Chapter Three
Eva tucked some hair behind her ear as she glanced around the large pantry for supplies to make breakfast. In the far corner stood a large freezer and beside it a large fridge that was bare of supplies. Looking down at her chart she started to make notes of food needed to keep the club sustained.
“How are you doing?” Lexie asked, leaning against the wall.
Staring over her shoulder Eva smiled at the other woman. It made a change to see her without a kid hanging off her. Ever since Devil had claimed Lexie, the other woman was always carrying or holding a child to her person. Eva was starting to believe Lexie couldn’t survive without a young kid hanging around.
“Fine. It’s amazing what two clubs can consume. Some of The Skulls have left to go and deal with their families, but most of us are here and their kids.” She shrugged. “I’m just making a list to start gathering supplies. I thought we could start by visiting all the houses of the club members and grab food from their stores before we head to the shop. No point letting food go to waste while they’re all staying here.”
“Sounds like a good plan.”
“How are you holding up?” Eva asked.
“I’m doing fine. Judi’s going a little crazy. She loves her privacy and Piston County. This is a whole new experience for her, but she’ll deal with it.”
Eva chuckled. “At least she’s not got any kids to add into the mix of crazy. It’s amazing how much kids can affect a lock in.”
“Do you want some help?” Lexie stepped into the large storage room. “I’ve not got any kids on me, and I can help where you need me.”
“Sure. It makes sense us doing it. Us being the two MC leaders’ old ladies and all.” Eva handed the chart to Lexie. “I’ll tell you what we got and need, and you can write it down.”
“I love being part of the club,” Lexie said. “Elizabeth, Simon, and Josh, they’re all taken care of, and the club would die for them. There’s not much a mother could ask for.”
Eva smiled. “Yeah, I know. Sometimes it scares me what the men are willing to do to protect their loved ones. Life shouldn’t be like that.”
“It’s the club life. Was it ever like that in Vegas with your father?”
Picking up a can of crushed tomatoes, Eva glanced over her shoulder to look at the other woman. “No, not really. My dad, he wasn’t the sort of man who took any crap. Yeah, he does dirty deals, but he never brought it to me.” She shrugged her shoulders. Thoughts of her father always affected her. Eva wasn’t used to being forced not to see him. It was strange. After years of being able to see him whenever she wanted, she hadn’t minded staying away. Having another man, whom she despised, ordering her around and stopping her from seeing her father pissed her off. No one should have the power to stop her from visiting her father. Talking on the phone was great, but it didn’t make up for the missed time together, and it angered her, the power one man held over her life.
“I’m sorry. Devil told me what happened. It must suck not getting to see your dad.” Lexie placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. There wasn’t much comfort to be had in the touch, but Eva appreciated the gesture.
“You don’t get to see your sister.”
“Yeah, well, she was happy to let Devil kill me for Simon. I’m so not missing her.” Lexie rolled her eyes, chuckling. “I sound evil now. I’m an evil bitch because I don’t miss my sister.”
“No, you’re full of sense, and you’re soon going to be full of cock.” Devil’s voice interrupted the moment. Turning toward the doorway of the pantry Eva saw Devil standing there with his arms above his head, holding onto the door ledge. His gaze was focused on his woman. From the look in his eyes, Eva knew he had sex on the brain. All of the bikers in the club had sex on the brain. It was insane how they could all think of sex at a time like this. You fucked Tiny last night. Yeah, she couldn’t talk. She’d been enjoying pleasure in her own man’s arms. Thinking about sex and actually doing it was way more fun than dealing with the fear that Gonzalez created.
“Hey, Devil,” she said.
His eyes never left Lexie while she spoke. If staring could be fucking, Devil would have Lexie bent over and taking his cock by now. She hoped he appreciated her presence and didn’t actually start fucking in front of her. “Hey, Eva. What are you ladies doing?”
“Stop it, Devil. You’re not interested in what goes on in the pantry. What’s up?”
Eva chuckled as he raised an eyebrow. His stare alone said it all.
“I wanted to see how you were doing. Do I need a reason to talk to my woman?”
Lexie rolled her eyes. “There’s always a reason when you’re in Fort Wills. You’ve got Tiny, the club, and a lot of loud music. Why would you want me?”
Going back to inventorying the pantry, Eva listened to the lovesick couple talking.
“Woman, I’ll always need you.”
She heard Devil move. Glancing over her shoulder she saw he’d claimed Lexie’s lips and banded an arm around her waist. “I’ll never need an excuse to see you, Lex. Simply breathing is reason enough for me to come and see you.”
The kiss was explicit as was the way he glided his hand up to stroke Lexie’s nipple. Need for Tiny swamped Eva. Averting her gaze, she continued to take stock of the room, wishing her own man had sought her out.
“The kids are being looked after, baby.” Devil spoke in a hushed tone. His meaning was clear. They were free to fuck without worrying about their kids. Eva knew the feeling even if she did rarely get to experience it.
“Eva, are you okay with finishing this up?” Lexie asked.
“Sure, go and have some fun.”
She waved a hand at them, shooing them away. Some scuffling was followed by silence at their departure. Sitting on her butt she looked up the long wall, wishing things were different. She loved Tiny and their kids. She even loved the life of being a biker’s woman, an old lady. This waiting around for the bad guy to strike was what she hated the most. Angel and Lash were back from their vacation, and instead of being happy, they were all on guard. In the next couple of days they were going to have to get Gash out of prison, and then life had to carry on as normal.
Normal with a killer on the loose, intent on causing problems, shouldn’t be normal. She rubbed at her eyes as tears started to fill them. Being upset wasn’t right. She didn’t have time in her busy schedule to cry over what was happening. There was no way for her stop anything. The only way she could help Tiny was by standing beside him while they took the enemy on. Her cell phone ringing pulled her out of her melancholy thoughts.
“Hello,” she said, answering the call without looking at the ID of the person.
“Hey, honey, how are you hanging in there?” Ned Walker, her father, asked.
“You always call when I need you.” She wiped under her nose, reaching in front of her to grab a tissue. These days she needed to keep tissues on her person for her small breakdowns.
“What’s the matter, honey? Did that bastard do anything to you?”
She chuckled. He always threatened Tiny whenever he called. It was funny even though she didn’t doubt for a minute that Ned would hurt Tiny if she asked. Her father was very protective of her, and she didn’t mind. It was nice having a man worry about her.
“No, I don’t want you to hurt him. It’s just this shit with Gonzalez. I don’t know, it’s all getting to me, you know?”
Ned sighed over the line. “It’s a shit situation we’re all in.”
“I’m scared.” She’d never in all of her years ever admitted to being scared before. This was a first. Being around a father who controlled a bunch of fighters, she had found it hard to be afraid of anything. She was finding it a lot easier now to be scared.
“Baby, honey, you’ve got to be strong. Talk to Tiny. I hate his fucking guts, but I also respect him. There’s no one else I’d trust with your safety than that man.”
Wiping the tears that had fallen, she smiled. “I know.”
“He loves you.”
“I know. It’s not him I’m worried about. What’s going to happen? I don’t know what I’ll do without him, Dad.”
Ned was silent on the other end of the line. “You’re my daughter. You’ll do what I’d expect you to.”
“What?”
“Anything happens to Tiny, you’ll get Miles and Tabitha and all your passports, and then you’re on the first flight here. I don’t give a shit what anyone says. You’re my daughter, and you’ll come fucking home.” She heard some muttering in the background. “Do you hear me, Eva? You will come home and I’ll protect you along with my boys. You’ve got nothing to worry about in that respect.”
“I can’t stand for anything to happen to him or any of the club.”
“We’ve all got to deal with losing someone. Don’t let it scare you, Eva. You’re better than this. You’re a club woman, an old lady to Tiny. Deal with the shit when it comes, but until then, embrace the time you’ve got him. I can’t promise it won’t hurt. It will. It’ll hurt more than anything you’ve ever known, but afterward, you’ll slowly start to mend the pieces of your broken heart.”
“It’s going to go bad, isn’t it?” she asked, hearing the fear in his voice.
“I’m preparing you for the worst in the hope it doesn’t happen. All I’ve ever done is try to prepare you.”
“Daddy, I’m not ready for this.”
“You will be. No one is ready for it until it actually happens.”
Noise near the door made her look up. Tiny was staring down at her with concern in his eyes.
“I’ve got to go.”
“Talk with Tiny or I will.” Those were Ned’s final words before she hung up the phone.
Wiping the last of her tears aside, she smiled at him. “I didn’t hear you approaching.”
“Your dad going to come and kick my ass?” Tiny helped her to her feet.
“No, of course not.”
He had the pantry door closed with her pressed up against it. “I don’t want you to be afraid.” Her chest was to the door. Tiny wrapped her hair around his fist, moving the strands out of his way.
“I can’t help it.”
“Then try. I’ll never let anything happen to you,” she heard him say as he inhaled her scent. His tongue licked a path from the pulse in her neck to her earlobe. “You’re my everything, Eva.” He bit down, making her moan.
“Please,” she said, begging.
With his free hand, he glided his fingers up underneath her shirt.
“I need to be inside you. Fucking you is never enough. I’ve got to have you again.” He tore open her shirt. Someone pushed on the handle of the pantry door about to open it. Tiny slammed his palm against on the wood. “Fuck off. We’re busy.”
“Oops, sorry, man. I’m hungry,” Pussy said, shouting through the door.
“Fuck off.”
Tiny palmed her breast even as Pussy’s mumbling complaints could be heard through the door.
“Tiny?”
“No, I don’t want to hear any complaints from you. I’m going to fuck you to make us both feel better, and then I’m taking you shopping. Shut the fuck up complaining. You want this as much as I do.” He nibbled on her neck, cutting off any complaint she might have had.
With one tug on her bra, he tore the fabric, leaving her tits hanging free.
“Fuck, I love your body, Eva. Never change, baby. I never want you to change.” He tugged on her nipples, pinching and stroking the hard peaks. She didn’t have any other choice than to take his wicked torment.
Eva couldn’t complain about anything he’d done to her. Each erotic touch set off a burning deep inside her. She needed his hands and mouth on her body.
“Please,” she said, whimpering.
“I will when I’m good and ready.” He moved onto the next breast, fingering her nipples. She cried out as the sharp pain went straight to her clit. “That’s it, baby. Shout my name. Tell me what you want.”
“I want you.”
“Do you want me to stop?”
She shook her head. “No, anything but that.”
“Then you better tell me what you want otherwise I’m leaving you like this.”
“I need you to fuck me.”
“Anything else?” he asked.
“Yes, please, Tiny, shove your cock inside me.”
“Who’s your master?”
She licked her suddenly dry lips. “You are. You’re my master.”
“Good. You better never forget who you belong to.” He spun her around, grabbed both of her hands and locked them above her head. With his gaze still on hers, he leaned down and claimed one of her nipples. The warm suction of his mouth made her cry out. The sensation was too much yet not enough. She needed more.
“Please.” Eva wasn’t afraid to beg. She knew deep down, Tiny loved hearing her beg him.
“You can beg all you want. You’re not getting anything until I’ve had my fun.” He mumbled the words against her breast, tonguing her nipple.
Crying out, she placed her head against the door, careful not to hurt herself. When Tiny got started with his lips on her body, she was always afraid of hurting herself. She could never think clearly or make sense of the world around her.
He tongued her nipple, licking and sucking the hard bud into his mouth before he moved onto the next one. Over and over he divided his time between each nipple, making sure he took his pleasure and gave her some as well. Her body was his own personal toy for him to play with. She loved every second of his touch.
“Keep your hands there.” He applied pressure to her wrists above her head.
When he released her hands, she kept them above her head, refusing to move them. He tugged at the button on her jeans before slowly sliding them down her thighs.
“Step out of them.”
There was no point in arguing with him. Stepping out of the jeans, she kicked them aside, waiting to see what he’d do next.
Kneeling in front of her, he slid his hands up the outside of her thighs. Closing her eyes, she bit her lip to try to lock in her moan. It didn’t work. He tore the panties she wore right off her body then stood back up in front of her, his fingers working between her slit.
“Fuck, baby, you’re soaking wet. I didn’t know you wanted me this badly,” he said, muttering the words against her ear.
Two fingers slid inside her cunt as he pressed his thumb to her clit.
As she cried out, there was no stopping the noise coming from her mouth. Anyone could hear what was happening, and in that moment she didn’t care. All she wanted was to have an orgasm and for him to take away the ache he’d created inside her. Tiny always built the ache inside her from his touch.
“Please,” she said, begging again. She wasn’t above begging him to give her what she wanted and needed.
He worked three fingers inside her as he rubbed her clit.
“Who do you belong to?” he asked.
“You, Tiny, I belong to you.”
“Never be afraid to tell me you’re scared. I love you, Eva. I’m scared of losing you, but I promise you, you’ll never lose me.” He slammed his lips down on hers. Moaning, she dropped her hands, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Tiny withdrew his hands from her body. She felt him tugging at his own pair of jeans. Within seconds his naked cock was sliding between the folds of her sex.
“Fuck, baby, I’ve got to have you.” He didn’t give her a chance to get used to him. In one harsh thrust, he rammed inside her.
Crying out, she threw her head back, no longer caring about the pain.
He pulled out, only to slam back within her. “So fucking perfect. You’re my woman, Eva. Never be afraid to tell me how you’re feeling. You’re mine.”
“I’m yours.”
She gripped his shoulders tightly as he fucked her hard and rough against the door. Someone else tried to enter, and she yelled at them to fuck off. Tiny chuckled, sucking on her breasts as he worked her toward the peak of ecstasy.
“No, you can wait until I’m ready to join you,” he said.
Whimpering, she rode his cock toward his orgasm. He stroked her clit as his cock jerked inside her. She could get pregnant, but she didn’t care. The only thing she cared about was reaching her climax.
Tiny gave it to her. She cried out, and he took possession of her lips in a searing kiss that left no doubt in her mind who she belonged to. When it was over, she pulled back, looking into his eyes.
“Everything is going to be okay,” Tiny said.
Staring into his eyes, Eva knew it was the first time he’d lied to her since they’d been married.
****
Walking around the supermarket was not Tiny’s idea of a good time. Eva had withdrawn from him since their time together in the pantry, which had been fucking hot. They’d left the room in time to see Pussy smirking and Angel as red as a strawberry. Considering she was married to Lash, Tiny was surprised at how easily she still blushed. There had been many nights when he’d heard them two fucking. Either way, he wasn’t embarrassed about taking his woman. Eva was his woman to fuck whenever the need arose.
What he was embarrassed about was lying to Eva. He didn’t know if they were all going to be okay or if Gonzalez was going to take his revenge out on all of them. They were all waiting for him to cause trouble. After Devil humiliated him back in Piston County, they were all waiting for retaliation. So far, nothing. Tiny just knew it would only be a matter of time before he did.
Running fingers through his hair, he watched as Eva placed multiple cans of tomatoes into the trolley. She had a list and was ticking items off one by one. Lexie and Devil had joined them, but they were getting all the fresh meats and vegetables while he was collecting the canned goods.
She hadn’t talked to him.
You don’t know if anything is going to be all right.
Ignoring the turning in his gut, he walked up behind his woman. Kissing the back of her neck and not caring who was watching, he apologized to her.
“I’m sorry, baby.”
Eva tensed.
“I don’t know what the future is going to bring. I can only know that I’m going to fight whatever happens to make sure you’re safe.”
She placed her hands on the shelf in front of her. “You lied to me.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
In one quick move, she spun around and slapped him across the face. It was the second time within days that she slapped him. He deserved it for lying and should have known that lying wouldn’t help her fears. “Don’t fucking lie to me again. I won’t have it.” She took the trolley from him and stormed away.
Well, he was in for a shit couple of days. There was no greater punishment for lying to your woman than no sex. He knew Eva well enough to know she’d be sleeping in the same room as their kids.
Shaking his head, he made his way out of the supermarket toward the truck. He found Devil, sucking on a lollipop already waiting beside the van.
“What did you do to be waiting outside already?” Tiny asked.
“I fucking hate shopping. I tried to fuck my woman near the cheese counter. Lex is pissed, but it was worth it. I hate shopping. It’s boring as shit.” Devil sucked on his lollipop smiling. “It was worth it though. I’ve already fucked her this morning. I’ll get my fix later. It’s a good job my woman loves fucking as much as I do.”
“Good for you. I’m going to be pushed aside tonight.”
“Lie to your woman?” Devil asked.
“Yeah, how did you know?”
“Only one way of getting out of shopping and sporting the nice red handprint on your face, either you cheated or you lied. I figured with Eva you wouldn’t be breathing if you ever cheated, but you’d still lie to your woman to protect her.” Devil shrugged. “It’s not hard to guess.”
“Would you lie to Lexie?” Tiny asked, leaning against the side of his van.
“No, I wouldn’t.” Devil threw the lollipop stick in the trash can nearest to them. “She’d know I was lying to her. Not only that, Lex has done everything to earn my trust and respect. She put her body on display to help my kid. There are not many women who’d put their life on the line for a kid that wasn’t their own. Lex, she’s special. She’s my one of a kind woman.”
Tiny listened to Devil talk. The way his friend loved Lexie was the same way he loved Eva. Devil hadn’t fucked up, though, whereas he had.
“And, she’s got a smoking hot bod. Full, fat tits I love to suck on, and she loves riding my cock. I’m telling you Lex is the whole damn package. The only thing I’d change is the age gap. I don’t like the thought of leaving her alone or another bastard getting a chance to see how special she is when I’m dead and gone.” Devil shrugged. “I’ll look either down or up at her wherever I end up when I’m dead and gone. I’ll always keep an eye on my girl, even in death.”
“You believe in the afterlife and shit?”
“Don’t know what I believe. I hate to think it’s over when we’re all dead.” Devil pointed toward the store. “She makes me want more.”
Nodding his head, Tiny knew what that felt like. When he married Patricia he truly thought he knew what love was. During his marriage, he’d been a fucking bastard, cheating, boozing it up until he couldn’t think straight. After Patricia died, the guilt had eaten away at him, but then he met Eva. The women continued even though the only woman he ever wanted was her. Once he made Eva his woman, there was no turning back. He knew what true love was all about with her. Cheating on her would never be an option for him.
“What’s going on with Butch and Alex?” Devil asked.
Tensing up, he glanced toward his friend. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t give me that shit, Tiny. I’ve known you fucking years. Something’s going on there, and I wanna know what it is.”
“Nothing.”
“You’re going to do that?” Devil asked.
“What?”
“Treat me like I’m a fucking idiot. I’ve seen the way those two act. Shit is up, and I’ve had enough of being kept in the dark. Tell me what’s going on.”
Closing his eyes, Tiny counted to ten. He didn’t know the best way to deal with Devil. Glancing over at his friend, he shook his head. “That shit is no concern of yours. You’re a guest in my town.”
Devil rounded on him. “What the fuck you saying?”
“Exactly that. In Piston County, deal with your own shit, but don’t expect me to tell you mine. Alex and Butch are dealing business. It’s none of your business, so back off.”
He was sure Devil had more to say, but Tiny’s cell phone went off, stopping Devil from saying anything more.
Pulling the device out of his pocket, he accepted the call. “What!”
“Boss, you’ve got to get down to the graveyard,” Lash said.
“What? Why?”
There was noise in the background. He heard Tate sobbing and Murphy yelling. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
“Some fucker’s desecrated Patricia’s grave. The stone’s been smashed and, shit, boss, it’s bad.”
Lash went through some of the details. He’d cremated Patricia at her request, but to have the place Tate went in order to talk with her mother spoiled pissed Tiny off.
“I’ll be there.”
Closing the phone, he rested his fists against the metal of the van.
“What’s going on?” Devil asked.
“Someone fucked over Patricia’s grave. I’ve got to get there. Tate’s freaking out, and Murphy’s having a hard time dealing with her.”
The sound of a car forced Tiny to turn. Alex pulled up alongside him. “Get in. Devil can take care of the women. Tell them we’ll meet them at the clubhouse.”
He looked at Devil, waiting for his angry denial.
“Go, I’ll handle the women.”
Jumping into the passenger side, he closed the door, but Alex was already pulling away before he did.
“How did you know what was going on?” Tiny asked.
“Patricia may have been your fucking wife, but she was my sister. Lash told me first. Tate’s losing her shit, and we need to get there to help calm the situation down before she does something we’ll all regret.” Alex didn’t take his eyes off the road. “Murphy’s trying to calm her down.” Tate wasn’t the easiest person to calm down when she was upset. She lost her shit easily.
“What the fuck were they doing outside of the clubhouse? We were on lockdown for a fucking reason.” Tiny slammed his fist against the plastic interior in front of him.
“Hey, watch the fucking car. Tate lives by her own rules. Not only that, this lockdown hasn’t been as tight as all the others. Women are coming and going. I’m not going to bitch at Tate for going to see her mother. You shouldn’t either.”
Silence filled the car at Alex’s anger.
“Shit, I’m sorry. I don’t know what to think. Who would desecrate Patricia’s resting place? It’s sick.”
“Gonzalez would,” Alex said.
“Why? We’ve done nothing to him.”
“We’re marrying Pussy with his woman and Butch with Cheryl. He’s seen us working with the Chaos crew. After the shit they pulled back in Piston County, I’d say Gonzalez is getting himself a little payback. I’m surprised it has taken this long for him to lash out.”
Neither of them talked for several minutes as Alex worked the small traffic in Fort Wills. Tiny was losing his temper with every moment that passed. Tate was a bitch at times, but she was still his daughter. He’d do anything for her even though she pissed him off. There were times he wondered what Murphy saw in her and if he could think that then he knew the guy loved her.
“What’s Butch saying?” Tiny asked. He was leaving all of the information gathering to Alex and Butch. There was only so much he wanted to be involved in. Butch was risking his life for the club, and he didn’t want to give away what he knew to anyone else.
“Gonzalez is playing it cool over what happened with Devil. He knows a hit is going to take place, but he doesn’t know where or when.” Alex turned the corner. “He’s laying low for now, waiting for his time to strike.”
“What else has Butch said?”
“That when Gonzalez comes out of hiding, we’re all fucked, but I don’t think that’s an actual threat. Butch is going by his gut and warning us.”
Tiny nodded. “It makes sense. Devil started stirring a pot full of shit. It’s only a matter of time before one or all of us end up on the shit list.”
“You’ve got to think about your allegiance with Devil and the Chaos Bleeds Crew, Tiny. They’re fucking dangerous. Devil will end up getting one or all of us killed.”
He glanced toward his former brother-in-law. Alex was a lot of things, but he was never jealous. Tiny knew if he was talking about getting rid of Devil, then it was for a good reason.
“Devil’s a friend. I’m not going to cut him off. He’s been there for The Skulls whenever we’ve needed him.”
“There’s a difference. We’ve never gone hunting for trouble or for a fight. Devil has. He’s going to start a war with Gonzalez, and everyone in his path is going to get stung in the process. It’s something you’re going to need to consider.”
“I’m not turning my back on Devil.”
“Okay, I’ll follow you, but if you put my son or niece in danger then I’ll fucking take him out. It’s got nothing to do with the club and more about my own feelings,” he said.
“Look, give Devil a chance. You’ve never been his biggest fan, but please, give him a chance. He’s got his club in his best interests.”
“Exactly, Tiny. He’s got his own interests for his own club in his thoughts.” Alex pulled up outside of the curb where the graveyard was.
Murphy was stood with his arms around a sobbing Tate.
“Here we go,” Tiny said.
Cops were inside the graveyard talking with the priest.
“Who would do such a thing?” Tate asked, crying out. When his daughter saw him, she ran into his arms. Holding her tightly, he kissed the top of her head as he looked toward the mess. “I hate whoever did this. Tell me you’re not going to let it stand.”
“I won’t, honey. I promise you that I won’t let this stand.” He stared at the mess before him. Gonzalez was going down, but he was going to do it with time and patience.
“She didn’t even get a chance to put her flowers down. It was like this when we got here,” Murphy said.
Shaking his head, he spun Tate away from the scene.
“The cops have already talked to her.”
“Get her out of here, Murphy. Make sure she’s taken care of.” He handed his daughter back to her man and turned to look at the graveyard. Gonzalez hadn’t done this with his own two hands. He’d sent someone to do his dirty work. The games were going to start. This one move was sure to set about the war.
****
“You did it?” Gonzalez asked. He sat in his hotel room in Piston County smoking a cigar. Ronald was preparing them some food while they waited for the news of what Butch had done.
“Yes, I did it.”
Gonzalez chuckled. “I have to say I’m surprised. I didn’t believe you’d fuck over someone’s grave.”
“This was a fucking test, asshole. If I didn’t do it you’d think I still had some allegiance to The Skulls. I did it, and now you know I can be trusted. You can start trusting me now.”
It was a good argument. Gonzalez had set the wheels in motion for Patricia’s graveside to be ruined. Whether Butch did it or one of his own men, didn’t matter to him. Now, Butch was on his side, and he could use him to get deeper within The Skulls. Gonzalez wanted them all to hurt before he finally killed him. Where was the fun in simply striking out? There was no fun unless he caused a little bit of pain.
“Okay. I’ve got a cop on the force in Fort Wills. His name is Andrew Bolton. He’s reliable and is helping me gain another search warrant for The Skulls’ compound. I want Devil and Tiny divided. I don’t like them being together. If you want to save yourself from being put in jail, talk to him, and he’ll tell you when he’s going to hit out. I’ll be in touch with more information when I’m ready.”
Disconnecting the call, he stared at Ronald.
“Are you going to approach Gash?” Ronald asked.
Since Homer had been killed, the company had been a little lonely. Ronald was great, but he wasn’t like Homer. Ronald hated hurting people Gonzalez wanted to be hurt in a specific way.
“Nah, I don’t need Gash to get what I want. All I need is to strike when they least expect it. Now, Tiny’s pissed and will spend time hunting for the man who desecrated his wife’s grave. Let’s see, it’s time to hit Devil I think. Andrew’s going to help split them apart with another raid on the club. It’s all coming together. They may even kill each other, saving me a job. It wouldn’t be as fun, but it would still be done.” Gonzalez ran a finger over his lip while he thought about what to do.
“I’ve got a friend I can bring in,” Ronald said. “He makes Homer look like child’s play.”
Pulled out of his thoughts, he looked at Ronald. “In what way?” Gonzalez asked.
“Homer was willing to hurt and kill women within a set time. My man is willing to do a lot more damage. The bastard gets off on taking a woman by force. The Skulls and Chaos Bleeds are devoted to their women. Getting to them is a lot easier than getting to the men. Angel, Tate, Sophia, Lexie, all of them are the weakness that we can use with the right man.”
Gonzalez held his hand up. “I’ll think about it. What’s the guy’s name?”
“Everett, that’s all he goes by. You won’t find him in the system. He doesn’t work for anyone but himself.”
“Will he get any job done that I set him?” Gonzalez asked.
“For a price he will.”
Sitting back, Gonzalez started to think about what he could do with a man willing to do anything.
“Call him. I want him available when the time is right.”
Getting up from his seat, he moved toward his bedroom. With Ashley gone and all of his women earning money, he was feeling lonely. “Ronald, while you’re getting your guy get a woman for me. I’m bored and want some entertainment for the night.” He closed the door to his bedroom. Smiling, he walked toward the window overlooking the night. Everything was coming together slowly. He didn’t have a complete hold over Ned Walker, but the more threats he put on The Skulls the bigger the chance he had of taking on Ned and Vegas. Some of the men he had on his payroll were no longer taking calls from him. It didn’t bother him. All of his men were known for being busy. There wasn’t much he could do to stop it. Slowly, he was going to get exactly what he wanted. He just needed to be patient.
****
Butch ran fingers through his hair. Cheryl rubbed his back, but he didn’t need or want the attention. His love for her was absolute. What he did today didn’t deserve her love, but he’d gotten something out of it. A guy named Andrew was on the force, and there was another raid that was set to pit Devil and Tiny against one another. He could stop this from occurring.
“Tell me what’s wrong?” she asked.
“I need a minute.”
“You’ve been acting strangely for awhile.” She climbed off the bed to kneel on the floor in front of him. He didn’t deserve her. “I can see something’s eating away at you. I don’t know what it is, but you can’t keep hiding from me.”
“I’m not. I’ve told you everything I need to tell you. I’m not going to put you in danger with everything. I’ll tell you what I can.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, baby. I can’t tell you what’s going on right now.”
“We’re going to be married.” She cupped his face, forcing him to look at her. “Keeping secrets is not the way to make a marriage work. Please, let me in.”
He rubbed his eyes. “I fucked up, Cheryl.”
“How? You’re part of The Skulls. You’ve proven your worth. Why could anything be going wrong?”
Staring into her eyes, he knew in his heart he couldn’t keep the truth from her anymore.
“I took a job from Gonzalez, and now I can’t see a way out.” He did it all for Alex, but it didn’t stop him feel any less dirty.
She frowned. “What?”
“I had to prove to Gonzalez that I was against The Skulls. I was given the job of desecrating Patricia’s grave.” She gasped even before he finished. The disappointment was clear in her eyes.
“You wouldn’t.”
“I didn’t have a choice. Alex doesn’t know yet. I’ve got to tell him the truth, and to be honest, I don’t want to. He was so fucking pissed.” He rubbed at his eyes. If he’d not been asked to try and get into Gonzalez’s graces, he wouldn’t have to deal with this. You also wouldn’t know that Gonzalez intended to start another raid on the club. It was hard to be happy about the small bit of information he knew when he’d done something awful.
“Wait. You’re working for Alex to become a spy for him against Gonzalez, and he doesn’t even know you were the one responsible for doing what you did? He knows you have to do stuff like this.”
He nodded. “I didn’t get a chance to tell him. There was nothing I could do. It’s not going to stop him from being pissed.”
“I can’t deal with this. None of this makes sense. You’ve got to tell Tiny the truth about Alex, Gonzalez, the Savage Brothers. You’ve got to tell him everything. You could be killed for this. You could be killed if you’re found out.”
Butch shrugged. “I’ve got the guarantee that you’ll live.”
“No, I don’t accept that. It’s not right, nor is it fair.” She pulled away and started to pace in front of him. “You can’t risk your life for me or for Matthew. This is hurting you, Butch.”
“You don’t have a choice. This is something I did, and you’re just going to have to accept it.”
He stood up.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to tell Alex I’m the one who had to disturb his sister’s resting place.” He put a hand on the door. “And I finally got something out of Gonzalez. I guess it’s a little tit for tat.”
“Don’t do this, Butch. If you loved me, you’d back off and stop this.”
Her words cut to his heart.
Glancing over at her, he shook his head. “It’s because I love you that I’m doing this. Baby, I can’t back out now. I’ve already done what needed to be done. There’s no backing out until Gonzalez is dead.”
Closing the door behind him, he walked toward the main part of the club. With both The Skulls and Chaos Bleeds crews in residence, the clubhouse was back to being livable. Gonzalez had paid a bunch of cops to come and trash the place while he’d been out of the club. He found Alex at the bar drinking.
“I need a word,” he said, noticing the way Devil was watching them.
Alex turned to him. His eyes were red-rimmed, but no tears were present.
“Do you really want me to talk now? I’ve had to deal with a lot of shit today. I’m not in the best moods to be talking or chatting.” Alex downed a shot of brown liquid.
It hadn’t taken Tiny long to get the alcohol back in.
Closing his eyes, Butch blew out a breath. “It’s today that I need to talk to you about and something else.”
Alex stared at him then nodded his head. “Fine.”
Another shot was downed, and they moved outside.
Glancing around the compound Butch made sure they were all clear before talking. “Gonzalez ordered me to prove myself.”
“So. It’s what we want.”
“He told me to do that to Patricia’s grave today. I was the one who desecrated her stone.”
At his words, Alex stared at him silently.
The fist landed in his gut as Alex lashed out. The other went in his face. Collapsing to the floor, Butch coughed as the pain traveled through his body.
“I know why you did it, but you touched my sister. Warn me before you do shit like that.” Alex’s fists were tight to his side. The anger emanated from him, and he looked ready to strike once again.
“I tried. You weren’t answering your cell.” Coughing, Butch curled up. The agony from the beating of being voted back in mingled with the punches from Alex, and the pain intensified.
“Fine. You better get us something on Gonzalez, as otherwise I’ll fucking kill you myself. There are limits, and he crossed the line with touching my dead sister’s memory.”
“I did get something.” Butch got to his feet, trying to ignore the pain.
Alex glared. “Then spit it out. I’ve not got all day.”
“There’s a guy on the force in Fort Wills. Andrew Bolton. He’s looking to organize another raid on the club.”
“What else?”
“Gonzalez wants to create a rift between Devil and Tiny, hoping they’ll kill each other before something else happens.”
“If we take out Andrew, Gonzalez will know we’re onto him.”
“Then we make sure Andrew meets an accidental death, say a fire, or a car accident,” Butch said, already planning the next step.
“Good work. I’ll make sure to deal with Andrew. Let me know the next time you get a hit like that. I don’t want to have to be getting a call.”
Alex stormed back inside the clubhouse. Butch was no longer in doubt. If The Skulls found out about his helping the Savage Brothers MC then he was dead no matter what.