He took several steps toward her. She backed up, terrified.
Gash was taller than she was, stronger. He could hurt her, and no one would have a clue where she was.
Tears sprang to her eyes at the predicament she’d put herself in. Suddenly he stopped moving.
“Shit, you’re that scared?”
She shook her head, but she couldn’t stop the shaking. “I’m not scared.”
“You’re shaking, Angel. I’m not the enemy, but you’re scared.”
“Lash has told me you’re unpredictable and that a woman put you in prison for lies.”
“He tells you a fucking lot.”
Angel swallowed. This was a big mistake, and she said as much.
“Look, I’m not going to hurt you. You were not the bitch who cried rape and murder, okay. I’m not going to hurt you. I happen to like you.”
She looked up at him. “I won’t sleep with you.”
“Okay, it’s a pretty big leap from helping you to fight to sleeping with you.”
“When I asked for your help you thought I wanted to sleep with you. I don’t. I’ve seen the way you’ve gone through the sweet-butts, and I’ve heard the talk.”
He placed a hand over her mouth. “We’re totally getting off the wrong foot here. For once, Angel, I respect a woman. I’ve never respected a woman in my life. All of them have a purpose, whether it be as a hole or as a mother. I don’t give a shit about them. You, Angel, you’re the first woman I respect. I see that you love Lash. You’re only wanting this to help him.”
She nodded. “I don’t want to disappoint him, but I’m tired of being scared. He finds excuses all the time. I can’t protect Anthony when he’s not there. Lash, I love him and I know he loves me, and I know doing this will hurt him, but I also know I can’t do anything else. I can’t have Lash worrying about me all the time, which is exactly what he’ll do. I need him to be able to trust in me like Tiny does Eva.”
“I’m going to help. Come on.”
Angel followed Gash inside the warehouse. This was not about going behind Lash’s back even though she was having to. All she wanted to do was go and hide. Her love for Lash was absolute, and she wouldn’t go back on him. They were a couple and would fight the world together. She hoped when he found out the truth, he saw that she was doing this for him.
Chapter Two
Alex left the clubhouse and headed toward the house he’d bought outside of Fort Wills set back by a small forest. It looked like an old ranch house in the middle of nowhere, but he liked it.
Several months ago he’d hired a young black woman by the name of Sunshine. From the moment he saw her, he knew he couldn’t be alone with her. She set his fire burning, and they’d only spoken for two minutes. He’d hired her to take care of his home and to cook. If he was honest with himself he’d hired her so that he wouldn’t be lonely. His parents were dead, as was his sister. Besides Tiny and The Skulls, he was alone, completely alone. He had a son that hated him, and Cheryl despised him. There were so many mistakes he’d made in his life, and he was scared. He’d also hired Sunshine as a favor to her parents. There was another element to the deal, but he’d yet to take Sunshine as his own.
Running a hand down his face he parked up the car. His bike was in the garage at the compound. Devil was right about many things. Alex hadn’t been part of the club, not really. He knew how to ride a bike, but for so long he’d been hidden behind a desk not having the first clue what to do with the club. It was good Tiny had decided to hand the gavel over to Lash.
Lash was loyal to the club, through and through. Angel had it within her to be a good old lady as well providing she was prepared for the sacrifices ahead of her.
Climbing out of his car, his cell phone went off. Checking the caller he saw it was Tiny on the line.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
“Nash stopped by and said you left the clubhouse. Is everything okay?”
This was the first time he’d left the clubhouse in over six months. His room had been lived in more than this house he was staring at. With five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a large kitchen diner, it was a dream home for a family, but for Alex, it was too big. This house reminded him of everything he didn’t have. He didn’t have a family, and all he did was invade Tiny’s. Eva and the kids had nothing to do with him, not really. They weren’t related in any way. Tate was his niece and Tiny his friend.
Stop with the moping. This is what you get for the way you live.
He didn’t give women a chance or care what they wanted from him. All he ever cared about was work and getting shit done. His sister had warned him that he’d be alone. Alex hadn’t cared. There was no woman out there for him.
Flicking his keys in front of him he walked up to the front steps of his house.
“Mr. Allen?” Sunshine opened the door. She was wiping her hands on a towel as she looked at him.
For once he didn’t know what to say and simply stared at the beauty in front of him. She was a local in town. Her parents owned the local bakery that had been open the past ten years. Sunshine had been the first and only woman to apply for the position of a live-in housekeeper for him. She probably had it better than most people seeing as he never came home. Finding out that the bakery was in need of some money, he’d struck a deal with her parents. All he had to do was wait for Sunshine to come into his life. Since she’d taken on the role of his housekeeper, Alex hadn’t been able to come home. He didn’t want her hurt or put in any kind of danger.
“Hello, Sunshine. The name’s Alex. Please use it.” He brushed past her aware of the small connection they had between their bodies. For a split second he closed his eyes, relishing that small contact. The sweet-butts within the club used to be able to take care of his needs whereas now, they no longer did anything for him. He was tired of the constant need to connect with someone, the yearning that built in the pit of his stomach whenever he saw one of The Skulls couples.
The scent of her cooking met his nostrils, and his stomach growled. It was only lunch time, and yet she already was cooking.
He spun around to see her facing him. She held onto that towel with a death grip.
“I’m not going to hurt you.”
Alex watched her gaze land on the floor between them. She was so skittish around him, always had been. Not that he could blame her. He was a monster to the core.
“I’m sorry.”
“You don’t need to be sorry. I won’t hurt you. What’s going on?” he asked. He was confused by her obvious fear. Yes, during her interview she’d been skittish, but this was outright fear.
“I, erm, I heard what you did, I mean, I heard what went down at the town hall. There’re a lot of rumors about another MC club.”
“Chaos Bleeds?” Once Gonzalez had been killed Devil had taken his club and woman back to Piston County.
“No, the other club. The one that you took out.” She bit down on her full, dark lip. He wanted to do unspeakable things to this woman. The more she stood there, looking tempting as hell, the harder it was for him to resist.
“Don’t listen to gossip.” He left her standing behind the front door as he made his way up the stairs, which had a single long piece of carpet down the center. The house was pristine clean. The mere sight of the inside let him know Sunshine didn’t fuck about on his time. He wondered where she slept.
Alex closed off immediately the thought of her sleeping. It was easier for both of them if he stopped thinking about where she slept at night. The last thing he needed was for the temptation to get so strong he couldn’t back down.
****
Whizz waited in his room while Lacey got dressed. Lash appeared in the doorway looking bored.
“Is she coming or not?”
“I thought you’d be saying goodbye to your woman.” Whizz smirked thinking about Angel’s abrupt exit in the kitchen hours before.
“She’s mad at me. I’ve never spoken to another woman like that in front of her. Well, I can’t exactly call Raven a woman. She’s a whore through and through.” Lash leaned against the wall looking mightily pissed. “Angel will forgive me, but she’s gone to the spa. I hate hearing bitches like Raven talk shit to her. She doesn’t deserve it.”
“Your woman’s sweet, Lash. She’s never going to change, and you’re going to have to realize it. I doubt I’ll ever see her kicking your ass, but one could hope for it.” No man in the club would ever think to take Lash on. He was too scary, too dangerous, and too willing to hurt anyone who stepped in his way. It would be fun to see Angel kicking his ass though. The very thought made Whizz smile.
“Angel knows I’ll never hurt her. I’d rather die than hurt her.” Lash pulled out his cell phone. “Is this bitch coming?”
“Don’t,” Whizz said, warning him.
“You laying claim?”
“No.”
“You should. Boys are seriously pissed off that she’s still alive.”
The whole of the clubhouse was hurting because of the Savage Brothers.
“This wasn’t her fault. She came to help Butch.”
Lash shrugged. “Look, we’re all hurting from the shit that went down. I know I’m not in the mood to deal with her, but I promised Tiny I’d help.”