Trey

 

The first night passed pretty uneventfully. Chuckie had picked the loft room, of course, and Angel made up a bed on the couch in the same room. I knew she was scared, but she was doing a great job of not letting on to Chuckie.

 

We’d had dinner together. Angel had taken charge and raided my kitchen. I could tell she was shocked I had more on hand than the standard bachelor staples. She thawed some chicken and roasted in it in the oven, serving a side of macaroni and cheese and green peas.

 

“This is yummy,” Chuckie said shyly. He looked up at me and then looked away when I returned his gaze. Even though he was shy, he was incredibly intelligent for an eight-year-old.

 

“Thank your mother,” I said smoothly. “I didn’t do any of this.”

 

Angel blushed. She looked away when I caught her gaze. “Eat your dinner,” she instructed Chuckie. “And then we’ll go work on your homework.”

 

“Do I have to go to school tomorrow?” Chuckie looked expectantly from me to his mother.

 

“No,” I said at the same time Angel said, “Yes.”

 

Angel frowned. “Trey, this isn’t up to you,” she said smoothly. “Chuckie can’t fall behind in his studies.”

 

I chuckled. “He’s, what, in third grade? Don’t you just spend all day playing?”

 

Chuckie looked at me with wide eyes. “I have homework,” he said proudly. “We’re learning our multiplication tables.”

 

“Wow,” I said, feigning seriousness. “That does seem like a lot of work.”

 

Angel shot me a sarcastic glance before I could say anything else. “Things are different than they were when we were kids,” she said softly. “Chuckie has a lot of work at school. He even has a book report next week.”

 

“Oh, man, book reports,” I said, pushing my plate in front of me. “I remember what a pain in the ass those were.”

 

Chuckie burst out laughing and Angel shot me a stern look. “Don’t curse,” she said softly. “I don’t want him talking like that.”

 

Chuckie opened his eyes wide and stared at his mother. “Mom, they’re just words,” he whined. “Why can’t I say them?”

 

“Because they’re not nice,” Angel said primly. “Now, to your room. Homework time! I’ll be with you in a few minutes.”

 

As soon as Chuckie had left the room, Angel’s face grew more serious. “You can’t want to pull him out of school,” she said. “He’ll be safe there. They’re very good at taking care of their kids.”

 

I shook my head. “I don’t want him leaving the house,” I said flatly. “He’s going to be in danger as soon as he’s out of reach, I can assure you.”

 

Angel glared at me. “He’s my son and I call the shots on this,” she said hotly.

 

Suddenly, I knew she wasn’t going to back down. I didn’t like it, but she had a point. “Fine,” I snapped. “He can go to school. But you’re taking off work and staying around here. I need to keep an eye on you.” Angel opened her mouth to protest but I held up a hand before she could say anything. “And don’t tell me you can take care of yourself. Remember what happened with those assholes the other day?”

 

Angel nodded. A flush spread over her cheeks. I knew she didn’t want to rehash the same argument, but if she fought with me on this, I’d keep bringing it up until she gave in.

 

“I’m not pleased about this,” Angel said through gritted teeth. “I just want to make sure you’re aware of that little fact.”

 

“I know,” I said. “I really do. I understand.”

 

“No, you don’t,” Angel said bitterly. “You don’t get it at all. I’m so sick of being controlled by people and by things I don’t understand. Every time I think my life is getting a degree of autonomy, the same shit crops up and I’m reminded that I’m not actually in control after all.”

 

“I’m sorry about that,” I told her. “I really am. But it’s for your own safety right now. I promise, after this all dies down, you don’t have to worry about me controlling your life.”

 

Hurt flashed across Angel’s face. I wondered if I’d said the wrong thing. After all, she was the one who had wanted me to leave her alone. I wondered if that had changed in the short amount of time she’d been staying with me. Forget it, I thought. Nothing is ever going to be the same as it was between us. You know that, she knows that, and it would be better for everyone involved if you just dropped it.

 

“Fine,” she said. She pushed her chair away from the table and stood up, grabbing her half-eaten plate of food and bringing it into the kitchen. “Thank you.”

 

“Of course,” I said sarcastically. “Anything else?”

 

Angel glared at me. “I have to call my manager and go help Chuckie,” she said. “Don’t you have some kind of business you need to attend to right now?”

 

I chuckled drily. “I do,” I said. “I’m actually posting one of my men to the house. His name is Ram; he’ll be here if you have any trouble. He’s a good watchman.”

 

Angel’s cheeks colored and I could tell she wanted to protest, but she didn’t. Instead, she turned on her heel and walked into the bowels of the house. I watched her ass swing from side to side and suppressed the urge to chase her, grab her, and make her mine. The pull between our bodies was too much; it called to me and tortured me.

 

“I gotta get out of here,” I said under my breath. “This shit is starting to get to me.”

 

Ram came over as soon as I called. I could tell he was dying to ask what was going on, but I just told him Angel was a friend and we needed to protect her and Chuckie.

 

“This is an unusual job, boss,” Ram said. He winked at me. “You sure there’s nothing you forgot to tell me?”

 

“Just do your job,” I shot back. “I have to head to the police department.”

 

Ram settled in at the kitchen table with a gun, a book, and a mug of coffee. He looked content, perfectly so. I hoped Damien wouldn’t show up while I was gone, but I knew Ram would give his life for Angel and her son. That was the beauty of the Skullbreakers’ brotherhood: we trusted each other. We’d do anything for each other, and this was just one of many times Ram had stepped in to save my ass. As I climbed on my bike, I felt a swell of affection for him. He was a good guy. All of my guys were good guys. But Ram in particular, well, he’d really done a lot to prove himself to me over the years.

 

The wind whipped at my hair and I closed my eyes, enjoying the sensation on my face. It felt like it had been ages since I’d really gotten out by myself. My whole brain was wrapped up in this shit with Angel and Damien, and I had no idea when things would finally return to any semblance of normal.

 

It was funny that Angel hadn’t recognized Damien’s name. Maybe she’d really forgotten more about the past than I expected. The thought was painful, but not surprising. After all, she had a life with a kid now. How much of the past could she really remember?

 

It was after dark by the time I pulled up to Centerville Police Department. I hadn’t been there in a few months. Last time Damien pulled some shit, they called me in for questioning. I’d been evasive, but honest. They’d let me go and I hadn’t heard a peep since then. But everyone in the office knew who I was: Trey Minter, leader of the Skullbreakers. The cops had been swarming a little too close for comfort ever since the shooting, and I knew I had to take action if I wanted to get them off my back. The last thing I needed to worry about was being pursued for something I didn’t even do.

 

“Evening, sweetheart,” I greeted the young cop on duty. She was a slim blonde with a pert nose and sincere blue eyes. She and I had yet to really tangle — I had a feeling her superiors had warned her about me.

 

“Hi,” she said, without looking up. “Can I help you?”

 

I cleared my throat and she finally looked up. When she realized who I was, her cheeks flushed.

 

“What can I do for you, Trey?”

 

“I was hoping we could chat a little bit about that shootout with the Russians.” I flashed her a charming smile and leaned with my elbows on the counter. “After all, I might be able to help y’all out.”

 

“I don’t think so,” she said curtly. “We’ve got our best and brightest on it.”

 

I leaned back and rocked on the balls of my feet. “What’s your name?”

 

She looked up at me again. There was a trace of fear in her light blue eyes. “It’s Amy,” she said softly. “What do you want?”

 

“I just want to help out, Amy,” I told her. “How about letting me take a look at some of that evidence from the scene?”

 

She laughed and shook her head. “No way,” she said quickly. “You bikers think you’re all so damn charming, but it isn’t gonna work on me.”

 

I smiled widely at her and she froze for a minute. I could tell my grin had the intended effect; she looked completely disarmed. She wasn’t Angel, but she was still cute. And my magic still worked on her. “C’mon,” I said. “I’m not going to mess anything up. Hey, why don’t you come with me?” I grinned at her again. “Keep an eye on me, make sure I don’t tamper with anything.”

 

She sighed. “I’m really not supposed to do that,” she said. “I could get in a lot of trouble.”

 

“I promise I won’t give them any reason to be pissed at you,” I said. “In fact, you don’t even have to tell them. Our little secret.”

 

She bit her lower lip. “Fine,” she said. “Come with me.”

 

Amy walked in front of me, leading me to the back of the station. Almost everyone else had left for the day — the offices were locked and dark. She took a ring of keys from her belt and unlocked a heavy metal door.

 

“Everything is in here,” she said. I followed her to a back cabinet. “We weren’t able to pull a ton from the scene, but there’s a gun here and some bloodied handkerchiefs.”

 

My blood ran cold when I recognized the gun. “That belongs to Damien,” I said. “You see that metal design on the side?” The gun was emblazoned with a set of Steel Demons, in copper. “His MC is the Steel Demons,” I explained. “Someone gave him that gun when he was promoted to president.”

 

Amy looked at me with her mouth open. I felt triumphant, like I’d just saved the day.

 

“Anything else?” She was still gaping.

 

“Nope,” I said smugly. “I think that’ll do just perfectly.”