by Sam Crescent
Evernight Publishing
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2014 Sam Crescent
ISBN: 978-1-77130-723-9
Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs
Editor: Karyn White
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
I would like to say a big thank you to Evernight and to my editor, Karyn White. Without either people The Skulls wouldn't have a home. I have loved this venture into biker romance and I want to say a big thank you to all my readers. You're all wonderful and your words mean so much to me.
TINY
The Skulls, 4
Sam Crescent
Copyright © 2014
Prologue
Staring at his front door, Tiny knew he’d fucked up bad. He stared at the flowers in his hand knowing they were a pitiful excuse for what he’d done. The moment his wife, Patricia, had walked in his office, he’d felt the guilt slam through him. Even with the guilt he’d gotten angry at her for walking into his club, his domain, and what she’d found had torn through his soul.
To the outside world everyone, even his club, believed his marriage was perfect, and to a point it was. Patricia had given him a daughter, and she settled the anger within him, but he was never satisfied. He loved her with all of his heart, and he’d do everything to make her smile.
Patricia doesn’t give you what you need.
Tiny cut the thought away immediately. There was no way he could blame Patricia for what he needed. Not every woman wanted a man to be in charge. It still didn’t give him an excuse to do what he did. Patricia gave him more than most women ever had. He’d been using a sweet-butt to rid himself of the stress running The Skulls gave him. Not that fucking everything in sight was an excuse because it wasn’t. Since he’d taken out Snitch and the evil lurking in Fort Wills, Tiny hadn’t dealt with anything but tension. He didn’t know what happened to Snitch, but as long as the bastard didn’t come back, Tiny would be happy. Patricia didn’t deserve the way he was treating her, and each time he lost himself in another woman he always promised himself it was going to be the last one.
He heard the loud music from Lash and Nash upstairs. The boys were going to be great when they joined The Skulls. They were good kids considering what they’d lost at a young age. He was already working at patching them in. Opening the front door he walked into his home. The scent of roast chicken greeted him.
“Hello,” he said.
No one answered him. From Lash’s room rap music was playing. Nash’s room had rock music, and his daughter had pop coming from her room. The three different sounds were enough to give him a headache.
Going to the kitchen he found his wife stood at the counter beating something in a bowl. “Have you asked them to turn that shit down?” he asked.
“They’re kids. They get to do what they want.” Patricia wasn’t looking at him. She didn’t even give him a glance.
“I got you some flowers.”
She finally looked up, and he saw her eyes were red-rimmed. “Are these your guilt flowers?” The spite she felt for him filled her voice. He knew he deserved it and handed her the flowers.
“Take the flowers,” he said.
“No.” She didn’t move other than to continue beating whatever the hell she was beating in her bowl.
“For fuck’s sake, Patricia. I’m sorry.”
The next move startled him as she threw the bowl she’d been using against the wall. The bowl smashed, and the contents decorated the wall and floor. She turned on him with hands on hips. “No, you’re not fucking sorry because it’s not the first time. You’re never going to fucking change.” Her breathing was heavy, and her chest rose and fell with each indrawn breath. The music in the background still played loudly.
Gritting his teeth together, Tiny couldn’t stop the arousal at seeing her angry. The fire in her eyes blazed even if they were tear-stained.
“What do you want me to say?” he asked, dropping the flowers to the counter.
“Nothing. I don’t want you to say anything.”
She swiped the flowers off the counter and walked away. He never liked people walking away from him, especially his wife. Catching her around the waist, he pulled her against him.
“Let me go!” She shouted the words while also trying to head butt him.
“Fuck, stay still, woman. You’re not getting away from it, so fucking stop.”
After many minutes of fighting Patricia finally calmed down in his arms. “I fucking hate you, and I hate that club.” She spun around in his arms cursing at him.
“The club is what keeps you in this lifestyle. We take care of the fucking town. The club is everything.”
“And the men are fucking pigs.” She spat the words at him. He wasn’t hurt by her outburst. Over the last couple of months they’d been arguing more and more. He loved her, but her nagging was really starting to piss him off. No one knew what was going on between them outside of closed doors. They even kept their arguing away from the kids. He didn’t know how he did it, only that he did.
“Watch how you speak about my men. They’re good men.”
She shook her head. “You don’t even see it, do you? You’re an unfaithful bastard. I don’t want you anywhere near me. You had your dick in a whore today, Tiny.” He held onto her arms, but she stopped fighting him. “You’re going to bring Lash and Nash into that fucking club. What about your daughter, huh? What about Tate? She’s going to end up with one of those bastards at the club. What are you going to do when you see one of them treating her like you’re treating me?” With every word she spoke, her voice grew louder.
His anger increased. Tiny released her and faced his wife. “You knew this when I fucking married you. If Tate decides to marry one of my men then she’s going to have to buck the fuck up. I’m not holding anyone’s hand.”
Patricia slapped him around the face. “She’s our baby.” Tiny looked at his wife and raised his hand in the air. No one slapped him and got away from it.
Don’t do it. You’ll cross the line, and you’re better than that.
She looked at his hand then back at him.
Slowly, he lowered his hand. “If you had a cock I’d have wiped you out by now.”
“Then it’s a good job I haven’t. Get out, Tiny. I don’t want you near me right now. Tate would be better off without you for a father,” Patricia said.
Tiny watched her walk toward the wall where the mess was. He wouldn’t have hit her, but for a split second he’d been tempted. No woman hit him, not one. He was the fucking boss, and even his wife knew the score. Tiny never hurt women, but he made sure they answered for their crimes.
You cheated on her, dick.
“Mommy.” Tate’s voice came from the doorway. He turned to see his little girl pale. Tate was the light of his life. Everything he did was to build her a better life. He doubted she’d have anything to do with the club when she was older. If she did, he knew deep down she would keep the man to claim her on his toes.
“Hey, baby.”
From the look on her face, he knew she’d heard their argument. Not good. He didn’t want anyone to know there was the occasional argument between him and Patricia.
“Not now, Tate,” Patricia said.
“I’ll deal with her.” Tiny left the kitchen going toward his daughter. “How’s my little girl
?” he asked.
“Are you going to break up? I heard Edward and Nigel say you were.” She was the only girl who got away with calling the two brothers by their own names.
“Nah, we’re not going to break up. We’re just arguing like adults do. I love your mommy so much. I wouldn’t let her leave us.”
“When I’m grown up I’m not going to argue with my husband.”
“You’re not?” he asked, heading upstairs.
“No, I’m going to find a boy that will do as he’s told, and I can tell him what to do, and I’ll never be hurt.”
Tiny chuckled. Tate was his whole world. He loved his wife, but at times Patricia was a little temperamental.
The guilt disappeared within a few hours, and that night he made love to his wife. Patricia always responded to him, and it only took a few caresses for her to relent to him.
****
Three years later he was burying her in the ground, and Tiny felt the full effect of what he’d done to Patricia. He was left with three kids and not a clue what to do.
Rubbing his temple, Tiny looked down at the list of babysitters he’d been given by the club. They’d all banded together to help him out after his wife’s funeral. Fuck, Patricia was dead, and he couldn’t even begin to think about that shit right now.
“Daddy, someone is at the door,” Tate said, shouting down stairs.
“Then fucking answer it. It’s probably for you.” He lifted the phone and started to call around. Lash and Nash didn’t need looking after, but he wasn’t allowing his daughter alone. He didn’t give a fuck what age Tate was. She would have someone home at all times, and he wasn’t going to let up on his ideals.
Thirty minutes passed, and Tiny slammed the phone down. When the violence didn’t work, he threw the phone across the room, happy when he saw the device shatter. None of the babysitters wanted to work with him, fucking bitches. The sound of feminine giggling pulled him out of his thoughts. Leaving his office he walked toward the sound.
He found Tate sat at the counter watching a woman he’d never seen before cooking at the stove. Tiny paused, staring at her.
“Daddy’s going to love you,” Tate said, smiling.
“I’m hoping he’ll hire me. I like you, Tate.” The woman reached over, touching his daughter’s hand.
Leaning against the door frame he checked out the woman whom his daughter was bonding to. The woman was fuller than his wife and any woman he’d been with. Her curves were full, but they didn’t make him think of her as fat. She was womanly, beautiful actually. Her smile brightened her face, and he even felt a tightening in his groin. Her eyes were a delicate hazel, startling yet firm. Tiny didn’t understand what was going on inside him. Simply looking at her was turning him on. He wanted to get to know her name so he could bend her over when they were in private and fuck her.
“Tate, who is this?” he asked.
He wore his leather cut with The Skulls emblem on the back. Pulling the jacket off, he displayed his ink and muscles. His gaze was on the woman, but the woman was smiling at Tate, not paying attention to him. Feeling like an ass, he sat beside his daughter.
“This is Evangeline Walker, Eva for short, Dad. She’s here for the nanny position,” Tate said.
“Hi, sir, I’m new in Fort Wills, and I’m a hard worker.” Evangeline offered her hand. Staring at her pale fingers Tiny scented her fragrance, strawberry. He loved strawberries. Taking the offered hand, he held on tightly.
Eva didn’t give him any flirtatious looks. She simply shook his hand and pulled away. He watched her, waiting for her to do something to show her true colors. She went to her bag and pulled out a piece of paper. “Here are my documents.”
Checking over her details he saw she was only a few years older than his daughter. She was over eighteen, which he was fucking thankful for, but he didn’t like how much younger than him she was. He shouldn’t be lusting after a woman so young. From the look of her she was a little too innocent for his taste as well.
“I’ve not been in a nanny position before, but I would really love to take care of Tate,” Eva said.
“Please, Dad, I like her.”
Looking down at the paperwork in his hands, feeling his cock stiffen, Tiny knew he didn’t have much choice. Tate had lost her mother. He wasn’t willing to hurt her anymore. In the last few months Tate had been acting out. Even Nash and Lash didn’t like hanging out with her. Seeing her with Eva and the smile twisted something inside him. There was no way he could deny his little girl.
“Sure,” he said, staring at Eva. The other woman was finally looking back at him. He felt like he was drowning in her. There was a glint in her eye that made him question her innocent persona.
“I can start right now,” Eva said.
“Where are you staying?” Tate asked, after a huge squeal of excitement.
“I’m in a hotel right now just outside of town. I’ll find somewhere suitable—”
“You can stay here. Right, Dad. We’ve got plenty of room,” Tate said.
Eva’s gaze darted to him, shaking her head. “No, I couldn’t impose.”
“You’re not imposing. You’ll be here when I need you. Dad’s not always around, and you can spend time with me.” Tate was like a dog with a fucking bone. She wouldn’t stop talking.
“I really couldn’t.”
His daughter turned her gaze on him.
“Please, Dad, please, please, please.” The begging went on and on.
“You will stay here,” he said, keeping his attention on the woman before him.
“Only if you’re sure. I really don’t want to impose.” Eva’s hands were held up. He noticed a gold charm bracelet on her wrist. He frowned. There was something about it that struck a chord with him. He didn’t know what it was.
“You’re not imposing, and I’ve got shit to do. We’ll go and get your crap from the hotel. I’ve got stuff to do, and I’ll set up your earnings and shit.” He kept her documents and moved back toward his office.
Tiny heard his daughter squealing and Eva’s nervous giggle. Slamming the doors closed, he cupped his cock. He was rock hard and in need of some relief.
Pulling away, he refused to give in to the call of the woman looking after his daughter. Thinking about everything else, slowly his cock started to deflate. Nothing was ever going to happen between him and Eva. The other woman was way too young, and he wasn’t going to let another woman close.
Did you even let Patricia close?
He didn’t want to think about it and started working. Eva was just a woman like all the rest. There was nothing important about her.
Chapter One
One month from Nash
“Give me a heads-up,” Tiny said, looking at the room full of his men. They all looked wound up tight, and he knew it was hard for them. Nash was sat beside his brother, and the last time he’d pissed in a cup for them, the man had been clean. Seeing all of his men together, free of the past, filled Tiny with pride at what he’d been able to create in the last twenty years. He, with the help of his men, had made Fort Wills what it was today.
“My baby shouldn’t be covering the fucking club in pink shit. Fucking bad for our reputation,” Tiny said, slamming his fist on the table.
“They’re having a baby shower. It’s quite mellow considering Tate’s in charge,” Lash said, chuckling. The rest of the crew followed suit. “Three of our women are pregnant. It’s the least we can do with all the shit they’ve gone through.”
The last comment sobered up the whole group. Tiny didn’t break eye contact with any of his men. In the last few months they’d lost a lot as a group, but Tiny wasn’t going to let anything more happen. The Skulls and Fort Wills were his home. They were all his family.
“What’s happening with Eva?” Nash asked.
“She’s staying for the shower, and then she’s gone,” Tiny said, running a hand down his face. In the last couple of weeks he’d not been able to talk her round to staying with him. Wh
at could he really do? During her time with him Eva had been his everything, yet she was leaving at the first opportunity. He’d never begged a woman to stay with him, and he wasn’t about to start even though he wanted to. Eva was in his blood, driving him to be a better person. Her leaving would hurt deep. She’d stuck around after he fucked other women, the attacks, and even when he’d treated her like shit. Thinking about Eva made him ache to be the better man. He was pissed about her leaving him, but at the same time he understood why she was leaving.
“What about her father? Will he be coming back here? Will Daddy be coming to kick your ass?” Lash asked.
Eva was not just the ordinary woman he’d first thought. She was the daughter of Ned Walker, a legendary fighter who owned a Las Vegas underground fighting ring. The boys thought it was funny his woman was the daughter of one of the toughest men around. Tiny had been shocked about it when he found out the news.
“I don’t know. She’s not spoken to me in some time.” In the last few weeks he’d been trying to figure out who would set some two-bit crooks onto his men. Something wasn’t adding up to him, and he didn’t know what it was.
Silence fell on the room. He heard the giggles and the girlish music coming from the other room. Tate really loved the attention being lavished on her. Angel and Sophia were in the same boat with his daughter. All three women were pregnant, expecting the next wave of Skull males. He didn’t know if he was happy. Every time he looked at Murphy he wanted to slap him on the back and beat the shit out of him for touching his daughter. The emotions were swamping him once again. His baby was pregnant, and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.
“The next shipment is scheduled for the eighth,” Alex said. “Ned wants this moving no later than that.”
The drugs again. Glancing at Nash he saw the other man was fine. “Do you think you can handle a shipment?” Tiny asked. After the downfall last time, Tiny didn’t know if he was ready to have the other man on a drug run.
