Page 44 of Whizz

“Ned is coming to see Evaand his grandkids, Tiny,” Lash said.“You shouldn’t worry, unlessyou’re scared he’ll kick your ass.He is older thanyou.”

“Not by much,” Nash said,chuckling.

“I can still wipe the floorwith you two little shits.Don’t fucking start.”

Whizz laughed along withthem.

“I heard you went to see Butchtoday,” Tiny said, changing the subject away from Ned.

“I did.”

“How’s he holdingup?”

Whizz took his shot, thinking of the rightway to answer.When he was done, he looked at Tiny.The rest of themen were also waiting for him to answer.“He was expecting a hit.I’ve told him we’re not going to kill him and I for one will bevoting him back into the club.”

“You think he deserves tobe voted back in.”

“What he did was no differentthan what Murphy did.”

“Murphy was acting on myorders and he didn’t have a secret club hiding away,” Tinysaid.

“You’re going to kill him?He wasacting on your orders, yours and Alex’s, to help the club.If youhadn’t put him in that position in the first place, we might haveknown about the Savage Brothers.They were his past.He fucked up,but I believe everything he said.Lacey told us what happened.You’ve got to believe him.”Whizz stopped talking as he looked ateach of his brothers in turn.“You’re going to turn himaway?”

Tiny let out a breath.“I hadn’tdecided on what I was going to do.Nothing makes up for the fact that Butchhas screwed up twice.He left the club for Cheryl, and now hefucked us over with the Savage Brothers.Out of all of us he was aloyal son of a bitch, but now, I just don’t know.”

“I don’t know what to think whenit comes to Butch,” Nash said.“It’s all fuckedup.BeforeCheryl he was one of the most loyal brothers to the club, and now,I don’t know.”

“You took drugs and almost killedEva because you were high.After you were clean, we voted you backin and you took the necessary beating.Butch, he fucked up, but hepaid us back.He left the club out of fear of this life.The clublife is not for everyone.We didn’t push him out, and he didn’tfuck up.Gonzalez was already a threat to the club before Butchcame back.He gave us the location and set it up for us to takedown the club.He paid us back, and you’re not going to take thatinto account?There’s a chance he can earn back his trust.”Whizzasked.“We’re a club.A family.We forgive.”He looked at each manin turn.Licking his lips, Whizz felt sick to his stomach.“We’vegot to keep Butch around.We’re not the people we are if we don’t,and I can’t remain a member if we start to cut peopleloose.”

They all looked at him inshock.

“You can’t be serious,” Tinysaid.“Butch’s situation is different from everyone else’s.He gotinnocent people killed.”

“I know that, but he’s also aSkull.None of us know what he went through to get to this point.Idon’t want to take my cut from a club who couldn’t forgive abrother.We all make mistakes, you included, Tiny.You were part ofThe Darkness in the beginning.”Whizz put the stick back on thetable.He needed to calm down.It was important to him that theynot push Butch aside.He was family, and family was what got Whizzthrough.“When I was taken and Alan was torturing me…” He stoppedas the memory gripped him hard.Not once since his attack had hespoken aloud the truth of what happened to him.“When he was rapingme, my only thought was of this club.I wouldn’t tell its secrets,and I wouldn’t doubt you in coming to get me.You’re a family atthe heart of the club.Turn your back on Butch and I don’t see areason to be part of what The Skulls have become.Butch came backto us.He lost his way, but he still came back.I understand hefucked up, but can’t we give him a chance?He made a mistake, and,yes, I agree that he should pay for what he did, but don’t youthink giving away the location of your old club helped?We wipedout the club, Tiny.They’re not a threat anymore.We wiped themout.They were an entire generation of kids that survived an attackover twenty years ago.”

None of the brothers said aword, and helooked at each of them in turn.“I know it’s hard to deal with whathappened.Butch’s situation is unique.None of us know how we’dact.Gonzalez fucked us up with Chaos Bleeds.Don’t let him tearapart this club.”

He turned away from the room andleft.Making his way up to his bedroom, he closed the door,shutting out the world.What he spoke was the truth.The Skulls were hisfamily.They took care of everyone and didn’t cast anyone aside.Ifthey didn’t give Butch a chance to come back in, he was done.Ifthey couldn’t give Butch a third chance then what hope did he haveof them accepting Lacey as his woman?She’d been part of the clubthey destroyed.They’d never accept her into the fold, and hecouldn’t live with that.Family meant everything to Whizz.TheSkulls was the only family he had left.

Whizz removed his clothes,taking a long shower, loving the feel of the hot water cascadingdown his body.With the mention of Alan, he needed the hot water tofeel clean.He picked up the soap and started to scrub at his skin.Every time he mentioned Alan or allowed the truth to enter hismind, he felt dirty.He needed to be clean.Once he was done with the shower,he climbed out, wrapping a towel around his waist.When he enteredthe bedroom he came to a stop when he saw Lacey standing in thecenter of the room.The door was wide open, and several bags wereon the bed.

“Hey,” she said smiling athim.

He closed the door, leaning against thewood.Staring at her, he took in the sight of her dressed inAngel’s old maternity clothes.The sight of the clothes did nothingto quell his raging hard-on.

“Did you have fun?”heasked.

“I did.”

He’d missed her.It had been hard not togo and find her.This had been an experiment to him to give hertrust.Not only had she gone shopping, she’d come back and no onewas harmed, apart from his wallet.He hoped Prue had made sure shebought plenty of stuff for herself.

“What happened to your face?”sheasked, dropping the bags to move toward him.She reached out totouch his face.He didn’t jerk back even though he wanted to.Whenher cool fingers touched his skin, he wasn’t scared or repulsed.Her touch felt right to him.

“I ran into Hardy’s fist.”He touched her arms, loving the feel of her close tohim.

“Why would you dothat?”

“He said some shit.I said someshit.We both said some shit, and this is what happened.”Heshrugged.“Rose came, and now she’s gone.”

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