Chapter Fifteen
O ne Month Later
“Finally,” Daisy said.
She was getting out of the hospital today. There had been no setbacks, no internal bleeding. The stitches and the surgery on that first night had held, and she was close to recovering completely. The scars were healing nicely, and everything was going well.
Freedom would soon be hers. The flowers from the Skulls had wilted and died a few weeks ago. There were just a couple of bouquets left that had come from her parents and Anthony.
Her husband bringing her flowers had felt like a new experience. Even though they were technically not newlyweds, they still hadn’t truly done newlywed things. She didn’t know if there was a list of things, like picking out furniture, or giving one another flowers. Other than waking up in the hospital wearing her wedding band, they hadn’t even worn them for others to see. Only now, she wore her band, as did Anthony, which felt so right.
She didn’t have many items to pack. Mainly the gifts that had come with the flowers, including a few teddy bears and other things like snacks. She hated hospital food, and if there was anything else she could eat, she was all for it.
“Are you ready?” Anthony asked, stepping into her room.
Daisy spun around and couldn’t help running toward her husband. “You came.”
“Of course I came. Where else would I be?”
“But you said you thought your dad was going to keep you away from the hospital today, for chores and all the stuff he is doing?”
“Yeah, and I’m here.”
She pulled back and sighed. “You’re being a pain in the ass and breaking his rules, aren’t you?”
“Babe, if it was my mom, he would be here for her. I’m not going to let someone else take you home from the hospital.”
She cupped his face. “I can’t wait to be home.” She pressed a kiss to his lips and in doing so, she felt him tense. “What is it?”
“Nothing.”
“Don’t you dare lie to me. We don’t keep secrets from one another, so I suggest you start talking.”
“It’s just that ... you’re not going home.”
“I’m not?”
“No, we’re going to the clubhouse.”
“Why are we doing that?” she asked, not entertained in the slightest. This is not what she wanted to do. She wanted to go home and hopefully make love to her husband. They could fuck or make love, she didn’t care. It had been too long since she had been in Anthony’s arms, felt his body wrapped around hers, and she was starting to feel a little ... desperate. Totally desperate for him.
“Because, that is the order of my dad, and the club president, and seeing as I must be punished, you have to be taken care of.”
“Anthony, I’m fine. That is why they are discharging me.”
“And I’m not going to let anything happen to you. So, we’re staying at the clubhouse for now.”
She pulled back and sighed. “You do know how unreasonable this is?”
“I know.”
“And we’re not going to argue about it?”
“Daisy, we nearly destroyed the relationship between the Skulls and the Billionaires. We ... no— I —nearly allowed close to thirty girls to be sold into ... let’s face it, to be raped, passed around, hurt, and eventually killed. I’m not going to disobey him further by taking you home.”
She saw the turmoil in his eyes. It was strange, because she had never seen it before and she couldn’t help but smile. “Is that my cold, heartless Anthony suddenly having feelings?”
He didn’t say a word.
Daisy held his cheeks within her palms. “I’m not going to argue with you, but you can’t deny that what you’re doing and feeling goes against everything you have told me over the years.”
“You’re smiling?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“Because you’ve changed.” She saw his jaw clench up. “And that doesn’t have to be a bad thing, Anthony. Feelings can be a good thing.”
“I’m trying to make it right with my dad.”
“I know.” She kissed him. “And I am going to be there, right by your side.”
Anthony wrapped his arms around her, sliding one hand down to her ass, the other he sunk into her hair, capturing her head. She couldn’t help but moan, because this felt right. This felt so real.
It was like she had been trapped in memories where all she got to do was watch, wait, and remember. This was her feeling, being in the moment, trusting him, loving him.
“Let’s go.”
“Hold on.” He made her stop right there, holding a hand up.
“Anthony?” she asked, but she didn’t get chance to actually question him as he suddenly appeared in the doorway with a wheelchair. “What are you doing?”
“You’re not going to exhaust yourself, and seeing as I’m not going to lift you over my shoulder, you’re going to sit your ass in this chair.”
“When did you get so bossy?”
“I’ve always been this way.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Actually, I think you have mostly been the silent type.” She rolled her eyes, but then sat down in the wheelchair. There was no point in arguing with him. If he wanted to take care of her, she was not going to fault him.
They left her hospital room, and she didn’t bother looking back. She had no intention of returning. She couldn’t help, in that moment, to remember the feel of the knife sliding into her body. The burst of pain, looking into Daniella’s eyes, as the other woman finally got her payback. Daisy had known it was coming.
She and Daniella were at war. One that hadn’t been fought often, but it grieved her that the bitch had snuck up on her and plunged the knife from behind. If it hadn’t been for Luke, she knew she wouldn’t be going to the clubhouse today.
They got onto the elevator, and she watched the numbers light up as they made it down. There was no one else on the elevator, and when the doors opened and Anthony pushed her out, Daisy froze. There, at the entrance of the hospital, taking up most of the room, were the Skulls. She knew only a few of the people had come to see her, but seeing the Skulls, wearing their leather patches, touched her heart.
“Anthony, what is happening?”
He leaned down, pressing his lips against her ear. “You ... were ... missed.”
She felt tears spring to her eyes as he began to push the wheelchair and she was stopped by everyone. Tiny and Eva, along with Miles and Luke. Nash, Sophia, Rachel, and Bruce were there. Murphy and Tate, Killer and Kelsey. Zero and Prue. They were not just inside the main reception, but also out the door. The bikes had filled most of the parking spaces. She had a feeling people were going to be pissed about it.
Anthony was there, helping her into the car, taking her possessions and putting them in the trunk. The Skulls were already on their bikes or in their cars, and several took off, while others waited for him to move.
“What is going on?” Daisy asked.
“It’s simple. They missed you and this was their way of letting you know they’re happy you’re alive and looking forward to you coming home.”
She was shocked. Totally blown away. She couldn’t believe it, and tears filled her eyes.
For the longest time, she didn’t think she was one of them. Something always seemed to hold her back. It had hit her so hard when Michael said that shit to her years ago, about her not being a true member of the Skulls.
Even Sally had told her it wasn’t blood that made her a Skull. It was commitment. Being one of them, knowing you would die for them. Daisy still hadn’t believed it.
And now, did this mean she was a Skull? Had she found her place?
Anthony took hold of her hand and kissed her knuckles. “It’s going to be all right.”
****
H e’d known there was going to be a party, he just didn’t realize it would be such a big event.
Anthony glanced around the yard, seeing the barbeques set up, his dad on one of them, while Nash was on the other. Several of the guys were playing with the kids, keeping them occupied so they didn’t cause any trouble.
It was a good day. He knew this was going to be the only good day, and then shit would get serious.
Tipping his beer against his lips, he looked to see Daisy sitting with Angel. His mom was fussing with her, putting a hand on her shoulder, trying to keep her comfortable. Daisy had worried for the longest time after they got married that Angel wouldn’t love her. Anthony knew differently. All his mother wanted was for him to be happy.
“It’s intense,” Luke said.
He turned to see Luke, and chuckled. There was Eva and Tiny’s kid, and now Dog Luke.
“We may have to come up with a new name for you,” Anthony said.
“Dog Luke seems to be working for me at the moment.”
He glanced toward the other man, and saw the pain in his eyes. “Dude, you’ve got to stop this.”
“I’m fine, man.”
“No, you’re not. You’ve got to stop with this shit that’s eating away at your soul. You were not part of it.”
“But I helped, didn’t I? I was there with my dad. I was helping the club. Fuck me, I wanted to take over from him one day. Now, my dad is out there, along with several of the guys, and I know they’re going to hunt me down. I’m the traitor. I’m the bad guy in their story.”
“Stop thinking about their story. It doesn’t matter what story they write. This is your story, and it is about the story you want to write.” He couldn’t believe he was talking with him about this, and for so long. Couldn’t he go back to just being silent and fucking staring at the assholes he didn’t want to talk to?
He glanced toward Tabitha and Simon, but Luke wasn’t looking in her direction.
“Does it hurt?” he asked, trying to change the subject.
“Does what hurt?”
“Seeing her with him?”
“I got over Tabitha a long time ago. Trust me, it was a crush.” Luke shrugged. “I’m glad she has found happiness, after everything.”
At least they could agree on that. He was still pissed that she had waited to come and see Daisy. If it were the other way around, Daisy wouldn’t have waited.
Anything that involved Daisy being taken advantage of, or being hurt or abused pissed him off. It made him want to hurt people. Tabitha was still family, distant but family, and he wanted to hurt her.
“I can’t believe Ryan did what he did. It fucked everything up,” Luke said, and then he laughed. “Who am I kidding? I bet he already knew what was going on.” He shook his head.
“Stop it, dude. You’re not one of them, and you’re on the path to being one of us.” He then gripped Luke’s shoulder. “Enjoy it.”
“I’ll enjoy it when I kill my dad,” Luke said.
“Hey,” Tabitha said, coming over.
Anthony didn’t say anything.
“Hey,” Luke said. “I’ll leave you two alone.”
“Do I need to be worried about that?” Tabitha asked after Luke had left them.
“Only if you want to hear the guilt he is feeling,” he said.
“So, are we going to be friends, or do you still hate me?”
He looked past her shoulder toward Daisy, who was still being fussed over by his mother.
“I guess that depends on you. Are you going to be a good friend to her, or are you going to keep being a disappointment?”
“That’s harsh.”
“Tabitha, you and I don’t have this bullshitting relationship. We never have, and I’m not going to start now. You want me to dress things up and play pretend with you, then it’s simple, I’m not going to do it. I tell you what is real, and this time you sucked as a best friend.”
She looked at him and pressed her lips together. “You’re right, I did.” Tabitha took a deep breath. “And I’ll do better. I just ... couldn’t stand the idea of her being in the hospital, you know?”
“Yeah, I do.”
He turned to see Daisy making her way toward them.
“Hey,” Daisy said. “I’m just checking on the two of you and making sure you’re not about to kill one another.”
“We’re not,” Tabitha said.
“I don’t know, you both look ... strange.”
Anthony pulled her in close. “You need to rest.”
“I am fine.” She kissed his cheek. “Tabitha, dance with me.” She reached for her friend, and he looked toward Tabitha.
He wondered if she would punish Daisy for the truth he told her.
Only, she didn’t. She took Daisy’s hand, and they made their way across the yard, to where a small group of kids had decided to dance.
Simon came to stand with him. “Hey, man,” Simon said.
He didn’t say anything.
“You know, Tabitha won’t say this out loud, but she cares what you think of her.”
He turned to look toward Simon.
“She doesn’t like that you think she is a bad friend.”
“If she doesn’t like it, she should do better.”
“Hey, man, come on, it’s her best friend.”
“I don’t give a shit.” Anthony looked toward Simon. “It’s all right for you. You left, for five long years. You were not there when Tabitha was pregnant. My woman put up with your wife’s shit for a long time. She took every bad mood, every insult, and regardless of the shit that came from her mouth, Daisy took it. Sure, there were times it got to Daisy, and she cried and hated it. But she was there every time Tabitha needed her. Daisy was there for every single appointment, to boost her morale. We all knew the risk and the chance that the baby she carried was not yours.” Anthony was not going to tell the truth.
Only a few people knew Nathan was not Simon’s son. He was Ryan’s. Tabitha didn’t know, neither would Simon. He wouldn’t do that to the little boy.
One of the reasons he refused to allow Daisy to pick up the pieces of that shattered truth was, Daisy was the first one to hold Nathan. She was the first one to bring him into the fold, but it took his mother for people to wake the fuck up. He knew that hurt Daisy. She never said anything, nor would she ever admit it. No one would accept Nathan just because Daisy had. It took Angel.
Anthony knew without a shadow of a doubt his woman had security issues. She didn’t believe in her place with the Skulls. Daisy never said anything, but he knew.
“So, do not come to me and tell me I should behave differently toward your woman. Tabitha and Daisy are best friends, and this time she failed to be there for her. I’m not going to sugarcoat it just because she needs to hear it. One day, you’re going to be leader of Chaos Bleeds. There is also a chance, one day, I am going to be leader of the Skulls. If you want this relationship to last, then we don’t pussyfoot around the problem. We face it head on, otherwise, the Skulls and Chaos Bleeds will cease in our endeavors.” He had said enough, and moved away to stand with his father at the grill.
“You look pissed,” Lash said.
“I’m fine.”
“You talking to Simon, and then come and stand with me, you’re pissed, even if you can’t see it on your face.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Intuition, and also, I’ve come to read you over the years. You stand by my side, as I’m the only person you trust to keep you in check. Daisy is the other person. Also, your mom. You won’t do anything to hurt your mom.”
Anthony stared at his father, and the older man laughed.
“I’m hungry,” Anthony said.
“Then grab yourself a bun, I’ve got a burger here with your name written all over it.”
He rolled his eyes but grabbed a bun. His father had already slapped on a slab of cheese and allowed it to melt, which was exactly the way he liked it.
“Luke believes his dad is going to kill him, along with whoever is left of the Monster Dogs.”
“They’re a problem, but we can deal with it. I’ve already told Luke he is a prospect and will probably make patch before you,” Lash said.
“Figured.” He took a large bite of his burger. It was hot but so freaking tasty. He looked around the club, at the men and woman, Skulls and Chaos Bleeds mingling, being a family.
Then he checked on Daisy, seeing her dance with Tabitha, only to bring Primrose and Bluebell into their little dance. They were the twin daughters of Hardy and Rose.
The club was growing. Getting bigger with every year.
“Did you always imagine it would be like this?” Anthony asked.
“No, I didn’t. The club you know now is not the club we started,” Lash said. “We’ve lost a lot of members. We’ve changed.”
“Does it bother you?”
Lash flipped a bunch of burgers. “Change is good. It’s scary, and at times not necessary, but it happens. We all grow up and evolve. It is the way of life. It’s how it’s supposed to be. Is it what I hoped it would be?” Lash shrugged. “Sometimes yes, sometimes no.”
This made Anthony frown. “I thought this is what you loved.”
“When you’re running guns, drugs, and doing some of the bad shit, it’s easy. You’re a bad guy. You do bad things. You kill people via snapping their necks, and it means nothing. You kill bad people because you are a bad person. The Skulls have never gone after civilians. So, our targets have always been enemies—the bad guys. It’s what we do.”
“And?”
“And now, we’re the good guys, and we see what real bad guys do. Helping these people makes you realize how fucked up the world is. I knew it was, and was happy to be part of it. But, like the girls we just saved, there were bodies. We saw what men and sometimes women are capable of. When you’re a parent, even to adult, mature kids, it can be a tough pill to swallow. You’re a married man now. You’re your own man, but the truth is, you’ll never stop being my son, and I have this instinct to take care. I want to protect you from the horrors I know you’re going to be exposed to.” Lash glanced over toward his wife. “And sometimes, you fail to protect those you love. You have to watch as they get shot at, beaten, and nearly die. Or, nearly driven crazy by what you lost during that moment.”
Anthony didn’t dare look at his mother. He knew all about this, and knew the story itself wasn’t a pretty one. The Skulls had their battles and had lost a great deal.
“The advice I’m giving you, son, is this. Be prepared for the change, never run from it. Just be open-minded.”
Anthony nodded. “I’m going to take full responsibility for everything that happened. I don’t want anyone else to suffer because it was my idea. This is what I wanted to do.”
“We’ll see how they take it.”
“Hey, honey and sweetheart. How is that food?” Angel asked.
“Where’s Daisy?” Anthony asked.
“She’s just inside. Gone to the bathroom, I think, but she is looking incredibly tired.”
Anthony finished his burger by shoveling the last half into his mouth. He gave his parents a big thumbs-up, then went in search of his woman. He didn’t find her in the bathroom but near the corner by the pool table, with the Hall of Fame guys. The men that had served the Skulls and died for it.
“Hey, baby,” he said, going toward her and wrapping his arms around her waist. “What are you looking at?”
“Him,” Daisy said, looking toward an older man. Well, he was older to them, but he was only in his late forties.
“Mikey?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?” He kissed her neck. Mikey had died before he, Daisy, or anyone else was born.
“I don’t know. I feel like I’ve known him, or at least spoken to him recently.” She shook her head and turned into his arms. “Or maybe I’m just going crazy.”
“Well, I’ll still love you, crazy and all.” He stared into her brown eyes and knew this party had exhausted her. “Come on, it’s time to get you in bed.”
To make sure she didn’t argue with him, he picked her up in his arms and carried her through to the main sleeping quarters.
Most of the men had a room here, as did the kids. Since moving up from just being Lash’s kid, to Prospect, to a member, and now knocked back down to Prospect again, he still had his own room.
Kicking the door open, he slammed it closed with the heel of his boot. Daisy giggled. “Don’t you think it is a little rude for me to leave my own party?” she asked.
“Nah, they don’t care.”
“Well, that is just rude.” She gave a little tut.
“They care, Daisy, they just won’t care that you are feeling tired. Okay, that sounded wrong. They would want you to get better, not exhausting yourself.”
Daisy chuckled. “That’s better.” She sighed as he placed her down on the bed. “I would love to just climb into bed and sleep, but I really, really need a shower.”
He rolled his eyes and pointed a finger. “Wait here.” He stepped into the bathroom. He didn’t have an actual bath. Each room had a small en-suite bathroom. Enough for a shower, toilet, and sink, there was nothing else needed.
Anthony pulled his shirt up over his head and tossed it into the laundry basket. Turning on the shower, he tested the water, waited for it to get toasty warm, and then he walked back into the bedroom.
“It’s nice to see you can follow instructions,” he said.
“Are you being a wiseass on purpose?”
“This just comes naturally to me. It has something to do with being a wiseass overall.”
She chuckled. “You’re crazy.”
He reached for her, pulling her into his arms. “What I am, is crazy about you.”
“Have you noticed we’re saying ‘crazy’ a whole lot?” she asked.
“Yeah, I noticed that.”
He pulled her into the bathroom, making sure to be careful with her. She was still healing, and even though he wanted to pull her into his arms, to kiss her, make love to her, fuck her, he couldn’t. They would have to wait.
Patience happened to be one of his many virtues. Not that he had a lot of virtues. He helped her out of her clothes and accompanied her into the shower. Once she was settled beneath the warm spray, he quickly removed his clothes, tossing them into the laundry basket. He just couldn’t stand mess. He liked things clean and organized.
Closing the shower door, he reached for her. They couldn’t have sex, and he had to be careful with her, but that didn’t stop him from holding her.
Banding his arms around her waist, he was careful not to hit the scars. She still had a bandage and was healing, but she was able to shower. The doctors had used the covers as protection.
“Hey,” she said.
“I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too.”
She turned around in his arms, and then he felt her body against his own—her naked breasts and stomach—and she tilted her head back.
“There was a moment I thought I wasn’t going to see you again,” he said.
“I know. I ... I thought I was going to die,” Daisy said. “And I didn’t want to. I wanted to be with you. I wanted to go back in time and make you listen to me.”
“I should have listened to you.” He tucked some of her hair behind her ear. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. We both knew it had to happen. Those girls needed to be saved.”
“I nearly got them killed.”
“But they weren’t killed.”
“It’s fucking with Luke’s head.”
“I can imagine it would. Luke was always different. Even in high school. Yeah, he seemed to have fun taunting Tabitha from time to time, but think about it, he rarely did anything that would hurt the club.”
“You mean the time he forced Tabitha out of class and into the bathroom?”
“Come on, he knew we were already on the way there,” Daisy said. “I think he was doing it on purpose. I didn’t say he didn’t have a little fun, but not like the others. He wasn’t cruel.” She shrugged. “So, yeah, I can imagine if you’re not into selling, using, and abusing girls, then it would mess with your head. Let’s face it, he got Ryan to the quad. He had to have known what Simon would do.”
“Are you still pissed about that?”
Daisy shrugged. “I can’t change it. I would have handled it differently, but that is the power of my thinking, not anyone else’s. Ryan died that night. Everything changed. We all did.” She put her hand on his chest. “And now, all we can do is deal with the fallout. Like the fact we have to protect Luke. He’s one of us.”
He wrinkled his nose and Daisy laughed.
“Don’t worry. You can still pretend to be the guy that absolutely hates all this, and be silent. You can do your glaring thing. I’m the only one who truly knows you can talk, hold a conversation, and it is down to choice that you don’t do anything else. You’re busted, Mister.”
“You know me so well.” He couldn’t resist running his hands down toward her ass, and he heard her slight intake of breath. “Soon.”
“Soon.”
And with that, she sunk her fingers into his hair and pulled him in close. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t kiss you.”
Anthony kissed her right back. It was perfect. Just like it always had been.
He loved her kisses. He loved this woman, and whatever she wanted, he was going to give to her.