The Lies Between Us (The Devil's Dust #4)(39)

“Where are you off to this morning?” he questions, crawling back into bed. I bite my bottom lip.

“Um, I’m thinking about trying some yoga. Going to go check that out,” I lie. I’m going to see Piper. I hate lying to him, but I have no choice. He can’t know about Piper, not yet.

“Fuck that,” he grumbles into the comforter.

I grab some flip-flops and high-tail it out of there before he questions me any further.

***

Sitting outside of the trailer park waiting for Piper, I see a couple walking out of a trailer holding hands. The tall blonde releases her partner’s hand and he grabs it again, pulling her into a big kiss. I watch them, watch the love and life surrounding them without a care in the world. That was Lip and me years ago.

A knock sounds on my car window making me jump. Piper. I smile and climb out of the car. I look over to where the couple was and notice them gone.

“Can you help me with my hair?” I slowly trail my eyes from the trailer to Piper and notice her hair is a tangled mess. I try and slide my fingers through her red locks, but they get caught instantly. Her hair is dry and rough.

“What happened?” I question, trying to untangle the mess.

“My dad forgot to pick up shampoo, so he told me to use the dish soap,” she replies softly.

My eyes widen. What the actual f*ck?

“Dish soap?” I ask, making sure I heard her right.

“Yeah,” she huffs. That explains why it’s so dry and tangled.

“Hang on a minute.” I get in my car and dig out my keratin spray and brush. I spray her hair and brush it over and over before it finally falls into silky waves.

“You know, Cherry, we have the same color hair,” Piper observes. My eyes widen, and my hand stops mid-brush.

“Yeah. Yeah, we do,” I reply softly. The yellow school bus pulls up, the brakes squeaking as it comes to a full stop. Thankful for its arrival, I lean down and give Piper a big kiss on the head, taking in the smell of her.

“You have a good day, Piper,” I whisper into her hair.

“See you tomorrow?” She tilts her head back and looks up at me. Her eyes are the same color as mine.

“Yeah. I’ll be here,” I mumble.


LIP

“First order of business. The drop went smoothly, but the drugs seemed to be of low quality,” Bull announces, lighting a cigarette.

“Should we find a different supplier?” Tom Cat asks. He slides his hands back and forth through his hair and looks around the table for a reply.

“This will do for now, but yes, we need someone who isn’t growing weed out of their ditch,” Bull replies, blowing cigarette smoke into the air.

“Kids today can’t be happy with what they get,” Hawk grumbles from the back of the table. He rubs at his white mustache that matches his old-ass hair. He’s older than dirt and pretty much just says what he’s thinking, whether or not it makes sense. I just nod and agree with him half the time, because I never know what the f*ck he’s talking about.

I could tell the club about my brother and their club in Vegas, but I’m not sure if it’s something I want to get wrapped up in. I don’t think it’s a good idea. People could get hurt, and I would be to blame for introducing them.

“Tonight, we’re having a party. Got some girls coming from the Wicked Birds, and The Ghost Riders are going to be here. It should be a fun night,” Bull informs, slamming his cigarette into the ashtray. Wicked Birds is a strip club we take profit in, a cover for our illegal expenses. My uncle on my mother’s side runs the place. He’s a tool, but safe. He wouldn’t f*ck us; in fact, he hated my father when my mother introduced them.

“Why are we having the Ghost Riders here?” Shadow questions. Bull sighs and lowers his head.

“Because, they are a big club. Their president has connections with some men from the Cartel, and I want those connections,” Bull explains. “Maybe they can replace our skunk weed dealer we got.”

The Ghost Riders are disloyal. I’ve seen them turn against their own, and rumor has it they have no rules in their club. They are rapists, murders, all of it. But Bull’s right; given their dubious rep, they have respect and connections with every outlaw organization you can think of. Getting them on our good side would benefit the club.

Bull slams the gavel down, dismissing everyone.


CHERRY

I stir my cup with my straw and wait for Dani to show up. She’s an ol’ lady I have grown to love over the years. She is the president’s daughter and one of my best friends. She met Shadow, fell deeply in love with him and got married. I hate her sometimes. She has the perfect life. Sexy, caring husband. Two adorable children. Big house. Loving father. All that’s missing is the pink corvette.

“Hey, sorry I’m late. Did you already order?” She sits down on the opposite side of the table and tosses her dark hair over her shoulder. You can’t even tell she’s had two kids, she barely gained over ten lbs the whole time she carried Shadow’s children.

“I did, I got us burgers,” I inform.

“Sounds good.” She pins me with her vibrant green eyes and smiles. “How have you been?”

I shrug. I always tell her I’m doing great and that Lip is amazing, but it’s always a lie. I mean, how do you tell someone who has the perfect everything that your life is falling apart?