Page 73 of Gash

“Fine!You keep an eye on her, doyou understand me?”Gash said, pointing at the men.

“We will.”They all agreedin unison.

Finishing her porridge, she took the bowlinto the kitchen.She helped do some dishes, and then the guysshouted they were rounding up to leave.Kissing Gash, she followedSally, Steven, Ink, Adam, and Twisted.Angel was asking for severalitems, and Charlotte made a mental note to pick them up.

Climbing into the back of thetruck, she saw with Sally, who was looking out of the window.She saw thatSteven kept glancing toward Sally.

“Are you okay?”Charlotteasked.

“I’m fine.”

“Steven keeps glancing overhere.”

Sally sighed.“He thinks I’ve got acrush on him.”

“And you don’t.”They spokequietly so no one heard them.

“It’s complicated,” Sallysaid.

“Okay, I get complicated, believeme, I do.”Charlotte ran fingers through her hair.“You know, Inever thought I’d breathe again.”

“I heard you had it rough.No onehas actually talked to me about it.It’s just what I’ve heard Momand Dad talking about.”

Charlotte showed Sally her innerwrists.“Iwent through a really dark period in my life when Gash was sent toprison.I lost a child, and I went a little, erm, crazy.I getcomplicated.”

“You tried to killyourself.”

“More than once, and these arenot my only scars.It’ll get better.”

“He’s full ofhimself.”

“But youdohave a crush, so I guess he has a reasonto be,” Charlotte said.“Don’t worry.Your secret is more than safewith me.”

“I don’t want to ruin mylife,” Sally said.“I’m so scared that I’m going to do or saysomething and they’re going to get rid of me.I can’t stand thethought of losing The Skulls.”

Charlotte grabbed the young woman’shand and squeezed.“I have the same fears.They’re a family, andyou want to be part of that more than anything.I get it.”Sherested her head against Sally’s shoulder.“They’re not going to getrid of you.You’re one of them.”

The car pulled into the busysupermarket, and they all climbed out.She hooked her arm throughSally’s and made her way into the store.When she saw the clothingsection, she split from the group, and started grabbing some itemsthat she figured she’d need.

Once she was done, she made her way back,but she needed to use the bathroom.

“I’m going to the toilet.I’ll beright back.”Ink made to follow her, and she shook her head.“Seriously, we’re in a crowded shop.Let me take a pee in peace.”Before he had a chance to say anything, she was gone, rushingtoward the bathroom.

The bathroom was silent, and sherushed into a stall.The pop music played in the background aftershe finished her break, and she left the stall, washing herhands.

“Charlotte Bilson, we’venever had the pleasure of meeting in person.”

She spun around to find a large guycoming out of a stall, the stall next to hers.Her heart started torace.

“Do I know you?”

“You know of me, but you don’tactually know me.”He started chuckling, and she took in hisbusiness suit—it had to be designer, and expensive.

“You’re Master.”She frowned.Hecouldn’t be Master.He’d been terrorizing Chaos Bleeds, not that she knewwhere they lived, but there was no way he could be here, could he?“No, you can’t.You’ve just put Spider—”

“Into the hospital, yes.You see,darling, the key to being successful and powerful is having minionswilling to get dirty for you, and that’s exactly what I have.”Heleaned against the stall as if he didn’t have a care in theworld.

“You didn’t hurtSpider?”

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