The Skulls (5 page)

“Give us some good news, David. I’m growing tired of
this shit, and your daughter’s ass is looking tempting,” Tiny said.

Fisting his hands at his side, Lash knew there was
nothing sinister in what Tiny said, but hearing the words was still hard to
handle. The civilians didn’t need to know that The Skulls had a code. If Lash
hadn’t laid claim to her to all the members, Angel would have been fucked
within her first week at the club.

They didn’t run a hotel service, and the men needed
a regular supply of sex in whatever form that came.

“I-I-I can’t g-g-get
i
-
i
-it back.”

Rolling his eyes, Lash saw through the lies.

“Then I guess Angel’s ass is mine.”

“No!”

The shout was firm. David might be an asshole, but
he didn’t want anything to happen to his daughter.

For the next two hours Lash listened to the man talk
shit about the money. Lash and Nash were brothers, and together they’d worked
out the holes in David’s stories. They knew where the money was and how to get
it. All The Skulls wanted to know was which side David was on.

Chapter
Four

 
Angel waited
outside of the dressing room while Tate tried on another item of clothing. Steven
stood several feet away from them, but his eyes never left where they both
stood. She’d purchased some designer jeans and a few tops all at Steven’s
request. He’d mumbled something to Tate, and from then on the other woman took
control so that Angel now possessed clothes she would never even dream of
buying, let alone wearing. There were several dresses she didn’t think were
legal to wear in town.

“Ta-da,” Tate said, opening the dressing room door.
The other woman wore a tight red dress. “How do I look?” The dress moulded to
every curve and highlighted the other woman’s fuller figure.

“You look amazing.”

“Do you really think so?” Tate asked. Her hands
moved down her sides to rest on her hips.

“There’s only one problem,” Angel said.

“What is it?”

“Where are you going to wear it? It’s a beautiful
dress, but where could you wear something like that?” Angel glanced down at her
clasped hands. She’d never been good at this. Girly shopping trips and bonding
trips were never her thing.

“Haven’t you heard of some of the parties the club
has?” Tate asked, taking a seat beside Angel.

“Yeah, I’ve seen them.”

“No, honey, you’ve seen the tame ones. If you speak
to the other old ladies you’d have a clue as to what goes on at these parties.
There’s a lot more risqué shit going down. My Dad tries to keep me all sweet
and innocent, but let me tell you I’m not stupid.”

Angel listened to the other woman speak and knew in
her heart that Tate spoke the truth. If the parties they’d been having were not
the real deal then no wonder the men hated her. Was she the reason the parties
had been downgraded?

“
Tiny’s
your Dad.
What makes you think he’s even going to let you
attend one of these things?” Angel asked.

“When I walk through the door he won’t stop me. Dad
needs to know I’m a grown up and stop scaring guys away from me. If I don’t act
now I’m going to die a virgin, and that’s pitiful.” Tate grabbed her hand. “The
other girls are horrid. They only put up with me because of my Dad. You’re
different. I can see that. Also, you’re not horribly underweight either.”

Tate wrapped her arms around Angel.

“I don’t know what to say.”

Angel looked over at Steven to see him pressing on a
load of buttons on his cell phone.

The sound of the door opening, followed by some
giggling and screaming, made Tate pause in her tracks. Angel glanced over to
see what all the fuss was about.

“We’ve got to go,” Steven said, helping them with
their bags.

“Shit, it’s the Lions,” Tate said, muttering under her
breath.

“Who are the Lions?” Angel asked. She saw the women
and men in leather jackets sporting the Lion emblem.

“They’re The Skulls’ biggest problem, and we’re in
neutral ground. The cities are not claimed.” Tate made to go to the changing
room.

“We’re paying for it with you in the dress, Tate.”

“I need to get changed.”

“I’ve got orders from Tiny to get you back to the
club. We’re paying for you in it.”

Tate didn’t look afraid as they passed the other
crews path. All of them stopped with Steven standing in front of them.

A dark haired man stopped to look at Tate. His gaze
wandered up and down her body. The heat coming from his eyes couldn’t be
mistaken as anything other than predatory.

“Tate, it’s lovely to see you again.”

“Murphy, what brings you here?”

Angel stayed quiet, watching the interaction.

“Shopping,” Murphy said.

“For the skanks of the Lions.
I
see that. It mustn’t cost you too much. From the looks of them you don’t really
need to keep them in clothing.”

“Tate,” Angel said, grabbing her new friend’s arm.

“Not right now, I’ve got this.” Tate didn’t turn her
attention away from the man in front of her.

“You’re not going to let her speak to us like that?”
one of the woman said.

Angel didn’t know who spoke, but Murphy and Tate
kept glaring at each other.

“She’s
Tiny’s
girl. Tate
says what she wants and does what she wants,” Murphy said, seconds later.

“Exactly, and what Tate wants is to get out of here.
Lions give everything a bad press.”

Angel followed Tate and Steven to the checkout
counter. She glanced behind her to see Murphy watching Tate.

None of them said a word while Tate got the women to
scan the dress while it was still on her body.

Once they were out of the store, Tate refused to go
home. Angel stood waiting while Tate ranted over the cell with her father.

Angel kept looking at Steven, whose attention
drifted between Tate and the designer shop they’d come from.

“Do you know what happened in there?” Angel asked.

“I don’t know, and I don’t make it my business to
know. The Lions are a threat, and my only job is to keep you two safe.”

Angel nodded not wanting to press him for any more
details.

Tate returned several seconds later. “I won. We can
shop for a few more hours.”

Neither of them waited for Steven. Tate took the
lead and moved toward the next shop. Together they picked out a dress and
headed toward the dressing room.

“What was that about, Tate?” Angel asked. Her
curiosity was getting the better of her.

“What was what?”

“You know, between you and that Murphy guy?”
 
Angel tugged Lash’s shirt over her head and
waited for the other woman to speak. Tate let out a sigh, which she heard
between the changing
room
.

“Murphy is an ass who joined the Lions because he
thought The Skulls were too hard. He’s a backstabbing asshole who can’t be
trusted.”

She heard the pain in Tate’s voice.

“Did you and he have a thing?”

Silence met her answer. Angel finished changing into
the tight black dress and cringed when she looked in the mirror. She looked
like an overweight whale.

“He was the only one who dared to have anything to
do with me. He’s older than I am, but there was a time when I thought he was
sweet. Murphy taught me not to let go so easily. I’m not looking for a
boyfriend or a husband, Angel. I’m just looking for a man to help ease the
loneliness.” The curtain opened, and Tate stood in a full blue gown. “I know
we’ve never been close and I’m a few years older than you, but in time we’ll
get to know each other. I do want to be your friend and share everything with
you. For now, I don’t want to talk about it anymore, okay?”

“Okay.”

Angel smiled, distracting the other woman. “I think
I look like a whale. What do you think?” She gave a little twirl in the hope of
breaking any tension.

“You don’t look like a whale, and Lash is going to
get a hard-on when he looks at you. You’re such a beautiful woman.”

The rest of the day was spent shopping, and by the
late afternoon, Angel was tired and wishing for a break. They ate burgers at
the takeout place. The Lions took a seat across from them. Angel noticed Murphy
watching Tate the whole time. Steven kept texting on his cell phone. The whole
experience was tense, and by the end Angel was thankful to leave.

During the drive home everyone was quiet. The bikes
were parked on the forecourt outside the club. Tate didn’t make a move to get
out of the car.

“Are you coming in?” Angel asked.

“No, Dad is taking me back home. Steven is going to
give him a rundown of everything that happened, and then he’ll help you with
your bags. I’ll see you tomorrow. I’m not letting my Dad keep me away.”

Angel nodded and turned to get out of the car.
Before she left, Tate pulled her in tight for a hug.

“I’m sorry for being a bitch. I don’t like opening up,
and it can be hard at times.”

“Don’t worry about it. You don’t need to be open
with me. Take
care,
and I hope you’re feeling happy
again soon,” Angel smiled at the other woman then made to leave.

“You really don’t hold a grudge against anyone, do
you?” Tate asked.

“Not if I can help it.”

“Okay, you’re really special. Lash is not the best
guy in the world, but he’ll treat you right.” Tate glanced over her shoulder.
“Speak of the devil.”

Angel looked over to see Lash coming out of the
building. He stopped to talk with Tiny and Steven. All the time his gaze was on
her.

Glancing down at the floor, Angel did everything she
could to compose herself.

“Good luck with him. He’s going to be a handful.”

“Nash!” The word was shouted from Lash’s lips. His
brother appeared with a smile.

“What’s the matter? Why are you yelling?” Nash
asked.

“Help me load up Angel’s purchases. She’s going home
with me tonight.”

“What about the rules?”

“Tiny, do you have problem with me taking Angel
home?”

“No, do what you need to do, son,” Tiny said.

In no time at all, her bags were moved to the trunk
of a car, and she was placed in the front beside Lash. No words were spoken
between them. Nash waved at them before they were pulling out of the parking
lot.
 

 
“I heard what
happened at the mall,” Lash said.

“Nothing really happened. There was a standoff
between Murphy and Tate, but nothing else happened. I don’t really know what
went on, only that something did.”

“Murphy hurt Tate a long time ago. The Lions are our
biggest problem at the moment. They’re fighting for turf and for a chance to
get into Fort Wills.
Tiny’s
not having any of it.”

Angel sat beside Lash and wondered what the hell was
going on between them.

“Did you see my father today?” she asked.

“Yes.”

He didn’t elaborate any further.

“Where are we going?”

“To my house.”

****

Lash didn’t speak anymore on her father because
they’d left the man with a black eye and a couple of bruises along his body.
The bastard was playing them for fools, and Lash didn’t like it. When the call
had come through from Steven, he’d been ready to kill David. The Lions were
their biggest enemy, and Murphy posed a threat just as much as the whole crew,
what with being in the position he was in. No one in The Skulls talked about
Murphy. It was better not to.

The Skulls lived by their code, and they didn’t let
anyone break it. If they broke any of the rules then they dealt with the club
and not in a good way. They were strict on several things, including the age of
the girls who came in as old ladies and even as the girls they screwed with no
intention of making it more. Eighteen was the limit for all women and men. They
didn’t interfere in members’ relationships, and they didn’t sleep with each
other’s women. If the woman in question slept with another member beforehand
that was the risk guys took. Lash didn’t want any other woman that the guys had
been inside.

They never hurt children. They drank but never did
drugs even though they distributed outside of town, and everything else was
their own rules. The club partied hard, were rough and did whatever the hell
they wanted, but they lived by their own set of rules. They were not controlled
by the rules society gave them but what they gave themselves.

The Lions, however, didn’t have a code, and Lash was
repulsed by them. He didn’t even want to think about what they would do to his
woman if given the chance.