Page 169 of Fury

Ah, he didn’t like that very much. “She was concerned about her brother’s fate at your hands.”

“He’s been fucking my old lady.”

“And I’m guessing, she’s been fucking him right back. Your honeymoon phase is over already?”

Butler’s jaw clenched, his face tightening. The big show was over, and he knew it. And now he had a problem on his hands—business, not personal.

I’d sent Butler Reich’s way to do some digging for me, and he’d ended up doing a dangerous job for Reich and doing it well. Then Butler had told me Reich had warmed up to him and trusted him with another job, but he’d never gotten back to me on the details. I knew Butler was driven to get back in with his club as if the dogs of hell were biting at his ass cheeks, he’d told me so himself. So when I’d heard he’d hooked up formally with Reich’s young sister-in-law and brought her to Meager, I’d had my doubts that true love was the reason.

Why go this far? Was he more ambitious than I’d given him credit for?

Butler had ended his exile and scored major points with his club when he’d given the Jacks their wanted criminal, Creeper. He’d scored more points by bringing a new money-making project to the Jacks, in the form of a job for me. Had Butler hooked up with Reich’s sister-in-law to have access to more business opportunities through Reich? Had he been playing both sides to win big all along? He’d set his pretty Baked Alaska aflame. But with his “old lady” stepping out on him, he now had a melted soggy mess on his hands.

Tonight, the curtain had been pulled back on the blond wizard. Nina’s adultery was going to attract Reich’s attention—the girl wasn’t happy and causing problems between brothers, and even worse, between two clubs. And once again, my boy had gotten himself in the thick of a clusterfuck.

Good times were ahead.

Butler said nothing at my honeymoon remark, only a muscle pulsed along his jaw.

No, he didn’t seem torn up about his old lady getting it from someone else as much as he seemed inconvenienced. Yeah, that was the word for it. I’d seen plenty of men find out about being cheated on. They’d slam into and wreck everything in sight—objects, people, often their women, and especially the other men their women had played with.

And here was Butler being the responsible albeit tense host, showing me to his enemy’s holding cell. Was he going to offer me a choice of flavored coffee next to make my visit as comfortable as possible?

Butler only took in a tense breath and continued down the metal stairs, headed down a short hallway, and finally unlocked a thick metal door, gesturing inside. I stepped into the room. Catch was slumped over, head in hands, a bottle at his side, blood and bruises marring his visible skin, jeans torn and bloodied. They’d had a field day with him. Probably every single Jack.

Butler closed the door behind me, leaving me alone with him.

I planted my feet in front of Catch. “You fucked up. Again.”

A bruised and swollen eye slowly blinked up at me, a muffled groan rising from his torn lips. His one hand gripped the bottle as if he were steadying himself on it.

I crouched down in front of him. “What am I going to do with you, Catch? You’re acting like some young pup, I can’t—”

“I love her,” slid from his lips along with a small stream of whisky, blood, and saliva.

I stilled.

I’d never heard such an effortless and candid confession out of Catch before. He usually hemmed and hawed, shifted his eyes, his body, tried every verbal angle to shimmy and shade and sway his way out of a definitive black and white reply.

He loved her. Rock hard truth.

I dragged my teeth across my bottom lip. “That’s what you got for me? For fucking with an old lady from another club? Butler’s old lady? He’s a friend of mine, we work together. You know this.”

“I know. I know how stupid it was to cross that thick red line.”

“Glad to hear it.”

His bloodshot eyes gleamed. “But I couldn’t help myself. I love her. And knowing she’s here, with him, but wanting me makes me fucking crazy.”

The raw, haunted passion in his voice stabbed at my chest. I’d never allowed myself to wallow in feeling. I’d never given in to that particular throbbing torment or I’d have never gotten up on my feet again and faced another day.

But here was my boy, trying to make sense of it all.

“Are you sure it’s you she wants and not just some adventure, some playtime?” I asked.

“I’m sure.” He let out a ragged exhale. He was exhausted. “And before you say it, she isn’t just another girl to me. From the beginning, I knew that it was wrong. I knew what was at stake, but I couldn’t stay away from her. I can’t.” He brought the bottle to his chest and closed his eyes again, his head sinking back against the wall. “I’m sorry, Prez. I’m sorry you had to come save my ass, clean up my fucking mess, yet again. You don’t deserve that. You’ve been nothing but good to me—” he coughed thickly, wiping at his mouth. “—and I’ve disappointed you.”

Catch had disappointed me, but he’d also impressed me.

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