He reached out to touch her cheek.
“Butch, we’re friends.”
“And yet you know how I feel about you.” He ran a finger over her lips. She didn’t pull away. Staring into her eyes he saw the conflict there. “I know you’re not ready for me or for this.”
“You quit the club for me?” she asked.
“Yeah, I quit it for both of us.”
“I’ve got a son by another man. I’m a single mom.”
He chuckled. “Babe, you’re not upsetting me with this.”
“We know nothing about each other. I don’t know your parents or who you are.”
“They’re dead. They died a long time ago. I watched all of them die, including my sister. I ended up in care, and I’ve not looked back since.” He gritted his teeth at the truth spilling from his lips.
She pressed a hand to her lips, gasping. “Butch, I’m so sorry.” Her arms wrapped around his body, and he enjoyed the feel of her body against his. The softness of her br**sts pressed against his chest. He wanted to feel them na**d pressing against his chest. Stroking a hand down her back, he simply enjoyed the feel of her close to him. She smelled like citrus fruits, sweet yet tempting.
“Don’t be sorry for me, baby. I forgot about them a long time ago.”
“Who was it?”
“I don’t know, but they’re all dead.” Butch cursed. He shouldn’t tell her what happened. There was something about Cheryl that made him want to be honest. “You can’t share any of this with anyone.”
“I won’t.”
“My dad was part of an MC years ago. He didn’t love my mom, but his way of life wasn’t like Tiny’s. The men in The Skulls stay loyal to their women. We don’t stray. My dad f**ked everything that walked.” Butch looked down at his lap. He took a sip of the lukewarm liquid, forcing himself to drink it. “The club did drugs, and as time went on and another sweet-butt started showing she was pregnant with my dad’s kid, my mom started using drugs to hide. Over time she got in debt. That debt caused a few problems between the club and my mom’s drug dealer.”
He’d not spoken to anyone about this. His past would always stay there. Becca’s warning was still firm in his mind.
“To cut a long story short, the club tried to f**k over the drug dealers, and they all ended up dead.” Butch frowned as he thought about what Tiny and Alex had said to him that afternoon. “I’ve got to go.” He placed the cup on the coffee table.
“What? You don’t have to leave?” She went with him out to the main hall. It was such a small house.
“I know, but there’s something I’ve got to do. I’m sorry about this shit.” He leaned down, kissing her cheek. “This weekend is the Fort Wills fair out at the main field.”
“So?” She was shaking her head. “You’re all over the place. I’m confused.”
“Will you and Matthew go with me this Saturday to the fair?” He used to go with The Skulls to make sure nothing bad happened to the club.
“You want us to go with you?”
“Yeah. We could have a picnic, some fun.”
“I’d love to go.” Her beaming smile would stay with him for a long time.
“Good. I’ll be back to see you soon.” He closed the door refusing to leave until he heard the lock going.
Climbing on his bike, Butch knew he needed to help his brothers. He had information that could help them all.
****
Tiny stared at Devil across from him. His friend had brought a few of his men to come to Fort Wills. In the next couple of days some of the Chaos Bleeds crew would be coming to town to enjoy the fair they had planned. The barbeque they were supposed to have had been cancelled. Tiny wasn’t taking his woman or kids to a town where Gonzalez was.
“How’s Lexie?” Tiny asked.
“She’s scared. All the women are scared. He came into my f**king clubhouse, Tiny. Insulted me and my club and now I’m having to deal with this shit. He killed Jerry. I know the bastard was a pimp, but he was a f**king pimp with standards.” Devil’s leg was bouncing up and down, showing his agitation.
“I’ve heard of Frederick. He wants in on the MC action. It’s not unheard of,” Alex said. His former brother-in-law was standing by the window looking out at the night.
“I don’t give a f**k who wants in on the action. Piston County is my town. No one controls Chaos Bleeds. I’m president of my f**king club, and yet I’m supposed to take f**king orders from a bastard pimp? A foreign f**king pimp at that, bastard!” Devil slammed his fist against the desk.
“We’re all a little pissed,” Pussy said.
“He shot Jerry in front of our f**king women,” Vincent said. Tiny hadn’t seen Vincent on the road in years. The fact he was here put Tiny on the alert. Nothing got Vincent to leave his town unless he thought there was a real threat. The man had pulled his act together since meeting Phoebe.
“This f**ker made sure my name was mentioned?” Tiny asked.
“He made sure to tell me how scary you were.” Devil stood, pacing the small office. All of his men were outside waiting for the news. Devil showing up with six of his men was enough to put them all on the alert. Since Alan, Zero’s enemy, had taken them by storm, the whole club had tried to stay out of trouble. Now, Devil was bringing them a shitload of trouble, and Tiny didn’t like it.
“Have there been any sightings of him in town?” Tiny asked, turning to Alex.
“None that I know of. Ned refuses to help. Frederick is not a man you f**k over without getting killed. His orders are to stay away. He wants Eva out of the line of fire. If you can’t stay away from him, Ned wants Eva and the kids in Vegas with him.” Alex stood beside his desk.
“I’d never put my woman in danger. He needs to stop worrying about my woman and start taking care of his boys.” Tiny cursed as he thought about his woman’s father. Ned Walker was a pain in the f**king ass, but Tiny loved Eva, and unfortunately for him, they came together. “What does he want you to do?” Tiny asked.
Pussy leaned forward. “We’ve got a drug run. He wants us to ship coke across states.”
“We do that anyway. Our drug runs bring in the cash.” Tiny didn’t do drugs, but he did move them for a hefty price. He moved the product to make sure it stayed out of his f**king town.
“We’ve got to transfer it out of Mexico, across the border and get it to a contact in Vegas.”