Whizz(The Skulls 9)(16)

“I told her to stay away from you.” Butch ran a hand down his face. He looked old, withdrawn, and sad. “I didn’t want her to hurt you, and yet you got hurt anyway.”

“I’m not going to let anything happen to her. I can’t let her go.”

“Do you love her?” Butch asked.

“I don’t know. I don’t know if I love her, but I know I don’t want to lose her.” Whizz took a seat in the corner as Butch turned the television off.

“You’re not angry with what I did.”

“When it first happened I was pissed. I was so angry and hurt by what I thought of as your betrayal. It wasn’t as bad as I first thought, but people died because of it. I know what happened. Lacey told me, and Cheryl told us the rest. You should have come to us. They were idiots for keeping it a secret.”

“They’re all dead now.”

“Yeah.”

“How’s Lacey doing?”

“There are times I think she’s handling it. Then there are other times she looks like she is falling apart.” Whizz sat back in the chair, taking in Butch’s form.

“She’s been through a lot. I’m pleased she didn’t die. Out of all of them she made the most sense.”

Whizz stayed silent. Sometimes words were not necessary.

****

Lacey opened her eye to see a little boy staring at her. No, it was a baby boy. Stretching out her arms, she caught sight of a woman she knew as Prue sitting, holding the boy on her knee.

“It’s about time. I really thought I was going to have to throw a fit to wake you up. I’ve been bored out of my mind, sitting here watching you sleep,” Prue said.

“What are you doing here?” Lacey asked, seeing the door to the room open. The hustle and bustle of the house filled her senses. What was Prue doing in her room?

“Whizz has gone to the hospital to see Butch. He asked me to take you out shopping. Guess what? Angel’s coming along with us. We’re taking the kids with us though.” Prue kept talking. She turned to a baby voice as she talked to Markus. “Tell Lacey that she has got to come.”

Sitting up in bed, she held the blanket to her chest. Beneath the covers she was naked. Whizz had helped her wash her body then carried her through to the bed after drying her. She didn’t want Prue to see her naked.

“You’re naked. We’ll leave you alone until you’re dressed. I’ve got a feeling Markus is going to have it easy to pick up pussy.” Prue stood, leaving the room.

“Oh, Angel left you clothes on the chair in the corner.”

The door closed behind her, and Lacey thought she had entered the Twilight Zone. Pushing some hair off her face she glanced over at the clock to see it was past ten. She rarely slept in anymore. Last night she’d been so exhausted that she’d passed out cold. Her last memory was of Whizz curling around her as she lay on the bed. Pushing the blanket off her body, she grabbed the clothes then entered the bathroom. Her eyes didn’t look red and puffy. Staring at her face, she actually looked refreshed, which scared her a little. She’d been in The Skulls’ clubhouse, and yet she looked better for it rather than worse.

She went to the toilet, did her business, and washed her hands before brushing her teeth. Lacey dressed in the denim skirt and white maternity shirt that Angel had let her use. This would be the only time she wore maternity clothes.

Don’t do it, Lacey. It’s not worth it.

Walking back into the bedroom, she put on some sneakers after brushing her hair.

“Are you done yet?” Prue asked, speaking through the door. Opening the door, she stared at the other woman.

“I’m done.”

“Come on. I’ll feed you first. Whizz wants me to keep an eye on you.”

She followed behind Prue as they walked downstairs. No one stopped this time to stare at her. It helped that Prue kept talking about everything and anything.

“Where did she go?” Hardy asked.

They entered the kitchen to find Hardy, Gash, Nash, and Steven talking. Angel was feeding her son as Eva was dealing with a temper tantrum from Tabitha.

“I don’t know,” Nash said. “I’ve only just got up. Give me a break.”

“Rose isn’t in my room, and she’s not answering her cell.”

“For fuck’s sake, she wanted some space. Give it to her,” Gash said, snapping.

“Where is she?” Hardy stepped toward the other man. Gash got to his feet, showing he wasn’t threatened.

“You can get in my face all you want, Hardy. I’m not the one responsible for sticking my dick in the wrong woman. She wants space, deal with it, or you’ll be dealing with a divorce.” Gash snapped up his drink, storming out of the room.

“I love her. I don’t want her to leave.”

“Rose loves you, Hardy. Give her some space,” Angel said, offering him a smile.

Taking a seat at the table, Lacey gasped as Prue put Markus in her arms. “Right, I was thinking we’ll skip Fort Wills and go straight to the mall in the city. No one is keeping us locked up tight anymore. I need to get away,” Prue said.

Markus wriggled in her arms and Lacey held on as she listened to the other woman. This was more than she could handle. She’d never held a child in all of her life.

“Lash won’t be happy,” Angel said.

“Screw Lash. This is a girls’ day. What about you, Eva? Are you coming along?”

“I want Simon!” Tabitha threw her bowl off the table, glaring at her mother.

Eva rolled her eyes. “No! Tiny’s right. I’ve put up with your temper long enough, lady. You’re so going in the naughty corner.” In quick moves, Eva put her daughter in the corner. “You will stay there and think about what you’ve done.”

“She better stay there,” Tiny said, appearing in the doorway.

Tabitha looked shocked to see her father watching. “That’s right, missy. I saw you.”

She stuck her lip out. “I want Simon!”

Tiny looked at Eva, frowning. “She means Devil’s Simon, not Tate’s.”

Tabitha faced the wall, folding her arms over her chest. She looked every inch the spoilt little girl.

Prue placed a cup in front of her. “What do you want for breakfast?”

“Just some toast.”

No one paid Lacey any attention as she held Markus close.

“How long has she been throwing her temper around?” Tiny asked.

“She liked Simon. They were close.” Eva cleaned away the mess. “I’ve been talking with Lexie. Simon has been the same way.”

“What do you want?” Tiny folded his arms, the same way his daughter had.

“We want to meet up.”

Lacey tuned out as Angel started talking with Prue. “How’s Kelsey?”

“She’s vomiting. I think she’s preggers again. It wouldn’t surprise me. Killer is always on her.” Prue finished making some breakfast then made her way over to her. She took Markus out of her arms. “Not that I can complain. They make beautiful kids.”

“Are we inviting Tate along?” Angel asked.

“Don’t go ruining my good mood.”

“I’m not going,” Tate said, walking into the room. Lacey looked behind her in time to see Tate smirk after she looked from her dad to Tabitha. She passed Tabitha on the way to the table, ruffling her head. “That’s my girl.”

“Don’t encourage her, Tate,” Tiny said.

Tate chuckled, taking a seat at the table. Her rounded stomach was starting to show. She’d almost lost her child after an attack from Gonzalez. Fortunately, Tate hadn’t died, and neither had her unborn child.

“Get your own cereal,” Prue said.

Angel looked at her. “Don’t mind those two. They’re always bickering.”

Lacey felt like she was suffering from whiplash with the way the two women were talking. Eva and Tiny were talking, and Miles kept eating his food while glancing at his sister. Tabitha was dancing on the spot, not doing as she was asked. There was so much going on.

“Fine. You can go, but make sure Devil knows about it as well. I’m not going to be dealing with his shit because of you two.”

“Lexie has already got Devil’s agreement. We’re going to meet up at Paradise Rocks.”

“That’s fucking hours away,” Tiny said, spitting his coffee back into the cup.

“Yeah, but it meets at the middle. I’m not having Lexie come here and risk Devil kicking your ass. I’m not going to Piston County and have you follow me to kick his ass. Paradise Rocks is neutral territory. It’s not owned by The Skulls or Chaos Bleeds. It’s like Switzerland,” Eva said.

Tiny looked like he wanted to say something else. He looked around the room, and his gaze settled on Lacey. “Does Whizz know you’re out?”

She nodded. This man was scary as fuck. She didn’t want his anger directed at her, not one bit.

“Don’t you have a voice?”

“Dad, stop scaring her. Prue looks like she wants to shoot your ass, and I heard she’s pretty mean with a gun,” Tate said.

“Shut up.” Prue glared at the other woman before turning to the president of The Skulls. “Whizz knows she’s out. She’s not a fucking dog. I’m taking her out with Angel.”