by Sam Crescent
“You can get in my face all you want, Hardy. I’m not the one responsible for sticking my dick in the wrong woman. She wants space, deal with it, or you’ll be dealing with a divorce.” Gash snapped up his drink, storming out of the room.
“I love her. I don’t want her to leave.”
“Rose loves you, Hardy. Give her some space,” Angel said, offering him a smile.
Taking a seat at the table, Lacey gasped as Prue put Markus in her arms. “Right, I was thinking we’ll skip Fort Wills and go straight to the mall in the city. No one is keeping us locked up tight anymore. I need to get away,” Prue said.
Markus wriggled in her arms and Lacey held on as she listened to the other woman. This was more than she could handle. She’d never held a child in all of her life.
“Lash won’t be happy,” Angel said.
“Screw Lash. This is a girls’ day. What about you, Eva? Are you coming along?”
“I want Simon!” Tabitha threw her bowl off the table, glaring at her mother.
Eva rolled her eyes. “No! Tiny’s right. I’ve put up with your temper long enough, lady. You’re so going in the naughty corner.” In quick moves, Eva put her daughter in the corner. “You will stay there and think about what you’ve done.”
“She better stay there,” Tiny said, appearing in the doorway.
Tabitha looked shocked to see her father watching. “That’s right, missy. I saw you.”
She stuck her lip out. “I want Simon!”
Tiny looked at Eva, frowning. “She means Devil’s Simon, not Tate’s.”
Tabitha faced the wall, folding her arms over her chest. She looked every inch the spoilt little girl.
Prue placed a cup in front of her. “What do you want for breakfast?”
“Just some toast.”
No one paid Lacey any attention as she held Markus close.
“How long has she been throwing her temper around?” Tiny asked.
“She liked Simon. They were close.” Eva cleaned away the mess. “I’ve been talking with Lexie. Simon has been the same way.”
“What do you want?” Tiny folded his arms, the same way his daughter had.
“We want to meet up.”
Lacey tuned out as Angel started talking with Prue. “How’s Kelsey?”
“She’s vomiting. I think she’s preggers again. It wouldn’t surprise me. Killer is always on her.” Prue finished making some breakfast then made her way over to her. She took Markus out of her arms. “Not that I can complain. They make beautiful kids.”
“Are we inviting Tate along?” Angel asked.
“Don’t go ruining my good mood.”
“I’m not going,” Tate said, walking into the room. Lacey looked behind her in time to see Tate smirk after she looked from her dad to Tabitha. She passed Tabitha on the way to the table, ruffling her head. “That’s my girl.”
“Don’t encourage her, Tate,” Tiny said.
Tate chuckled, taking a seat at the table. Her rounded stomach was starting to show. She’d almost lost her child after an attack from Gonzalez. Fortunately, Tate hadn’t died, and neither had her unborn child.
“Get your own cereal,” Prue said.
Angel looked at her. “Don’t mind those two. They’re always bickering.”
Lacey felt like she was suffering from whiplash with the way the two women were talking. Eva and Tiny were talking, and Miles kept eating his food while glancing at his sister. Tabitha was dancing on the spot, not doing as she was asked. There was so much going on.
“Fine. You can go, but make sure Devil knows about it as well. I’m not going to be dealing with his shit because of you two.”
“Lexie has already got Devil’s agreement. We’re going to meet up at Paradise Rocks.”
“That’s fucking hours away,” Tiny said, spitting his coffee back into the cup.
“Yeah, but it meets at the middle. I’m not having Lexie come here and risk Devil kicking your ass. I’m not going to Piston County and have you follow me to kick his ass. Paradise Rocks is neutral territory. It’s not owned by The Skulls or Chaos Bleeds. It’s like Switzerland,” Eva said.
Tiny looked like he wanted to say something else. He looked around the room, and his gaze settled on Lacey. “Does Whizz know you’re out?”
She nodded. This man was scary as fuck. She didn’t want his anger directed at her, not one bit.
“Don’t you have a voice?”
“Dad, stop scaring her. Prue looks like she wants to shoot your ass, and I heard she’s pretty mean with a gun,” Tate said.
“Shut up.” Prue glared at the other woman before turning to the president of The Skulls. “Whizz knows she’s out. She’s not a fucking dog. I’m taking her out with Angel.”
“Lash know about this?”
Lacey wanted to die. They were treating her like she was something evil that needed to muzzled or something. Not that she could blame them. None of them knew her, not really. They only knew she had been part of a club that had killed several townsfolk. Eating her toast, she stayed quiet while the others started to talk.
“He knows, and he’s fine with me going with them,” Angel said, cleaning Anthony up.
“Really?”
Angel looked at Tiny. Her face was bright red. “Really. Lacey is not going to hurt me. You’re being rude in treating her like you are.” She stood, turning her back to Tiny. Lacey saw her hands were shaking.
“Dad, enough already. You keep questioning Angel then Lash is going to kick your ass.” Tate took a spoonful of her cereal and smiled at him. “Besides, Tabitha’s more likely to hurt Angel than Lacey.”
“Am not.” Tabitha’s little voice came from the corner.
“Are too,” Tate said, sticking her tongue out at her little sister. The two sisters were also giggling as they played with their dad.
“Stop it, you two,” Tiny said, shaking his head. “Your mom’s going to see Lexie with Simon. I better not hear any more crap from you, missy.” He pointed his finger at Tabitha before moving onto Tate. “You should know better. You’ve got a kid of your own and one on the way.”
“Will do.” Tate saluted him.
He shook his head, walking out.
Tabitha walked over to her sister, and they high-fived. “We had him, did you see?”
“Yep.”
Was this what it was to be a family? Lacey had been ten years old when her family had been torn from her. Pushing the thoughts aside, she finished eating as Zero walked into the kitchen.
“What have I told you about leaving my bed?” He pulled Prue into his arms, slamming his lips down on hers.
Lacey wished she could have something like that. Zero was careful of Markus as he kissed Prue.
“You were snoring your ass off. I’ve been awake for ages. I’m not lying around all morning just to get a kiss with your morning breath.”
“Woman, I swear I’ll spank your ass.”
Prue’s smile grew wider. “Is that a promise?”
Everywhere Lacey turned the signs of love and devotion were clear to see. Lacey finished her food, climbed off her chair, and made her way to the sink. She washed the dish aware of her hands shaking.
Angel stood beside her. “It’s okay to be nervous. I was nervous when I first arrived here.”
She smiled at the other woman, hating her reaction to being around the club. Lacey wanted to be part of it while she felt she didn’t deserve it. Her family was long gone, dead, by the men who were now around her.
“Stop mauling me.” Prue slapped Zero in the gut. “It’s time for us to go before we get stuck in a shitload of traffic.”
“Come on.”
“Wait, have any of you seen Rose?” Zero asked.
Angel had grabbed her arm and started leading her out of the room. The two women stopped to look at Zero.
Prue tilted her head to the side to observe her man. “We don’t know.”
He stared right back at her. “You know where she is.”
&
nbsp; She snorted. “Of course I do. I’m not going to tell you for you to run right off back to Hardy. That man needs to learn to go without. He should have known to keep his dick in his pants.” They headed out of the clubhouse with Anthony and Markus with them. Prue placed the two pushchairs in the trunk of the car as Angel secured the two kids in their car seats.
“Right, Lacey, you’ve got a choice. You can sit between the two brats or you can sit beside me. Angel doesn’t mind where she sits so long as she’s got an eye on the boys.”
“I’ll sit up front with you.” Lacey didn’t handle kids, and hadn’t touched kids since her ordeal. The last thing she wanted to do was get involved with what she could never have. On the road she couldn’t even get a puppy as they didn’t have the means to keep one. From the moment the guys had it fixed in their head to deal with Gonzalez, she hadn’t been able to settle down.
Get over it.
Lacey didn’t know what to expect from the future. If she was honest with herself, the prospect of the future terrified her.
****
“What’s going on?” Tiny asked, brushing past Alex to walk into his home. Alex heard Sunshine in the kitchen dealing with his breakfast. He enjoyed being at home a lot more than he did being at the clubhouse right now. The men were angry at him for what he had done to Butch and keeping it from the club. It had been his idea, his decision that Tiny had agreed to, and the men were not happy with it.
“Nothing.”
“You’re hiding out in your house because of the shit that went down between Devil and me?” Tiny folded his hands. The sound of pans banging around drew Tiny’s attention. “Who’s that?”
“Sunshine. She’s my housekeeper and has been since I bought this place well over a year ago.”
“You’ve had this place a year and you didn’t tell me?”
Alex hadn’t told anyone about his purchase of this place. He didn’t want any of the club descending on him unnecessarily, and also, he didn’t want any of the club to be near Sunshine. By keeping his place a secret, he kept Sunshine to himself. From the moment he saw her he’d not touched another woman, hadn’t wanted another woman.
“This is my business, and it doesn’t affect the club.”
“You wanted to give up your life in Vegas, the casino, all the shit Ned had coming your way to come to my town. Why the fuck are you in my town if you’re going to keep shit from me?” Tiny asked.
“I helped create this town. I helped you, Tiny.”
“Yeah, I know you helped me. I know you were always there, but you were not part of the club, Alex. You were a businessman who wore a fancy suit. I did all the shit here. I got my hands dirty while you stayed away. When Michael came out of the woodwork, you told me you wanted to be part of the club. What’s changed?”
Alex rested his hands on his hips. He wore a pair of jeans and a crisp white shirt. The scent of Sunshine was on everything. These were the clothes he bought when he hired her. She washed and pressed them regularly even though she didn’t need to. Everything smelled of her. She’d been the only woman in the house for so long, and he loved it. He didn’t have to share her with her family as they stayed within town. Sunshine did leave the house to visit them.
“Devil was right. I don’t know the first thing about running a club. You need to take care of The Skulls by yourself.”
“You’re not backing away from the club. You wouldn’t even let Butch back away.”
“I’m not backing away. I just see it useless me trying to be something I’m clearly not.” Alex shrugged. “He was right.”
Tiny started laughing. “Devil and I are no longer talking and you’re going to back down from the club.”
“He was right.”
“What about Michael? What about your son? He’s part of the club whether you like it or not. Are you going to back down?” Tiny asked.
“Alex?” Sunshine spoke his name, drawing both of their attention away from the argument. “Would you both like a coffee or some food?” She was holding a blasted towel again. He hated her constantly holding a towel.
“I’d love one, Sunshine, thank you.” Tiny smiled at her.
“How do you know Sunshine?” Alex asked, jealousy hitting him.
“She’s lived in Fort Wills for a long time, Alex. I know her parents, for crying out loud. It’s a small town, and you need to get your head out of your ass or go back to Vegas. I don’t want you around if you’re about to go fucking pussy on me.” Tiny poked him in the chest before heading into the kitchen.
Tiny was right. Something needed to give in his life, and he had to make a choice.
Chapter Six
Whizz left Butch to Cheryl and Michael. He was really happy that he’d visited Butch. Spending time with him made him realize that Butch had only been doing what he thought was right. It hadn’t been and he’d put them all in danger, yet Butch had suffered the most out of the club. The civilians that lost their lives were a tragedy. The Savage Brothers had been a problem even without Butch’s involvement. From what he learned from Lacey, they were determined to seek revenge and use anyone they could to get what they wanted.
The look on Butch’s face when Cheryl and Michael walked in the room would stay with Whizz for a long time. Hope, happiness, and joy had crossed Butch’s face. They were a family outside of The Skulls. Cheryl had really come through for her man. She was strong through and through.
Climbing onto his bike he headed back to the clubhouse. Driving inside the compound walls, he saw Eva had most of the kids in the play area. Tate was sitting on one of the swings watching the chaos unfold. Hardy was sat on the wall beside his bike, smoking.
Parking the bike, he joined Hardy. He turned down the offer of a cigarette.
“Doesn’t your woman want you smoking?” Hardy asked. His voice was gravelly as if he was on the verge of breaking down.
“What’s gone up your ass and took a shit?” Whizz took a seat beside him. The last thing he wanted to do was deal with Hardy. Ever since the truth had come out, Hardy had become bitter. Whizz didn’t know about the other club members but he was tired of dealing with the asshole. Ten years ago, the fucker had made a mistake. It wasn’t anyone else’s fault but his own. Whatever reason Rose had for finally breaking apart was her own. Hardy wasn’t dealing and neither was Rose, and that was the problem. Rose hadn’t really been dealing with it for the past ten years. She’d been pushing it aside as if it didn’t matter. The couple was paying that price now.
“Where’s Rose?”
Whizz glanced at his watch to see it was after lunch. “Is Lacey out with Prue and Angel?”
“Where’s Rose?”
Murphy walked out of the clubhouse, heading toward Tate. Whizz watched his friend kiss her head, and he was shocked by what he saw. Tate smiled up at Murphy, reaching up to cup his face. His friend did the same to Tate. He read the words on her lips. “I love you.”
In all the years he’d known Tate, he’d never once seen her act like a human. This was a first for him to witness. The love on her face tore down the hard assed bitch he’d known her to be.
When the moment was over, Murphy made his way over to them, looking happy.
“Hey, guys, how’s it hanging?” Murphy pulled out a cigarette and took a long drag.
“Fine, you?” Whizz asked.
“I can’t complain. I’ve got a good woman, a good life, and for once in our life there’s no fucking enemy.” Murphy held his arms open with a smile on his face. “We’ve got the world to look forward to.”
“Life’s good for some of you,” Hardy said.
Rolling his eyes, Whizz glanced at Hardy. “For fuck’s sake it’s not the club’s problem that you couldn’t keep your dick in your pants. It would do Rose good if she gets rid of your ass. All you fucking do is moan.”
“What the fuck did you say?” Hardy asked, throwing his cigarette to the ground and stamping it out.
“You heard me. You’re the one who didn’t see what you had in
front of you. Like always you wanted something more, something you shouldn’t have. Rose changed herself for you. What did you do?”
“I didn’t touch another fucking woman. I kept Rose with me at all times.” Hardy took a step closer to him.
“Wow, good for you,” Whizz said. “You gave her fuck all while she had to make the effort. What exactly did you do besides keep her pussy on tap for you? You don’t deserve her. Rose should leave your ass and find another man who can give her what she needs.”
Whizz fell on his ass from Hardy’s punch.
“Hold up,” Murphy said, grabbing Hardy.
“You little fucking punk. Come on, get up.” Hardy spat the words back to him.
Wiping the blood from underneath his nose, Whizz got to his feet.
“Everyone’s treating you like fucking porcelain around here because of the shit that happened to you.”
Any other time Whizz would have withdrawn. He’d walk away as the memories would be too hard to handle. Lacey’s face as he slid inside her warm heat invaded every single one of his senses, forcing the bad memories away. He was no longer held in place, scared, terrified. Standing tall, he glared at Hardy.
“And you’re too busy whining like a fucking pussy. ‘Rose is going to leave me. Where’s Rose? I don’t know what I’ll do.’ Be a fucking man,” Whizz said, mimicking Hardy’s voice before returning to his own. He told Murphy to let Hardy go. He wanted to take on the fucker.
Murphy let Hardy go, but Whizz was ready for him. He took the impact from Hardy’s body, sliding to the ground. Hitting his ass hard on the ground, Whizz grunted but rolled, slamming his fist against Hardy’s face. The other man jerked back but not before landing a blow to his stomach. Whizz welcomed the pain as he looked at Hardy.
“You’ve got no idea what you’re talking about,” Hardy said, wiping the blood from his lip.
“You’re right, I don’t. I’ve never cheated on one of my women with a whore. Or was she a sweet-butt? I wonder how many other brothers had her ass before you got to her. Rose was a virgin when you took her. I thought she was part of the club, but she wasn’t, was she?” Whizz asked.