Page 2 of Gash (The Skulls #13)

falsely accused Gash of raping her and murdering her boyfriend.

Charlotte only knew half of what happened.

When she came back from her

business trip, she’d been feeling off, and the only explanation had been

the unprotected sex with Gash. She’d gotten a test, returned to her

apartment, and had been overjoyed to learn she was pregnant. Jeff

had been there, and he’d seen the test in her hands. What she

hadn’t realized at the time was the fact she’d touched her stomach,

and said Gash’s name. Jeff had obviously had no doubt that she was

carrying Gash’s baby. In the few shorts seconds of happiness, she’d

decided that, with her promotion, she’d finally get a place of her

own, something that meant she didn’t have to have a roommate.

Charlotte had grown tired of all of the men around Rebecca, and she

didn’t want that kind of life for her baby. The moment she heard

that Gash had been arrested, and a trial date was about to be set,

she had been about to contact his lawyer in order to help

him.

From the first moment she saw Gash, she’d

been attracted to him. Every time she saw him, and got to know him,

she’d fallen a little more in love with him. She was nothing like

Rebecca, who’d been beautiful, slim, and completely experienced.

Charlotte was not. They hadn’t even been best friends, merely

acquaintances who shared an apartment. Neither of them could afford

a place, so they shared. Gash didn’t know any of that. He thought

they were best friends, when Charlotte hadn’t liked Rebecca, not at

all. She’d put up with her, nothing else. The promotion had been

her ticket out of that life, but it had all gone to shit. Jeff had

seen to that. Once she discovered that Gash was going down for not

just rape but murder, she’d tried to help, and had failed. Instead,

her very future had been ripped out of her. Jeff had been there,

and had caught her taking the test. He’d asked who it was, and she

shouldn’t have told him. Gash didn’t know everything that had been

taken from her, and she hoped he never did. Gash didn’t even know

they had shared a night together, so he didn’t need to know what

else had happened. She’d tried to help him, really she had, and she

had failed them both. It already hurt her too much to handle it.

She doubted he would even believe it, let alone understand what she

was going through.

****

Whizz didn’t need to worry about

Charlotte. She was fucking fire, and she was turning him on. Gash

took a seat opposite her, and watched as she blew across the cup

filled with coffee. His cock pressed against the front of his

pants, and he stared into her eyes. She stared right back at him,

and something ached in the back of his mind, like a memory trying

to get out, but he couldn’t reach it.

“ I’ve not got a plan. Coming to

you was my plan . However, I’ve got someone who can help us. Do you think

you can help me locate them?” he asked. He didn’t want to leave her

alone. Charlotte was by his side now for the foreseeable future.

Gash didn’t know where these emotions were coming from, only that

she was inspiring them. Her gaze was filled with so much pain that

he found it hard to keep eye contact with her.

What had she been through? Charlotte

had secrets, and he bet that Whizz knew some of them.

“ I’ve been to your old

apartment. It’s a shithole now, and there’s nothing

there.”

She blew out a breath, staring past his

shoulder. “I’ve not been there in years.”

“ Is there anything you

remember? Anything at all?”

“ Rebecca was a popular girl.

Before I left, she’d started making visits to some rich billionaire

in the city. I don’t know his name, but she told me he’d set up an

apartment that he used when he was in town.”

“ What name?”

“ It was in her name. The

guy, I don’t know who, didn’t want to have a, er, track record or

something. I figured he was just married, and didn’t want any

traces of him keeping a mistress.” She shrugged. “I told her to

tell you. She wouldn’t. Rebecca said you were only after some good

pussy, and you didn’t care who she fucked.”

“ She got something right. Rebecca

was a whore through and through. She didn’t give a shit about

anyone or anything.” Gash stood, unable to look at

Charlotte when he

thought of Rebecca. He’d been young, and an asshole. What did he

ever see in Rebecca? She’d been an easy fuck, and at the time he’d

not been interested in anything but a good time.

He frowned, thinking about where their old

apartment building was. It was a good hour from The Skulls

clubhouse, and far enough away from Fort Wills. What the fuck had

he been doing all those years ago? With the court case, prison, and

the shit that had been going on since he got out, he wondered now

what he’d been doing near Rebecca in the first place. Gash

scrambled through his mind, and remembered. He’d been looking for

his brother when he’d found Rebecca.

“ Did I ever talk to you about The

Skulls and shit back then?”

Charlotte frowned. “You never

actually talked about anything with me. You were really quiet.” Her

cheeks heated. “You always had something else on your mind.”

“ What are you not telling

me?”

“ Nothing.”

“ You’re in no position to

hold something back—”

“ The only time you were loud was

when you were having sex with Rebecca. You didn’t talk about

anything. The only reason I knew you were part of The Skulls was

because of your damn jacket. You didn’t talk about them. Thinking

about it, you were always so careful about what you did, in fact,

talk about. You couldn’t hide your leather cut.” She pointed at the

jacket he was wearing.

Gash had been looking for his

brother who he hadn’t seen in some time. He’d never found him, so

he assumed that he was dead. His real brothers were The

Skulls . Gash

made a mental note to talk to Tiny about it. Lash was the leader of

The Skulls now, but Tiny was the leader back then and he’d been the

one to give the orders.

“ What’s your plan?” she

asked.

“ You’re coming back to the

clubhouse with me. It’s late right now, and I’m fucking tired.

Tomorrow morning we’ll head to the clubhouse where we’re going to

start our search for those two fuckers.” He tilted his head to the

side, and frowned when he heard a growling noise. “What the fuck

was that?”

He noticed Charlotte went an even

deeper shade of red.

“ I’m hungry,” she

said.

“ What?”

“ I’ve not eaten since

lunchtime. I’m starving, and I didn’t exactly plan to get attacked

tonight, and to starve.”

“ Anyone ever tell you that

you’ve got a smart mouth?”

“ It’s not the only thing you’ve

told me.”

Gash frowned. “What else have I told you?”

He couldn’t help but wonder what else she meant by her words. There

was clearly something there that she wanted to tell him, yet she

didn’t elaborate.

Charlotte shrugged. “I guess that is for

you to find out.” She shook her head, blowing out a breath. “I

don’t want to fight, okay? I actually just want to have some food.

Being attacked in my own apartment has left me cranky.”

He couldn’t argue with that. He wanted her

off balance and scared. Gash never claimed to be a nice guy. Years

spent rotting in jail for a crime he didn’t commit had chased away

any kind of playfulness he possessed. Fighting for his life had

been his only companion, that and his need for revenge. Gash now

had both within his grasp, but when he looked at Charlotte, the

hatred wasn’t there.

“ Do you know how to cook?”

he asked.

“ Who do you think kept you fed

when you visited?” she asked. “Rebecca couldn’t cook to save her

life. I was the one that cooked for you, me.” She pointed to her

chest, and beneath the pain, he saw the anger. Charlotte was angry

at him. “It seems you make a habit of forgetting everything.” She

got to her feet, placing her hands on the table, and glared at him.

“I’m going to make some food. Are you going to kill me for

moving?”

“ Sarcasm makes me horny,

Charlotte. You keep on with that smart mouth, and I’ll put it to

better use.”

“ Funny, I thought rape was

beneath you,” she said.

“ Believe me, babe, when I get you

underneath me, you wouldn’t be screaming rape. You’ll be begging me

for it.” She clenched her teeth, and he couldn’t resist getting to

his feet, invading her space. “Would you like me to show you

exactly how good it can be?”

She glared at him for another few

seconds before storming past him, muttering under her

breath.

“ What?” he

asked.

“ Nothing. I’m going to make

myself a chicken salad. You got a problem with that?”

“ Do enough to feed me.”

Sitting back, he flicked open his phone, and dialed Whizz’s

number.

“ What the fuck do you want?”

Whizz asked as way of answering.

“ That’s no way to talk to

your friend.”

“ You’re not at the club, and

right now you’re not my friend.” Whizz didn’t agree with his need

to go searching for Charlotte. “What kind of friend phones up late

at night while I’m screwing my woman?”

Okay, maybe it had nothing to do with

Charlotte.

“ Am I cock blocking

you?”

“ No, you’re pissing me off. What

do you want? Lash has told me to take your calls no matter what.

I’m simply obeying orders. What can I do to help? I’m just an all

night fucking service.” Whizz’s voice was filled with

sarcasm.

Gash laughed. He liked

Whizz.

“ You’ll be pleased to know I’ll

be back at the club in a couple of days. I’ll have Charlotte with

me. Let the women know she’s not a whore , but I’ve struck a deal with her.

She’s going to help me find the two people I want.”

There was silence on the other

end.

“ You still

there?”

“ I’ll help you. I want to

talk to Charlotte alone,” Whizz said.

“ Seriously? What is your

fucking deal?”

“ That’s the deal I’m going to

make. You want me to find who you’re looking for, I want to talk to

Charlotte. Believe me when I say that I’ve got your best interests

at heart. You just don’t see it.”

“ Fine. It’s not like

there’s going to be much else for her to do. How’s the club?” Gash

asked. Since getting out of prison he’d kept himself confined to

the clubhouse and the town of Fort Wills.

“ The same. There are days kids

are running around, and other days it’s silent other than the

singles fucking. I don’t spend all that much time there anymore.

It’s why I have a cell phone. I’m actually at home with my wife and

kid.” In the background he heard Lacey cursing.

“ How is Sally?” Gash asked.

He liked the young kid. Whizz and Lacey couldn’t have kids, so they

had adopted the younger teenager.

“ She’s doing great. It’s a relief

that she has settled down at school, and she’s not even causing

trouble. There’s no interest in boys yet, but I think it helped

that I took several of the brothers with me to drop her off. They

have backed the fuck off.”

Gash laughed. “It’ll only be a matter

of time before she starts causing trouble.”

“ I own a lot of knives and guns.

Let the little dicks think they can get close to her. I’ll handle

each and every one of them.”

“ I’ll leave you to it.” Gash

stared at the curve of Charlotte’s back, and a memory that was

distant of another back, a naked back , flashed through his mind. Blinking back

the memories, he focused back on the call. “I’ve got to

go.”