Steven (The Skulls Book 15) Read online

  “I can’t convince you to not let him join.”

  Lash stared at her. “Is there a reason you don’t want him to join?”

  “His injury. You’ll hurt him.”

  She didn’t like the way he was looking her. “A lot of people seem to think I don’t pay attention to shit that is going on around me, and that is total utter bullshit. Don’t treat me like a fool, Sally. Now out with it.”

  Gritting her teeth together, she didn’t want to say anything.

  Lash got up from his chair, and rounded the desk. “I know about you and Steven.”

  “Nothing is going on.” She spoke a little too fast, and it scared her.

  “Don’t lie to me. Something is going on, and it has been for some time.”

  “Nothing has happened.”

  “Whatever goes on between brothers, it will stay between them. If Drew wants to join that is up to him, not me. I can bring his voice to the table, and give him a chance. If the brothers vote on it, he’s a Prospect. I’m not going to cut his chance because of you.” Lash looked at her. “Be careful with what happens there, Sally. You’re not a fool so don’t pretend to be one, but make it plain to one or both that you’re not interested. It’s not fair to be selfish like this.”

  He went to his door, opening it up. She was so nervous it made her sick to her stomach. At the door, she stopped and looked at Lash. “Anthony’s like you, isn’t he? He doesn’t give a fuck about anyone unless it’s his family.”

  He stared at her, and didn’t say a word.

  Sally shook her head, and left his office. How he’d won a woman like Angel was beyond her.

  ****

  Steven had a soda in his hand and watched the kids play. The barbeque was being set up, and he was aware of Sally. Every time she looked over at him, her cheeks would heat, and he knew without a doubt what she was thinking about, and he loved it.

  He’d not seen her in a couple of days, and she hadn’t texted him either, which surprised him. He’d expected her to text him at least, but nothing.

  “What is going on with you and Sally? No bullshit,” Lash asked, coming up behind him.

  Taking a large sip of his soda, he stared at his Prez. “I don’t need to answer that.”

  “Drew has asked for the chance to Prospect, and I was going to bring it up at church in a few hours. Sally just asked me to not let him join. Why is that?”

  He glanced over at her, and she was looking at something Tabitha was showing her. The Chaos Bleeds crew was due to arrive any minute, and Tabitha’s attention would be taken by Simon.

  “I don’t know. She probably thinks he’s too much of a pussy to make it here.”

  Lash nodded. “You’re full of shit. She’s worried that you’re going to hurt her precious friend, and the way you look at her, I know.”

  “I don’t look at her any way.” He went to take another drink, but Lash grabbed his arm. The grip of the Prez had him gritting his teeth at the pain that went up his arm.

  “You lie to me again, and I will have you removed from the club, Steven. Angel likes you and remembers the sacrifice you gave, and that’s enough to her. Don’t make me upset my woman because you’re a fucking liar. Whizz doesn’t want you sniffing around his daughter, and I don’t want your bullshit.”

  Steven stared at Lash. “When did you butt your nose in other people’s business?”

  “The club is my business. You’re my business. That cut you’re wearing makes it so. You want to back away, and tell me to fuck off? Give me the damn cut, and get out.”

  “You’re the Prez, not my dad.” Steven glared at him now. He was so angry he wanted to spit.

  “I’m more important than your fucking father. Don’t create a divide in my club. I’ll be the one to fucking break it.”

  Steven was about to tell him to stick the club up his ass, but just in time, the Chaos Bleeds crew arrived, stopping him from making a big mistake.

  Lash walked away to cheer for the Chaos Bleeds crew. Steven hung back. His heart was racing, and he ran a hand down his face, to clear his fucking thoughts. This shit was fucked up.

  Whizz had ordered him away from Sally. At first he’d asked him nicely, and when he’d not listened, Whizz had turned it into an order by going to Lash. Of course, Whizz did have authority as he was Sally’s dad. Steven didn’t like it. Never had he liked being ordered with what to do.

  “Tabby!” Steven looked over to see Simon climbing out of the car, his excited squeal drawing everyone toward the two.

  Tabitha left the playground where she’d been pushing Primrose and Bluebell on the swings and ran toward Simon. They collided, falling to the ground, and giggling as they did.

  Tiny winced, and Eva held onto her husband’s hand.

  Steven finished off his drink, and headed back into the kitchen to toss the drink into the trash, and to get something stronger.

  As he was turning around, he saw that Drew had turned up. Glaring at the other man, he waited for the fucker to say something.

  “Hey, I’m here to see Sally,” he said.

  “She invite you?”

  “Yeah. I got a text. She said something about there being a bit of a party, and that she wanted to know if I wished to come and have some fun.”

  She’d text Drew but not him?

  That pissed him off. “You really think you’ll make it as a Skull. You’ve got a fucked-up knee, and last time I checked, we don’t take on defects.”

  He’d give it to Drew, the other guy didn’t back down. “I know you don’t want me here, and that’s fine. I’m not here for you. I’ve got a messed-up knee, but I’m strong.”

  “Apart from running away. That shit you can’t do. Why don’t you do everyone a favor, and fuck off back to your parents? Go suck on your mother’s tit!”

  Drew burst out laughing.

  “Steven!”

  He closed his eyes. There was Angel behind him. Great, just great.

  “Drew, it’s great to see you. Sally’s outside.”

  The punk ass nodded, and made his way past him, heading outside.

  “I can’t believe you’d say something like that. Don’t you think that was mean?” Angel asked.

  It sucked that Angel had heard him. “I don’t like him.”

  “That doesn’t matter. What if Anthony had heard? Or one of the other kids? This is a family party. That vulgarity can be saved for when children aren’t at risk of being in earshot.”

  Steven laughed. He couldn’t help it. “That’s all you care about. What the kids would hear.”

  “I’m not stupid, Steven. I know you’ve all got a mean streak a mile long. I just expect something different from you all, I guess.”

  Feeling utterly scolded, he watched her turn on her heel and leave. Fuck!

  Moving toward the window, he watched as Drew entered the kids’ play area. Sally was sitting on one of the swings, and she smiled at Drew.

  He’d been the one to claim her as his. There was no way he was going to get jealous of that asshole. Drew didn’t have anything on him.

  Still, Drew moved behind her, and Sally held onto the swing handles. She let out a squeal as Drew pushed her, and to anyone looking on, they looked like the perfect couple, which pissed him off.

  Drew pushed her up and up, and the smile on Sally’s face took his breath away. He wasn’t going to let that bastard win her. Sally was his. She came apart in his arms, and they had this thing between them that they couldn’t deny. He’d not been denying it, not even for a second. Drew grabbed the handle bars, and Sally collapsed back, laughing. Her legs were pressed together, and she wore a pair of jeans, which hid the prosthetic from view.

  Leaving the kitchen, he started to mingle, aware of the kids moving closer to Sally and Drew.

  He had a beer in his hand, and was watching them even as he spoke with Devil and Lexie.

  No one needed him to talk, and he watched as Drew pushed Sally, Tabitha, and Daisy on the swings. He wore a fucking shirt and a
pair of pants. He stood out like a sore thumb.

  “So, let’s get this party started,” Lash said. He came out of the kitchen holding a giant water gun. “Run!”

  The kids screamed as streams of water began to shoot out of the end. The windows opened, and Steven saw Angel, Eva, Sophia, and several of the club start to throw water bombs. The entire clubhouse backyard erupted in laughter, in giggles. Whatever conversations had been going on ceased as the fight kept on going.

  When a water bomb hit him, it woke Steven up. Rushing behind a wall, he glanced toward the play area, Sally was leaning behind a shrub. Drew was there, and he had a hand on her stomach. Jealousy rushed over Steven. He had to deal with Whizz, and he needed to handle this fucker.

  “This is so not fair! No one has let us have some water guns,” Sally said, screaming.

  “Truce! Truce!” All of the kids shouted.

  “Dad, no fair, we need to be able to defend ourselves,” Anthony said.

  Steven watched as the kids stood up, one by one. It always amazed him that they were united as one. They were a defense on their own. Even Michael, who had been an outcast, and had the whole of the kids beating the shit out of him, was now part of the group.

  Sally was on the side of the kids, and Steven was on the side of the adults. This was their divide. Could he get Whizz to look past it? Drew was on Sally’s side as he was the same age, whereas Steven was over ten years older. Whizz had seen him at his worst with the club whores, but he’d changed. Steven wasn’t the same man that he was then. The only thing he could do was prove to Whizz that he was the right man for Sally.

  He really didn’t know how.

  Chapter Four

  This wasn’t the first water fight that Sally had been part of, and she knew it wouldn’t be her last either. Standing tall, she reached for Tabitha’s hand, and then Drew’s, and they stood, glaring at the adults. Whizz and Lacey were together, water guns aimed, ready to take a shot.

  “You’re going to hit poor kids?” Darcy asked. She tutted. “I guess we’re the real winners.”

  “Our daughter is challenging us,” Emily said.

  “We can’t have that.” Blaine folded his arms.

  Lash burst out laughing. “Get ’round the back. You’ll see a table set up, and then we’ll see who the real winners are.”

  Sally rushed with the kids, Drew was there by her side helping her, and they quickly grabbed the necessary equipment. It had taken her a long time to get used to moving around with her prosthetic. If it had been late in the day, she wouldn’t have been able to join in as it tended to hurt like hell. Now, though, she was fine.

  “Are parties always like this?” he asked.

  “Not always but when it’s a family get-together, there’s always a lot of fun. This is not my first rodeo,” she said, winking at him. “Can you handle being on the kids’ side?”

  “You’re not a kid.”

  “I am.” She licked her lips. “You want to Prospect for the club.”

  Drew smiled. “You heard.”

  “My mom told me. Why, Drew?”

  “I want to. I like it here, Sally. You can’t tell me this isn’t fun.”

  She grabbed his arm. The other kids were loading up, and Lash hadn’t started the countdown yet. “This isn’t a game.”

  “Do you think I’m playing around?”

  “I don’t know what you’re doing, Drew. People die with this club. They’ve buried people.”

  Drew covered her hand with his own. “I know you’re struggling right now with this, and I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to be upset about what I wanted to do. This has nothing to do with you. I love coming to the club. I love being here.” He shrugged. “Do you want me to leave?”

  “No. I don’t want you to leave.” This was hard for her. Did he have feelings for her? Everyone said he did, but he never spoke of it, and when she was with him, no lines were crossed. They were friends.

  “Then how about we have some fun? I’ve got to wait for the club to decide if they’ll accept me.”

  “They’ll have you cleaning shitty toilets, and cleaning up used condoms.” She tried to think of everything and anything that would make him see reason.

  “I can handle it.”

  “But, your parents.”

  “My parents don’t own me, Sally. They never have.”

  “Your injury?”

  “Doesn’t define me.” He cupped her cheek, and it was the first time he’d taken touch to a personal level like that.

  Quickly, he pulled his hand away.

  Lash began the countdown, and she couldn’t talk. Her body felt frozen.

  “I can handle everything, Sally. Have a little faith in me. I was a jerk, a posh boy, and all that shit, but I’m not that anymore.”

  “One!”

  It was on.

  Drew grabbed her arm, and they quickly moved out. She saw that Simon had Tabitha. Anthony was with Miles and Daisy. There were groups of them. Michael and Darcy were together.

  Licking her lips, she looked over the edge that Drew had moved them to.

  Getting ready, she saw Killer coming close. Standing up, she shot water at Killer, and quickly moved.

  The fight was on once again. She got lost in the mess of water, and the craziness. Tabitha and Simon attacked Devil and Tiny, who were on the hunt.

  Throughout it all, she had lost Drew, and as she rounded a corner, she was suddenly grabbed and pressed against the wall. Before she could scream or do anything, lips pressed on hers, and she wrapped her arms around Steven’s shoulders. Sinking her fingers into his hair, she moaned, feeling him against her. He kissed down to her neck, sucking on her pulse, and it made her ache, reminding her of the pleasure he’d given her.

  “Remember who you belong to.”

  Within the next second he was gone, and she stared at open space. Her lips tingled from his kiss, and she was panting.

  Closing her eyes, she tried to gather her wits, knowing something was going to have to give. Neither of them could keep going on like this.

  She couldn’t stay here forever. She rounded the corner, and shot her water gun, drenching her mother and then her father. She rushed past them, going for cover, and that was where she found Drew.

  Nodding at each other, they were perched ready, and they lifted up over the edge, throwing the last of their water with all of their might. Once they were done, Sally followed closely behind Drew as they took cover, and she lowered down to the ground as Drew fell behind a large wall. It overlooked the full yard outside of the clubhouse. She knew without a doubt that there were some bodies buried on the land, but she wasn’t about to tell Drew about them.

  His hand was on her stomach, and they were both laughing. “That was so fun,” he said. “I’ve not had fun like that in a long time. You know what, I’ve never had fun like that at all.”

  She was laughing. “You need to come to the clubhouse more often. You’ll see we’re just a bunch of kids at heart.” Sally turned her head, and jerked as Drew pressed his lips against hers. The touch was so unexpected that it had her still, unable to do or say anything. His lips were harder, and as he pulled away, he looked at her.

  There were no words, and she was feeling … so much. She couldn’t even focus right now, and it was making her sick to her stomach.

  “I’m here. I want you, and I’m not going to let him take you from me without a fight.” He cupped her cheek. “I saw him kiss you, and I saw the way you kissed him. I won’t tell Whizz, but I’m not giving up without a fight.”

  “Drew, there’s no fight.”

  “All you’ve had is him. I’m not going to give up, not now, not ever.” He kissed her again, and then stood. “You deserve choices, and I’m not going anywhere.”

  ****

  “I got you something,” Simon said.

  Tabitha giggled, at the same time she squeezed out her hair. “You don’t have to get me anything, Simon. I’m fine.” She pulled out the band keeping her other bunch
of hair up, and then gave that a squeeze. The kids had totally lost this time with the water fight, but that was fine. They’d win one soon. No one beat The Skulls’ kids. That’s what they were. She glanced across the play area and saw Anthony brushing out Daisy’s hair. Her best friend was trying to reach for the brush, but Anthony kept it out of reach.

  “I wanted to give you something so that every time you saw it, you’d remember me.”

  “I’m not going to forget you. We talk all the time.” She rested her damp head on his shoulder.

  “Please, take it.” He held out a box that she saw had been hand-created with a card. Taking it, she opened the lid as she knew he wanted her to do this. She saw a silver chain, and there in the center was the insignia of Chaos Bleeds. “I know you’re part of The Skulls, but you’re always going to be my girl.” She stared at the necklace. It was delicate, and as she lifted it over her head to rest on her chest, she looked at it. He was right. It did remind her of him.

  “It’s really pretty.”

  “Do you think you could wear that for me all the time?”

  “Yeah. My dad will pitch a fit, but I love it.” The Skulls was the only club she was ever going to be part of, and she knew there was going to come a time when she’d have to make a choice. The Skulls were her family.

  Simon took the box and then her hand. “We’re only here for a couple of days.”

  She rested her chin on his shoulder.

  “It’s hard leaving,” he said.

  They were nearly twelve years old now, and she knew that he loved her without a doubt. Whenever he did come to visit, he’d always get moody because he’d have to leave her again.

  “We’ll write all the time like always. I love reading what you’re doing, and I do think it’s great that you kick ass with bullies.” She stared down at their hands and snuggled against him. “You’re going to be my big bear.”

  He turned and stroked a curl behind her ear. This time, he lingered, caressing her cheek.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Nothing. I just like being with you.”

  She laughed. “I’d drive you crazy in school. Daisy’s always having to remind me to keep my head down and focus. I’m always looking out of the window, thinking of other things. School is so boring. Now they’re talking about what you want to be when you grow up? I don’t know. Older, I guess.”