“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.
“Why are we going to your house?”
“It’s where you’re staying tonight. We’ll go back to the club, but I needed to get out of there before I did something I would regret. Nash is staying there, so we don’t have to worry about being disturbed.”
She was quiet, and he glanced over in her direction in time to see her frowning. He knew he was moving too fast for her, but it was something he needed to do. If he didn’t bombard her with attention, Angel would find some way to stay away from him. He wasn’t going to let that happen. They drove away from town, through the forest toward his secluded home. Lash had bought the plot two years ago and spent most of his spare time doing up the house on it. He’d always wanted something what his parents shared. Before they’d been killed his parents had given him and Nash a perfect home. Their father had been part of The Skulls, but he’d made sure they had a normal family life. Lash couldn’t recall if his mother hated the lifestyle.
“This is your house?” Angel asked.