Page 58 of Sinful Secrets

The party continues, and everyone is enjoying themselves. There’s loud honking by the gates, and we all look to each other to see what the commotion is all about. As we approach, there is a delivery van waiting. The driver jumps out of his truck.

“Finally, I've been sat here waiting for nearly twenty minutes,” he huffs.

“Which one of you is Rip?” he asks. Rip steps forward. “That’s me, but I didn’t order anything.”

The delivery driver shrugs and gets him to sign before walking around the back of his truck and wheeling back around a large barrel on his trucks. He heaves and dumps it in front of Rip. “See you later, fellas.” He waves over his shoulder as he loads up and drives off.

We stand around the drum. “You gonna open it?” I ask and Rip shrugs.

“What else am I gonna do? Just stare at it?

Let’s get it in the outhouse out the back, then I will open it. I'm not doing it around family,” Rip orders.

Mammoth and I roll it around to the warehouse out back. Once inside, we shut and lock the door. Rip walks to the barrel and unlocks, the lid opening and we are hit with the smell of rotting flesh. We all turn and start gagging, pulling our T-shirts over our faces.

“What the fuck is that?” I gag.

Rip reaches into the Barrel and pulls out a head. “Fuck!” Mammoth retches. “It’s a woman’s head.”

“Wait, there is an envelope,” Rip states, placing the head back inside the barrel and pulling out the envelope. “Put the fucking lid back on,” he orders. We rush to put the lid on but it doesn’t do much, the smell already lingering in the room.

Rip reads the letter out loud.

“I am returning this as it stopped working. I understand you took out my supplier therefore I hold you accountable. I have many, many more that just don’t seem to work as good as I was told they would. I shall keep returning my faulty purchases to you until suitable replacements can be made. Yours, Alma Oscura.”

“Dark Soul,” I mutter.

“Shit!” Rip yells, gripping his hair. “Well, the waiting game is over, brothers, they have found us.”

“Yeah, but it would fucking help if we knew who or what we are fighting,” I state.

“For now, we watch our backs and keep everyone close. Now we go back out there to the family cookout and we behave like there is nothing going on. We keep it quiet until we know what the fuck we are dealing with,” Rip orders.

We head back to the cookout, and no one questions us, used to only getting the answer ‘club business’ if they ever ask.

Talitha comes running up to me, concerned. “What is it?” I ask.

“I tried ringing Serena, but there was no answer,” she explains.

I shrug. “She might be busy with Viola.”

Rubble walks over. “Whats going on?” he asks.

“Serena isn’t answering her phone, I’ve called her like twenty times. It’s not like her. I’m worried about her,” Talitha pleads.

“Fine, would you be happy if I went and checked up on her?” I ask, knowing how she worries about these things.

“Yes.” She smiles.

“I’m coming with you,” Rubble states, grabbing the truck keys.

“I’m fine alone,” I warn him.

He leans in close. “I made a fucking promise to Wes that I would look out for her. I intend on honouring that promise. Stop making it into something that it is not.”

“Stay here and tell Rip where we’ve gone.” I kiss her briefly before running after Rubble.

Rubble may be able to kid the others, and even himself, but he can’t kid me, leaving Zoe at the cookout without a word to go check on the woman he apparently doesn’t want, the woman he can’t have.

As Outlaws, we don’t live by many rules, only a few. But there is one that no matter what we stick by. Loyalty to your club and to your brothers. If Rubble betrays Rip’s wish, it could destroy the brotherhood, it could mean the end for Rubble.