Page 17 of Gash (The Skulls #13)

Lacey was so nervous. Lash had

driven out to their home to pick her, Whizz, and Sally up so that

they could go and see Daisy. They were traveling toward

Lash’ s house

to see Daisy. The lawyer was already there, waiting for

them.

Before they signed the papers, Lacey

wanted to talk with Daisy to make sure the young girl was happy

with it.

“ Are you all right?” Whizz

asked.

“ I am.” Lacey smiled,

releasing a sigh. “Just nervous.”

Sally leaned forward, gripping her

shoulder. “She’s going to love you.”

Taking hold of Sally’s hand, Lacey smiled

at her. “Are you sure you’re okay with this? I don’t want you to

think we’re pushing you aside.”

“ You’re not sending me

back, and I’m not going to be selfish demanding that you can’t help

another person like me. Daisy’s young, but she need us. I can’t

wait to be a big sister.”

“ We’re going to be one

wicked family,” Whizz said.

“ You’ll have to read to her, and

we’re so going to have to go shopping,” Sally said.

“ What the fuck? You just

want an excuse to spend my money.” Whizz cursed, shaking his

head.

Sally giggled. “You love us for it, and

honestly, what else are you going to spend your money on? Laptops,

tablets, phones?”

“ I run a

business.”

“ You’re a nerd. A total

nerd.”

Lacey laughed, listening to Whizz and

Sally bicker. They cared about each other a lot. She knew that

Whizz saw Sally as his daughter. At first, Lacey didn’t think it

was going to work between them as a family, but Whizz was different

with Sally.

“ A total nerd who can buy

you exactly what you want.”

“ True.”

They pulled into Lash’s house and drove

the car up the long drive. Climbing out of the car, Lacey linked

her arms with Sally, and took Whizz’s hand as they made their way

to the door.

Angel opened the door. Her bright

smile greeted them.

“ It’s so good to see you

again,” Angel said.

Out of all of the women in the club, Angel

was the sweetest. Lacey couldn’t even find the effort to find fault

with the loving woman. When Lash had first taken over for the club,

Lacey had had her doubts about Angel, but even with being the

sweetest woman on earth, there was strength inside her.

Angel hugged all three of them, and

glancing over her shoulder, she saw Lash there.

“ What have I told you about

hugging?” Lash asked, moving to his woman and pulling her against

his side.

“ They’re a couple. Whizz

doesn’t mind,” Angel said.

“ Stop hugging

everyone.”

“ He’s possessive,” Lacey said.

Lash had always been particularly possessive of his woman, even

from the start.

Angel rolled her eyes. “Come on.

Daisy’s eating breakfast with Anthony. They both slept in. I don’t

have a spare bed , so Daisy slept in Anthony’s bed, topping and tailing.

They’re still young so I didn’t think it would be too

wrong.”

Entering the house, Lacey couldn’t

help but smile. The whole house was charming, and feminine, exactly

how she imagined Angel.

They made their way into the

kitchen, which was a cook ’s dream. Angel was known for her ability to cook.

Lacey hadn’t been gifted with any kitchen skill at all. She even

destroyed sandwiches.

Anthony and Daisy were

sitting together,

eating. Daisy wore Anthony’s clothes, and Lacey’s heart went out to

her.

“ The lawyer is waiting in the

sitting room. Lash is just going to get him,” Angel said. “Hey,

Daisy, Lacey’s here to see you.”

The young girl looked up. Her brown hair

was so long, and it fell around her. There was no care taken for

it, and she didn’t look loved at all. Lacey knew, deep in her

heart, that she could love this young girl.

Anthony touched Daisy’s shoulder,

squeezing her.

Taking a seat beside the young girl, Lacey

touched her hand. “Do you remember me?”

“ Yes. You’re Whizz’s old lady,

which is weird. You’re not old.”

Chuckling, she tucked some of that

long hair behind her ear. “So, I’ve been talking with Angel and

Lash, and we were thinking if you would like, you could come live

with me and Whizz. What do you think about that?”

“ Live with you?”

“ Yes.”

Lacey’s heart was pounding. She

didn’t know what to do. What if Daisy didn’t want to live with her

and Whizz ?

“ In a real house?”

“ Yes.”

“ You’ll pick me up on

time?”

“ Yes. I wouldn’t miss

you.”

“ Come to school for events,

and I can still be friends with Tabitha?”

“ And me,” Anthony said,

glaring at Lacey.

“ And Anthony?”

“ Yes. You’ll be a Skull child.

Whizz and I, we’ll take good care of you.” Lacey squeezed her hand

a little tighter, trying to gain comfort from her. She wanted to

give this young girl a home. No one knew that she cared about Daisy

and that it had grieved her each time she went back to her parents,

who didn’t care about her.

“ Yes, I want that, please.”

Daisy climbed off her chair, and threw her arms around Lacey.

“Please don’t make me go back to the trailer and to Mom and Dad.

They don’t love me. They tell me every day.”

Lacey’s eyes filled with tears. No

child should be told they were not loved.

Anthony climbed out of his chair and

moved up behind Daisy, hugging her tightly.

“ We’ll love you,” he

said.

“ I’ll get everything

resolved for you to come and stay with us, okay?”

“ Yes.”

****

Sally made her way out toward the back of

Angel and Lash’s house. She was the oldest of all of the kids, and

even though she wasn’t blood to the club, they treated her like she

was. This was the first time she’d ever been part of a family, and

with both Lacey and Whizz, Sally was able to heal.

There had been so many homes, so much

abuse, some physical, some sexual, and a lot of mental.

Running fingers through her hair, she took

a deep breath. She loved being outside. There were times she would

be locked in her room, and at some of the foster homes, they had

bars on the windows.

She loved the outdoors.

Closing her eyes, she lifted her face to

the sky and inhaled. There was no greater feeling than being

outside, inhaling deep, and being relaxed.

“ Penny for your

thoughts.”

She turned around, opening her eyes to

find Steven leaning against the door, his arms folded as he stared

at her. Sally hadn’t even heard him leave the house.

“ I didn’t know you were

here.”

“ I’m here to watch over you guys

while Lash and Angel deal with Daisy.”

“ You’re not a

prospect.”

She folded her own arms, fighting off

the cold.

Steven sighed. “You’re going to kill

yourself if you don’t cover up.” He removed his leather jacket and

moved toward her. He placed the jacket over her shoulders. “I don’t

want you getting cold.”

“ Thank you.”

She pushed her arms through his, and the

scent of him surrounded her. Her cheeks started to heat, and she

turned away from him. The last thing she wanted him to know was

that she liked him. Steven was really sweet to her. She’d seen him

with other women, and he was never sweet to them.

“ I could have taken care of

everyone,” she said.

“ You could, and you’ll be making

lunch for us all. You belong to the club, Sally, and I protect what

belongs to The Skulls.”

Nodding, she wouldn’t look at

him. In all of her life she’d never once had a crush on

anyone. Steven was the first man that she’d ever felt anything for.

He was older than she was by fifteen years, and she wouldn’t ever

act on her feelings. He probably only saw her as a stupid

kid.

“ Are you okay, Sally?” he

asked.

“ Yeah, why?”

“ You’re quiet.”

“ I’m just enjoying the

fresh air.”

“ Do you have any homework

to do?”

“ No.”Glancing over her

shoulder, she smiled at him. “I’m good.”

He nodded, and turned to go inside to

the kitchen. The moment he left, her heart felt heavy. She didn’t

understand it.

Steven was just a guy, and she wasn’t

going to let her feelings for him get in the way.

****

Closing the door, Steven hesitated. Sally

was different. When she first was adopted by Lacey and Whizz, she’d

been closed off, but once he proved to her that he wouldn’t hurt

her, she’d opened up. Now once again, she was closed

off.

“ Why do you look like

someone has taken your favorite toy?” Lash asked.

“ I thought you were

going?”

“ Heading out now.” Lash looked

behind him. “She’s wearing your jacket. She’s fifteen years

old.”

“ Ew, what the fuck? She was

cold.”

“ You do know she’s got a

huge crush on you, right?”

Steven froze. “What?”

“ Yep. Lacey and Whizz know

it as well.”

“ I would never do anything

like that. She’s not old enough—”

“ We know that. Just be

careful with her. I don’t want to have Whizz trying to fucking kill

you. I’d miss you. Maybe when she’s older.”

Steven shook his head. “No.

She’s not my type. She’s not a club whore, and I’m not good

enough.” Looking back toward Sally through the window, he saw she

had taken a seat on the steps. He noticed she did that a lot, spent

hours sitting outside staring at the stars, or the sky.

“ I never thought I’d be the

kind to settle down and have kids. I didn’t even see past fucking

the next available pussy. Seeing Angel, and getting to know her, I

wouldn’t change a single thing about the way my life has gone with

her. She’s the love of my life, the very reason I wake up in the

morning.”

“ Why are you telling me

this?”

“ One day, Sally will leave the

club and go away to college. She’ll grow up, and when she returns,

she’ll no longer be just some girl, and you may not even be the

same guy. Don’t throw away a chance because it scares

you.”

“ She’s fifteen.”

“ She won’t always be

fifteen.” Lash shrugged. “Keep your hands away from

her.”

Steven watched as Lash made his way

out of his own home. The kids were set up in the front room, and

there was a gate keeping them there, not that it worked. The kids

could wander around whenever they wanted as they knew how to open

the gate. They were good though, and would come to him if they

needed anything.

Entering the kitchen once again, he saw

that Sally was standing near the counter by the stove. She’d left

his jacket on a chair and was reading a book.

Just be

yourself.

“ I don’t have a crush on

you,” Sally said, glancing up at him.

“ Huh?”

“ You didn’t shut the door

properly. I heard everything. Don’t worry, I’m not going to try and

jump your bones or anything.”

“ You don’t have a

crush.”

Sally looked over the edge of her

book. She shook her head. “No.”

Steven would never understand why he

was a little bit gutted at that information. There was seriously

something wrong with him. Sally was too damn young, and he only

fucked women who knew there wasn’t going to be anything between

them.

He and Sally

didn’ t stand

a chance.