Sipping his beer, he felt the bitter taste of failure fill him again.
Tate, the one good thing in his life and he’d fucked it up.
The sound of another bike coming in close filled the silence.
Pulling the gun out of his resting place around his ankle, he released the safety and waited. The Lions were still out there. They were a threat that the Skulls were eliminating one by one.
Lash and Nash appeared around the corner. Both looked somber as they headed toward him. He saw they each carried a six pack of beer.
“What are you two doing here?” They were close brothers with Lash being the oldest.
“Angel’s on her period and being a bitch,” Lash said, grabbing himself a chair.
“Kate’s nowhere to be seen, and the sweet-butts are pissing me off.” Nash took a chair and sat off to the side of him.
“Tiny told us where you were, and we figured you could use some company. Male company only.” Lash pulled the cap off the bottle and sat down.
“What my brother doesn’t tell you is Eva’s moved out without a word and Tiny’s being an ass,” Nash said, doing the same as his brother with his beer.
“It’s been a long couple of days,” Murphy said.
“I haven’t been up here in years.” Lash sat back, sighing. “I love coming here.”
“I’m in love with Tate, and I may or may not have gotten her pregnant,” Murphy said, needing to talk to someone.
Nash spit out the beer he’d been drinking as Lash glared at him.
“Tiny’s going to kick your ass.”
“She won’t give me the time of day. Tate talks about my time with The Lions. The shit I had to do and she’s got no idea at all.” He sipped his bottle, wishing it was something stronger.
“You’re going to accept the beating her father’s going to give you?” Nash asked.
“Yeah, I’ll do anything for Tate. She’s always been my number one priority.”
“Even though you fucked a load of women when you decided to be a spy?” Nash was the only one talking.
Glancing over at Lash, Murphy saw the other man deep in thought. “You didn’t become a spy for The Skulls. You became a spy for Tate.”
“They were the threat of the town and to The Skulls. Tate never deserved to live in fear. She always deserved happiness and love. I always wanted that for her.”
“You sound like a pussy,” Nash said. “Actually, you sound like my brother, Nigel.” He smirked at Lash. Murphy rolled his eyes. These two were fucking idiots when they started.
“Forget I ever said anything,” Murphy said.
“No, we’re men here. Hey, Edward, why don’t you tell Dillon that you’ve got a hard on for Kate’s younger sister?”
The smile on Nash’s face disappeared. “You’re an asshole.”
“Yeah, I’m your asshole brother.”
“You’ve got the hots for Kate’s younger sister?” Murphy asked. “I didn’t even realize Kate had a sister.”
“She doesn’t come to the club. Getting into the pants of a Skull is not her main priority.”
Murphy didn’t push it. He was in love with the daughter of a man who could kill him and dispose of his body easily.
“Tate will come around. She just needs to know what you did and why you did it.”
“Also, don’t fuck any more pussy. Tate’s not the kind of girl to share.” Nash added the last bit.
None of their advice helped.
A cell phone went off. Murphy ignored it. He’d shut his cell phone off so he wouldn’t be disturbed.
“Fuck, we’ve got to round the troops together,” Lash said.
“What? Why?” Nash asked.
“Tomorrow we’re on lockdown. Two of the finest and brightest have just been killed on the outskirts of Fort Wills. The Lions have been sighted. Tiny wants us to put out the word.”
****
Tate rubbed at her temple. The phones were ringing constantly, and she was getting tired of saying the same old crap to the same people. That morning she had to deal with a phone call from her father and then an appearance from Murphy. The whole club was going on lockdown, and they wanted her to report to the club. She didn’t have anything to do with The Skulls. They didn’t need her for lockdown.
“You seem a little distracted today,” Kelsey said, sitting in the only available reception chair.
“It’s these phones. Everyone’s got an issue, and I’m bored.” She picked up the phone, holding her finger and asking Kelsey to wait. After booking an appointment for a missing filling, Tate looked back at Kelsey. “The club’s on lockdown,” she said.