Page 87 of Shattered Union

The door to the pub opens, and then I hear the loud roar. "Where is she?"

"Ah, Lord above," I grumble.

"Calm down, she's grand. She's sitting right there,” Ava informs him.

Butch crooks his finger at me.

I sigh. “Excuse me for a moment,” I tell them as I get to my feet. “Want to come?” I ask Denis. “May as well get this over with.”

He grins at me. “Sure, why not.”

When Denis gets to his feet, I see my uncle’s eyes narrow. Oh, this should be fun.

25

Denis

Butch glares at me as Callie and I walk toward him. The biker has a reputation, he's not one to lose his head; he's cold, calculated, and deadly. He's someone I respect because of how he conducts his business.

"Butch," I greet him with a nod of the head. We follow him as he moves to the table that’s beside the bar.

This meeting can go one of two ways. He can get his head out of his arse and realise his niece is old enough to make her own decisions and go along with it. Or they'll be harsh words said and I'll end up taking out his entire chapter.

"Don't." The hiss comes from Callie. She's standing with her arms crossed, glaring at the both of us. "I'm not dealing with this macho bullshit. Butch, I love you, but you're going to have to get used to the fact that I'm with Denis. I'm pregnant for crying out loud." She turns to me. Her lips thinned. "Don't antagonize him."

Butch's lips twitch from under his beard. "Alright, Callie girl. So tell me about your visit from the pigs."

Callie rolls her eyes and then regales what happened from the moment she got a call from her bar manager to walking in and finding her pub wrecked from the search. She tells us about the ignorant prick who spoke to her in her office. My anger at the situation is once again rising.

Someone is trying to bring my woman down, and there's no fucking way I'll ever let that happen. She's worked her fucking arse off to get to where she is. No one is bringing her down. I'd take them out before they get that far.

"Bernard's on his way," she tells her uncle. "You're going to behave," she warns him like he's a child. "He's doing me a favour, so don't be a dick."

Butch's lips twitch once again. "I'll try my best. Don't expect much, the fucker's a traitor."

"I get why he became one. He's never betrayed any of the family, Butch. Not once."

He inclines his head slightly. "You’re right. I still don't like it."

She purses her lips. "But you'll behave?"

He doesn't answer her, just smiles.

The door to the pub opens, and the entire place goes deathly quiet.

"Ara, would you look," Butch grunts. "The traitor’s here."

I spare the newcomer another glance and see the resemblance to Butch. His dirty-blonde hair is just as unkempt as his uncles. Most of the O'Haras all seem to have blue eyes along with the blonde hair. His head is held high as his gaze finds Callie.

"Gentlemen, as much as I love you, neither of you should be around a Gard. Please don't kill each other while I'm gone." She kisses my cheek as she gets to her feet. "I won't be long," she assures me.

I watch as she walks toward the cop, who's smiling at her with a lot of love and affection. The two of them hug before she leads him upstairs to the quieter tier of the pub.

"They're close," Eric tells me as he takes a seat beside me. "Callie has a big heart, always has."

Butch nods at his brother's words. "She collects strays, always has. Look at Stephen and that eejit, Freddie."

Eric grins. "That's our Callie. She welcomes everyone with open arms. Piss her off though." He shakes her head. "I'm surprised she gave you another chance," he tells me with a raised brow.

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