SHADES: An Evil Dead MC Story (The Outlaw Series Book 3) (30 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

Skylar awoke to the sound of four motorcycles approaching. She could hear their engines rumbling as the men rolled up under the stilts of the house to park their bikes under the house.

An impish smile pulled at her mouth. She’d crawled into bed naked, remembering what Shades had told her about his wish to someday come home and find her waiting for him naked in bed. This was going to be his lucky night.

As she lie in bed waiting, she heard the sounds of the men as they trooped in the door.

“Fuck, where’s the ice? My eye is swelling up like a motherfucker,” one of them grumbled, his voice carrying to her in the bedroom.

“Freezer, dumbass. Where else would the ice be?” she heard Ghost reply.

“Fuck, my knuckles are so fucked up I can’t straighten my fingers. I could barely hold the throttle on the way back,” she heard Blood mutter.

“You beat the crap out of that big guy though,” Shades laughed.

“You weren’t so bad yourself.”

Skylar frowned. They’d been in a fight? She threw the covers back and quickly threw on her jeans and a tank top. Then she walked out of the bedroom and into the common room. Blood and Sandman were sitting at the table. Ghost was standing in the kitchen area, dumping ice into a bowl, and Shades was sitting at the bar.

Ghost was the first to notice her standing in the entrance to the hallway. His head came up, and his eyes connected with hers. Oh my God. The side of his face was bruised, and his lip was split.

“Hey, Hotrod,” he said quietly.

At his words, Shades’ head came around, and Blood twisted in his chair to look at her.

Holy crap. They were
all
battered. Her fingers came to her lips as she gasped in a soft breath.

Shades arm lifted toward her. “Come here, babe.”

She went to him. When she reached him, her hand went to his face, her fingers gently brushing his hair back. The side of his jaw and cheekbone were bruised, one eye starting to swell.

“Baby,” she whispered softly.

His hand slid over hers as she cupped his cheek, and he tried to smile. “It’s not as bad as it looks. We’re all fine.”

“Yeah, the other guys look worse,” Ghost put in.

She turned her head to look at him. He stood at the sink running water over the bowl of ice he’d been filling. His face looked just as bad, one eye swollen.

“Ghost,” she whispered.

He attempted to smile at her, but winced when his split lip started bleeding again as he walked over to the table and set the bowl down between Blood and Sandman, tossing some dishcloths down next to it.

The two men each grabbed up a towel and quickly wrapped some ice, bringing it to their jaws. Then Blood dunked his whole hand in the ice water.

Her eyes moved back to Shades. “What happened?”

“Just got in a bar fight.”

She walked over to the bowl of ice and made up a towel of ice, then she brought it back to Shades. She pressed it to his face, and he groaned.

“Why were you fighting?” she asked.

“Had a run-in with another club,” Sandman mumbled.

“Sandman,” Blood warned.

“What? She’s knee deep in this club, she don’t get to know?”

Skylar turned back to Shades. “The DKs?”

“No, Death Heads, babe.”

“You ran into the Death Heads? I thought they were only in Florida, not here.”

“Seems they want to expand their horizons.”

“How many were there?”

“Half dozen.”

Skylar turned to the other guys. She moved around the room, studying their injuries. She took Ghost by the chin and turned his face to the side, taking in the bruising.

He smiled down at her. “I’m good, Hotrod. Just a little swelling.”

She moved to the table and lifted Blood’s hand out of the ice water. “You need to put something on those cuts.”

“You wanna play nurse, darlin’, I’ll be your willing patient.” He jerked his head toward the hallway. “We could go in the other room, and I’ll let you take real good care of me.”

“Blood,” Shades growled in a warning voice.

Blood’s eyes remained riveted on her, but a smile spread across his mouth, and he winked at her. “What, I’m just playin’ with her.”

“Well play nice.”

“Do you have an old lady, Blood?” Skylar found herself asking.

“Nope.”

“I can see why.”

“Ooow. I see the claws are coming out.”

“Someone needs to take you down a notch.”

“And you want to be the one to do it.” It was a statement, not a question. “Babe, you couldn’t handle me even if I came with instructions.”

“Oh really? You know what that sounds like? Not my problem.”

“I could make it your problem, if you want me to.”

She shook her head. “You’re unbelievable. Your arrogance knows no bounds. Is there any situation you won’t take advantage of, twisting it for your own benefit?”

“Look who’s talking about taking advantage.”

Shades started to come off his stool, but Ghost held him back with a palm to his chest, murmuring, “Give her a chance. See how she handles him, bro.”

Shades eased back onto his barstool.

“You have something to say, say it,” Skylar snapped at Blood, her hands on her hips.

“You got yourself into trouble, where’d you run?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You need it laid out for you? I got no problem with that. You’re taking advantage of your man, your father,
and
this club.”

“Is that what you think I’m doing?”

“You
bet
I do.”

“It’s not true.”

Blood let out a huff of laughter. “Right.”

Her chin lifted. “I know what your problem is. You just don’t like that fact that because he’s my father, you got stuck with this shit detail. Go back to New Orleans. I don’t need you.”

“That’s not an option.”

“What’s your problem with me, Blood? Is it the fact that I stand up to you, tell you what I think?”

“No, darlin’, I admire your backbone
and
your smart mouth.”

“Up to a point.”

“Damn right.
Up to a point!
”

“I know we’re brothers, Blood, but if you don’t lay off her, we’re gonna have a problem,” Shades warned.

Blood stood and stalked toward the deck. “I need some fucking air anyway.”

Skylar glared after him. “Coward.”

That brought him to a stop. He turned and glared back at her.

Shades stepped in front of her. “Babe, enough.”

“You better get her in hand, Brother, or I will,” Blood growled.

“Just go the fuck outside, Blood,” Shades snapped over his shoulder at the man.

Blood turned and moved through the sliding door.

Shades turned back to Skylar. “What’s got into you, woman? Talking to Blood that way.”

“Blood can kiss my ass.” God that man was so infuriating

“Ok, he’s a bastard. But calling him a coward, those are fighting words.”

“I thought she was awesome.” Ghost grinned at her.

Shades glanced at Ghost with a look that said, stay out of this, and then his eyes returned to Skylar. “Babe, never seen you like this before. Never seen you go off on someone like that before. What happened to my quiet little Skylar?”

Skylar’s eyes connected with Ghost’s, remembering what he’d told her about being the tough woman that Shades would need her to be. That she needed to step up. Had she just
overstepped
? Damn, this MC life was confusing as hell.

“Don’t let Blood get to you, Hotrod. He was an abused child,” Ghost teased with a grin.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that,” Skylar apologized.

“Hey, never water yourself down just because someone can’t handle you at 100 proof, darlin’,” Ghost assured her.

Sandman looked up, blinking his eyes as if he were trying to focus after dozing off. “Blood bein’ an ass again?”

Ghost looked at Sandman and shook his head. “Buy a clue, Brother.”

“What? What’d I miss?”

“Skylar just put Blood in his place.”

“Did she now? Fuck. That calls for a drink. Let’s do a shot.”

“Jesus Christ.”

“Ghost, a woman ever put you in your place?” Sandman asked.

“Okay, what response on my part would bring this conversation to a close?” Ghost muttered.

“We’re goin’ to bed,” Shades informed the room, taking Skylar by the hand and heading toward the hallway.

“Thanks, Brother. Leave me here with Mr. Shitfaced.”

“Hey,” Sandman muttered. “I’m not shitfaced. Okay, maybe I am. Actually, I may be more high than drunk.” He slumped back in his chair, eyes closing.

“Crap. Can you even move?” Ghost asked.

Sandman cracked one eye open. “Why, am I in the way?”

Ghost shook his head and moved outside to join Blood on the balcony.

****

Blood stood at the railing, watching the lights flickering in the distance from the oil rigs out in the Gulf. Off to the left was a slow moving shrimp trawler, its riggings illuminated by spot lights high up on the mast. Its towing booms extended out on each side of the boat, the nets trailing below.

He turned at the sound of the sliding glass door. Taking in the look on Ghost’s face, he said, “Yeah, yeah. I’m on your ‘who’s been naughty’ list.”

“Wound up a little tight, are we?”

“Ok, ok, I sounded off a little more than I should have. I’m a little on edge.”

“More like over the edge. The only thing missing was gunfire.”

A half grin pulled at Blood’s mouth, and he turned back to the Gulf.

“Nice night out here,” Ghost observed, moving to stand next to him.

“Yup. Thanks for letting us stay here.”

“No problem.”

“It’s real calming, listening to the waves. It calms my shit down.”

“Right. Damn, that short fucker tonight had a wicked hook.” Blood turned his head to see Ghost touching his sore jaw.

“I’ve got just the cure for that.” Blood held out the joint he’d been smoking. Ghost reached for it, took a toke and passed it back. Blood took his own long toke, and then slowly exhaled the smoke, his eyes taking in the moon shining down on the water, the waves reflected in its silvery light.

“Skylar’s always been quiet, reserved. You know what I mean?” Ghost said quietly beside him.

Blood looked over at him, cocking a brow.

“I sorta told her she needs to toughen up if she’s going to be with Shades.”

“Why’s that?”

“He’s gonna be our next VP.”

That was news to Blood. “Oh, really. How do you know that?”

Ghost shrugged. “Position’s vacant. It’s gonna be him.”

Blood turned back to the Gulf, his eyes on the surf. “Huh. So, he gets VP, she’s gotta be a bitch?”

“That’s not what she’s doing.”

He let out a huff of disbelief. “Isn’t she?”

“Don’t be an ass, Blood. You’ve both rubbed each other the wrong way since you met. Why is that?”

He shrugged, not willing to admit too much. “She’s my President’s daughter. That makes her our new little chapter princess,” he said with a sneer.

“It’s more than that. So what gives?”

Admitting the truth—that maybe he was interested in her for himself, and it irked him every time he saw her with Shades, and that he baited her just to get a rise out of her—that wasn’t gonna happen. So he threw up a distraction. “Maybe this whole setup rubs me the wrong way.”

“How so?”

“You don’t think it’s odd? She shows up suddenly when the DKs are after her?”

Ghost shrugged. “Don’t know. I just know her and Shades go back a long way.”

“Yeah, so?”

“I’m talking like ten years. Like when she was about eighteen. He knows her. He trusts her. And so do I.”

Blood looked away wondering if he’d misjudged the whole thing. Maybe Skylar and Shades
were
meant to be together. If Shades was her first love, he’d never be able to compete with that. And that sucked for him, but it wasn’t the first time he’d taken an interest in a woman only to have it dangled in front of him and then yanked away.

****

Shades shrugged out of his cut, tossing it on the bed. Next came his tee shirt. He pulled it over his head and tossed it toward the floor of the closet.

Skylar couldn’t help but gaze upon all that beautiful exposed muscle, the cut abs, that sexy V that disappeared into the low waist of his jeans.