Butch (19 page)

“Be careful,” Murphy said, releasing a sigh. “Tiny is
not happy about this, and he knows you’re pissed about all of this.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. I’ll get Cheryl to help
me. We’re all good.”

Ending the call he turned to a worried Cheryl.

“They’ve been arrested,” he said.

“Oh, no.
What for?”

“I don’t know, possession with intent to sell I
imagine.” Running fingers through his hair, he glanced around the room. “I
didn’t want to deal with club shit this early in the fucking morning. I’m not
even supposed to be part of the club anymore.”

“You’re not just going to leave them there, are you?
You’ve got to help them,” she asked.

“No, I’m not going to leave them. Shit. I’ve got to
get dressed and start helping.”

“I’m coming along.” She stood up, making her way
toward the bathroom.

“Baby, you don’t have to come.” He reached out taking
her hand. Drawing her closer, he wrapped an arm around her waist. “None of this
is your business.”

“Well I’m making it my business. I like Eva and the
other women. Okay, so Tate’s not really my style, but I’m not letting a bully
take their children away from them. It’s not fair, and besides, they’re your
friends, if only you’d get your head out of your ass.” She wrinkled her nose,
smiling up at him.

“And here I thought I’d fallen for a sweet, little
innocent woman who liked to work at the church.”

“I do like to work at the church. It’s nice, quiet,
and I get a small income from there. Don’t let the job deceive you, buddy.” She
went up on her toes and landed a kiss to his lips. “I love you.”

He gripped her ass, loving the way the supple flesh
filled his palms. “Fuck, baby, I love you, too.
So much.”

Cheryl pulled away first. “Then come on. Let’s go and
help your friends out. There’s no way either of us would have enjoyed a night
spent in cells.”

She wandered off into the bathroom, leaving him alone
with his thoughts. His woman didn’t know how serious this was going to be. It
would only be a matter of time before Gonzalez
came
hunting for him. He needed to start thinking about the future. Staying in Fort
Wills was no longer logical. He needed to convince Cheryl that leaving town
would be best.

Butch listened to her humming in the bathroom as he
grabbed his clothes and headed downstairs. Putting the coffee pot on he dialed
the lawyer’s number, bringing him up to speed on everything that had happened
so far. There were no questions or anger. The lawyer simply did his job and
promised to start making calls. After he finished with the lawyer, Cheryl walked
in wearing a nice white summer dress. She looked beautiful and refreshed.

“Hey,” he said, groaning.

“What’s the matter?” She tucked some of her dark
strands behind her ear and glanced down her body as if there was something
wrong with her. There was nothing wrong. She looked so fucking beautiful.

“I want to go back to bed and kiss every inch of your
body. There’s nothing wrong with you. It’s all to do with me,” he said,
watching her ass sway as she poured some coffee.

“You’ve always got sex on the brain. I can’t even keep
up with you,” she said, chuckling.

“Baby, you’re the one responsible for my dick getting
hard. I think it’s time for you to cut me some slack.” Butch glanced at the
clock and moaned. “Fuck, we can’t do anything about it. We’ve got to get to the
jail to post bail.” He was really looking forward to another round of hot,
sweaty sex.

“Too bad.
I was getting all hot and bothered over it as well.” She gave him that
smile he adored before turning away.

Fuck, when did he get so lucky with his woman?

“I’ll deal with you when I get back. Come on, we’ve
got to go if you want to come along.”

They took his bike, and by the time he pulled up at
the police station in town, the lawyer was turning up. The man’s name was
Rupert, and he looked concerned.

“What’s the matter?” Butch asked.

“Someone’s frozen my accounts. I’m being put under
investigation,” Rupert said.

Cheryl climbed off the bike, handing him back the
helmet. “Who the fuck would do that?” Butch asked.

No one needed to answer. Butch got all the answers he
needed as Gonzalez appeared out of the back of a large, expensive car.

“Good morning, gentlemen,” Gonzalez said.

Ignoring him, Butch turned to Cheryl. “Whatever
happens, do not talk to that man, got it?”

“Yeah, I’ve got it.”

“Good.” He took her hand, leading her into the
station. Butch left her in one of the chairs as he approached the front desk.

“Bringing your woman to the station wasn’t very
smart,” Gonzalez said.

“This payback because I beat you down like a bitch
with your guards watching?” Butch asked
,
turning to
the other man as the woman started to deal with the bail money. “I can do it
again, and you’re going to hit out, setting up my friends.”

“Are they really your friends? They called you because
they had no one else. You’re not part of the club anymore. I mean, what are you
to them besides a money fund?”

Smiling, Butch shook his head. “You’re acting like we
know each other, but we don’t.”

“We’ve got a past. I mean, my dad killed your dad and
all of the
club you were with. I think it gives me a little
leverage,” Gonzalez said.

“No, it doesn’t. It was a long time ago.”

“Yet the bitch doctor figured it was necessary to hide
you from me. I do find that a little curious. I mean, she hid you from my dad,
so it had to have been out of fear. My dad wasn’t well known or well liked.”

“Are we seriously going down memory lane?” Butch
asked. It had been years since he got over what happened to him. There was no
way he was going to let this man get to him.

“Why not?
You’ve got so much to lose.” Gonzalez smiled then chanced a look behind
him. “She’s nice.
A little round for my tastes, but I like
them on the skinny side.”

Fisting his hands, Butch glared at the other man.
“What the fuck do you want?”

“I’m getting what I want. You’ll see, in time.”
Gonzalez smiled as Butch was led away from the reception room. If Gonzalez
thought he could threaten him then the man was mistaken.

****

Cheryl tapped her fingers on her leg while she waited
for Butch to appear. The man he’d been talking to was making his way closer to
her. She didn’t like the look in his eyes. Looking down at her lap she did her best
to ignore him.

“So you’re dating Butch?” The man sat beside her,
closer than she would have liked.

“I don’t know who you are.”

“I’m Gonzalez.”

“You’re not close with Butch,” she said, doing her
best to stay away from him.

“What makes you think that?” He turned toward her. His
knees touched hers.

“I’ve seen Butch with his friends. He looked ready to
hurt you, not hug you.”
Come on, Butch.
This
man was making her uncomfortable.

“He’s protecting criminals.”

She didn’t know who Gonzalez was, but her gut was
telling her, he wasn’t at all the kind of man he was making himself out to be.

“You’ve got nothing to say.”

“I don’t know who you are. Please, leave me alone.”
She stood up taking a step toward the message board. The town posted up job
interviews along with other job descriptions available throughout the town of
Fort Wills. Gonzalez didn’t leave her alone. He stepped up right close
beside
her, invading her space. Gritting her teeth, she
forced herself not to show any discomfort.

“He’s going to hurt you. The Skulls are always hurt.
The women more than any others.”

“Why are you doing this?” she asked, turning around.

He leaned in close putting a hand beside her head.

“Do you really want to know the truth?” She nodded. He
closed the distance until he was close enough to kiss. It took every ounce of
strength for her not to pull back or pull away. “I’m doing this because it’s
fun.”

Gonzalez withdrew, chuckling.

She jerked back, glaring at him. The evil in his eyes was
clear to see. Without thinking what she was doing, she slapped him around the
face. “Stay away from my friends. I mean it, keep away from them.” Cheryl
didn’t know where the strength came from, only that she needed for him to stay
as far away from them as possible.

“Is the mother hen showing through?” he asked, rubbing
his cheek.

Glaring at him, she refused to back down.

“Stay the fuck away from my woman,” Butch said,
appearing. Not only did he appear, The Skulls all appeared, looking ready to
commit murder.

“It’s okay. It’s going to be fun. Enjoy your freedom
while you’ve got it,” Gonzalez said, chuckling. “You’re a little firecracker.”

Not backing down, she waited for him to take the first
step away. After several seconds passed, he took the first step back, then the
second until he was completely away from her.

When he was gone, she allowed herself to relax,
collapsing against him.

“What the fuck was that about?” Butch asked. His arms
were around her, holding her close. She closed her eyes, basking in the warmth
from his touch. She wanted to go back to this morning before the phone call. Last
night had been magical to her.

“We’ve got problems,” Tiny said, holding Eva close to
his side. He turned to Rupert. “Get our kids back and there’ll be a nice bonus
in it for you.”

“I’m on it. I could do with the money,” Rupert said,
signing some paperwork. Cheryl stayed by Butch’s side as he led her out toward
the bike. There was no transport for the rest of The Skulls.

“Give me an hour and I’ll come and get you all,” Butch
said. He kept hold of her hand, refusing to let go.

“I appreciate it,” Tiny said, cursing.

Climbing on the back of Butch’s bike, she placed the
helmet on then wrapped her arms around his body. They took off before she got a
chance to say anything to Eva or the others. Butch pulled up outside of her
house.

“What are you doing?” she asked, refusing to let go.

“I’ve got to get to the clubhouse to grab the cab.
It’s got enough seats to bring them all home.”

“Why can’t I come with you?” She’d enjoyed this
morning with him, even going to the jail and meeting Gonzalez.

“This is club business, and I don’t want you to be
part of it.”

“You’re not part of the club,” she said.

“It’s not the same. You don’t know what this is about.
I don’t want you to get hurt, honey. Please, go and get Matthew, and we’ll do
something fun.”

She climbed off the bike, removing the helmet. “You
can’t keep me away forever.”

“It’s not about that, babe.”

“When are you going to realize the club is part of you?”
She reached out, touching his chest. “It’s in here.”

He removed her hand, kissing her knuckles.

“No, it’s not. I’ve moved on. I want to move on.”

“And yet when
you got that call there was a fire in your eyes that I’ve never seen before.
It has nothing to do with lust or even love, but you’re happy when
you’re part of the club. Washing dishes and playing normal boyfriend is not who
you are.” Cheryl didn’t need him to pretend to be something he wasn’t. She
liked him the way he was.

“Baby, it’s over.”

“No, I don’t think it’s over.” She withdrew her hand,
letting out a sigh. “Go, help them, and I’ll see you when I can.” Taking a step
away from him, she walked in the direction of her mother’s house. For a long
time Butch stayed by her house, obviously watching her. Only when she heard the
sound of his bike leaving did she chance a glance back. Butch was going to
regret his decision to leave the club if he didn’t open his eyes soon. Letting
herself into her mother’s house, she scented the pancakes the moment she
stepped inside.

“Hey, Mom,” she said, calling out.

“I’m in the kitchen.” Closing the door behind her, she
walked into the kitchen. Matthew was sitting at the counter clapping his hands
the moment he saw her. Chuckling, she pulled him out of the high chair and
kissed him. “Did you have a nice night, honey?”

“The best, Mom, thank you for having him.” She kissed
Matthew’s cheek, blowing a raspberry on the delicate flesh.

“He’s always a pleasure. Never moans unless he wants
something. I’m happy for the company.”

Rocking her son, Cheryl listened to her mother talk as
she bustled around the kitchen. Her mother had always liked to produce a home
cooked meal no matter how long it took to get all the ingredients together. Cheryl
had been spoilt for choice, and her experience in the kitchen had come from
her. “Butch told me he loved me,” she said, letting the words spill out.