. That's good to hear. Well, the offer still stands, if you ever want to get away for a bit."

"Thanks."

There was a brief silence. Phantom sensed his friend wanted to say something about Ezra. His heart sped up automatically. Before he could end the call, the question came.

"Do you want Ezra's number? He's a great guy. And I think he really likes you." Phantom could hear the smile in his voice. 

It left a dull, aching feeling in his chest. If it had been anyone else, he would've said yes. Especially now that he was out and the guys had reacted way more chill than expected.

But his brothers' reaction had never been the real problem. It was their history—still hidden from Ezra.

"It won't work," he replied. Because deep down, he knew what he had to do. What he owed his brother, now that he had finally uncovered the identity of his killer after all these years.
After Lola's funeral, he would make that right too.