SHADES: An Evil Dead MC Story (The Outlaw Series Book 3) (18 page)

“That’s not what Ashley just told me.”

“And what
exactly
did Ashley tell you?”

“She said you and her have a connection. She said you may stray, but you always come back to her. She said I wouldn’t last fifteen minutes.”

“Skylar.”

She remained at the window.

“Sky, look at me.”

When she wouldn’t look at him, he took her by the arm and pulled her around.

“First, Ashley’s half crazy. Serious, babe, she’s like delusional. You can believe about one-tenth of what comes outta her mouth. Second, I was with her once.
Once.
You hear me? And I’m not goin’ back for seconds. Ever.”

Skylar eyes searched his, wanting to believe him, but not sure she could trust him.

“Baby, we both have pasts. We’ve been apart ten years. I haven’t been a monk. Women come around the club, and, yeah, I partook in that, and all that that entails. But that’s done. I’m tellin’ you it’s done, and my word on that needs to be enough for you.

“And although I’m tryin’ hard not to think about it, I’m sure you’ve been with other men. We both need to set that aside if we’re gonna be together from now on. And, honey, I know with me, you’ll be setting aside a hell of a lot more than I will ever have to with you. I get that. And I know the gift you’re givin’ me, in setting that all aside. And the gift you’re giving me just in giving me another chance. But bottom line, you giving me another chance has got to mean setting all that shit aside comes with it.”

He took her head in his hands and pulled her close, staring down at her.

“Do you understand me?”

“You promise me there won’t be anyone else?” she asked softly.

“I promise you.” He searched her eyes. “That being said, doesn’t mean some bitch isn’t gonna come up somewhere and blindside you like Ashley just did. But you ignore it. You have questions, you come to me. If there are explanations I gotta make, I’ll make ‘em. But I will never be explainin’ that I just fucked someone else. ‘Cause that ain’t ever gonna happen.”

He stared down at her.

“You clear on that?”

She nodded and smiled. “Yes, baby.”

He pulled her to him and pressed a tender kiss to her mouth.

A knock sounded at the door. They both turned their heads as the door opened, and Ghost poked his head inside.

“DKs are at the gate.”

Skylar felt her stomach drop, and her hands tightened at Shades waist.

“What the fuck for?” Shades growled back at Ghost.

He shrugged. “You better get down here.” And then he ducked back out the door and was gone.

Shades looked back at Skylar, kissed her quickly on the mouth and ordered, “I gotta go deal with some stuff. Stay here. Don’t leave this room ‘till I get back. We got more shit to talk about. Hear me?”

She nodded, too dazed to say anything. Her mind reeling from the terror that was right now pulsing through her veins.

Shades moved through the door, closing it behind him, and then he was gone.

Skylar turned, as if in a trance, and made her way woodenly back to the window. With shaking hands, she jerked the curtains shut, afraid they might spot her. Then she peeked through the side.

She had a perfect vantage point from up here. She could see the yard, crowded with people. And there, at the big gate in the back of the six-foot wooden privacy fence that enclosed the property, sat four bikes.

DKs. The Devil Kings. They were here. Why in God’s name were they here? Had they found her? Had they tracked her down? Would the MC give her away? Would they turn her over to them?

Or was she overreacting? Were they here for some other reason? Were they here to join the party? Were the Evil Dead and the DKs friendly? Would they come inside?

If they came inside, if they saw her, then what? Her mind immediately went to an escape plan. She had to run. She had to get out of here.

But she couldn’t move.

She stood there like a statue and watched.

She saw a number of club members standing at the gate now, Butcher and some of the older members among them. Their broad shoulders and leather cuts forming an imposing line, an impressive show of strength and force.

She saw Shades and Ghost make their way through the crowd toward them. Shades pushed his way toward the front. There was an exchange between Butcher and one of the DKs. They talked for a few minutes

And then her mind started going to all those dark, suspicious places. What were they doing here? Why were they even in town? This wasn’t their territory. She knew that much. She was certain of it. It was one of the main reasons she’d come here.

She saw Shades and Ghost heading back toward the house.

Shades eyes flicked up toward the window momentarily. She wasn’t sure, with the curtain drawn if he could even see her. He continued walking toward the house. A man with a purpose. And he didn’t look too happy.

A moment later, the door opened and she turned.

Shades and Ghost strode in.

Shades looked furious as he slammed the door shut and stalked to her.

“You want to tell me why the fucking DKs are at the gate looking for you?”

She tried to play dumb, too afraid to admit the truth. “Me? Why would they be looking for me? That’s crazy.” She turned away, fiddling with the curtain.

Shades grabbed her arm and spun her around and bit out,
“If I were you, I’d get serious real fast, Skylar.”

****

Shades studied Skylar’s reaction. She was hiding something. Apparently something huge if the Devil Kings MC were searching for her.

What the hell had she gotten herself into?

When he’d heard the words come out of that DK’s mouth as he talked to Butcher, when he heard the purpose of their visit today, he was stunned speechless. He’d froze in his boots.

Butcher, thank God, had played it cool, acting nonchalant, pretending he didn’t have a clue who this chick was that they were hunting. His brothers, like he knew they would, kept their mouths shut and followed Butcher’s lead. But Shades hadn’t missed the looks both Boot and Slick had given him or the subtle nod of Slick’s head that told him without words to get the fuck inside and talk to Skylar. Which is what he was doing now.

“You heard me,” he bit out. She looked panicked and Shades’ anxiety went through the roof. What the hell was she involved in? “You want to tell me where you’ve been the last ten years?”

“I’ve been in Atlanta, I told you that.”

“In Atlanta doing what?”

“Working in a law office.”

“Working in a law office?”

“Yes.”

“And how does that put you anywhere near the Devil Kings? How would you even cross paths?”

“Six months ago I…” She paused, swallowing.

“Six months ago you what?”

“I delivered papers to a client one day and ran into one.”

“And? What happened?” He watched her. Silence. Fidgeting. “Skylar, why do they want you?”

“They think I stole from them.”

Holy fuck. He took a deep breath and blew it out. “What
exactly
do they think you stole?”

“Money. Drugs.” She shrugged.

He gave her a look that said that answer wasn’t enough. “Goddamn, Skylar. Does everything have to be like pulling teeth with you? Just fucking tell me.”

“One of them…Rusty is his name…it was his money…and…”

“So this Rusty thinks you stole drugs and money from him?”

“I’m sure Rusty doesn’t think anything. He’s dead.”

“He’s dead?” Shades brows shot up, and his mouth went dry. The thought of where this story was headed scared the hell out of him.

“And I’m sure his brothers think
I’m
the one that killed him.”

“Why would they think that?” he asked with sick dread filling his stomach.

“Because they probably found the dagger they knew he gave me for my birthday sticking out of his chest.”

“
What?
” Jesus Christ, what had she done?

“I didn’t do it. I swear.”

“How the hell do you even
know
a DK? Why the hell would he give you a birthday present?” At her silence, the pieces tumbled together in his mind. “You were his fucking
ol’ lady?
” he roared the question in disbelief.

She swallowed. “Shades—”

“Christ, that makes you property of the Devil Kings, babe.”

There was stunned silence in the room for a moment before Ghost cleared his throat and waded in.

“The Dead and the DKs are rivals, darlin’,” he clarified for her as well as tried to calm the situation down with a little humor. “So that kind of makes you two like Romeo and Juliet.”

“More like Hatfields and McCoys,” Shades growled.

“Yeah, and
that
ended well,” Ghost added.

“Holy shit.” Shades collapsed in a chair, running his hands through his hair.

***

Skylar studied Shades. He looked infuriated and maybe even devastated. Reading his body language, it was as if she couldn’t have fucked up any bigger than this. But he had to understand. She had to make him understand.

“Please, Shades. It wasn’t like that. I’m not sure you’d say I was an old lady, really,” Skylar tried to explain, really terrified now. They thought she was property of the DKs? Did that mean they’d have to turn her over?

“What
would
you say?” Shades looked at her intently, and she had the feeling her next words were very important. She tried to choose them carefully.

“We were seeing each other. But it was casual. We weren’t living together or anything. I…”

“He give you a property patch?” At her confused frown, he clarified. “You wear a vest?”

“What?”

“A vest. He give you a leather vest. One that said ‘Property of Rusty’ on the back.

“No. Of course not.” He looked at her like he didn’t know her. “I’m telling the truth, Shades.”

“And the rest? The money and killing him?”

“I didn’t do it, Shades. I swear it. How can you even ask me that?”

“How can I ask you that? You seriously askin’ me that, knowin’ you took a grand from me on your way out?”

She bowed her head at the reminder. “I did that. I admit it. But I didn’t do this. I didn’t steal from them. And I didn’t kill a man. I could never do that.”

“Not even in self-defense?”

“What?”

“He hit you? He hurt you?”

“What? No. He was good to me. It wasn’t like that.”

“Then how was it exactly?”

“I woke up that morning. He was still asleep. He’d partied the night before and passed out when he came in. I went out to get us coffee at Starbucks. He was fine when I left. When I came back, I found him lying in the bed. Stabbed. The bag was gone.”

“The bag?”

“He kept it with him all the time. I never looked inside, but I’m sure, the way he kept it close, that it always had something of value in it. I’m not stupid. He was in an MC. Had to be either drugs or money. Payments, extortion, something.”

Shades and Ghost exchanged a look.

“Then what happened?” Shades pressed.

“I felt for a pulse. I couldn’t find one, and he was so cold, but I called 911 anyway. Before they could arrive, his brothers showed up, and I panicked. After all, it was my dagger sticking out of their brother’s chest. If they’d walked in and found me standing there with his blood on me…they’d have killed me. Pulled out a gun and shot me dead right there on the spot. No questions asked. I knew that. So I ran out the back.”

“They see you?”

She nodded. “Yes. One of them ran out the back door and saw me driving off. He fired off a couple of shots at me, but I got away.”

“So he’s dead, by
your
dagger, the money’s gone and they see
you
fleeing the scene. Could this situation be more fucked?”

“We need to talk to Butcher,” Ghost informed him of something he probably already knew.

“We finally found each other again, and now my hooking up with you has just brought a shit storm down on my club,” Shades growled.

“I’m sorry, Shades. I never meant to be the cause of any trouble for you.”

“Fuck.”

She paced to the window, peering through the one inch gap in the curtain. She could see the group of men in their leather cuts standing at the back gate. Their bikes parked in a line in the alley beyond.

“Get away from the window, Skylar.”

She stepped away and turned to study Shades, wondering what he was thinking, what he would do now.

His eyes bore into hers, as if he was trying to read her as well.