Page 60 of Butcher

Probably from the fact that he was an old fucker chasing around a toddler. Not that I was about to say that out loud. He may be in his fifties while I was fifteen years younger, but he still packed a punch and for once I didn’t feel like fighting anyone. Not my brothers anyway. I wanted to go kill the assholes who were a threat to my family. To the people I loved, according to Daryl.

“Butcher is trying to figure out if he’s in love,” Toxic said, giving me a shit-eating grin.

“No, I’m not,” I told the table.

“Huh,” Hell said with a grin, “if you want to impress her you should buy her flowers.”

Hush snorted out a laugh. “Flowers. You’re such an amateur. Buy her jewelry.”

“You’re both idiots,” Priest said, taking one of the coffee cups that Scarlett brought over with a grin. “Flowers and jewelry work for your old ladies, but for his?” He pointed at me with the cup. “He should buy her a knife or something. It can still be shiny, just...sharp, too.”

“Good point,” Hell replied.

“You should take her to Wendy’s.”

We all stared at Toxic like he’d lost his mind. “Why?” I asked.

Toxic shrugged. “Order her one of those Frosties but don’t give her a spoon. If she can suck it through a straw, you’ll know you’re really in love with her.”

“Why do women like either one of you?” Priest asked in disgust.

“Psft, like you’re not thinking of going to Wendy’s right now,” Toxic replied. He looked at me for support, but I had a feeling that Priest was probably right, that women shouldn’t like us. Must be something wrong at the genetic level, like they all hate themselves a little. Why else would they put up with assholes like us?

Smoke had said a while ago that we got women because we were pretty bastards. I hadn’t been thrilled about being called pretty, so I’d punched him.

The men sitting with us shook their heads at Toxic.

“Women who like you must want to be punished,” Hellfire said, “though I’m just guessing here.”

“Yeah, dependin’ on which one they like tells us whether the girl wants to be punished physically, or emotionally,” Hush joked.

Toxic’s mouth dropped open. “Which one am I?”

“Guess, asshole,” Hush said with a roll of his eyes.

“Priest!”

We all looked over to where Idaho was walking up, looking pissed.

“What now?” Priest asked with a sigh. Somehow we all knew already that it was about the hellions.

“Those girls are a menace.”

Priest just raised a brow and waited.

“They picked the lock on our apartment door and put those damn bang snaps under my toilet seat.”

We were all starting to laugh, which didn’t make Idaho any less angry.

“I sat down to take a shit and it nearly blew my nuts off!”

The laughter echoed around the room now as we all lost it.

“Quit bein’ dramatic,” Hush told him between chuckles. “It wouldn’t have blown your nuts off.”

“Fucking seemed like it. Who taught them to pick a lock?” Idaho muttered as he sat down with us.

Everyone looked from Priest to us and Toxic shot Idaho a smug grin. “That was me. Though I really just gave some pointers. They have a natural talent.”

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