Butch (24 page)

Stepping into Matthew’s room, she closed the door.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, she pulled out
his favorite story and began to read to him.

“Who was that man?” Matthew asked.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. “He was your
father, baby.”

He was silent for several seconds. She didn’t know if
his silence was a blessing or a curse.

“Love you, Mommy.”

“I love you, too, baby.” She kissed his head. Looking down
at her son, she finished reading his book.

****

Placing the helmet on the table, Butch glared at Alex.
The last thing he expected was to see the man in his home. “What the fuck are
you doing here?”

“I was trying to talk with Cheryl.”

Staring down the length of the other man, Butch sneered.
Alex always dressed in the fancy designer suits, rarely wearing his leather
cut.

“You were hoping to talk with Cheryl by threatening to
take her son away.”

At least Alex had the grace to look down at the floor.
Butch respected him. He respected all of The Skulls. Since leaving the club,
he’d been thinking about them more and more. He wanted to go back, yet he held
himself away for fear of what it would all mean. With Cheryl he was a good man.
He stayed out of danger even though he’d bailed the club out of jail a week or
so ago.

“I didn’t know how to get her to see me. I was
concerned and willing to use everything at my disposal.”

Nodding, Butch let out the anger he’d been containing.
He slammed his fist into Alex’s face. With one blow Alex was on the floor,
covering his eye.

“Fuck! I should have the cops throw your ass in jail.”

“Go ahead, do it, fucker. I wouldn’t do this shit if
you’d stop with throwing shit out of your mouth. I’m going to marry that woman.
Cheryl is going to be my wife, and I’ll love her just like I’ll love her son.” Butch
had thought long and hard about asking her to marry him. He didn’t want to rush
into a decision then live to regret it.

“I’m not after Cheryl.”

“You’ll treat her with some goddamn respect, or I
swear I’ll fucking kill you here and now. I heard how you were talking about
her. I don’t give a fuck if you knew it was her or not. The fact is
,
you were disrespecting my woman. Got it?” He took a step
back so he wouldn’t lash out.

“I got it.” Alex started laughing. “You left The
Skulls, and yet you still use your fists to be heard.”

“I suggest you shut the fuck up.” Butch watched Alex
get to his feet.

“I’m used to getting what I want. I came here in the
hope of mending fences. Cheryl didn’t deserve what I did to her. I should have
made sure she was well looked after and that there were no consequences from
that night. I didn’t. I’m the one who fucked up. I know this, and I know I’ve
got to put it right.” Alex kept his eye covered. “I’ve never had a son.
Matthew, he’s mine whether you marry Cheryl or not, and I want to do right by
him.”

“What are you asking for?” Butch asked, placing hands
on hips.

“I want to get to know my son. He’s mine. I have a
right to know him.”

Gritting his teeth, Butch looked away from him. He
couldn’t deny Alex his right to know his son. No man could deny that of another
father, not even him. “I’m not coming back to The Skulls.”

“Believe it or not, Butch, this trip had nothing to do
with the club. This trip was about me.” Alex removed his hand. His eye was
starting to darken.

“Sorry about your eye.”

“No, you’re not.” Alex smiled. “This has nothing to do
with The Skulls or you. I’m here to make an arrangement with Cheryl so I can
see Matthew. Now, that will involve him meeting the other kids in the club.”

Butch stared at him wondering what he should do.
Matthew deserved to grow up with friends.

“Sure, providing you’re not going to make a claim on
Cheryl.”

“I’m not. You’re marrying her though.”

“Yes. I proposed, and she accepted.” Butch puffed his
chest out, feeling happier with having Cheryl on his side.

“Congratulations.” Alex glanced at his watch. “Can I
see my son now?”

Seeing no reason to put him off any further, Butch led
Alex upstairs. He heard Cheryl reading to Matthew. Opening the door, he nodded
at her. She smiled and sat up in bed.

“Go on in. Do not hurt him,” Butch said, warning the
other man.

Not wanting to see the introductions, he made his way
back downstairs. Taking one of the cookies off the tray, he took a bite out of
one and winced. They were rock hard and burnt.

“You shouldn’t eat those,” Cheryl said, leaning
against the doorframe.

“Why didn’t you throw them in the trash?” He filled a
glass full with water. After two glasses, the rancid taste was still in his
mouth.

“They were too hot to throw out. I’d have set fire to
the trashcans and caused more problems.” She giggled, stepping up closer to
him. Cheryl wrapped her arms around his waist. “I love you.”

Caressing her hands, he glanced down at her. “I love
you, too.”

“I noticed the shiner on his eye. You hit him?”

“Yeah, he annoyed me. Alex always finds a way to piss
me off. I think he’s got a talent for it.”

She laughed, stepping back. He picked up the tray of
cookies and dumped them in the trash outside.

“They were that bad?” she asked.

“Baby, they were the worst tasting things you’ve ever
made.” Opening the fridge, he pulled out some spread and started making himself
up a sandwich. “Do you want one?”

She shook her head.

“You’ve gone quiet on me, baby.” He turned toward her.

“I don’t know. I’m just nervous, I guess. What he said
was all true.”

“About what?”
He took a large bite of his sandwich feeling ravenous.

“Taking Matthew
away.
I don’t know what I’d do if he ever tried to do it. I
love my son.”

Putting his food down, he took hold of her hands,
drawing her in close against him. “I want you to look at me, baby.”

Butch waited until her gaze was focused on him.

“I love you.”

“And I love you.”

He’d never get tired of hearing her say the words to
him. “Then you’ve got to learn to trust me. I’m not going to let Alex take your
kid away. The Skulls wouldn’t even allow it. If you were a drug user and sold
your body for drugs, then maybe, but you don’t.” He leaned in to kiss her head.
She looked up, and he took possession of her mouth instead.

“He won’t take Matthew away?”

Looking toward the door and recalling the look on
Alex’s face, Butch shook his head. “No, he won’t. Alex is a lot of things, but
he’s not a bastard who’ll separate mother and child. You’re a brilliant mother,
Cheryl. You’ve gotten through harsh times, and he should respect that.” He
pressed a finger to her lips to stop her from talking. “Don’t interrupt. Alex
was saying that stuff to get in the house. He needed you to think that was what
was going to happen.”

Running his hands down her back, Butch rubbed his
aching cock against her stomach.

“I’m sorry. The thought of losing my son freaks me
out. I love him so much. I don’t want to lose him.”

“We’re not going to.”

She nodded.

“Good, now kiss me.” He leaned down, brushing his lips
against hers. She melted against him. Her fingers teased the hairs at the back
of his neck as he gripped her plump, lush ass. He couldn’t wait until they were
alone and he could fuck her once again.

Cheryl pulled away first. “How did the job hunt go
today?”

He’d stopped renting and given the keys back to the
landlord who’d been willing to take him on. Butch moved all of his crap into
Cheryl’s small home. Butch had been surprised by how little he actually owned. Instead
of worrying about what he had, he started to buy better furniture for the
house. He’d also been in talks with the bank in the hope of owning this place
with Cheryl.

“Not good. I can’t get back in the café, and I had to
pay them over a thousand bucks in replacement cutlery. Who knew plates, cups,
and dishes could be so expensive.” He ate his sandwich, watching as she put
away the stuff he used. Butch was happy to clean up after
himself
,
but he loved watching her move.

“Go figure. I’m surprised it’s such a small amount,”
she said, turning back toward him. “Why don’t you go back to The Skulls?”

“Did Alex put you up to asking me?”

“No. You were happier when we first met working with
them. They’re your family. You can’t just cut them off because you want to.”

“I can cut them off, and I have. I’m not going to be
controlled in what I do.” He folded his arms. She raised a brow at his gesture.

“You’re acting really immature,” she said.

“Can we drop this?”

“Sure, we can drop it, and then in ten years you can
blame me for forcing you to give up everything you love about being in the
club.” She folded her arms underneath her breasts. He couldn’t help but look at
them. The shirt she wore showcased her cleavage off to perfection.

“I’m not going to blame you.”

“We’ll see.”

Her answer annoyed him.

“I’m not going to blame you.”

Cheryl stared at him. “Okay, I want you to consider
the fact that you gave up the club for me.”

He went to open his mouth, but she stopped him from
talking by placing a hand in front of his lips.

“You can say you didn’t, yet it was the moment we met
that you started to think about it, didn’t you?”

Butch couldn’t argue with her.

“I’m not angry with you, Butch.” She placed her palm
over his heart. “I love the man you are.” Cheryl smiled. “Not the person you think
I want.”

“Baby, the club is deeply dangerous.”

She shrugged. “I don’t care. I really don’t care. I
love you, Butch. I want to be with you. Matthew can never get away from the
club. Alex is his father. Will you do something for me?” she asked.

“Anything.”

“Good. I want you to think about your life with the
club. Please, take the time to think about it and then make a decision on
whether to leave The Skulls or not.”

He cupped her face, tilting her head back to look at
him. “I know I love you.”

“I hope it’s enough.”

Dropping his lips down to hers, Butch silenced her
with a kiss. He hoped it was enough as well.

****

Fredrick took a large bite of the juicy steak and
moaned. One of the women he’d brought in from abroad was lying beside him
waiting until he wanted to fuck her again. There were times he loved using the
women who earned him enough to make a good living. Once he finished with his
food, he picked the tray up and left the room. If she thought about moving or
touching his things, she’d been trained to expect pain. He catered to
everything a man desired, even crap he hated himself.

“Beautiful steak, remember to tip the chef,” he said.
Ronald nodded from where he sat eating his own hamburger.

Pouring himself a shot of bourbon he looked around the
room. “Homer still not returned?”

“Not yet. I imagine he’ll be back within a matter of
minutes.” Ronald finished his food, standing up to place the containers in the
trash.

“Why do you eat that crap? It’s awful stuff.” No
matter where he was in the world, Frederick always loved a good home cooked
meal. He made sure he stayed in the classiest of hotels or at least paid a chef
to cook for him. Ronald always paid for a burger at the local takeout place.
Rarely did he indulge in a decent meal.

“A lifetime spent eating home cooked food. I’ve
developed a need for all things easy.” Ronald shrugged. “Was the bitch worth
the money?”

“Yes. Are you keeping an eye on the clubhouse?”

“Nothing new is happening. They’re fucking boring when
they’ve got an enemy. Why are we doing this again, boss?”

“Because I want what others have failed to get. I want
Fort Wills, and I want to own Tiny and The Skulls. They think they’re better
than everyone else. It’s time they were brought down a peg or two.”

Homer walked into the room, whistling.

Turning to his other man, Frederick waited.

“Job’s done. Bitch thought she was being clever. We
now have two bodies without heads in storage and the two heads on ice for when
we’re ready.” Homer reached for a burger as Ronald looked pale.

“Fuck, how could you eat after that?” Ronald asked.

“Killing bitches doesn’t bother me. Now slaughtering a
dog will upset me. At least they’re loyal.”

The reason Frederick employed Homer was the fact he’d
killed his wife when he discovered her in bed with another man. Homer had tortured
both of them,
then
killed them without a moment’s
regret. Frederick had a lot of respect for the man.