Page 36 of Savage Outlaw

“I’m good, man. Pumped for this, you know?” He parked his ass on a bench and drained the bottle.

This weekend was a big cage fight for Tag. The biggest yet. It would be the pinnacle for money and notoriety, and he’s been training like a beast. With three wins under his belt in the last six months, he’s started to get more notice. Not just from the underground audience. Everyone suddenly wanted to invest in a piece of the RSMC champ. Talk was that some big name from New York was coming to watch the fight. Tag was on cloud fucking nine. More so now that he owned his own gym. The basement gym at the club was fine to keep in shape, but he needed to up his strength training. It’s win-win for both Tag and the club seeing as they always needed lucrative and legal businesses for the clean books.

The gym took up a whole block. Anything associated with theSoulsbrought in the crowd.

Butcher grabbed a seat next to Tag. “Let me see your wrist.”

“It’s fine.”

“Don’t be a big fucking baby, let me check it or the big bastard this weekend will flatten you before you get into the cage.”

“Screw that,” Tag chuckled and let Butcher examine a recent sprain. It had slight swelling but icing it would fix that. While they talked, Butcher prepared an ice pack. Tag winced when he put the pack on his arm too roughly. “Whoa, now we know why you’re called the Butcher, try not to break me before Saturday.”

“Sorry, man.” He plonked down on the bench. “My head is fucked up over Roux.”

Tag’s blond brows hit his sweat slicked hair. “You’re kicking it with that girl again?”

Butcher needed someone to talk to, he was going stir fucking crazy.

“Truth? Never stopped. We hook up now and then. It’s all she’ll give me.”

“Holy fuck, Tad.” Tag whistled. “You’re crazy man, you forgot the beatdown you got from Axel?”

Forgotten? His shattered knee still hurt in cold weather. He’d never forget the day he turned up to surprise the girl he felt things for to find out she was not eighteen yet and the daughter of a rival club.

Yeah, fun fucking times.

He could still hear Roux’s quiet cries when she’d sneaked into his hospital room and begged for forgiveness. He was pathetic because instead of being pissed off at her, he comforted her.

She’d kissed him that night. On his lips, on every bruise on his face, whispering her regret for lying but not for being with him. As he’d laid there broken all over, threads started to twine around Roux, linking their pain together.

He’d wanted her ever since. Nothing shook the girl from his chest.

“It’s a fucking mess. Apparently she’s engaged. To aDiablo.” Tag sucked through his teeth, listening. “I don’t buy it. There’s more sexual chemistry between me and Hawk.”

With a laugh, Tag asked, “You got a death wish, Butcher? No offense to the chick, but there must be easier sex out there than getting yourself killed by Axel.”

“I’m not afraid of that guy.”

“Messing with a club princess, knowing who she is and what kind of tight rein Axel will have on his girl, you kinda need to be afraid, man. Fuck, even I wouldn’t go there.”

“You nearly did with Gia,” Butcher reminded, and Tag griped. “Fuck off with that. I liked her for three minutes, nothing would have come of it. But she’s a sister, not a daughter. Who’s patch has she got?”

The bile rose heavy in Butcher’s throat picturing Roux wearing a claimed patch by another biker. He couldn’t stand it.

She’d wear only one patch. His.

The pain in his jaw reminded Butcher to stop grinding his back molars. He all but growled, “Reno.”

“Fuck, for real? And Axel’s fine with the manslut with his girl?”

He shrugged at the question. Nothing made sense. For all his shit, Butcher didn’t much like Axel, but he’d shown himself to be a good, protective dad. To be fine with Reno hooking up with Roux… yeah, he smelled bullshit.

“Could be worse, I suppose.” Tag said tossing the towel away after he’d sluiced it down his bare chest and then he pulled on another wifebeater. “She could be shackled with his mad twin.”

Butcher snorted. That was true, he guessed.

Ruin was not a guy any woman should voluntarily hook her wagon to.

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