Chapter Two
Circling the gym, Butch watched each hit, assessing where the fighters’ weaknesses were, and what they were doing that would inevitably get them killed. There were some men who were just training as fighters, but some wanted the notoriety of being the best Ned Walker fighter there was.
He’d never fought in the ring, but he knew without a doubt there were only a couple of men who’d survive that ring and that was purely because they’d survive going through the rounds with him.
Butch wasn’t even tempted to compete. His moments of fighting had come and gone.
Besides, he was a family man. He had to provide.
“He’s a piece of shit. I’m going to fucking kill him if he comes around here again. I’ve had enough of his mouth.” Javier came to stand beside him.
Cruz and Mistletoe were with him.
“Who are you talking about?” Butch asked.
These were three of the best fighters they had. They’d been in the ring a minimum of ten times each, and for a fighter without any rules, that was some serious strength right there.
“Carlton,” Cruz said. “I can’t believe how Javier just clocked him, man. I thought he’d get up, but yet, the sucker just went pop and he was out.”
Butch had witnessed Carlton’s fall and also Ned’s pissed-off attitude. It wasn’t good when a fighter was out of it in one punch.
“Best expression I seen on that fucker’s face,” Mistletoe said, and proceeded to show off a knocked-out look.
Shaking his head, he watched another fighter. He was young, eighteen, and as far as Butch was concerned, he shouldn’t have even been competing. However, Ned had his own rules and as such, he was training.
There’s no way he’d be ready in time for the Christmas round of fighting.
In the back of his mind it sickened him that they were even having a Christmas fight. The stakes were always even higher as most of the earnings went to the fighter as a bonus for drumming up all the excitement.
Of course, Ned took his cut at the door, but he raised the bar for entry so that there was plenty of dough for the fighter without his cut being lowered.
“How’s the wife?” Javier asked.
“Fine.”
“I’ve been meaning to stop by, say hi, but the last time she was there, she dropped a jug and burst into tears.”
“She did? When?” Panic filled his chest as the last time she’d dropped anything or done something like that, she’d been in pain.
“Oh, this was a good few weeks ago. She knocked her hand on the fridge door as she pulled it out. It dropped out of her hand, smash. I cleaned up the mess real quick, but she was still crying. Sobbing, and I don’t do women that cry. Sorry. I get the hell out of there, real quick.” Javier shook his head as if it was the most logical thing in the world to dodge a woman crying.
Butch sighed. “It’s the hormones.”
“Yeah, she said that, and I don’t trust that shit. Women with hormones or anything wrong with them, it’s crazy shit. You need to learn, man, just get out of there.”
Butch chuckled.
“How much longer you got?” Mistletoe asked.
“She’s due to give birth the day of the fight.”
“So, you’re not going to be here to see who wins or loses?” Cruz asked.
He shook his head. “My wife needs me.”
Before she got pregnant, Cheryl would come around the gym all the time. She’d pass out items she’d baked, and talk with everyone that was around. She was considered part of the fold, but when her pregnancy started to show, Ned put his foot down.
Fights erupted all the time, and they didn’t want her to get hurt.
Butch didn’t want her to get in the line of fire, which was why he hadn’t fought Ned about it.
It meant he missed her throughout the day. He loved seeing her smiling face, and he imagined this distance between them was partly caused by that. He had a job to do.
If they were in Fort Wills, it wouldn’t be a problem.
There weren’t a lot of women for Cheryl to hang with here. She didn’t make friends easily, and even in the neighborhood, she wasn’t too social.
“This kid is not ready,” Javier said, sighing. “It’s a shame. He’s got real … passion.”
Butch saw too many easy moves that would put the kid on his ass.
Climbing into the ring, he heard a loud chorus of hollers and shouts as people started to gather around the ring. He didn’t bother pulling on any gloves.
“What are you doing?” Punk asked.
That was the name he wanted to be called, Punk. His punk ass was going to get killed that was for sure.
“This is my stage, man. I don’t need you on here, showing off.”
Butch didn’t say a word to Punk.
Butch nodded at the other fighter who was helping to train, and the kid left the ring, leaving him facing Punk.
He didn’t even raise his fists as he stepped up to him.
Ned had come out of his office to see.
“What the fuck?” Punk asked. “You fucking mute? Why ain’t you speaking to me?”
“It’s a fight, asshole,” Javier said. “You think every fighter is going to come up to you and give you a kiss?”
“I’d keep an eye on him if I was … you.”
While Punk was distracted, Butch landed his first shot, straight in the face.
No gloves.
Pure flesh on flesh.
Punk went down, a hand to his face. “Fuck!”
“The one thing you should always, always fucking know is never, ever take your eyes off the target.” Butch stepped back. “Get up. I didn’t hit you that hard, otherwise you’d be out of it. Come on, I want you on your feet when you face me.”
Punk got to his feet, but after another punch, he went down again.
Ned stepped a little closer to the ring.
“You think you’re ready for the Christmas fight. Right now, I can hear booing coming from all around us. You can’t even give them a good fight.”
“You’re not playing fair. You’re not suited up.”
“Reality check, kid. You won’t be playing fair in the ring.” To prove his point, he grabbed the back of Punk’s head, lifting him to his feet. “None of the fights are fair in the ring. It’s why they pay so fucking much. Men and women want to see a bloodbath. They want to see every single punch landing on bare flesh. The bruises starting to form, to enhance and highlight the sheer fucking savagery of what’s happening right in front of them. Every punch you give, you’re being assessed. This one fight will start your next one, if you live long enough to tell the fucking tale, and right now, you’re not going to do that unless you start fucking trying.”
He slammed Punk down and stepped back, waiting. “Come on, get up.”
Punk got up, and for the next half an hour, Butch proved to the entire gym exactly why Punk shouldn’t go for the Christmas beating. It just wasn’t right. It was boring, and if the men were booing, it meant the fighter was nowhere near ready to promote to the fucking buyers, the people who paid them to be fucking mean.
Who wanted to see blood more than a living, breathing man.
With that, he got out of the ring and nodded at Javier. “Teach him a thing or two.”
He moved toward Ned.
“I was right,” Butch said.
“You were right.”
“If you put that kid forward for a fight, he’ll be dead within ten minutes. They’re not trained to hold back. He’s dead if you allow it to continue.”
“I’ve already taken him out of the running. Problem is, he needs money.” Ned looked toward him.
“He does?”
“Mom, cancer. She’s in the hospital, and bills are mounting fast. Why do you think a good kid like him is even fighting like this?” Ned shook his head. “I wanted to help him.”
“Why not give him the money?” Butch asked.
“Can’t do that. Word gets out that I give charity, they’ll be around here all the damn time and I don’t give shit away for free.” Ned turned away and headed into his office.
And that was one of the reasons Ned had lasted so fucking long. He didn’t give anything to anyone for free. He had no fucking heart, and right now, Butch couldn’t blame him.
Give something to one, and they’d all want a piece.
****
“I’m guessing you’re not used to having guests?” Lacey asked.
Cheryl placed down the cup of coffee as well as a sandwich she’d just made for Lacey. It wasn’t often she got a guest, and certainly not one that she liked.
Lacey was Whizz’s old lady and had a life back in Fort Wills. She always made sure to visit though. Lacey and Butch were the last surviving members of the Savage Brothers MC, which was completely wiped out by their enemy and then by The Skulls.
“I don’t do guests.”
“Is this because of your pregnant self or because you just don’t like people?”
“A mixture of both. I don’t … the women on the street are always around here if Butch is here. They don’t pay me attention unless he’s here, and I’m not going to even try to make friends knowing they want my husband’s dick.”
“Look at you, saying such big words.”
Cheryl’s cheeks heated.
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Lacey said, laughing. “I did wonder why you never swore.”
“I’ve spent a lot of time with Michael, and I didn’t want him to pick up bad habits.”
Lacey started laughing.
“What? What is it?”
“Just the thought of Michael being a good kid. He swears all the time.”
“And Alex doesn’t stop him?” Cheryl felt the anger filling up inside her. Alex was supposed to be able to handle their son. It was why she’d asked for him to take him. He wasn’t happy with her, and she knew he missed his father. He was in that teenage stage where everyone and everything else was an asshole and the only person who was right about anything and everything was himself.
All kids went through it, but with pregnancy and how much time Butch was with Ned, she needed the help. Alex hadn’t spent all that much time with Michael and she thought it would really work, but if he was acting out, then that couldn’t be right.
“Alex keeps Michael in line and if not him, the other kids do.”
“What do you mean?” Cheryl asked.
“They’re Skull kids, Cheryl, honey. Michael’s bad attitude wasn’t taken very well. They put him in his place. It’s what the kids do. Nothing and no one comes between them.”
Cheryl took a deep breath.
“You really do need to relax. Your son is in good hands, and you know you can come to Fort Wills any time, right?”
She shook her head. “It’s just … I don’t feel like that’s my place anymore. Everything got so fucked up, and this is our home now, you know.”
“I get it. It is your home. I love being in Fort Wills though. I know we’re protected there,” Lacey said.
Cheryl chuckled. “We’re protected here. Butch seems to instill that loyalty thing where people are willing to step in front of him and take a bullet. It’s quite scary when I think about it.”
“I bet. Butch would have made a damn good Prez, that’s for sure.”
“Do you ever think about what could have been if the Savage Brothers were still living?” Cheryl asked.
There were a few times she saw Butch holding his leather cut, and she wondered if he missed the patch of his previous club.
“Sometimes I think what could have been. We all had something taken from us, and that wasn’t fair, nor was it right.” Lacey sighed, gripping her neck. “I don’t know. The truth is, we didn’t have it in us to become something. Butch did. He’s always been a fighter, and I think I got lucky by falling in love with Whizz. If it’d not been with him, I’d be dead as everyone else. Do you think Butch misses being with The Skulls all the time?”
Cheryl blew out a breath. “I honestly don’t have a clue. I mean, sometimes I think I see him yearning to be part of it all again, and other times, he doesn’t seem to care. I know he’s damn good with the fighters. I see the respect the guys have for him. He’s got a little following there. Of course, there’s also the women that hang out, but I try not to think about that.”
Lacey burst out laughing. “What you need to do is when you drop this young one, go there and show them who has him by the balls. They’ll all step back. Believe me. There’s nothing better than letting a woman know where a man’s dick belongs.”
“You do that with Whizz?”
“Don’t have to. Unless it’s got a keyboard and code, I know I’m safe.”
Cheryl threw her head back, laughing. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed so loud and so hard. Putting a hand on her swollen stomach, she thought how good it felt to smile.
“Can I touch?” Lacey asked.
She knew the other woman couldn’t have children. She’d been gang-raped as a child, and it had ruined any chance of her ever having children, which was why she’d adopted three so far.
Her love of children, of family, was always clear to see.
“Of course.”
Lacey moved to the chair closer to her and put her hand on her stomach. Seeing the wonder, joy, and envy on her face filled Cheryl with sadness.
She was pregnant and having a healthy child if what the doctors said was true. Lacey would never have that experience, never know what it was like to go full-term with a baby.
“I’m so sorry,” Cheryl said.
Tears filled Lacey’s eyes. “Don’t be.”
“If you cry and Whizz finds out, he’ll kill me.”
Lacey chuckled. “Nah, he’d put your pension somewhere else or change your child’s name.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. Whizz was like his name suggested, a whiz on the computer. His mad skills had helped The Skulls and Ned a few times.
“It’s good having you here.” She placed her hand over Lacey’s.
“Yeah, I don’t come all that often, and I really should. I love being with you and of course, Butch.”
Lacey had come on her own this time, and as her baby kicked, Cheryl moved Lacey’s hand to that part of her stomach. “Oh, wow.”
“Yeah, it can go from being ‘oh, wow’ to ‘oh, fuck, that hurts.’”
“Do you know what you’re having yet?”
She shook her head. “Nope. We were going to find out the sex so we could do the spare bedroom, but after we learned the sex of our last one and started to paint the room pink, and then I lost … her, we decided against it.”
“You have suffered so much,” Lacey said.
“I haven’t. So many women go through this, and then, like you, you can’t have any. I’m blessed to have this, and I know that.”
Pulling Lacey into a hug, she wouldn’t let her go.
“You know I’m not a touchy-feely kind of person,” Lacey said, but didn’t make a move to pull out of the hug.
“I don’t care.”
The sound of the door opening and closing had her letting Lacey go to breathe. Seconds later, Butch appeared. He didn’t look tired this time.
He smiled at her and then laughed.
“I should have known your crazy ass was here.”
Lacey got to her feet and moved to Butch.
They didn’t have an awkward reunion because Butch simply pulled her into his arms. “Damn, it has felt like a lifetime, honey. Look at you, all grown up.” He held Lacey at arm’s length.
Cheryl chuckled as Lacey rolled her eyes.
“I’m not a child, you know.”
“Yeah, well, how you do your hair, it makes me wonder.”
Cheryl ran her fingers through her own dull locks. She’d been wanting to get a haircut for some time.
“I saw that, honey. Don’t you worry at all. I’ve got my styling stuff in my bag. I figured I’d stay for the weekend and get you looking like a living person rather than the dead.”
“I don’t look that bad,” she said.
“True, but you could look better.” Lacey turned to Butch and punched him in the arm.
“Ow, why did you do that?”
“Look at your wife? She’s like a damn ghost, she’s so pale. You should be ashamed of yourself. She needs to get out more, and being the caring husband that you are, you need to be the one to help her go for a walk, catch some sun, or do something. I hold you personally responsible for that.”
Butch rubbed his arm. “Want me to make dinner?” he asked.
“Chicken is in the fridge.”
“I’ll do that while you two get pampered and be your lovely selves.” He hugged Lacey again. “It’s good to have you here.” He tapped her back before moving toward Cheryl. When his lips brushed across hers, she felt that heat rising up inside her, building. She wanted him.
“Love you.”
“Love you too.”
She watched him leave the room and looked at Lacey.
“You totally want to hit that,” Lacey said.
“You’re a goofball. I have hit that.” She pointed at her stomach.
Lacey started gyrating her hips, and she just burst out laughing.
Everything was good.
She and Butch would be more than fine so long as they just took some time for themselves.