Revenge (11 page)

“Right, we’ve just got the food to bring out when it’s
ready,” Lexie said.

“No, I’ve got to bring the booze out. The guys are
going to want their drinks. Also, we need to fill the main room with balloons.
Nash’s orders and he got them approved by Tiny. I don’t know what it is with
the balloons, but I’m not going to argue with him.” Running fingers through her
hair, Eva walked back into the clubhouse. Tiny was going over some figures
while he sat at the bar.

She’d not been to bed with him for two days, not since
he’d lied to her.

Approaching him, she glanced over his shoulder to see
all the numbers he was looking over.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

Eva wasn’t jealous of his first wife, far from it. She
knew his first marriage wasn’t as perfect as people thought.

“I’m fine. Is Tate okay?”

“She will be. She’s getting stronger every day.”

“I’m starting to think she’s not cut out to be an old
lady.”

“The club takes a lot of getting used to. Tate’s been
through a lot. She’s expecting her second child. Please, Tiny, give her a
chance.”

He shook his head. “It’s not just about dealing with
the everyday crap. I don’t believe she’s cut out to be this kind of person.
She’s nothing like you or some of the other women.”

“You can’t cut her off.”

“I’m not going to cut her off, Eva. She’s my
daughter.”

“Where is all of this going? Why would you be thinking
about Tate in my role?”

Tiny shrugged. “I’m not going to be the president of
The Skulls forever. I know my time is coming to an end. I’m just thinking of
the future.”

She chuckled. “It’s going to be some time yet.”

“Even so.
I’m old, baby. I’ve got to start preparing for the future. I don’t want
to be riding my bike and dealing with this shit into my seventies.”

“It’s over twenty years away.” She made to pull away,
but he wouldn’t let her go.

“No, it’s not that long, Eva. You think it’s that long,
but time goes by so fast. Before we know it I’m going to be seventy, and I
don’t want to spend my days riding and dealing with shit.” He spun in his chair
and pulled her closer to him. “I want to be with you.
Loving
you, spending my time with you.”

“Are you trying to suck up to me?” she asked.

“No. I’m trying to let you know that no matter how
much I disappoint you, I’ll always love you, no matter what. I’m sorry for
lying to you. I just can’t stand the fact you’re scared. It pisses me off.”

Smiling, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “That’s
okay. You can make it up to me later.” She leaned in, kissing his lips. “I love
you, Tiny, and I’m sorry for being a bitch.”

He gripped her ass, squeezing her flesh. “Love you,
too, baby.”

Reluctantly she pulled away from him to go searching
through the cupboards for all the alcohol. She found a trolley to load up so
she could have drinks all around the compound.

“It’s hard to be happy and sad at the same time,”
Lexie said, coming to join her. For once the other woman didn’t have a child on
her hip. That had been two occasions she’d seen Lexie without a child, and it
was nice.

“What do you mean?” Eva asked, adding another bottle
of scotch to the selection.

“We’re all celebrating the return of a brother who was
falsely incarcerated, but we’re all still on guard. I wonder if we’ll ever be
able to simply have a get-together that doesn’t involve pain, death, or fear.”
Lexie held onto the trolley handle as Eva placed the last bottle to take into
the garden.

“I know what you mean. It sucks, but at least we’re
all still here.” They passed Sasha and Pussy on the way into the garden. The
couple was cute, and it was shocking to see Pussy utterly devoted to one woman.
“I wonder how long they will last.”

“They’re going to last a lifetime,” Lexie said. “He
fought Devil to keep her.”

“Why didn’t Devil want them together?”

“She’s blind, and he saw her as a problem seeing as
she couldn’t take care of herself. Pussy has given her more independence than
any of her family. She’s doing great, flourishing. I had to convince Devil to
leave them alone.”

Placing the bottles into the cooler, Eva found it
strange.

“Oh, well. Men don’t really understand true love until
they live through it.” Eva finished with the bottles and started taking the
trolley back into the clubhouse.

“I’ve learned a lot about Devil over the last few
years. He rarely allows any man into the club who can’t take care of
themselves. It means a lot to him to have them on his side.” Lexie tucked some
hair behind her ear. The brown locks glistened in the sun.

Tiny and Devil were totally different considering they
were both presidents of MCs. Whizz was their problem at the moment. The brother
could barely take care of himself, let alone support the club in a fight. What
Whizz failed with his personal problems, he more than made up for with his
computer skills. Whenever Tiny or the club had a problem, Whizz delivered. They
could rely on him behind the scenes, which at the moment was the best place for
him. He was The Skulls’ most valuable asset. Tiny wouldn’t allow anything to
happen to the brother. Whizz was part of all of them, and no one would ever
vote him out.

“Have I shocked you?” Lexie asked.

“No, not really.
Devil never struck me as the kind of man with patience.”

Alex grabbed her arm. “Can I borrow you?”

Looking at Lexie, Eva was about to open her mouth when
Alex tugged her away.
“Hey, Alex.
I was talking.
You’re being very fucking rude.”

He didn’t stop until he escorted her through to his
room. Alex led the way to his room where Tiny wouldn’t see them. She wasn’t
afraid. Alex wouldn’t hurt her. They were friends before the club.

“What the hell is going on? You’ve never acted like
this before.”

“Butch is the one who fucked up Patricia’s grave.”

She gasped, pressing a hand to her mouth.

He placed a hand over her mouth. “He did it at the
order of Gonzalez.”

“Butch is working for Gonzalez?”

“Yes and no.”

Frowning, she dropped her hands and pushed him away.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean? You’re not making any sense.”

“I’ve got it all under control. I’m the one who sent
him undercover.”

“What?” None of this was making any sense to her. Tiny
had already told her all of this. She didn’t know how much she was supposed to
know or what Tiny had told Alex. “You’re putting Butch in danger.”

“The club is in danger. Gonzalez is not predictable,
and he’s going to put us all in danger. One man is better than the whole club.”

She stared into his eyes. Eva had known Alex long
enough to know when he was lying.

“This isn’t about you or the club. This is about your
son, Matthew. You’re doing all of this to protect him.”

He dropped his gaze from her.

“Does Tiny know?”

“Yes, he knows, but he doesn’t want anyone else to
know what we’re doing.”

Why is Alex coming to me?

“Why are you telling me?” She knew what Tiny was
trying to do, even if his plan did unnerve her a little.

“Because I don’t know if Tiny knows what he’s doing
and I’ve got a son to protect.”

“Tiny has the interest of the club before anyone else.
You should never doubt him.” She shoved him in the chest. There was no way
she’d let Alex get away with doubting her man. “He’s been president of this
club for a long time, a lot longer than you’ve ever given a shit about them. You
stayed away in Vegas, involved in your casino. Don’t you fucking dare try to
divide loyalty! Tiny knows this club better than most.”

She turned to grab the door handle. Alex gripped her
elbow.

“I’m not trying to divide fucking loyalty, Eva. Devil
and his crew, that’s
Tiny’s
weakness. He trusts Devil,
and he shouldn’t.”

Resting her head against the door, she let out a sigh.
“Devil and his crew have been there for us in the past.”

“They brought this mess to us. We shouldn’t be
contemplating losing men or women, let alone children.”

She saw the fear in his eyes. Never in all the time
she’d
known Alex had she ever seen fear. He was a man who
took risks and didn’t care about the consequences of what he was doing. This
man before her was not just a man, he was a scared father.

“You’ve got to stop panicking and start to put your
shit together,” she said.

He ran fingers through his hair. Pity filled her at
seeing the conflict in his eyes. He was lashing out without even thinking.

“I can’t handle this. He’s just a boy.”

“Then you know exactly how we’ve all felt the last few
years. You don’t think I’m terrified about what happens to Miles and Tabitha?
They’re my world, and yet I’m part of a world that could have them taken from
me.” She stopped as tears filled her eyes. “The panic will come along with the
fear. You’ve got to learn to trust Tiny. He’s gotten us all out of trouble so
far. Trust him, and Matthew will be fine.”

She opened the door and left him alone.

Without stopping, she went to Tiny and grabbed his
hand. “We need to talk.”

“I’m busy, baby. I want to get these numbers done
before Gash arrives.”

Eva didn’t give him the chance of turning her down.
She grabbed the paperwork and threw it over the counter. “There, the work is
done.” Taking hold of his hand, she led him into the office. The club was snickering
as she led him back to the main office. Closing and locking the door she turned
on him and shoved him hard in the chest. “Are you fucking insane?”

“Baby?
What?”

“Butch,
him
risking his
fucking life and doing that shit to Patricia’s grave and you didn’t even tell
me?” She placed hands on her hips and glared at him. Eva was so fucking angry,
she was ready to hurt him.

Her body shook with anger.

“Who the fuck
told you about Patricia?”

“Alex. Don’t you fucking
dare!
”
She pushed at his chest when he made to pass her. “You’re not going to take any
shit out on him. You’re the one at fault here, you, not Alex. You’re my
husband, the one responsible for keeping me up to date on all the shit you’ve
got planned, not him.”

“It’s club business. He had no right to tell you.”

“So I’m not club business?” she asked, yelling. She
didn’t give a fuck who was listening to them. “I’m not an old lady? I’m the one
who has to look at Butch’s wife when he’s fucking murdered because you kept me
in the goddamned dark!”

“Eva.” He held onto her shoulders, and she shook him
off.

“No, you don’t get to Eva me and try to shut me up.
You’re in the fucking wrong. I’m your old lady, Tiny. I’m your fucking wife. I
knew you were doing this shit with Butch, but
this
, it’s going to get him killed. What are you doing to do when
Gonzalez asks him to do more? How far do you want Butch to go? Desecrating
Patricia’s grave is fucking mild for Gonzalez, considering he was more than
happy to give the order of cutting off a woman’s head. Butch doesn’t even know
you’re in on it. Alex doesn’t even know that I fucking know what’s going on.
This is bad news.” She slapped his chest, feeling the tears fall down her
cheeks. “You lost the right to treat me like a whore when you put a ring on my
finger and twins inside me.” She stopped, licking her lips. “You should have told
me everything. How can I help you if you’re only ever giving me half of it?
This isn’t going to work.”

Laying a hand against his chest, she felt the pounding
within her head. This thing with Butch was getting complicated, and if Tiny
wasn’t careful, it was going to bite him in the ass.

“Shit, I’m sorry. I don’t want to worry you. I never
want to worry you. This is my business, and I’m risking his life—”

“Getting information from Gonzalez is a lot different
than acting like a pet. Butch is nothing more than Gonzalez’s pet. It’s going
to get him killed, Tiny. It’s dangerous.”

He didn’t drop his gaze from hers. “I’m doing what’s
good for the club. This is our only way of getting to him from the inside.
Butch acting like this has helped us stop something else.”

“What else could it have stopped?” she asked, opening
her arms wide. She didn’t know what else to expect from him.

“Butch found out that a cop on the force within Fort
Wills was going to start another raid on the clubhouse. We’re all in lockdown.
All of us would have ended up in jail.”

“How did you stop it?” she asked. They hadn’t been
woken up in the middle of the night to a raid. There had to be something Tiny
and The Skulls had done.

“He’s dead,” Tiny said, whispering the words against
her ear. “Whizz dealt with his car. The bastard was travelling to the city and
didn’t gain control. He veered off the road connecting with a tree. We took him
out.”