“I thought you worked closely with The Skulls?” Simon asked.
The guys were staying at a hotel, a nice one that had been arranged by the Billionaire Bikers MC.
Simon stared out the window, wondering why Lash and the others weren’t there.
“We do, on most cases. This is a little more delicate.”
“How do you mean?” Simon closed the curtain and turned to see his father typing on his cell phone. He waited and after a few minutes, Devil put the phone down.
“Mom okay?”
“Yeah, she’s fine.”
“You want to tell me what is going on with her?” Simon moved toward his bed. They had decided to share a room with two beds, not that they needed to. He’d been more than happy with a single. He could have talked with Tabby. As it was, he now had to share all night with his pops. He hoped the dude didn’t fart.
“What do you want to know the answer to more?” Devil asked. “If only given one question, what one would it be?”
He frowned. “Why would I only get one answer to one question?”
“Simple. In life, we have to learn to accept what we know and what we can’t. You need to understand, down the road, you’re only going to get one chance to know and understand. Do you think you can handle that?”
Simon sat on the edge of the bed. “Sure.”
“So what would it be? Why we’re here without The Skulls, or what is wrong with your mom?”
Simon ran his fingers through his hair. This was a test. His father had been doing these more often than not. He got it. To be a good leader, he needed to pick the right choices for the club.
Twiddling his thumbs, he stared at Devil. “Why are we here?”
“And why do you feel that is the most important question?”
“It’s not the most important question in my life right now, but it’s the most pivotal one. The men are relying on you keeping them safe. Of getting them in and out without too much trouble.”
“That is where you’re wrong, son. My men know there is always a risk when they come on these trips. I do what I can to make them safe but they know I’m not God. I don’t have miracles up my sleeve.”
“They all know?” Simon asked.
“They do. Even you need to know I can’t guarantee something won’t happen. Lexie knows this. She didn’t want you to go.”
“But I wanted to go.” His mom had asked him if there was anything else he’d rather be doing. “She worries.”
“But I know it’s what you want to know.”
“This is going to be dangerous then?”
Devil nodded. “It is. What you need to understand is we’re entering a potentially dangerous home. The woman who called, she has three kids, all of which are under ten. But when we go inside, it could be the kids who cause an issue.”
“What do you mean?”
“They’ve gotten used to the way life is and if they’re loyal to their dad, they may have called him. It’s a risk. It always is.”
Simon nodded. “Are you afraid?”
Devil sighed. “I knew you were going to ask that.”
“Sorry. I’m just trying to figure this all out.”
“Are you?”
Simon looked at his dad. He didn’t want to be considered a coward. The club was all he ever wanted and if his father thought he was a coward, he wouldn’t be able to take over. “No.”
“Wrong answer, son. You are. First rule here, don’t lie.”
“You’re not afraid, are you?”
“No, I’m not. I’ve got no reason to be afraid, but here’s the thing, son, I am as well.”
“That makes no sense.”
Devil chuckled. “Going into danger doesn’t scare me. A guy with a gun. The shit I’ve faced, I know what I’m getting myself into and what’s more, I’m more than happy to do it. I live for this shit.” The smile went. “But the thought of never seeing Lexie again. Of her having to live without me, that’s a cold, harsh reality I don’t want to have to deal with. I love your mother, Simon. In fact, I can’t stand the thought of going a day when I don’t tell her that I love her. I’m sure you feel something just as strong.”
“For Tabby. Being without her, it’s like there is a giant, gaping hole in my chest but I’m not a fool, I know we’re going to have a lot of problems.”
“What makes you say that?”
“We don’t talk about it, but I’m aware she’s a Skull and I’m a Chaos. I know each time I talk about the future there’s a chance, a slim one, we can’t make it work. Even though our clubs work together, we’re different.”
Devil nodded his head. “You’re right. We’re different and knowing you’re aware of this gives me hope.”
Simon laughed. “Hope? Really?”
“Yes. It means you know that this thing with her is going to take some challenges. Tiny’s been open and honest with me. For a long time, he knew she didn’t want to be part of the club. It was only a few years ago that she embraced who she was, what she was. She could try to outrun the club, but there was no way she was going to leave this world behind. It sticks.”
“Her loyalty is to The Skulls, not to me.”
“You’re wrong there. She’s loyal to her club as is her right, but her loyalty is also to you. You’ve got something, and I tried to deny it. Figuring it was some kind of kid thing. You used her as a security blanket. Your childhoods, I tried to make yours as happy as could be but life, it was so fucked at times. When we managed to kill one evil, another came laughing in my face. There was no way I could keep it up. It’s why I made the change. I thought the one constant for you was Tabitha. But then there was also Miles, Anthony, the other Simon, Daisy even. A few of the other kids but their names escape me. You didn’t want to marry them or have their babies. You didn’t vow to be their old man, or them your old ladies. She’s special to you. I don’t always understand it at such a young age. I was out, screwing whatever threw themselves at me, but the moment I met Lexie, she was like fire. She gave me a reason to breathe. The club was always part of my life, but she made me realize exactly what I’d been missing and I would never give her up, not for the world.”
“Do you ever miss it?” Simon asked.
“Screwing random bitches?”
“No.” Simon shook his head. “Riding. Being out on the open road. I know you settled in Piston County as you felt the club needed a place to call its own, but do you ever miss just riding? Going from town to town?”
“Not anymore. The Nomad chapter is doing their stuff, you know. Remember Lucius?”
Simon nodded. “You haven’t heard from him in a long time, have you?”
“No, but I do keep an ear out. I guess since Roxy’s death, he’s been trying to deal, you know, the only way he can.”
Simon vaguely remembered the guy from the Chaos Bleeds Nomad chapter. Each of the clubs, even The Skulls, had a chapter that didn’t live in any one area. They traveled. Lucius had been part of it, and so had Roxy. She’d been a club whore, a dearly loved woman, but she’d died. Afterward, Lucius hadn’t been able to cope and had left. There was no sign of him, not even a dead body, unless Devil didn’t want to tell him what had happened.
“Is that why you don’t want to travel? What it would do to Mom?”
“No,” Devil said. “The reason I don’t want to travel is that I don’t need to. I’ve done it all. I was reminding you of the Nomads, in case that’s what you want to try. There’s something freeing about being on the open road. You learn a lot about yourself.”
Simon thought about it. “Right now, it’s not something I want.”
“Tabby?”
“I don’t feel the need to be away from her any longer than I have to. Unless she wants to go with me.”
Devil laughed. “I told your mom I’d give you the option. She was the one to tell me you wouldn’t take it. She’s right. Get some sleep, son. You’re going to need it. There’s no way you’re going into that place without all of your senses focused.” Devil got to his feet and escaped to the bathroom.
After kicking off his shoes and jeans, and removing his jacket and shirt, he lay down on the bed. He pulled out his cell phone and brought up the pictures. There were several Tabitha had sent him from Halloween. She looked so pretty dressed the way she was. Stunning even. He wished he’d been there. He would have danced the whole night away and had something to do with those bastards from the other club.
Scrolling past, he went to some of them together. Her lips were pursed, kissing his cheek as he smiled in the camera. Of course he had so many of Tabitha and Daisy. They were close and had been since they were kids. Anthony was there as well, looking mightily cute.
“That’s not sleeping,” Devil said.
“I’m just…”
“Looking at pictures of your girlfriend.” He chuckled. “Don’t go making me a grandpa before my time.”
He rolled his eyes. “I won’t.”
“Do I need to have the sex talk with you again?”
“Please, don’t. I like to not vomit in my mouth.”
Devil chuckled, but it sounded evil and happy at the same time. This was what he loved about being with his dad. They were close, and he felt like he could talk to him about anything and there would never be judgment. Devil’s cell phone buzzed. “It’s your mother.”
“You’ve got to rest as well, old man. You’re not getting any younger.”
“Cheeky little fucker.” Silence passed. “Huh.”
“What’s huh?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Come on, Dad, what is it?”
“Lexie got a call from Eva. It seems Daisy’s real dad, not Whizz, the one who sold her to The Skulls, was found dead this morning. It looked like he was cleaning out his gun, and shot himself right in the neck.”
****
Tabitha climbed up the wall outside of Anthony’s bedroom window. The moment she’d heard her parents talking, she just knew. Climbing wasn’t something she enjoyed doing and if her parents thought to check on her, she was going to be grounded again, but there was no way she was going to be able to hold off until the morning to ask him.
Getting to the window, she knocked on it. Anthony sat at his desk.
He glanced over at her and she pointed at the window. “Open it,” she said, whispering.
Anthony looked like he was going to tell her no. If he did, she was going to beat his ass with a bat. She’d make Daisy kiss him and that would give her the leverage she needed to beat the shit out of him.
He opened the window and she climbed on through.
Again, no words.
“You did it.”
Anthony sat at his desk and Tabitha started to pace the room.
“Parents are home,” he said.
She stopped. “You killed him.”
He didn’t look up. His head was bowed over his books, a pencil in his hand. There was no real sign that he’d killed a man, but there was no way Daisy’s father was miraculously cleaning a gun he didn’t own.
“Damn it, Anthony, look at me.”
He sighed, lowered his pencil, and turned toward her.
“You killed him.”
Nothing.
“You’re not going to say anything? You’re just going to keep giving me the creeps with the stares.”
“What do you want me to say? You want me to lie to you, Tabs? Is that it? No, I didn’t kill him. He clearly was a drunk and I’m so sorry that he’s dead.”
“You’re fucking lying,” she said. “You heard what Daisy said at Halloween and it has been less than a week and he suddenly turns up dead. Don’t lie to me. You owe me more than that.”
He got to his feet. “Exactly what do I owe you, Tabitha?”
“I’m your friend. We’re Skulls. We’re a team.”
“You’re right. We’re a family, and one of our team, one of our unit was dying inside. You want to know the truth, then yes, I killed him. He owned that gun, it was old, pretty much useless. I cleaned it up real nice. It fucking sparkled. I loaded that weapon and when he was drinking and trying to get more money out of her, I made him look me in the eyes, and then I pulled the trigger and I feel nothing. He is nothing. He was a piece of shit.”
“If they find out—”
“They will never find out.” Anthony slashed his hand across the air. “Period. They will never find out because I know what I’m doing.”
“You’re sixteen.”
“And I still know what I’m doing. That will never change.”
“You don’t care? You killed a man.”
“He was hurting Daisy.”
“Is that all it’s going to take from you? They hurt Daisy, and they’re dead.”
“Do you think the world is going to miss him? He was a piece of shit who needed to die. No one is going to miss him. Certainly not Daisy. He was killing her, little by little. I knew something was bothering her, I just didn’t know who or what. When I did, I took care of it. Don’t make me out to be the bad guy. I’m not. I did what I had to do for my loved one. I did what anyone would do.”
Tabitha stared at him, shocked. “I think that is the most you’ve spoken.”
“She never finds out. This is between you and me. Don’t even tell Simon, and if you do, I will hurt you, Tabitha.”
She gritted her teeth and stepped toward him. “I may not be fucking cold like you, but don’t ever threaten me. I will end you, do you understand me?”
Anthony stared at her. “Understood.”
Tabitha stood back and sat down on the edge of his bed. “I … how was it?”
“You want to know?”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t care. He begged for his life but he had hurt her too many times to count. I was done with his bullshit.” Anthony sat at his desk. “If you’re found here, you’re going to be grounded.”
“What about you?”
“Dad would be happy that I’ve got a chick in my room.”
“Have you ever been with those girls?” she asked.
He raised a brow.
“Come on. Tell me.”
“Tabs, no. Leave before I have to listen to you moaning about being grounded again.”
“Would you ever ground your kid?”
“Yes,” he said. “Especially if it’s a girl.”
“Double standards.”
“Leave.”
She rolled her eyes. “Have you heard from Daisy?”
“Nope, but I figure that’s your deal. I won’t be going to check on her.”
“You want to?”
Tabitha climbed out of the window and fired the question at him, waiting. He kept on staring at her.
“You would?”
“Don’t break your neck,” he said.
He closed the window.
Asshole.
She climbed down and ran all the way back home, quickly climbing into her bedroom window. There was no sign of her parents. After stripping out of her clothes, she put on her pajamas and had climbed into bed, picking up a book when there was a knock at the door.
“Come in,” she said. She hadn’t run a brush through her hair. She hoped she didn’t have any leaves or debris in her hair.
Her dad, Tiny, entered. She put the book down.
“I assume you heard?”
“I did. Does Daisy know?”
“Whizz and Lacey are going to tell her tomorrow. She hasn’t been feeling well.”
Tabitha nodded. “It was probably the pizza at school. That stuff isn’t good for anyone.”
“Do you have any reason to believe she could have anything to do with this?” Tiny asked.
“No!” She snapped the word out and frowned. “I mean, of course not. Why would you think Daisy would do something like this?”
Tiny shrugged, sitting on the edge of the bed. “It was … considered. He wasn’t a nice person and we know he’s been a bit of a problem in the past.”
She nodded. “Of course, but Daisy wouldn’t kill him.”
“You’ll go over there tomorrow. Be with her?”
“Yes. She may not be angry or upset. She might not even care.”
“Probably not. He wasn’t her real dad. We all know Whizz takes his role seriously.”
“It’s why he adopted her.”
Tiny agreed and patted her leg. “Devil and a couple of the guys have invited us over for Thanksgiving.”
“They have?” She hadn’t been to Piston County in so long.
“Yes.”
“Can I stay with Lexie and Devil? I promise I’ll be good.”
“Honey, you know they have a lot of kids.”
“Dad, come on. I will be good. You don’t have anything to worry about. I promise.” She patted his hand.
“Do I need to talk to you about … what happens between a boy and a girl.”
“No, Dad, please. You don’t have to do the sex talk. I get it. Penis, vagina, sex, semen, babies. Protected sex. I get it.” Her face was heating up by the second and she wrinkled her nose.
“I don’t like how much you know. I wish you were still into ponies and dolls.”
She giggled. “I was never into dolls.”
“You were. If I could, I’d keep you as a little girl forever. I know I could keep you happy and nothing would ever hurt you.”
“You’re worried Simon will hurt me?”
“I know you’re going to get hurt in life. I don’t want that for you. For any of you.”
“Dad, you can’t protect me forever.”
“And I know you’ve got to make some tough choices. Don’t get me wrong, I hoped this thing with Simon would have run its course right now.”
“You mean because we’re in two different clubs?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Even with your friendship?”
“Honey, friendships aside, we’re not the same. We don’t always make the same choices. We work together where we can. Lash has taken the club in a direction I never even thought of. He’s been a true leader.”
She moved toward her dad, hugging him tightly. “I love you.”
“I love you too, but when you have to make these choices, make them with your heart. Don’t make them because you’re being forced.”
“I won’t.”
She was aware of what would be expected of her. Even if she put off the inevitable by going to college, there would always be that question. Would she remain a Skull, which would mean her relationship with Simon may have to come to an end? Or would she give up being everything she knew, and take on Simon’s patch?
The thought of leaving everything behind scared her. She didn’t know what choice to make. She loved her family and The Skulls were hers, but she also loved Simon, and there was no getting away from that.
“I’m going to leave you. Goodnight, honey.”
“Goodnight.”
She watched her father go.
Once she’d finished her chapter in the book, she put it down, turned out the light, and slid down, closing her eyes. Everything could be put off until tomorrow. There was no reason for her to make any decisions now. None were expected of her.