ZERO(The Skulls, 6)(28)

They treated him like a dumb fuck, and like Tiny told him, he had to deal with it. Fuck, he remembered when his father punished him years ago for something he didn’t do. Zero couldn’t remember what he had supposedly done, but he recalled the punishment. His father locked him in the dog cage for the entire weekend without feeding him.

Cutting off the memory, Zero remembered it was the one and only time he’d ever been trapped in something. Being behind bars was not something he ever anticipated. He’d rather go on the run before he went to jail.

Thinking about his life outside he doubted Alan wanted him in prison for the game to play out. How much fun would life be if he was locked away? He spent over twenty-fours in the prison cell for his own fucking doing, but it hadn’t been all bad apart from the fact he didn’t get to see his woman. Twenty-four hours felt like forever to him with nothing to do but deal with his own fucking problems. Tiny and the rest of The Skulls found ways of getting messages to him. Steven was with Prue in the hospital, watching over her, which he didn’t like.

Next time go to the station willingly, fucking asshole.

He also found out what happened during the chaos of the discovery of the dead body. Collecting his stuff from the reception desk, Zero was in no mood for jokes. He ignored the banter going on around him. They were all talking about their normal lives full of normal shit. Zero hadn’t lived a normal life in such a long time. Heading outside, he felt the heat of approaching spring on his face. After not seeing it for twenty-four hours and having nothing but three walls and bars, Zero was appreciative of any scenery outside. At least he no longer had an issue with cages anymore.

Tiny was waiting in the car along with Eva and the twins. He climbed into the back seat glancing at the innocent lives beside him. Fuck, he should have made sure Alan was dead before he left ten years ago. No matter how hard he tried, Zero wasn’t going to be able to change the past. At the time he’d liked the idea of the other man burning alive. He’d been away from The Skulls for an entire weekend. The longer he was away, the less chance he had of being part of the club. He hadn’t watched the warehouse burn. Ten years ago he’d fucked up and fucked up bad.

“I want to go to the hospital,” he said. The thought of seeing Prue kept him going.

“You’re not going to the hospital.”

“Who is looking after her?” he asked, fisting his hands.

“Steven and Blaine have been dealing with it. Butch stops by as well. She’s a nice girl, cheery all things considered.” Tiny was the one driving. Eva stayed silent, looking out of the window. “We’re going on lockdown. I can’t risk our club. When Prue gets out of the hospital Sandy will take care of her. I’m not risking anymore lives. I can’t.”

Zero couldn’t argue. “I’m sorry.”

“What?”

“I fucked up. I should have made sure Alan was dead. I fucked up.”

“Yeah, you fucked up bad. Whizz is working on locating him. So far, it’s hard to track a ghost.” Tiny tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “I called Devil. He and his crew will be on their way the moment we need them.”

“You called them?”

“Chaos Bleeds will help us. They’re our friends, and you’re going to deal with it,” Tiny said. Chaos Bleeds was an MC group worse than The Skulls. Devil, the president, helped The Skulls out a couple of times in the last couple of years, but they didn’t have any rules. They took without thinking who they hurt.

“We don’t need them,” Zero said.

You do. How can you fight a ghost?

“Really? So you were awake when this fucker took the blonde nurse you fucked, tortured her, and then tied her to a fucking chair after plunging a needle to keep you out of it.” Tiny glanced at the inside rear mirror. His anger was tangible in the small space of the car. Eva reached out to calm the kids, who were getting restless as their father lost his temper. “For fuck’s sake, use your fucking head, you fucking asshole. You didn’t finish the job ten years ago. We’ve got no choice but to bring our friends in. The next time I tell you to do something, you will fucking do it. When I say go and give a statement, you’ll fucking go. If I tell you to piss on demand, you’ll fucking do it.”

Zero stayed silent. Everything Tiny said rang true. Zero, ten years ago, had fucked up and fucked up bad. There was no chance of getting away from it.

“We’re taking you to the clubhouse to wash the stink of the cells off you. When you’re done, we’ll take you to the hospital. Between you and Prue, neither of you are leaving without a fucking escort.”