Alex Read online

  “Your father and one of the fighters are at risk. Don’t ask me who. I’m not going to tell you.”

  “What is this about?”

  “I was asked to take care of someone. I didn’t do it, something happened, and now I’m having to pay the price. I don’t know if this will come back on you, Eva. I don’t know if the club is at risk. What happened didn’t include The Skulls. It was all on me.”

  “But it included the Vegas Fighters?”

  “Yes.”

  Eva nodded. “I knew it wasn’t going to last.” She snorted. “The stupid thing is, I actually thought it was going to be a different kind of trouble. I was with Lexie a week or so ago, watching Simon and Tabitha play. I watched them play, and I know they’re going to bring a shit storm to the club. Devil and Tiny, they’re going to hold their grudge for a long time. I should have known there was going to be more trouble for us before we even get to those two.” She got to her feet, walking toward the door.

  “I never meant to fuck everything up.”

  She let out a sigh. “You need to decide something here, Alex.”

  “What do you mean?”

  With her hand on door, she turned to look at him. “You’ve got to make a choice, The Skulls or Vegas.”

  “I thought I made that decision.”

  “No, the casino, the Vegas deals, you’ve still got them going. Nothing has changed for you, not really. You wear a leather cut that you don’t deserve, but that’s between you and Tiny. This shit you’re bringing us, it’s because of you and Vegas. Butch has as good as been cast out, and I don’t care about that. He made his bed, and now he has to deal with the consequences. The club with your half assed association isn’t good anymore. It’s either all or nothing.”

  “I care about the club. I helped build that club.”

  “You funded it, Alex. You’re no better than a fucking silent partner. All you did was give it the money Tiny needed. The club, the town, Tiny earned that. Lash, Nash, Murphy, Whizz, fucking Gash, all of them are Skulls. Even Hardy, he’s a Skull to the core. You, you’re not a Skull. You don’t wear the cut. It’s not in your blood. Manipulation, business deals, the casino, the Vegas Fighters, they’re in your blood. Not the club.” Tears fell from Eva’s eyes.

  “I love the club.” He said the words through gritted teeth. There was more to him than a fucking businessman. He could do more and had done more for the club. No one knew what he’d sacrificed in the name of the club. Eva didn’t stay behind to say anything else. She simply shook her head looking sad. He hated seeing her sad. In truth, Alex hated seeing any woman sad, but he’d cut that kind of feeling off. That was another lifetime when he was allowed to care.

  Rubbing at his eyes, Alex tried his hardest to stop the pain that was blooming in his chest.

  “You don’t care about anyone but yourself,” Patricia said. “You’re exactly like Tiny. He doesn’t know when to stop.”

  Patricia, his darling sister, would always phone him and find ways to complain. For hours he’d sat listening to Tiny’s latest indiscretions. He’d grown so fucking bored and tired with the same old shit. Fort Wills was once his town where he loved to grow up. Eva was wrong. The club was always in his veins. His parents had taken him away from the town, but he’d never forgotten it nor had he forgotten Tiny.

  The moment he had seen Tiny years later, Alex had been happy to do whatever it took to take the town back. The Darkness was forced out, and The Skulls found their home.

  It was times like this where he missed Mikey. The bastard had died on them, but he would have the advice that would make him belong. Shit had gone from bad to worse in a matter of years. Alex didn’t know what to do about his life anymore. He was totally confused. The last thing he wanted was to be responsible for killing Eva’s unborn children or hurting the club. The women were part of the club in a big way now. There was a time when the women had stayed away from the club. No more, they were part of the club, giving their time and sometimes their lives to the cause.

  Fuck, he needed to get this shit sorted before it turned bad, really bad.

  ****

  Sunshine licked her lips watching her mother and father flit around her hospital room. They were being far more attentive now than ever before. Every time she looked at her father, she saw the shame in his eyes. Did he know that she knew the truth about what he’d agreed to with Alex? She’d listened to her father talking to Alex a couple of years ago when she first started working as his housekeeper. At the time she thought about quitting and moving out for good, but then she’d sat and thought about her position. Alex was rarely home, and when he was, he steered clear of her, apart from the times when he’d watch her.

  She liked his gaze on her. The depth of emotion he expressed in his eyes alone always turned her on. Sunshine found herself liking his silent company. He was the first man, admittedly an older man, who had caught her interest. Alex didn’t speak a lot or boast about his latest fucks. There was something dark and sad about him. He hid a lot of his true emotion from the rest of the world, which had only intrigued her about him.

  “Mom, stop, seriously, you can go,” Sunshine said, sitting up in bed. Yes, she had almost died, but she wasn’t actually dead. This devotion from them seemed a little out of place to her.

  “Honey, I can’t stand the thought of you being alone.”

  “I’m in the hospital surrounded by medical staff. I can promise you, I won’t be alone.” She wanted to go and see him. Sunshine, after she delivered her message, had hoped for him to come back and see her. She regretted pulling away from his touch when he’d tried to comfort her on the bed.

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m not alone, and I’m not suddenly going to die. Please, go home and get some sleep. Seriously, I’m fine.” Did her mother know what her father agreed to? Forcing a smile to her lips, Sunshine watched her parents gather their coats and bags.

  “I’ll be back first thing tomorrow. I’m sure I heard the doctor say he’s going to discharge you soon.”

  Tiny had already stopped by to let her know she wasn’t going home. She’d be back at the clubhouse before she went home. He’d taken the time to see her when her parents were out of the room.

  “See you, darling,” her father said, kissing the top of her head.

  She didn’t look into his eyes. Sunshine was tired of seeing the shame, the guilt in his eyes.

  When she was alone Sunshine pushed the button requesting a nurse.

  “What can I do for you, honey?” the nurse said. The name Felicity was on her badge.

  “Hi, I was wondering if it was okay for me to go and see someone.”

  “Who would you like to go see?”

  Licking her suddenly dry lips, Sunshine spoke his name. “Alex Allen. He came in here with me, I think. Well, he had similar wounds or something.”

  “No need to blush or panic. I know, and I’ll just grab a wheelchair for you.”

  Sunshine pushed the blanket off her legs and sat up with her feet dangling off the side of the bed.

  “You can do this, Sunshine. You can go and see him.” Her heart was racing at the prospect of seeing him again. Once she’d learned the truth of her job as Alex’s housekeeper, she’d be so upset and angry. Now, she was happy he was the one that had given her father the out he needed. If it had been anyone else her life could have changed dramatically. Some men would have wanted a hell of a lot more out of her.

  Felicity brought the chair back within seconds and helped her into it. In a couple of days Sunshine would be out of the hospital and walking. It had been two weeks, and she’d missed the New Year. What a way to start the New Year, bed bound, recovering from a knife wound from a maniac. She missed walking, taking in the sights without someone behind her, pushing her. Her mother had taken her out to the hospital gardens yesterday and wouldn’t shut up long enough for her to enjoy them. She didn’t want to go back to her parents trying to pamper her, at least not her father.

  “Do yo
u know a lot about Alex?” Felicity asked.

  “I’m his housekeeper.” She locked her fingers together, wondering why the nurse was taking an interest.

  Don’t worry. She’s being nice. It’s her job.

  “He’s a hard man.”

  “I don’t need you to tell me about what kind of man Alex is. I know.”

  “You’re not a club slut. I’ve never seen you hang out with the bitches that stay at the club.”

  Sunshine heard the bitterness in the woman’s voice.

  “I’m not. I told you. I’m his housekeeper.”

  “Sorry, I guess I’m just used to women telling me how great they all are. They’re not. None of them are great. The Skulls is just a club that does what it wants without consequence.”

  “You sound pissed off about that.” Sunshine didn’t understand the conversation she was having with this woman. Personally, she didn’t care much for The Skulls. They were a club and part of The Skulls. She’d never felt the need to treat them as something great or different. Alex was the closest she’d ever come to being near a Skull.

  “No, I’m not. Sorry, when it comes to The Skulls, let’s just say I was a woman who wanted something more and didn’t get it.” Felicity opened Alex’s door.

  “You’ve got a visitor,” Felicity said, alerting the man to her presence.

  Sunshine couldn’t look away. She didn’t want to look away. There was something so incredibly beautiful about him. Alex had always been a good looking man. She’d seen pictures of him that were kept locked away in the attic. One day after cleaning the whole house she’d decided to check the attic space in case of mice. He lived so far out in the fields that mice could easily sneak in and start messing with the electricity and shit.

  When she climbed up, she’d seen several old cases, some tattered while some were new. Starting on the old ratty cases, she’d soon discovered a collection of memories that Alex had kept hidden for a long time. Pictures of him as a boy growing up with a sister, Patricia. She knew about the sister and had even taken the time to visit her grave. Alex was a mystery. Looking at him, she just knew that he kept a great deal locked up tight. He didn’t share with anyone, not even Tiny.

  “Sunshine,” he said, speaking her name.

  Felicity pushed her into the room. “I’ll leave you two alone.”

  “What are you doing here?” he asked.

  “I wanted to see you.” She stared at her lap, wondering what she could say to him. Locked away in her hospital room she had a lot to say to him whereas now, she didn’t have a clue what to say.

  “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

  She looked up at him. “What?”

  “You being here. I would never do anything to cause you pain.”

  In his eyes, she saw the unshed tears. Licking her lips, Sunshine didn’t know what to say and so stayed silent.

  “My past.” He stopped talking to shake his head. “I did shit in my past that I thought was over with, dead. Preston, I thought he was finished. I would never do anything to harm you. You’ve got to believe that.”

  This had to be the closest thing to an apology he’d ever given.

  “I know,” she said. “Tiny came to see me. He, erm, I’ve got to stay at the clubhouse until this blows over. Will you be there?”

  She locked her fingers together, nervous about what his answer would be. The clubhouse didn’t impress her, and she wasn’t intrigued enough about it. But if Alex was going to be there, she’d be happy to go there.

  “I’ll be there. I can’t be anywhere else,” he said.

  “You know Preston from the past?” she asked.

  Alex hung his head. “Yes. I know him from my past. I fucking wronged him, and now I’m paying the price for it.”

  “How did you wrong him?” She didn’t know why she was having this conversation with him. This had to be the longest they’d ever spoken in the last few months.

  “I’m the one responsible for the death of his sister. I didn’t kill her with my hands, but I also didn’t do what I promised.”

  “What did you promise?”

  He smiled. “I promised to take care of her.”

  “I know the agreement you had with my parents.” The words spilled from her lips as if they had a will of their own.

  His eyes were a dark brown, sinful eyes that she’d lost herself in many times. This man was older than she was, so much older, yet he was the first man to ever make her feel excited, alive.

  “Why are you not spitting or cursing? You have every reason to hate me.”

  “Why?” she asked. “You made an agreement with my father, not me. He’s the one who decided to go with that agreement. You’ve done nothing but be nice to me. You’ve not forced me or told me not to live my life. I’m not a prisoner.”

  “I don’t understand you, Sunshine. You almost got killed because of me. You also know that I paid a lot of money to make you mine, and instead of being pissed, you look happy.”

  “I’m not happy, Alex. Dying isn’t something I want to do anytime soon. I’m not going to lie. I’m scared. I’m scared he’ll come back, and this time, he’ll kill me for good. I don’t know what disgusted him more. The fact I was your housekeeper or the color of my skin.”

  “Like I said, my past is not a great one. I made friends with a lot of fucked up people. Preston, he’s one of those people who has fucked up views and doesn’t believe it’s right for us to be different.”

  “He’s racist.”

  Alex nodded.

  “Are you racist?” she asked. Fort Wills had never made her feel anything but welcome. A matter of minutes with Preston and she’d hated everything he stood for. He made her skin crawl.

  “No. I’m not a racist. I don’t care about the color of skin, nor do I care about anything else. I love my club, my town, and I care about you, Sunshine. It’s why I agreed to help your father. If I hadn’t, he’d have gone elsewhere. The thought of anyone else being near you, it didn’t sit well with me.”

  Tears filled her eyes at his admission. There was a lot more to Alex, but he kept everything under lock and key. Was this the true side to him or the lie? She didn’t know what the truth was anymore when it came to him, but she knew in that moment, she’d take the man he always was with her.

  “We can’t go back to your house?”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  “You’ll be there though?”

  “Yes, I’ll be there.”

  She nodded. “Good. I feel safe with you. I don’t know why, but I always feel safe with you.”

  Sunshine gave him a smile, pushing her chair closer to the bed. Reaching out, she grasped his hand, finally giving in to touching him. The moment their skin touched, dark and white, something calmed inside her. This was meant to be. Alex was supposed to be her man.

  Chapter Three

  Hardy stared at the sheets of paper in his hands as if they were poison. He didn’t want to hold them, touch them, or have anything to do with them. This was not the life he wanted to even think about, divorce, a life without his Rose. She’d been his for a long time, over thirteen years of marriage. He’d been her first and only love. Hardy had popped her cherry, and from that day forward she’d been all of his.

  Putting the sheets down onto his desk, Hardy put the pen beside the papers. He’d been staring at these divorce papers for months. Tiny demanded he sign them, Rose begged him to, and his lawyer told him to stop dawdling.

  Picking the pen back up, he unhooked the cap and pressed the nib to the bottom of the page. No, he couldn’t do it. Throwing the pen against the wall, he pushed out of his seat, and headed toward the door.

  His only need right now was to leave the clubhouse. Staying in his room reminded him of everything he’d lost in Rose, his redheaded siren.

  Once he was down on the main floor he found Angel and Lash heading out the door. It was a couple of days into the New Year, and a lot of the boys were heading home. The celebrations were w
ell and truly over with Alex in the hospital. Shit was about to hit the fan in a big way. There wasn’t anything any of them could do other than wait for the threat to show its face.

  “Come on, baby, I want to get home sometime today,” Lash said, holding Anthony’s hand.

  “I’m making sure we’ve got everything.”

  He passed the lovely couple, heading out into the night. Walking to his bike, he unhooked the chain as Baker drove into the compound. Baker, Fighter, and Ink were the three prospects who’d been put on the duty of looking after his woman.

  “What’s going on?” Hardy asked.

  “You’re not going to check on Rose. You know what Tiny said.” Baker climbed off his bike, glaring at Hardy.

  “I need to see my wife.”

  “She doesn’t want to see you.”

  Hardy cursed, gripping the handle of his bike to try to rein in his temper. He was getting fucked off with people telling him he couldn’t do shit.

  “I’m going for a fucking ride then,” he said, straddling his bike.

  “I mean it, Hardy. Tiny will be pissed if you decide to go to her.” Baker reached out to grab his arm.

  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. You’re a prospect, boy. Step the fuck back before you cross the motherfucking line.” Hardy glared at the younger man, determined to see Rose one last time before he signed those awful papers.

  “Hardy, get off the bike,” Tiny said, coming out of the clubhouse.

  Dropping his head, Hardy turned to stare at his president. He was fucking sick and tired of being ordered what to do.

  “I need to go and see her.”

  “You could have seen her at any opportunity over the last couple of days. You didn’t.” Tiny slapped Baker on the shoulder. “You’re not going to see her.”

  “She’s my motherfucking wife.”

  “Rose asked me to keep you away.” Tiny stood in the cold without wearing a shirt facing off with him. Hardy knew he didn’t have a chance of winning. Tiny may be old, but he was a deadly fucker.

  Climbing off his bike, he faced Tiny. “I need to see her, Tiny. I can’t just sign those damn papers and that be it. I love her. It’s a lot of time to throw down the drain.”