“No!”
The shout was firm. David might be an ass**le, 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 ass**le 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.