Butch Read online

  “Are we ready to go?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  Her mother was watching them from the doorway. “I hope you three have fun.”

  “You’re not coming along?” Butch asked.

  “Nah, I’m going to stay home. I’ve been to enough fairs to last me a lifetime.”

  “Mom!” Cheryl growled through gritted teeth. Her mother wasn’t even going to give him this time.

  “It’s nothing personal,” Anna said. “This is a time for the three of you. Take care of my daughter.”

  Nodding, Butch took the lead, taking them outside. The fair was a walk away. She held his hand, and for the first time she was happy.

  Butch put her son down, and together they walked out to the big field.

  “You’re not regretting going with me, are you?” she asked.

  In the past he’d gone with The Skulls. She knew he did as she listened to the gossip in the streets.

  “No, this is what I’ve wanted for a long time.”

  Smiling, she saw several of The Skulls ahead of them. She recognized Nash and Tiny with them. He tightened his hold on her as another set of bikers joined the crew.

  “That’s the Chaos Bleeds crew,” he said, whispering against her ear.

  “Are they your friends?” she asked, curious to know more about him.

  “They were. They’re not my friends anymore. I made my choice.” His hand tightened around hers. She looked around aware of all the stares coming their way. Cheryl had never been so nervous in her whole life. Part of her wished she’d stayed home with her mom. “You look amazing. Stop worrying.”

  She nodded, walking beside him.

  “Hey, Butch, it’s true then. You’ve given up the club?” a man with short hair wearing a Chaos Bleeds jacket spoke up.

  “Hey, Pussy. I’m bare, and I’m a civilian. I’d like you to meet my woman, Cheryl.”

  “Pussy?” she asked, shaking the man’s hand.

  “Yeah, name’s Shane, but I go by Pussy. Who’s the kid?” He pointed down at her son.

  “Matthew, this is Shane.”

  She watched the introductions being made. They were all walking with the biker clubs. Some of the women from town were glaring at her. Ignoring their glares she saw Eva taking care of their kids. They were in a small area being taken care of.

  “He can go and play, Butch. You’re not part of the club, but we’re not fucking animals,” Tiny said. “We’ll keep an eye on him. We’re friends, right?”

  “Right,” Butch said, squeezing her hand. She took the reassurance and smiled.

  Cheryl nodded, watching her son run off to play with the others. Some of them were his age. It was the first time she’d seen him playing and having fun. She was always busy with work.

  “He’ll be fine. They’ll take care of them.”

  “I know.” She kept her gaze on her son as Butch talked with his friends. This was the first time she watched her son walk off with kids his own age. It was a whole new experience for her.

  “I can’t believe you’ve given up the life.”

  “Devil, drop it,” Butch said.

  Jerking her attention away from her son, she knew he needed to start talking with his friends. “I’m going to get us a drink. Do you want one?” she asked.

  “Sure, baby.” He kissed her lips, and she moved away. They were all watching them. She felt like some bug underneath a microscope.

  Tucking some hair behind her ear, she ruffled Matthew’s head as she passed.

  “I’ve got an eye on them,” Eva said.

  “Okay. Do you want me to get you anything?”

  Eva shook her head. “I’ve got everything I need.”

  She didn’t argue and made her way over to the drink stand. Without looking where she was going, she watched the rides and people passing her. Cheryl crashed into a hard muscular chest.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said, looking up the line of his body.

  It had been three years since she’d seen him last, but there he stood, holding her arm.

  “Hey, Cheryl,” he said.

  Words failed her as she stared at him. He looked older than the last time she saw him, damaged even.

  “Alex?” she asked. Glancing behind her shoulder she saw Butch was staring at them.

  “One and the same.” He wasn’t wearing a business suit like he had when she saw him in the church three years ago.

  “You’re a Skull?” She had to be dreaming. There was no way she’d slept with a Skull and given birth to his child.

  “We need to fucking talk.”

  He tugged on her arm pulling her away from prying eyes. She started to grow scared and fought him. “Let go of me. You lost your chance to talk to me when you left. It has been three years, Alex!””

  Slapping him in the chest, the pain was unbearable. She was finally moving on, and the man who’d taken her virginity turned up years later.

  “Stop making a fucking scene.”

  “Get your hands off my woman, Alex. What the fuck are you doing?” Butch asked, pushing Alex away.

  Cheryl was too scared to say anything or do anything. The other bikers were circling them. Some of the women were looking at her curiously. She was finally moving on, and she was falling for Butch. This couldn’t be happening. It was too much.

  “I’ve got to talk to her, Butch. You can back away,” Alex said.

  What was happening? The world was spinning.

  “I’m not coming back to the club so you can leave Cheryl the fuck alone. You got shit to say, you say it to me.” Butch turned to Tiny. “This is your way of getting me back? Hurting my woman?”

  “I don’t know what the fuck is going on,” Tiny said.

  “I’ve got every right to talk to her,” Alex said.

  “No, you haven’t. She’s mine. Back the fuck off,” Butch said, growling the words and taking a step closer.

  “I’m about to talk to the mother of my fucking child, Butch. This is nothing to do with you.”

  The silence was deafening. Tears filled her eyes making him blurry. This couldn’t be happening. The cruelty of it was unfair.

  “What?” Butch asked.

  “I’m Matthew’s father. It’s time I stepped up.”

  She screamed as Butch did no more than slam his fist in Alex’s face. For Cheryl, the world went dark.

  ****

  Pacing the clubhouse main room, Butch glared at Alex as he waited to hear about what was happening to his woman. His anger was absolute. He was waiting for the chance to lash out and end this fucker.

  “You slept with a woman younger than me,” Tate said, scrunching up her nose.

  “Don’t start, Tate. She was of age. I wasn’t breaking any fucking laws,” Alex said, holding a cloth to his nose. Sandy was with his woman. He wouldn’t allow her to attend to Alex until he knew Cheryl was okay. Matthew was playing out in the courtyard with the other kids. Sophia was keeping an eye on them as Eva tried to get Tiny to calm down.

  “Did you know who I was seeing?” Butch asked.

  “No, not until last night, and then when I saw you both together this morning, I knew.” Alex voice came out garbled. “Fuck, you broke my nose.”

  “That’s not the only thing I’m going to be doing to you, fucker.” Butch paced the room waiting for the all clear.

  “You fucked a woman, got her pregnant, and left her?” Tiny asked.

  “I didn’t know she was pregnant. I fucked her, and the condom broke. I didn’t give it much thought. The last few years have been hectic.” Alex shrugged.

  “You avoided going into town to meet her. All the time you’re here, you avoid going elsewhere.” Alex’s refusal to go into town made sense to Butch. “You knew there was a fucking chance, you piece of shit.” He lunged, ready to end the fucker once again. Butch couldn’t believe there was a time when he’d liked Alex. All of that liking was out of the window with this latest revelation.

  Killer and Tiny held him back. “You’re not
going to hit a club member.”

  “I’m not a fucking member. I’ll fucking kill him,” Butch said, snarling.

  “There’s more to this than meets the fucking eye,” Tiny said. “Back the fuck off before I do something I regret.”

  Glaring at Alex, Butch relaxed and stormed away to slam his fist against the nearest wall. He needed to hit something, and if he couldn’t take his anger out on Alex, then he was going to enjoy hitting something else.

  Sandy walked downstairs with Stink following close behind her. “She’s fine. Her head hurts from hitting the floor. You were too busy beating the shit out of each other to catch her.”

  She walked over to Alex, tugged the cloth off his face and pressed the top of his nose. Alex screamed in pain. “Your nose is broken. Go to the hospital and have it set.”

  “Sandy!” Tiny said, warning.

  “I don’t give a shit what you say, Tiny. This fucker is a piece of work. I’m not helping him. He’ll live, but I’m not wasting my day helping to fix his nose. He deserves the pain coming his way.” Sandy packed away her stuff, throwing the rubber gloves in the trash. “You know where to find me.”

  Stink held his hands up. “I’ll try and stop her.”

  “Do that.”

  “Why are they pissed at me?” Alex asked, cursing.

  “You fucked a woman and left her with your kid.” Tate got up and slapped him around the face. Alex howled in pain. “Uncle or not, you deserve that.”

  Tate headed upstairs without another word.

  The men were all looking at each other.

  “What does this mean for Butch?” Killer asked.

  “What? What’s going on?” Steven asked.

  “Cheryl is a civilian, but she gave birth to a brother’s son. Matthew is part of the club whether you like it or not. Technically, Cheryl is Alex’s old lady,” Killer said.

  Butch shook his head. “Hell, no. That’s not fucking happening. He gave up all right to her when he walked away.”

  “I didn’t know she was fucking pregnant,” Alex said, yelling. He was trying to mop up the blood from his nose.

  “That’s no fucking excuse,” Tiny said. “You find out your condom’s split, you stick with the woman until you know for fucking certain she’s not.”

  The tension in the room was mounting. Nothing was going to be resolved, and Butch needed to see his woman.

  “She will not accept him,” Butch said. “He gave up all right to her when he didn’t come back to check on her.”

  “No, I won’t.” He turned to see Cheryl stood in the doorway. Her hands were clasped in front of her. She looked pale and terrified.

  Her gaze went from Alex to him.

  Butch knew she didn’t have a clue as to who Alex was. This was all new to her. “I didn’t know who he was.”

  “I know, baby.”

  He stepped closer to her, but she shook her head. “No, I can’t be here right now. This is not right. I need to go home and be with my son.”

  “You can’t leave,” Tiny said.

  “I’ve got to. I want to take my son and go home.” Her gaze returned to his. “I’m sorry. I was really looking forward to spending today with you.”

  Butch grabbed her hand before she passed him. “Don’t go.”

  She cupped his cheek. “I’ll see you later.”

  Gritting his teeth he watched her go.

  “I’ll drive her home,” Steven said.

  “What about me? I need a ride to the fucking hospital,” Alex said, grunting.

  Steven looked at Alex. “Find someone else to give you a ride.”

  He watched Steven leave the compound taking the woman he loved with him.

  “Matthew is your kid,” Butch said.

  “Yeah, he’s my kid. I don’t even need to ask for a paternity test. I know he’s mine. She was a virgin,” Alex said.

  Closing his eyes, Butch tried to force the anger down.

  “Fuck, boss, the drama here is better than any fucking television show,” Pussy said. “Where’s the popcorn?”

  Glancing toward Devil and Pussy, he watched the president slap Pussy’s head. “Shut the fuck up.”

  “Are you going to lay claim to her?” Butch asked, turning to look at Alex.

  Cheryl was the mother of his son. The rules Tiny started meant it was up to Alex as to whether Butch got a chance with her. He’d kill the bastard before he let Alex touch her.

  You could just take her and leave town.

  No, he couldn’t do that. He wouldn’t be leaving town with the fear of them following him. Cheryl deserved more than that. “You know they’ve been struggling financially. That dress she wore was one I bought for her. While you’ve been away fucking everything in your life, she’s been working her ass off to support herself and your son!”

  “Alex, you got to make a decision,” Tiny said. “We don’t have time for this shit. I got to get shit lined up for Gash getting out.”

  “Gash?” Butch asked. “He’s getting out?” Gash had been one of the members to vote him in years ago.

  “Yeah, new evidence has come in, and he’s getting out within a matter of weeks,” Tiny said. Gash had been sent to prison five years ago for life. The cops plastered rape and murder to Gash’s name. Like an ass, Gash listened to their lawyer who advised to plead guilty. The club knew it was all lies. Once Gash went down, the lawyer went missing. He was rotting somewhere six feet under, and his woman was living off the life insurance the asshole took out.

  “I didn’t know he was getting out.”

  “You would if you were still part of the club. I can’t have two of my men wanting to kill each other over a piece of pussy. Cheryl is not part of the club. Deal with this shit, and deal with it now,” Tiny said.

  Staring at Alex, Butch was ready to pounce. One word out of that fucker’s mouth and he was going to kill him.

  “You can’t be serious in giving him a choice?” Prue asked, speaking up.

  He turned to the other woman, loving the glare on her face.

  Zero tried to silence her, but she pushed him away.

  “There’s no way you’re letting the man who fucked a woman, knowing the condom broke, take a claim of a woman. It’s not right. In fact, it’s fucking insulting. Butch has more connection to her and that little boy. Alex forfeited his right to know them. Tiny shouldn’t be giving him a chance, and the only reason he is, is because of his friendship with him.”

  “Prue, enough.” Zero covered her mouth with his hand, which was the only way to silence her.

  Tiny hung his head. “I don’t know what to fucking think. This is why we don’t poach other men’s women.”

  “Well, I don’t think Butch poached. Alex didn’t make a claim and kept his identity secret. Bitch looked shocked to have seen him,” Pussy said, speaking in between eating chips.

  “This is not our club, Pussy. Shut the fuck up,” Devil said. His arm was wrapped around Lexie, kissing the top of her head. “I’m sorry about this, babe. If I knew we’d be dealing with their shit.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I feel sorry for the woman,” Lexie said.

  “In what way?” Tiny asked, looking curious.

  Lexie gave them all an “are you dumb?” look. “Seriously? She slept with a guy and never saw him again. Then she meets a guy she likes only to bump into the other guy, who happens to be the father of her child. I feel for her. It sucks.”

  Butch wanted to hurt Alex. He wanted to kill the motherfucker.

  “You’ve got to make a decision,” Tiny said, speaking to Alex.

  Gritting his teeth, Butch shook his head. “I don’t have to listen to this shit.” He walked toward the door.

  “You can’t back off, Butch. We can’t protect you or your woman if you’re not part of the club.”

  “Fucking better than any fucking soap,” Pussy said, eating more snacks.

  Turning to look at his ex-president, Butch felt a whole load of respect for the other man, but that respect
was no longer present right at that moment.

  “I can protect what’s mine.” Butch looked Alex in the eye. “I don’t follow these rules anymore. Stay the fuck away from me, Cheryl, and Matthew. If you don’t, I’ll fucking kill you.” Butch slammed the door behind him on his way out. He was done with the club or at the very least, done with Alex.

  ****

  “Tiny, don’t,” Eva said, reaching out to stop him from following Butch. He couldn’t let one of his men leave, not like that. Glaring at Alex, he was ready to kill the fucker himself. Not only had his former brother-in-law fucked a woman, but he’d left her alone in Fort Wills fending for herself and a son. No matter what Butch said, Matthew was a Skull. He was a family man through and through. Tiny felt like he’d failed another member’s woman. He didn’t give a fuck who Cheryl belonged to. The son was a Skull and should have the respect deserved by the family.

  “My office, now!” Tiny yelled to be heard and pulled Eva in his arms. “Get Tate to look after the kids.”

  “Tiny?”

  “No, don’t fucking test me. I want you tonight. Just you and me and none of the kids demanding I stop fucking you. Your pussy is mine tonight. I need this. Please don’t argue.” He slammed his lips down on hers, silencing any protest she could speak.

  Her arms circled his neck, tugging on the strands at the base. Tiny loved this woman. He loved her more than life itself. The moment he’d finally claimed her, he’d woken up to the land of the living. She gave him a reason for breathing.

  “Okay, I’ll handle it. What do you want me to tell Lash when he calls?”

  Blowing out a breath, he looked around him. “Tell him the truth but not to cut his vacation. Angel deserves time away from all of us, and I’m not going to take that away from her either.”

  Pulling away made him ache, but business needed to be attended to.

  None of the Chaos Bleeds crew were inside his office. This was for The Skulls, no one else.

  “What’s the matter, boss?” Steven asked.

  “This situation with Butch, it threatens us all. I don’t like to be weak.”

  “Gonzalez wants Devil and his crew. He knows not to touch us,” Stink said.

  “Not yet but he’s going to.” Tiny took a seat, resting his head on his hand. “We’ve got to be stronger now than ever before.”