“She’s doing okay. This kid is not settling well at the moment. Tate doesn’t think it has anything to do with the kid and more to do with what’s going on.” Murphy shrugged. “I don’t know what’s going on. I just know that I’m taking care of my wife when I can. She’s hard-headed at times, but I’ll keep her safe.”
“I’ll talk to her. See if there’s anything I can do to help.”
“Not a lot you can do. You can’t take Gonzalez away or the stress.” Murphy turned toward him. “I just want you to know that whatever you decide, I’m with you.”
“What do you mean?” Tiny asked, folding his arms over his chest.
“I mean, whatever you decide. You want to go to war and end this f**ker, I’m with you.”
“What about Tate and the club?”
Murphy blew out a breath. “Not much of a club with Gonzalez in charge. I’d rather die freeing my woman and kids than die doing something stupid for a f**ker I don’t respect. I respect you, Tiny. I was willing to die for you and the club. I’m not willing to die for Gonzalez or have my family bowing down to him.”
Nodding his head, Tiny shook the man’s hand. “I appreciate that.”
“Good.” Murphy stood and walked away.
“We all think the same,” Whizz said.
Jerking around, Tiny saw Whizz standing behind him. Considering the guy was tall with muscles larger than any action star, Tiny wondered how he could get around without anyone hearing.
“Fuck, Whizz, don’t walk up on people without letting them know you’re there.”
“Never got chance to do it with you. You’re distracted, boss, and that’s not good.” Unlike Murphy, Whizz didn’t even try to take a seat. “I’ve always been able to sneak up on people. You got to get your head in the game before something bad happens.”
“It doesn’t matter if I’ve got my head on the ball or not, shit happens regardless of it.”
Zero took his time out, and then Killer was on Butch. No one got a chance to take out Killer. He was hard as f**k.
“I know, boss. What Devil did was worth it. He’s not taken this shit without fighting back. I think it’s time we start fighting back,” Whizz said.
Looking back, Tiny was in time to see him walking away.
“He barely speaks anymore,” Lash said, taking a seat.
“No, he doesn’t.”
“I see the change inside him. He said hello to me and Angel, but he wouldn’t shake my hand. Angel didn’t give him a chance to push her away. She wrapped her arms around him, and Whizz had no choice but to accept the hug. Everyone has to accept Angel. She’s too f**king sweet to push away.” Lash chuckled. “Butch is holding his own.”
“So far I’ve had two men come and tell me that I should start a fight. Are you of the same mind?” Tiny asked.
“I’m not of a mind to start a war, but Gonzalez hasn’t given us a chance. We’ve got few choices. We can either start a war, or we can take what he’s dishing out. I don’t want to end up in prison. We’ve got a bunch of girls to transport, and if Devil’s telling the truth, I don’t want to take a bunch of underage girls to a place where they f**k for a living.” Lash shook his head. “It’s not fair to let that happen. We can’t let it happen, Tiny. I wouldn’t be able to look at Angel knowing what I’d done, and I love looking at my woman.”
“I know. There’s not much choice to do anything else at the moment. He’s got the upper hand.”
“No, he hasn’t. You’ve got the upper hand. There are men out there who hate Gonzalez. Get them to fight with us. We can take Gonzalez down. Put Whizz to work, and we’ve also got Michael, Kelsey’s ex. He’s working with the Feds. We can get them in on it, too. Before we know what’s happening, we’re ahead and Gonzalez is trying to catch up. Don’t start to make this guy more than he is. He’s one guy with a lot of f**king favors. Start to take those favors away from him and he’s left with nothing.”
Thinking about what Lash said, Tiny sat back in his seat. The idea of a war upset him. He was too old and too long in the tooth to look forward to a war. Growing up in Fort Wills with Snitch and the Darkness as leaders had taken any pleasure out of possibly going to war. He’d gone through years of fighting for his life and drawing Fort Wills out of the battle. The town relied on him to make everything right. Gonzalez would bring girls, drugs, guns, and other shit to his town. Fort Wills would cease to be the town he’d helped create. He thought of all the men, women, and children who lived in the town. They all counted on him. No, he couldn’t allow Gonzalez to ruin his perfectly ordered town.
“I’m not asking you to react but to think about what you’ve got to do.” Lash nodded at Butch. “You’ve got him. Use him as well. We’ve got ways of making this work for us.”
Tiny was tempted to bring Lash back in on the plan Alex had already set in motion. Instead he kept his lips sealed. The fewer people who knew the truth the better.
“I’ll think about it.”
The fight in the center of the room came to a stop as Killer landed one final blow. Butch went to the floor, coughing. He laughed and slowly got to his feet. “Is that all you’ve got?” Butch asked, wiping the blood from his face.
He was in worse shape than Nash had been.
“I think it’s time to take a vote,” Lash said. “He’s holding his own, and we don’t want him in the hospital because of internal bleeding. Butch has proven himself.”
Getting to his feet, Tiny stood beside a wary Butch. “It’s time for us to take a final vote. You got anything to say to help your cause?”
Butch nodded. “I know I f**ked up. I left the club when I shouldn’t. I f**king regret it. I love Cheryl, and I swear she’s been trying to get me back to The Skulls for a long f**king time.” Butch swayed on his feet, and Tiny put a hand on the man’s shoulder to keep him on his feet. The men had got him good, making him pay for what he’d done a few months ago. “Thanks. I want to take this f**ker out as your brother. I will have your back every step of the way, and I will lay my life down for all of you. The club is still inside me.”
“You going to leave again?” Zero asked.
“No, I’m not. I’m sticking around. You’re not going to get rid of me that easily.”