“I needed to see you for myself. Lash has kept your space at the club. You’re still a Skull.”
“What about the votes? What do the guys think of an addict taking a spot?”
Tiny smirked. “They say the first sign of recovery is admitting you’re wrong.”
Looking down at his hands, Edward saw the muck and grime on him. “Yeah, well, I’ve had to see what my woman thinks of me like this. I never thought Sophia would ever be disgusted with me.”
“Your woman opened your eyes.”
Tears were fast filling his eyes. Edward was on rock bottom in a stink pit. “I remember my dad saying that the best men have the best woman beside them. I can’t be by Sophia’s side, and if she’s prepared to give me a chance then I’ve got to get clean.” She was his savior whether he liked the power it gave her or not. “This is not me.”
He wiped the tears away. Edward was many things, but he wasn’t a f**king pu**y.
“Your father would be disappointed in you with this,” Tiny said. “He’d probably take the belt to you, and so would your mom. They were good people.”
Grinding his teeth together, Edward kept the tears locked in tight.
He would not cry.
Suddenly Tiny sighed. “I was coming here to kill you. Eva’s mine, and you almost killed her, but you didn’t.” He sat down beside Edward. “The day your mom and dad died I kept my promise to always protect you, but the last few months I’ve been breaking that promise.”
Lash looked as surprised as he felt.
“You’re men, and as Eva said, you’re twenty-nine years old and made one mistake. I’ve been neglecting my job as leader. It won’t happen again. I’m not here to kick your ass.”
Edward didn’t say anything. He didn’t want to risk upsetting Tiny.
“You earn your place back in the club, then it’s yours. I’ll back you, but you’ve got to get the drugs out of the deal.”
“I’ll do it.”
“Good.” Tiny slapped him on the back. “I’ve got to go and set a deal with Alex. The bastard is really starting to piss me off.”
When they were alone, Lash sat beside him.
“You took a beating for me.”
“Yep, and I’d take it again and again. You’re my brother.”
“Take me back to the chains. I can feel the hunger inside me to get a fix.”
Lash helped him back to the main room. He saw Sophia stop mid-pace as they walked back to the room. “I was freaking out. He’s not the kind of man you say no to.”
Killer grunted.
“He’s the boss, Sophia.”
Collapsing to the bed he waited for Lash to put on the cuffs.
“Wait, what’s going on?” Sophia asked.
“I’m going to finish this.”
He felt weak. The determination was riding him hard. Edward wasn’t going to let this be the end of him.
Keeping an eye on Sophia he forced himself to be okay with being locked in.
“We’ll still keep an eye on you, and she won’t be alone.”
“Good.”
She sat beside the mattress staring at him as Lash and Killer left the room. “What made you take the drugs?” she asked.
He repeated the story he’d told Lash. It was the truth, and he didn’t see a point in hiding the truth.
“Was it me? Did I drive you to taking them because I was a f**king idiot and sent you away?”
“I was weak. I couldn’t handle you pushing me away. Yes, I took them because of your rejection, you didn’t push them on me. I was the weak one who couldn’t say no.”
“I didn’t even know that Kate had the stuff. God, I was a bad sister.”
“You were too damn good for her.” He took her hand and held her tightly.
They were silent for a long time. Sophia broke the silence. “So you thought I was innocent?”
“Compared to me and the life I’ve led, you’re innocent. You’re not a virgin?”
Her cheeks went bright red. “No, I’m not a virgin.”
“Neither am I.”
She chuckled. “Let’s not talk about the past. You were with Kate, and I was with a guy. We can move past that.”
“A guy?”
“Edward, stop it.” She looked at their hands.
Staring at her bowed head, he felt his heart explode with happiness. He knew all about the guy she was with, but he wasn’t going to think about that. When he was with The Skulls, before he f**ked up, he could have anything. The women and the booze all came to him along with the parties. The Skulls couldn’t give him what he actually wanted, which was Sophia.
“I hate my name,” he said, trying to distract himself.
“Then work hard and get Nash back.”
“Do you think I can do it?” he asked, needing to know her thoughts.
“I think you can do anything that you put your mind to.”
****
The week passed silently, and Sophia helped Edward throughout it all. The Skulls took turns helping out. She spent her days cooking, cleaning, and talking with Edward. The guys talked about club business, which she ignored. Lash stayed with them the most. When the guys were busy, she played cards with Edward on the mattress. She’d baked a chocolate fudge cake and stolen him a slice to enjoy. When the shivering and the vomiting ceased, Lash would take him out for a walk.
On those days Sophia stayed inside waiting for the men to get back. She was more thankful when Lash offered to take his brother for a bath. The stench radiating off Nash had made her feel sick at times. Zero stayed the most. She was a little afraid in case he’d started to have feelings for her. Sophia noticed that he would find any excuse to touch her.
“We’re taking the restraints off for good today,” Lash said on Friday night, the second week of staying in the factory. “Also, we’ve got some work to do, so it will only be you and Edward tonight.”
“When do you think you’ll be calling him Nash?” she asked.
“Soon. On Sunday a lot of the guys are going to be stopping by. We’re going to make sure he’s ready to join us.”
“You’re afraid if he’ll fall off the wagon.”
“It has been known to happen for addicts.” Lash looked past her to a sleeping Edward. “He’s going to be around booze, and he’s got to get used to it.”
They’d all agreed that Edward would be best off not drinking or taking anything that could risk him spiraling down.