Chapter 5- Broken Promises

Natalie's POV “This s**t won't happen in front of her. Take his ass out of here and lock the fucker down.” I looked toward the man who'd spoken. His vest said Sword. Before the greasy bastard could argue, another biker drove his fist into the man's stomach. He doubled over with a grunt before two men grabbed him and dragged him away. I stood frozen behind Crank, watching until the man disappeared down the hallway. My throat hurt. My hands wouldn't stop shaking, and all I could think about was how close that man had gotten to hurting me and my baby. Crank turned toward me, his expression darkening as he looked me over. “He do that to your neck?” I nodded. Fresh tears spilled down my cheeks. “Come on, Natalie. Let's get you sitting down.” Crank gently guided me toward the couches. “Someone go get Prez,” one of the men called out. “His ass is with Babet.” I didn't care where Butcher was. As far as I was concerned, he could stay there. Someone handed me a bottle of water. I held it between my trembling hands, struggling to twist the cap. Crank took it from me, opened it, and handed it back. “You good, Darlin?” I shook my head. “No. I want to leave.” His expression tightened. “Nothing like that is gonna happen again. I swear I'll protect you.” I stared at him. “I was almost just r***d, Crank. I was supposed to be safe here.” My voice cracked on the last few words. Butcher had dragged me into this clubhouse, threatened me, and made it clear I wasn't allowed to leave. Then some disgusting man had walked straight into my locked bedroom and attacked me. And these people wanted me to believe I was safe? My stomach suddenly pitched. Oh, no. I clapped a hand over my mouth and jumped to my feet. “Bathroom?” Crank pointed down the hallway, but I was already moving. I barely made it to the toilet before throwing up what little lunch I'd managed to eat. Wonderful. As if today hadn't been miserable enough. I gripped the edge of the toilet, waiting for my stomach to settle. My throat burned, making the soreness from that man's hand even worse. I was still trying to catch my breath when the bathroom door burst open. I jerked in fright. “Your ass good?” Butcher. Of course. I pushed myself upright, placing my hands on my hips while I struggled to breathe normally. “No. I'm done here.” He frowned. “What the f**k are you talking about?” “You said I had to stay here for my protection. Some f*****g protection, though! I was just almost r***d!” His jaw tightened. “I know what happened.” “Then you know why I'm leaving. I want my keys, Butcher. I'm not staying here.” “Your ass went through some f****d-up s**t, but you're not f*****g leaving. It's not safe for our kid out there.” I threw my arms out. “LIKE MY BABY IS SAFE HERE?” He stared at me. “You grabbed my arm and threatened me earlier! Then, after I locked my bedroom door, some asshole apparently took that as an invitation to come inside and r**e me!” Butcher drew a slow breath through his nose. I didn't care how angry he looked. I'd had enough. “You can't go home, Natalie.” “Watch me.” “Someone broke into your f*****g house.” I went still. “What?” “The prospects went to collect your s**t. Someone got there before them. Your place was f*****g trashed.” For a moment, I couldn't speak. My house? Someone had broken into my house? The little home I'd worked so hard for. The place where I'd planned to bring my baby after giving birth. I'd already started buying things here and there. Nothing extravagant, just a few little outfits and supplies whenever I had extra money. That was supposed to be our safe place. And now someone had violated it. “Who?” I whispered. “Don't f*****g know yet.” I pressed my hands against my head. This couldn't be happening. “Fine. I'll go to Florida. Stay with my parents for a while.” Butcher shook his head. “They'll follow your ass there.” “You don't know that!” “And I'm not taking the f*****g chance.” I looked up at the ceiling, trying not to scream. Helping Butcher six months ago was beginning to feel like the biggest mistake of my life. I'd done what any decent medical professional should've done. The man had been seriously injured, and I'd helped him. Now my home had been broken into, my baby was apparently in danger, and I couldn't even leave the place where I'd nearly been assaulted. All because of the baby's father. “Come on. Sit your ass down.” Butcher reached toward me. I immediately backed away. “Don't touch me.” His hand stopped. “I've had all I can take today from people thinking they can put their hands on me.” For several seconds, neither of us moved. Then Butcher raised both hands. “Fine. But come the f**k out of here.” He stepped aside. I rinsed my mouth at the sink before following him back into the main room. The moment I entered, several pairs of eyes turned toward me. Fantastic. Just what I needed. An audience. Crank approached immediately. “Drink some water, Darlin. Come sit down.” I followed him to the couch. At least Crank seemed like someone I could trust. He waited until I was seated before pulling up a chair. “Natalie, I need you to tell me exactly what the f**k happened.” I took a deep breath. “I was sitting in the bedroom, scrolling on my phone, when that piece of s**t walked in. I know I locked the door earlier, before I took my shower.” Crank's expression hardened. “What'd he say?” I swallowed. “He said, ‘You sure are pretty. The kid was right about you.’” Sword, standing nearby, looked toward Butcher. I didn't miss the exchange, but I was too upset to ask what it meant. “I told him to leave. I even told him Butcher wouldn't want him in my room.” My stomach twisted as I remembered the man's disgusting smile. “But he said, ‘What Butcher doesn't know won't hurt him.’” Crank's jaw clenched. “So I started screaming. As loud as I could. Nobody came.” My voice began shaking again. “He grabbed me by the throat. I couldn't breathe properly, so I kneed him in the balls and ran.” I looked down at my hands. I wasn't going to look at Butcher. He'd put me here. He'd promised protection. And this was what happened. “Anything else, Darlin?” Crank asked. I shook my head. “No.” Butcher turned toward Sword. “Keep that fucker locked down until I can dish out the f*****g punishment myself.” “Already handled, Prez.” I stared at the floor. Wonderful. The man who'd tried to r**e me was apparently getting some kind of punishment. Meanwhile, Butcher could grab me, threaten me, and scream in my face without anyone saying a damn thing. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from scoffing. I needed to get out of here. Somehow. And I sure as hell needed to figure out how to keep Butcher from taking my baby. Because after today, I didn't trust him. Not one damn bit. “We need to get going.” Butcher's voice interrupted my thoughts. I looked up. He stood beside the couch, holding out his hand. I stared at it. No, thank you. I stood on my own. His expression darkened, but thankfully, he didn't say anything. “Darlin, you need to put some shoes on,” Crank said. I looked down. Well, crap. In my rush to escape that disgusting man, I'd completely forgotten I wasn't wearing any. “Will you walk with me, please?” I asked Crank. “Of course.” He fell into step beside me as we headed down the hallway. “He's a stubborn asshole,” Crank said after a moment. “Runs in our DNA. Give him a minute to show you who he is.” I glanced at him. “No offense, Crank, but at this point, I don't have much faith in the man.” He nodded. “Can't say I blame you for that.” At least he wasn't trying to convince me I'd imagined everything. “The men in our family were raised hard,” he continued. “Stupidity wins out ninety percent of the time. But when we finally get our heads out of our asses, we're not too bad.” I stopped outside the bedroom. “So basically, you're telling me to pray this baby's a girl, so I don't have to worry about any of this in the future?” Crank threw his head back and laughed. A big, booming laugh that echoed down the hallway. “Yeah, Darlin. Something like that.” Despite everything, I managed a small smile. It didn't make what happened any better. But for a moment, I appreciated having someone around who didn't make me feel like I was constantly walking on eggshells. Crank waited outside while I slipped into my shoes. I grabbed my phone and purse, then checked that I had everything I needed. I wasn't thrilled about meeting Butcher's family. Especially not after the day I'd had. But I also wasn't willing to walk back through that clubhouse alone. When I stepped into the hallway, Crank was still waiting. “Ready, Darlin?” I took a breath. “Not even a little.” He chuckled. “Come on. Let's get this over with.” I followed him toward the main room, wondering how much worse this day could possibly get. Knowing my luck? I probably shouldn't have asked.