Page 1 of Killer (The Skulls #5)

Kelsey had fucking lied to him.

What the fuck was he supposed to think? A husband? Were a bunch a kids about to jump out at him as well? Slamming back another shot of whiskey, Killer relished the burn as the hot liquid slid down his throat.

He couldn’t deal with what had just happened.

Gripping the edge of the bar he pointed to the latest prospect to give him another shot.

All he wanted was alcohol to help him deal with the revelation.

The sounds of baby cries filled the room.

Lash, Nash, Murphy, and fucking Tiny all had their newborn kids around for a fucking barbeque.

The new compound was much like the last one only this one had a lot more space.

It had been over a year since the attack from The Darkness. Life was back to normal, in his life at least—apart from what he just learned about Kelsey.

“Hey, Giant, how are you doing?”

Tate asked, coming to stand beside him. Killer wasn’t in the mood for her jokes or even to talk. Out of all of the women, he liked her the least. She was too bossy and didn’t deserve Murphy, in his opinion.

“Go away,”

he said, sipping at another glass of whiskey.

“Ah, what’s the matter?”

Gritting his teeth he tried to rid the memory of the jumped up pussy in a suit climbing out of a limo and announcing he was Kelsey’s husband.

When Killer saw the truth in her eyes, he had gotten on his bike and was out of there.

He wasn’t sticking around to get muddled up with a married woman.

You love Kelsey. She’s not just some married woman.

“Did you and Kelsey think it was fucking funny to see me falling for her?”

he asked, letting all of his feelings be known as he spoke.

The anger refused to go away.

All he wanted to do was cause pain and hurt the first person who stepped out of line.

For once in his life he’d thought he found the right woman for him.

From the moment he’d first set eyes on Kelsey he’d fallen deep.

She wasn’t like any woman he ever known. Her timid, somewhat shy approach to life humbled him. He loved her curves and her love of cooking.

No, he wasn’t a saint.

Over the years he’d fucked many women without caring for them at all.

Women were a way to get his rocks off, but then he’d met Kelsey, changing all of his thoughts.

He tried to be different with her.

She was a fucking dental nurse who had gone away to college.

With Kelsey, he felt different and wanted to be different for her, to be better. He’d really thought they had a chance. She never made him feel thick or stupid in her presence.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Several men turned to look at him, shocked. The anger on their faces was evident.

He slammed back the stool, crowding around Tate. She didn’t back down once or show any sign of being afraid of him.

“Your little fucking friend, were you laughing all this time? How you got Killer to be nothing but a fucking sick puppy dog?”

Tate folded her arms.

“Actually, Killer, we’ve got a lot more interesting things to talk about than you.”

Grabbing her arms, he hauled her up close.

“Then tell me, Tate, why is she fucking married and I’m the last one to know?”

“Get the fuck off my wife,”

Murphy said, grabbing Killer’s arm. He didn’t move, only glared at Tate but released her slowly. Turning to Murphy, he saw the rage in the other man’s scarred face. No one touched the women, not even in anger, and Killer was crossing the line. Over the last year Murphy had been receiving treatment for the burns he’d gotten from his exploding bike when they were attacked by The Darkness. The scars were a constant reminder of what happened to all of them and the lives lost during that stressful time. Shrugging Murphy off, Killer saw he also held their son in his other arm.

Cursing, he backed away. He wouldn’t hurt children, not even when he was angry.

“Have you completely lost your mind? Kelsey is not married. She would have told me, and she doesn’t even wear a ring.”

“Exactly what I thought, but I just met the man. I don’t have a clue who he is. He looks like some kind of businessman.”

Running fingers through his hair, he turned away not wanting to look at his club. The whole room stared at them. Tiny looked ready to commit murder, but Killer knew that was because of him viciously grabbing his daughter. The club was his family, and they stuck by rules. Lashing out at the women was breaking one of those rules.

“This makes no sense at all,”

Tate said.

“We know Kelsey. There has to be some kind of mistake. Are you sure you didn’t hear wrong? You’re not exactly the brightest spark in the box.”

“Tate!”

Murphy growled at her.

“What? I’m sorry, but it’s true. I tell it like I see it, and you’ve not shown signs of being anything different.”

Glaring at the hated woman, Killer folded his arms.

“I risked my life protecting yours. You’re a real fucking bitch, you know that.”

“Old news, buddy.”

“Michael Granito, that’s his name. I don’t know why he’s here. I know he’s married to Kelsey.”

Staring around the room, Killer couldn’t stomach being in the same room as his friends. He needed to get out before it all threatened to swallow him up.

“I’ll talk to her. I’ll get it settled, Killer, I promise,”

Tate said, reaching out to him.

He shrugged her off.

“I don’t need your fucking help. Fuck this, I’m going out for a ride.”

Storming out of the front door Killer walked toward his bike.

“If you think for one minute I’m going to allow you to get on that bike and ride off, you’re fucking mistaken,”

Tiny said.

Killer turned around to see the leader of The Skulls heading toward him.

“What’s it got to do with you? Stay out of my fucking business.”

“You think because I got a couple of kids and I’m married and fucking in love I can’t take you? I’ve been fighting little shits like you all my life.”

“You know my name is Killer for a reason, right?”

he asked, ready to fight anyone.

“Your name is Theodore, and I can keep using it if you want.”

Tiny took a step closer, advancing toward him until they stood toe to toe with each other.

“You want to try this, then let’s do this.”

Tiny stared into his eyes, waiting.

Killer didn’t know if he’d ever be able to beat Tiny. The man had at least fifteen years’ experience on him, maybe more.

“I’m not going to fight you,”

Killer said.

“You a fucking pussy?”

“No, I’m showing my club president respect. My problems have nothing to do with the club. I’m not going to make it start now. You guys are still my family.”

Tiny stared at him for several seconds without saying a thing.

“Give me your keys. You can have one of the prospects drive you out of town, but you’re not bringing your shit to Fort Wills. You’re one of my boys, and I’m not having your death on my conscience. Find a woman, screw her brains out and then leave, and come back here to sort everything out.”

Tiny always had the final say with the club. This was his way of caring, being the leader they all needed and one of the reasons Killer respected the man.

Killer reluctantly handed over his keys.

“I don’t want a fucking prospect. They can’t handle their own dicks. Send me out Steven. He can think past his own dick.”

“You made the right choice,”

Tiny said.

In one smooth strike, Killer was on his ass. Tiny had landed a punch right to his face.

“Don’t ever touch my daughter again like that. You hurt my family and I will end you without a second’s thought. You’re part of the family, Killer, have been for a few years. The men will wait for your lead in how you want to handle this … marriage. You want to fuck him up, then we’re here. We don’t attack any of our women, got it?”

Nodding at Tiny, Killer got to his feet waiting for Steven to come on out. He was touched by Tiny’s words. In The Lions there was never a sense of family. It was every man for himself. Steven walked out of the clubhouse, swinging the keys between his fingers and whistling.

“You prefer my company to a prospect?”

“You got it. If you start ranting at me I’ll fucking hurt you.”

“Hey, man. I’m a fully-fledged Skull now. I can kick your ass right back if I want to. Tiny’s given me permission if you start to piss me off. He thinks it’ll be good for you to get your ass handed to you.”

Steven moved toward the car, laughing.

Out of all the men, Killer liked Steven the best. When the man had gotten shot protecting Angel and Tate, Killer developed a great respect for the man. Blaine was also another man he respected, as he’d been with the two women when they were in danger, taking a bullet as well. Anyone who stood in front of a bullet to protect a woman, no matter who they were, deserved some kind of respect.

Climbing into the car, he pulled the seat back as far as it would go.

“Where we going?”

Steven asked.

“A bar with lots of women. Not girls, I want a fucking woman.”

Thinking about losing himself inside a woman lost its appeal the further away from Fort Wills he got. The image of Kelsey with her cherry blonde hair and full luscious figure put him off wanting any other woman at all.

The hurt returned thick and fast. Not once did she tell him about her husband hidden away somewhere. The other thing that bugged him was the wealth the man clearly possessed. Was that the draw for Kelsey? She wanted a wealthy man waiting in the wings for when she finally settled down? In all the time they’d been together not once had he gotten that vibe from her. She was always happy with the simple things in life.

Crap. He really couldn’t handle thinking about Kelsey in such a way. She’d been the light to everything that darkened his world, and now she was gone.

“If you want to talk about it you can. Kelsey was fucking wrong, man. She should have told you. I won’t tell the guys if you cry or snivel around like a little baby,”

Steven said.