“Potty.” I jolt at the sound of Tiana’s voice in the backseat. I didn’t know she was awake yet.

We are just outside of town, and there is a gas station right up ahead. I take her inside to do her business. In and out quickly, and I am ready to go home to my man and to pull this bra off.

“You ready to go home? We have a big surprise for you!” I tickle under her chin and she lets out a peal of laughter. I take out my phone and shoot a text to Butcher, “We are leaving now, Butcher.”

Something wraps around my hair, and I am pulled out of the backseat. My phone skids across the parking lot. I fall and the side of my head hits the ground hard.

Tiana!

I see a man in the backseat of the car, and Tiana is screaming. I scramble up and grab him by his hair. I pull with all of my might, yank him out of my car, and push him onto the ground. I see a man running toward me.

I do what I am known for: I smile.

I reach behind me and take out my gun, cock it, and point it at the man running toward me, and I shoot his right knee out. He falls to the ground screaming.

Something hard hits me on the side of my face, and I spin around. The fucker just punched me. I grin at him. He stumbles, and I pull back my fist and nail him in the face. I do this over and over again. He hits the ground, and I stomp on his dick.

“Fucked with the wrong person, fucker!” I scream and bring up my gun. I shoot one hand, then the other, and then his knee so he can’t get up.

His screams of agony make me smile wider. I stalk over to the man who was running toward me. He has a gun, and I shoot it out of his hand. He tries to stand up, but I wrap my hand around his hair and slam his face on the ground. I do this over and over again.

“Who the fuck do you work for?” I ask him.

He makes a gurgling sound. “Her father.” I smash his face one last time and run back to the car. The MC will clean up this mess.

My blood runs cold at him saying “her father.” He is after Tiana. I spot my phone and pick it up. I see it’s shattered. I stuff it in my pocket, run to the car, and open the back door to check on Tiana.

She is screaming at the top of her lungs, and I see she is still buckled in. “I am okay, angel. You’re safe,” I soothe her and she immediately stops screaming and holds her kitty tighter. I kiss her forehead and she grabs a hold of my ear.

I gently remove her hand from my ear, and I feel blood running down my face. I shut the door and kick the fucker in the head again because he is awake now. I get back into the car and throw it into reverse, shoot out of the parking lot, and speed away toward the clubhouse.

A minute from the scene, I meet Butcher’s MC members. I stop right in the middle of the road and roll down my windows, and they do the same. “Get those two fuckers at the scene, all right?”

Locke and Techy stare at me in horror. I roll up my window and I meet more members, but they follow me back to the club. I pull through the gates and park the car. I am surrounded by people. The MC members pile off their bikes, and women run out of the clubhouse. My door is wrenched open, and I am pulled out.

“What happened?” Kyle holds my face in his hands, but I throw them off and open the back door to unbuckle Tiana and take her from her seat. She curls into my arms.

“I will explain inside. Tell Butcher that I am safe?”

Kyle gives me an appraising look. “He knows. He is twenty minutes out.”

“Let’s go.” I am not taking any chances with my daughter. An assload of people are following me inside the clubhouse, but I go straight back to the room where they have their meetings.

I sit down in a chair, and someone hands me a blanket for Tiana. I tuck it around her, and I feel her body relax.

I am so fucking pissed right now. Someone tried to take my kid.

The door shuts and I start from the beginning, telling them exactly what I did to those men. “They are after Tiana. Those men are still fucking alive, and I want a piece of them once you bring them here. I left all the vital stuff intact.”

Kyle cracks a smile, and the guys around the room start laughing.

“You’re perfect for Butcher.”

I look down at Tiana and see she is looking up at me. “He will be here soon.”

“SHAYLIN!” he roars and the door is ripped off its hinges and thrown in the hallway.

He calms down when he sees me, but he takes in the cut on my forehead. “Who are they? They are so fucking dead.” Tiana climbs out of my arms and runs to Butcher. He picks her up, and she stuffs her face in the side of his neck.

“Get your ass over here, Shay.” I stand up and fall into his arms. Safety. My body slackens. I didn’t even know I was shaking so hard.

“They were after Tiana, her dad.”

He stiffens.

“Dude, you should fucking see these men. This chick fucking beat the shit out of them. The worker in the gas station said she done it smiling.”

I feel Butcher shaking with laughter.

What can I do? I am my father’s kid.

---

Butcher

The fucking fear at hearing about her getting attacked will never leave me. I thought my world itself had ended.

Thank fuck Shaylin knew what to do and she can protect herself. If she didn’t have that gun, shit, it would have been bad. I felt so fucking helpless, because I was thirty minutes out.

I am proud of her—she protected herself and Tiana. She did what she had to do—and she got the job done—but I wish it never came to that.

I listen as Kyle relays everything that went down. Shaylin is pressed hard against me, and Tiana is asleep on my chest.

“They are in the back room.”

“Let’s have some fun.”

“I want to come.” Shaylin grabs my arm, and I study her face. Is she up for that? Most of the women don’t join in, but they are fucking with our kid—that’s a whole different thing.

“You sure?”

She grins at me, giving me all the answer we need. I stand up and place my hand on Tiana’s back so she doesn’t stir awake.

---

Shaylin

---

We walk into the main room, which looks like a huge living room. A woman who is gorgeous and can pass as Alisha’s twin stands up off the couch. She has strawberry blonde hair and large doe eyes like Alisha. I think this is Alisha’s mom.

“Is Myra here?” I ask her and she shakes her head.

“I can watch her, I watch Mia for Myra.”

I look at Butcher and he nods. She smiles at me and reaches her arms out for Tiana. Butcher settles her into her arms, and my stomach sinks at the thought of leaving her after everything that went down.

I want answers.

Butcher takes my hand and leads me to a side room. He shuts the door and grips my face in his hands. “Sweetheart, I don’t want this to fuck with your mind. I am someone you have never seen before in there. I don’t want your view of me to change.”

“That is not possible, Butcher. We all have different parts of ourselves. I am going in there to make them fucking pay for trying to kidnap Tiana, then I want to rid this earth of her father.”

Butcher stares into my eyes before he shakes his head and kisses me on the forehead. “I love you, my Shay.”

My heart flutters and I wrap him in my arms and hug him tightly to me.

“Let’s go show them what crazy is.”

I erupt into laughter because we are out of the norm, but normal is overrated. Love is not normal—love is something wild and untamed. What I have with Butcher is something different altogether—it’s all-consuming.

“Let’s do this.”

We step out of the storage room and, hand in hand, we walk back to the room where the men are held. I made sure they weren’t seriously injured for this very reason.

Nobody fucks with my kid.

Butcher opens the door and we step inside. Everyone is already there. The men are awake, and they are hanging from the wall by chains, their feet barely touching the ground. Their eyes widen as they see me then move to Butcher, who is holding my hand.

Something dark stains the one whose face I beat into the ground. “He just pissed his pants.” I look at Butcher, amused, and I see he has a knife out, slicing it across the man’s face.

Well, that will do it.

Butcher lets go of my hand and steps toward the men, and I move over to stand next to Kyle. He looks at me, unsure. “You sure you’re up for this?”

I roll my eyes. “I am not Butcher’s woman for no reason, plus look at my dad.”

Kyle laughs and gives me a knowing look. “Touché.”

Butcher stops in front of them. “You attacked my woman and tried to kidnap my kid. Do you know what that means?” I shiver at the sound of Butcher’s voice. He is a different Butcher right now.

“She isn’t your kid.”

I see Butcher’s body stiffen, and his hand shoots out. A knife is embedded into the man’s shoulder blade. “Death. You’re going to die. Both of you, but you can die a painful death or we can drag it out for days. Your choice. You be good little fuckers and answer my questions.”

“Now, who wants Tiana?” Butcher takes the knife out of the man’s shoulder, and he screams loudly.

“Her father. Levi Barnes.”

“The fucking drug dealer?” Techy pipes in.

The man nods.

“Why does he want her?” Butcher nicks him right under his neck.

“I don’t know. I just got paid to kill her and take the kid.” He looks at me.

Butcher growls loudly, raises his hand, and embeds the knife in the top of his head. His head rolls to the side—he is dead. Butcher roars loudly and stalks to the other man. “Do we need anything else from these fuckers?” Butcher asks.

“No,” Kyle answers him.

“They don’t deserve to breathe another breath that my Shay breathes.” He takes the knife from the man’s head and turns to the other guy. He drags the knife down his chest and then up through the bottom of his throat and up to his brain. Dead.

“Let’s go track down this Levi. Got an address, Techy?”

“Already got it,” he says and Butcher walks to me. “Take Tiana home? Your dad should be here any minute, and he is to stay with you. I am ending this.”

I nod and kiss him hard. “Come back to me in one piece. Yeah?”

He nods and cups the back of my neck. “Anything for you.”

We walk into the mail room, where Tiana is. I need to get her home and calmed down.

My eyes go to Tiana, who is sitting on the floor with Adeline. Tiana is smiling gleefully, playing with some toys. I let out a deep breath of relief. I do believe I need to hire her to watch Tiana for me once I go back to work.

The door slams open, and my dad charges in with Lane. Dad looks at me and pulls me into him hard. “Fuck, Shaylin, I am going to have a heart attack! Are you okay? Tiana?”

“I am fine, Tiana is fine.”

He nods and hugs me tighter to him.

“We need to roll out, Butcher,” Kyle calls and Butcher, with his eyes on Tiana, looks like he doesn’t want to go.

“We will be waiting at home for you.” He nods and steps out of the room, and I can see he is fighting himself with every step.

Dad lets me go and leaves the room. I pull out of his arms, and I reach down and pick Tiana up. Adeline gives me a soft smile. “She is such a sweet child. I will watch her anytime.”

Tiana is running her hands through my hair.

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. I have to go back to work in a week or so.”

“Call me and let me know.” She stands up and I am struck again by how pretty she is.

I stand beside the couch. My dad is walking toward me while looking at his phone. “Shaylin, my truck is right outside.”

“Okay.”

He looks up from his phone at Adeline. He stumbles and I jolt. What the heck? He looks at me and gives me a huge-ass smile. Then he looks back at Adeline, who is blushing. He moves past me and stops right in front of her. “I am taking you out tonight.”

My jaw hits the floor.

He reaches behind her and takes her phone out of her pocket. He types something and then his phone is ringing. “Text me your address, gorgeous.”

What the fuck?

Adeline’s mouth opens and closes multiple times before she nods. He gives her his signature smile and steps away from her. “I will be at the truck, Shaylin.”

Well, I will be damned!

Adeline stares at me wide eyed. “What happened?”

I have no answer for that but, “You just got Smileyed.”

She sits down on the couch, and I laugh because I would be confused myself. I walk outside, and Dad takes Tiana from me and puts her into her car seat. I climb into the passenger side, and a minute later Dad joins me.

He catches me staring at him, and he looks at me then back out the windshield. “What?”

I grin and cross my arms across my chest. “I didn’t know you were so smooth.”

He chuckles and winks at me.

My dad hasn’t dated in a very long time, and what changed? Adeline is gorgeous, and you can see the happiness that radiates off of her—that’s why I want her to watch Tiana.

“She is very pretty,” I pipe in.

“She’s fucking hot.”

I put my hands over my ears. “No more, Dad.”

He bursts out laughing.

I shake my head and look in the backseat at Tiana, who is playing with her toy. She looks so calm, and it’s crazy how much a kid can bounce back from.

Dad pulls over and into a drive through at a local pizza place. Thank goodness. I am starving, and I know Tiana is getting hungry also.

Dad hands me the box of pizza, and I tear a small slice into pieces. I hand Tiana a piece, and she immediately places it in her mouth. I take a juice box out of my purse, put the straw in, and place it in her cup holder.

For the next forty minutes, I hand her small bites and I stuff my face in between. Dad basically eats half of the pizza himself.

We pull up outside of Butcher’s, and I tell him the code. The gate opens and then slams closed once we get a few feet away from it. It’s sensor automated.

“Where is his house?” Dad asks.

“Right across this bend.”

Just as I said, it pops into view—just as breathtaking as the first time I saw it. “Nice house.”

“It is.”

“You always wanted to live in this kind of house when you were little. You talked about marrying and living in a log mansion.”

I snort, because it’s true. This house was my dream house. “How ironic,” Dad says and I nod.

He pulls to a stop, and he climbs out and takes Tiana from the backseat. What I want right now it is to veg out on the couch. I take out my phone and see it’s just five o’clock. I think a nap is in order, and I know Tiana is tired. She started to fall asleep once we got close to Butcher’s.

I walk up first, put in my key, and step inside. I disarm the alarm and click everything to arm the gates so someone can’t climb over them. Dad puts Tiana down and shuts the door. I click the button on the iPad, locking every door in the house and alarming all of the windows.

“When did he get all of this installed?” Dad has similar security in his house.

“Right after we got together. Let’s go get changed,” I tell Tiana and she takes my hand.

Her room is done! I totally forgot about it. I can’t wait to see her face. I lead her up the stairs and into the bedroom that is straight across from ours. I push the door open and I gasp.

It’s gorgeous, and all of her toys have been opened and are lying on the toy chest. Her bed is put together, the bed made. I walk over to her chest, and I see her pajamas are already folded. I walk to the closet and see everything is already hanging.

Thank goodness.

Tiana squeals with laughter, and she crawls to the top of her bed, grabs a pillow, and laughs. She stands up, jumps, and falls back on the bed. She does this for a good five minutes while holding her pillows.

She loves it.

I take out a new nightgown for her and walk over to the bed. I reach for her and she jumps off the bed into my arms. I tickle her sides and she laughs louder.

God I love this little girl.

I change her and help her off the bed. I grab one of the throw blankets we bought her this morning. She walks in front of me downstairs, and seeing her being so independent brings on a rash of different emotions.

She steps off the last step and takes off running into the living room. I hurry after her, and she is already plopped down on the couch next to Dad.

This little girl destroys hearts everywhere she goes. I hand Dad the blanket and he covers her up, and she settles her head against the side of his chest.

I sit down next to her and rest my head on the back of the couch. I am just drained, and I’ve got a massive headache where I clipped my head on the pavement, plus I was punched. My head scraped the ground, and that is why it was bleeding.

I wonder what Butcher is doing right now?

---

Butcher

---

I kick in the motherfucking door at the house where the drug dealer lives. Three men jump off the couch and point their guns at me. I raise my gun and nail two of them, and Techy gets the other. I stalk farther into the house, Techy by my side and the others bringing up the rear.

When I walk into the kitchen, I am face to face with Levi. “Just the man I was looking for.” I wrap my hand around his throat. Shots are fired around me, but my eyes don’t leave the man who had my woman attacked and tried to take my kid.

“What do you mean?” Levi starts sweating, and he is looking at everything but me.

I drag him from the kitchen to the living room. “You know who the fuck I am.” I toss him on the ground, and he gets up to his knees. “Look me in the eyes, I want to be the last fucking thing you see. The man who killed you and sent you to hell. You attacked my woman and tried to kidnap my daughter.” When I say “my daughter,” he looks at me with narrowed eyes. “Yes, my daughter. I am going to be the father she fucking deserves and protect her from sorry fuckers like you.”

“I love Tiana.”

Rage fills me at the sound of him saying her name. “No, you don’t.” I raise my gun and pull the trigger, and he slumps over to the ground.

It’s over. No more ties to Tiana.

Kyle touches my shoulder. “Go home to your family. Shaylin needs you.”

I nod and walk out of the house. They will clean everything up, and it will be like nothing ever happened.

Let’s go home.