Murphy (The Skulls) (11 page)

“This time is different?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Tate took Kelsey
’s hand like the other woman had done in the back of the van.

“We could have died today,” Kelsey said.

“We didn’t. We’re here to tell the tale and drink and party.” Tate looked down at her lap. “I’ll understand if you don’t want to be friends with me anymore. This takes a lot to digest, and you’re not part of the life.”

“I want to be your friend. I’m going to lie down and process everything that’s happened, okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll come and check on you soon.” Tate squeezed Kelsey’s hand and left the room silently. Killer was stood outside the door.

Tate stopped and looked at the other man.

“How’s she doing?” he asked.

“Pretty shook up. It’s to be expected. Being shot at is not something she’s used to.” Tate stared at him trying to get a good read of the man who clearly had a thing for her friend.

“What? You got a question, just ask.”

“I don’t know you. I’ve known most of these men my whole life
, but I don’t know you. I know you’re from The Lions, and they were first class assholes. I didn’t like them.” She took a step closer and pressed a finger against his chest. “I’ve not known Kelsey very long, but I like her. She’s a good woman. A great person. If you hurt her because of whatever shit you think women deserve then I’ll hurt you. I’ll castrate you and make you wish you’d never crossed me.”

“You’re a woman. You can’t do anything to me.”

Smiling, Tate reached down, grabbed his balls and twisted them. It was a move Murphy had showed her and one she remembered. Killer growled, covering her hand with his. She tugged and moved in close to whisper against his ear.

“I’m a woman. I’ve got a delicate nature. I’ve got tits, cunt
, and an ass. I’m like a lot of women in a lot of ways, but I’m different.” Looking into his eyes, Tate squeezed. “I’m my father’s daughter, and I don’t say shit I don’t mean.” She let him go and watched him fall to the floor. “Be warned, I will hurt you if you hurt my friend. You want to fuck around with people, use the sweet-butts. They don’t expect anything better. Kelsey expects better, and she likes you. Make sure you give me a reason to like you.”

She walked away without a backwards glance. Tate hoped her message got across to him. If not, the guy was in for some hard lessons.

Kelsey was only involved in The Skulls because of her. Tate would do everything in her power to protect her new friend. She found Angel working behind the bar with Mikey, one of the original members. Mikey left the bar and pulled her in for a tight hug.

“It’s not been the same without you, honey,” he said.

Hugging him back, Tate looked at Angel. The other woman had tears in her eyes.

“You keep getting shot at
, and I’m going to have a heart attack.” He kissed the top of her head.

“I’m not going to get shot. Murphy was there
, and he saved me.”

“I don’t like those other boys he’s with. They’re not good.”

“Mikey, you always put the guys through their paces. Everyone knows you hate change.”

“Exactly, so when are you moving back home?” he asked.

“I’m not moving back home.”

“Mikey, over here we need you,” Tiny said, shouting across the room.

Rolling her eyes, Tate moved away going to Angel, giving Mikey some room. Sitting at the counter, she waited for the younger woman to speak.

“I’ve missed you,” Angel said.

“I’ve missed you, too.”

What more was she supposed to say? She felt like a total bitch for leaving the other woman behind.

Angel thrust a hand under Tate’s eyes. “Look, I got married.”

Taking hold of Angel’s hand, Tate admired the ring. “I heard
. Congratulations.”

“I’m not going to take it personally. I get that you want some space away from this place
, but, Tate, this is your family. They all care about you and worry. Tiny was freaking out with the phone call. I was freaking out. It’s not good.”

Lash entere
d going straight for Tate. “My girl was worried. You shouldn’t be this hard to deal with, Tate.”

“I know. I’m a bitch. I’m sorry.”
She glanced down at the counter, feeling the bile rise in her mouth. “Angel, you deserve better from me.” Looking up, Tate focused on the woman she considered her friend. “I made a lot of mistakes the last couple of weeks. I’ve cut you off, and I shouldn’t have done. Will you forgive me? And I promise I’ll do better.” She looked at Angel, hopeful.

“We’re friends, Tate. I love you and miss you. I’d love for us to hang out again.”

She let out a breath. “Thank you.” Angel’s forgiveness meant so much to her.

“Good. Murphy’s asking for you,” Lash said, kissing the side of Angel’
s neck. Dismissed, Tate walked around checking all the rooms. She found him sat in the laundry room. His pants were wrapped around his ankles, and he was cupping his junk.

“Fuck, be careful,” he said, hissing.

“Stop being a fucking baby.” A woman was knelt in front of him.

Tate
cleared her throat.

“Tate, tell her she’s being mean
, and I did get shot.” He lifted a hand toward her. She went to his side and gasped when she saw the graze on his thigh.

“It’s not a shot. It’s a fucking graze
, and you’re being a baby.” The blonde looked at her, nodded, smiled and went back to work.

“Did you settle in okay?” Murphy asked, wincing. “Watch it.”

The blonde kept working.

“I don’t know you,” Tate said.

The other woman looked up. “I’m Sandy.”

“How come you’re fixing him up?”

“I’m the current doctor in the house. I’ve got a week off, and I’m spending my time here.”

Tate nodded. “Is Sandy your club name?”

“No, I get some shit from the guys at work, and I’m a real doctor.”

“What are you doing here then?” Tate asked, surprised to see a doctor in the compound. Sandy was also very pretty, beautiful even. She clearly wasn’t desperate for attention.

“It’s easy sex. None of the guys want a commitment, and I’m more than happy being a doctor. I’m not looking for anything long term,” Sandy said.

“
Cool.” Tate nudged his shoulder. “You’re being used.”

His eyes darkened. “Not me. The other guys.”

“I’ve not fucked Murphy. Zero, Butch, and Mikey are the men I’ve fucked.”

Tate laughed. “I’m sure you’re popular.”

“It’s fun.” Sandy slapped Murphy’s thigh. “I’ll check on it tomorrow, but otherwise you’re all good. There’s nothing to worry about. I’ve gave you a shot in case of infection. Keep it clean, and you’ll be fine.” She’d also covered it with a large bandage.

Sandy left the room leaving her alone with Murphy.

“I wanted to say thank you,” Tate said.

“Why?” He groaned as he lifted his jeans.

“You’ve been shot worse than this, and you’re complaining about a graze?” she asked, getting frustrated with all of his noises.

“
It stings like a bitch. Stop being hard on my ass, and come here.” He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her toward him. His jeans were still open, but they rested around his waist.

“Dad could see,” she said, warning him.

“I don’t care. You’re mine, baby. Now kiss me.”

Smiling, Tate leaned in close brushing her lips against his.
“Thank you,” she said, whispering against his lips.

“I’ll always take care of you.” He rubbed her nose with his.

Giggling, Tate pulled out of his arms and turned. Tiny stood in the doorway staring at them. The giggling died along with the smiling.

“You’re needed in the warehouse,” Tiny said.

Murphy cleared his throat and began buttoning up his jeans.

“Sandy cleaned him up. He should be good to go.”

“Good.” Tiny’s arms were folded as he gazed at her.

“What?” she asked.

“It’s good to have you home. Haven’t you got a hug for your old man?”

Stepping close, she wrapped her arms around his back. “Stop being a pain in the ass.”

“Leave the room,” Tiny said, speaking to Murphy.

She watched him disappear. Tiny closed the door.

“Dad, what are you doing?” she asked.

“In the last year you’ve been shot at twice. First in my house and now outside your apartment building.” He cupped her cheeks between both of his palms.
“It’s two times too many.”

“You can’t be there for me all the time.”

“I know. Steven and Blaine are going to be patched in when all this shit is through. The guys want them in. Any guy who takes a bullet for the women is good enough for me. They’re staying here while we sort this shit out.” Tiny’s held her face tighter. “Be safe.”

“I’ll be safe, Dad, I promise.”

“Eva’s in my room. Talk to her, please. I don’t want to lose her.”

He started to leave, opening the door, ready to disappear.

“You’ve got to make a choice about her, Dad.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, looking at her over his shoulder.

“She deserves a life. A life where a man loves her and takes care of her. She’s been waiting for you for too long, and you’re fucking sweet-butts when you can have her. Mom’s dead, and she’s not coming back. Please, for me, don’t fuck this up.”

He didn’t say a word. She glanced down at the floor, feeling uncomfortable.

“I’ll sort it out,” he said, leaving her alone.

Letting out a breath, Tate wondered how her life had gotten so complicated. She was sorting out Kelsey and Eva’s love lives.

Chapter Ten

Murphy sat in the back of the van glaring at the two men they’d taken from the street outside of Tate’s apartment. They’d pissed themselves and vomited. The smell was making him feel sick. Killer, Zero, and Nash were sat in the back with Tiny and Mikey in the front. The rest of the men were at the compound protecting the families and friends.

“You’re going to fucking die,” Zero said.

One of the men whimpered. They were both shaking and sweating. Turning away from the scene, Murphy looked at Tiny. The other man hadn’t looked at him.

Running fingers through his hair, Murphy knew he needed a haircut. Why the fuck was he thinking about his hair when they were about to torture these two men
?

At the warehouse, three more of The Skulls were waiting
. Stink, Gunn, and Pretty were waiting. Climbing out of the van, he shook the other guys’ hands and pulled them in for a hug. He slapped them on the back, moving to the final guy.

“
It fucking stinks in the back,” Zero said. “You wouldn’t know, Stink, because it smells like you.”

Stink stuck his middle finger at Zero. It was known that Stink was called that because the guy couldn’t smell anything. The guy had no sense of smell and could do a lot of the worst kind of jobs. Rumor was during his prospect days, Stink would whistle while being forced to clean the toilets at the compound. Nothing bothered the guy
smell-wise.

Either way, Stink was a good man.

“Fuck you, Zero, you going faster than two strokes?” Stink asked.

Moving away from the group, Murphy wasn’t ready to get into name calling. The guys could last a long time. Tiny walked with him. The others were getting the guys
from the back of the van.

Grabbing the chairs, Murphy set everything up ready to watch.

“I think Killer can handle this, don’t you? I want to see what he’s about,” Tiny said.

“Killer will be happy to hurt these guys for you. Providing it’s not sport, he’ll do anything you want.” Murphy secured the chains to the hooks in the walls.

“Sport?” Tiny asked.

“The Lions used him to kill anyone. Some of the guys or women didn’t even have to have a problem with the club. They just liked the control they had over Killer. He’s a loyal son of a bitch and does everything he can for the club.” Murphy shrugged. “He, Whizz, and Time were the only ones who didn’t want to hurt Tate or go to their house. They were good guys for doing that.”

They were silent as they worked. When the sound of commotion, laughing, and whooping came through the door, Tiny grabbed the cut of his leathers. “I’ve got an issue with you. You’ve been fucking my daughter, and you’re going to pay the consequences for it,” Tiny said.

“Fine. I love Tate
, and I’ll handle whatever shit you’ve got to throw at me.”

Tiny let him go as the door opened. The whole club
would know what’s going on in no time at all. He’d pay the price for loving the leader’s daughter, but until then, they had to deal with the threat on the club.

Both men were chained to the chairs that were in turn chained to the floor. They were screaming, shouting for help.

“Keep yelling. We’re not going to leave here for some time. No one can hear you,” Tiny said. “Killer?”

The other man looked up. “Get me the information that I need.”

Killer walked toward the man. Murphy sat down on the sofa, waiting. He wasn’t bothered by the sound of flesh hitting flesh, or the screams. Burning caused him a problem, and he left the warehouse for a smoke.

Nash followed him out to take a smoke.

“I can take all kinds of shit. It’s part of the job, but I can’t handle burning. They’re talking and giving everything away,” Nash said.

Murphy nodded. “We’ll be given the heads up before we leave.”

“Tiny’s going to fuck you over with Tate. Is she worth it?”

Turning to Nash, he was surprised by the question. “You grew up with her.”

“So? A bitch is still a bitch. Some women are not worth the problems.”

“What about your brother? Did you think Angel was worth it?” Murphy asked.

“She’s worth it. Angel makes my brother happy. Tate’s pissed off with you over The Lion business.”

“Yeah, she’s pissed at me
, but I’m not going anywhere. I love her, and I’m going to do everything I can to prove to her I’m not going anywhere.” None of them got it. All they saw was the bitch. Turning to Nash, he stared at the other man. “You know, I fell in love with Tate when she was sweet and charming. I couldn’t imagine my life being with anyone else. Time and what has happened between us has changed us both.” Pulling on his cigarette, Murphy decided to open up to the other man. “There was a time I’d have been satisfied with Tate as she was back then, but now I know I’d have grown bored with her. Sure, I loved the way she was, and I still do. This club is my life, and the woman she was wouldn’t be able to handle my shit. This bitchy woman, the brat, can handle everything I throw at her.”

Smiling, he kept his gaze on Nash. “You all see her as a problem. To me, she’s fucking perfect. I love her attitude. I relish the challenge she gives me
, and I know deep down that she loves me, too. Tate is hard, and she’s what I need. So, yeah, she can be a bitch and fight me and cuss, but I fucking love it ‘cause I love her.”

“Wow, you’re really pussy
-whipped,” Nash said.

“Tate’s worth it.
I love everything about her.”

“We’re done, guys,” Zero said, popping his head out of the door.

Flicking his smoke away, Murphy headed back inside.

“What’s going on?” Nash asked.

“These fuckers were hired by drug dealers and pimps,” Tiny said, kicking the leg of the nearest guy. Both men were lying on the floor, dead.

“They were terrified,” Killer said, wiping his hands on a cloth.

“This shit has nothing to do with The Lions?” Murphy asked.

“No.”

“What the fuck are drug dealers doing in Fort Wills? They’re supposed to be the fuck out of the town. It’s what we promised the fucking town,” Nash said, cursing.

“I’m talking to the Sheriff and to Alex. He’ll put the word out to see who’s playing their cards close to our home,” Tiny said.

“Close to home? They’re not close to home, they’re in fucking home,” Mikey said.

The two older men glared at each other.

“We’ll handle this,” Tiny said.

“Yeah, we fucking will. No more running drugs, that’s the way we deal with this. I
f Alex doesn’t like it tell him to go fuck himself,” Mikey said. “Your guilt over Patricia has nothing to do with this.”

Tiny stepped closer to Mikey.

Murphy watched the room go tense.

“I’m not fucking guilty. Cancer took my woman, not the club. I deal with Alex for business,” he said.

“Drugs are bad for business.”

Murphy frowned. The Skulls had been transporting drugs out and away from Fort Wills for a long time. Why would now suddenly be different?

“What if they’re connected?” Murphy asked.

“What?” Mikey and Tiny turned to him.

“The Lions were stupid. I mean, they were fucking stupid. I was with them for a couple of years, and none of them had the kind of cash or resources to the do the shit they did.” Looking at Killer he tried to draw him into a conversation. “Drugs were always available for everyone, remember?”

“Yeah, Jeff would leave for days at a time
, and when he got back, coke, money, and whores were always with him,” Killer said.

“
Maybe the shit that went down at your house those months ago wasn’t The Lions like we thought, like I thought, but was Jeff acting out in desperation.”

“Jeff was a crack head,” Killer said. “He was hooked on drugs
, but he was always fine apart from his rages.”

The guys followed the leader they understood. The Lions
admired Jeff for his ability to take charge. They were nothing like The Skulls. There were no morals in the other club.

“You think the druggies were bank rolling
, or do you think they came to collect a debt and Jeff didn’t have the money?” Tiny asked.

“It could be one or the other,” Murphy said. “Think about it. Druggies want in Fort Wills. They owned this town once before,
so what better way than to get a rival club to take out The Skulls? That’s theory one. The second theory is Jeff was a crack head, and he owed lots of money. The Skulls have money, and he needed it. Both theories work.”

“It’s too close to home,” Tiny said, tossing a table over. “My daughter almost got killed in my own fucking town!”

Murphy and the rest of the men watched as Tiny finally lost it. The other man had been keeping his shit together for far too long.

“Should we stop him?” Killer asked.

“No, he needs to do this.”

Tiny lifted up the comfortable chair in the centre of the room. All the guys winced as Tiny launched it against the wall breaking it. All of them had to sit or sleep in that chair while working at the warehouse. Tiny had just destroyed one of the few pieces of furniture that was comfortable.

“He’s so replacing that,” Zero said.

“Fucking pussy,” Stink said.

“Shut up,” Mikey said, slapping both men around the back of the head.

Murphy smirked but didn’t say a word.

****

Tate sat with Eva, Angel, Rose, and Kelsey at one of the tables. Several of the me
n were muttering about babysitting duty. Blaine was sat beside them with his woman, Emma, and little girl, Darcy.

Angel and Blaine were great friends in the most unusual kind of way. Tate had watched them g
etting close. There weren’t any intimate feelings between the two. Angel was the one responsible for Blaine getting his woman and kid back.

She glanced at Eva to see her downing another shot.

“Are you all right?” Tate asked.

“I’m fine. I’m just going to get drunk
, and then Tiny can know what it’s like cleaning drunken people up.” The shot was replaced with another. Rose chuckled.

“It’s how our men learn. Hardy would come home stinking of perfume because of the sluts rubbing against him. I went out the next night, rubbing against men. When I came home, there was yelling along with the best fuck I’ve ever had,” Rose said.

“There won’t be any sex, no, that’s a mistake to have sex,” Eva said. “Does he think it was good? I mean, Tiny’s the leader of this fucking club, and he’s got sluts fucking him all the time, but they don’t get to talk about his technique.” Eva stopped to take another shot. Angel and Kelsey were giggling, sipping from their own beer. “I mean, he’s got the equipment, but I didn’t come once. He humped, groaned, and that was it.”

Eva then imitated some sounds that just disturbed Tate.

“Guys, are you forgetting this man’s my father? Ew,” Tate said, covering her ears.

“Not to mention my boss,” Blaine said, looking sick. “You women are
tough cookies.”

“We’re the
old ladies
of the men,” Rose said, shouting the words. “We’ve got a lot of shit to put up with.”

The sweet-butts were sat together. Some were a bright red
, but none of them said anything. Tate refused to feel bad for them. They all chose to be the women who fucked the men.

Sandy took a seat. Tate waited for Rose to send her away.

“I’m not just any sweet-butt,” Sandy said. “I fuck the men who are not taken. I told you, easy sex, nothing else. I don’t want to be an old lady.”

“She doesn’t. Zero offered her the chance to be his wife,” Rose said. “She turned him down flat.”

Eva took another shot, and Tate shook her head.

“So, is Murphy good in the sack?” Sandy asked.

“Excuse me?” Tate looked up at the blonde haired woman. The men stopped to look at her.

“It’s no secret. Tiny already knows about it.” Sandy poured herself a drink. “I just wanted to know seeing as you’ve had to listen to prowess about your father.”

Laughing, Tate shook her head. “I wish he wasn’t a good fuck, but he is. I hate him so much.”

The table burst into fits of laughter. Tired
of not drinking, she downed three shots in a row and then lined up another three. She needed the buzz from the alcohol to get her through the rest of the night.

Emily left with Darcy
, and the rest of the children were put to bed. With Eva and Rose’s help Tate got the rest of the girls drinking. Angel and Kelsey were now swaying from side to side. The empty tequila bottle was changed for a full one. Wandering over to the sound system, Tate put on a song and started dancing.

Steven caught hold of her shoulders. “You need to stop this.”

“It’s lockdown. I’m bored, drunk, and want to dance. Back off,” she said.

Rose was up on the table
, and Hardy crashed through the front doors. He’d left to take a look around the perimeter.