Reckoning: An MC Shifter Romance

by Aja Foxx

  "We deal in goods mostly," Gunner continued. "We acquire them and ship them to buyers around the states."

  I swallowed tightly. "Stolen goods?"

  I glanced up when Gunner didn't answer me. His lips were pressed tightly together when I glanced up at him.

  "My apologies. I should not have asked." Obviously, I had crossed into no-man's land with that question.

  "Do you believe all motorcycle clubs are bad, Henry?"

  "I've never had anything to do with motorcycle clubs before now," I replied honestly. "I have no idea what you do beyond what I read in the newspaper."

  "I doubt anything you've read in the papers is true," Gunner said. "We're not lily white by any stretch of the imagination, but we don't kill unless we're defending ourselves, and we have no need to steal anything when we can simply buy it and sell it for a higher price somewhere else."

  Unable to hold Gunner's intense gaze a second longer, I glanced down at my hands again. "Again, you have my apologies."

  Gunner sighed. "I guess it's an honest question, but what you need to remember is that the Soldiers of Fortune is a motorcycle club, not a gang. We're a family of brothers. We stay together because normal society doesn't accept us."

  I sagged against Gunner. "Yes, I know what that is like."

  I'd never fit in with the world I'd grown up in. I always felt out of place because the things I wanted in life were laughed at and considered beneath me, but the things others craved made me sick to my stomach.

  It didn't help that I had smarts. Growing up, I had been fascinated with the abundance of things I could learn. I was always going to the library or a museum. When I got older, I preferred spending my college time learning, but others had seen it as one big party.

  I glanced up. "Did you know that there's a fruit that tastes like chocolate? It's called Black Sapote and it's from Central and South America. It's supposed to taste like sweet custard with a hint of chocolate."

  I bit my lip when Gunner raised an eyebrow.

  Was he going to make fun of me?

  "Did you know that a chef's hat has exactly one hundred pleats?" he asked instead.

  My jaw dropped.

  I countered with. "Oranges are not a natural fruit. They are a crossbreed between a tangerine and pomelos, and they were originally green, not orange."

  Gunner grinned. "The Dr. Seuss classic Green Eggs and Ham started out as a fifty dollar bet with the writer's editor."

  I started to smile. "The hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth was 2 billion degrees kelvin."

  Gunner's grin grew wider. "Queen Elizabeth is a trained mechanic."

  I liked this game. "Moonshiners used "cow shoes" to disguise their footprints during Prohibition."

  "The hottest inhabited place in the world is in Ethiopia."

  "Winston Churchill's mother was from Brooklyn."

  "Enough!" someone behind us shouted. "Make Bug head hurt."

  I laughed as I turned to look at Bug. "Don't you enjoy random facts, Bug?"

  Bug shook his head. "No."

  Okay then.

  "I love random facts," I said. "You never know when you might need one."

  "No, head stuff," Bug said before setting two plates down on the bar top. "Tummy stuff."

  "Thank you, Bug."

  "Bear back soon?"

  "He should be, Bug," Gunner said as he grabbed a fry. "Butch wanted to question the guys who took Henry and find out who they were."

  Oh shit!

  "Uh, Gunner." I swallowed tightly when Gunner glanced at me. "Detective Ross was the man who took me."

  The smile slid off Gunner's face. "You know who took you?"

  I nodded. "Detective Ross said I was being placed in protective custody for my safety."

  "Then why were you struggling to get away?"

  "Because I didn't want to go."

  "No like detective," Bug said. "He mean."

  I slowly panned to look at the guy. "You know Detective Ross?"

  Bug shrugged. "He question Bug in hospital."

  "This is the same detective who questioned you?" Gunner asked him.

  "Is same."

  I glanced at Gunner. "Could there be two detectives named Ross?"

  "That's too much of a coincidence for my liking." Gunner pulled out his phone and dialed someone. "Hey," he said after a moment. "You need to get back. We have some things to discuss." He nodded once. "Okay, I'll see you soon."

  He snapped his phone closed and slid it back in his pocket.

  "Was that Butch?"

  "Yeah, he and the others are already headed back."

  "Did they question Detective Ross?"

  "No, the guy flashed his badge so Butch couldn't touch him."

  Oh man.

  "Did I get you guys into trouble?"

  Did I get me into trouble?

  "Nothing we can't handle." Gunner gestured to my plate. "Eat up."

  I unwrapped my burger and then took a big bite of it. My eyes instantly closed as I groaned. Oh my god, it was so good. Hot and gooey just like Gunner had said. I chewed faster and then took another bite. It was just as good as the first bite.

  I almost cried when I took the last bite.

  When another tin foil wrapped bundle of goodness was placed on my plate, I glanced at Gunner. "Aren't you hungry, too?"

  "I'd rather watch you eat," Gunner replied. The pupils in his brown eyes seemed a little large. "You seem to be enjoying the food."

  "It's really good."

  "Then eat up. I can always get another one."

  "Are you sure?" I didn't want to take food from Gunner if he was hungry.

  Gunner smiled. "I'm sure, baby."

  I eagerly opened the second burger and started to lift it to my mouth, but then I paused and glanced toward Gunner. There was something in his eyes as he watched me I couldn't decipher, and was a little afraid to try. It was almost as if he were hungry, but not for food. For something I couldn't define.

  I held the burger up to his lips. Gunner's gaze grew more intense and then he slowly leaned forward and took a bite. I smiled before taking my own bite. As I chewed, I held it up to Gunner again. We did this back and forth until the burger was gone.

  "Thank you," I said. "That was very good."

  Gunner smiled. "Thank you for sharing with me."

  "I would have enjoyed eating what you cooked, but this was good, too."

  Gunner's knuckled grazed my cheek. "Oh, I'm still going to make you dinner. We just have to make sure you're safe first."

  I frowned as Gunner's words washed over me. "You really think I'm in danger?"

  "I do. I just don't know who from."

  "Me either." And that was a very uncomfortable feeling. "Nothing like this has ever happened to me before. My life has always been kind of boring."

  "Can you think of anything that has changed?"

  I shook my head. "The only thing different is my search for Butch. All of this started after the private investigator I hired told me he'd found my father."

  "Butch you father?" Bug asked.

  Huh.

  "That's a question Butch is going to have to answer, Bug," Gunner said. "You'll need to ask him."

  "Okay, Bug ask Boss man."

  I watched Bug walk away before turning back to look at Gunner. "Does Butch not want anyone to know I'm his son?"

  "I think he's more concerned with how you feel about having a biker for a father."

  "Oh." I wasn't sure how I felt. The man I'd grown up with as a father was a good man, and even knowing Butch was my biological father didn't change the fact that Norman Nash was my father.

  But there might be room for Butch.

  "You two haven't really had a chance to sit down and talk about things, have you?"

  I shook my head. "I've been too worried about Harry. He needs to be my first priority."

  "How old was he when he was diagnosed?"

  "Twelve. The doctors said puberty brought it on."

  I did
n't understand the frown that suddenly creased Gunner's forehead.

  "Puberty?" he asked.

  "That's when he started getting sick."

  "Tell me about that," Gunner said. "I...uh...I don't know anything about leukemia. You said that he was twelve when he first started getting sick. What happened?"

  "It wasn't any one thing I can put my finger on. His muscles started aching a lot. At first, my mother thought it was growing pains, but it continued, and then his head began to ache all the time and he was so hungry, but he wasn't gaining any weight. He was tired all the time and he said his bones hurt. It was just horrible, Gunner."

  "Are those usual symptoms of leukemia?"

  "Pretty much." My heart felt heavier after talking to Gunner about my brother. I would be devastated if we weren't able to find a way to save him. "Do you think Butch will help?"

  Gunner gave me a little hug. "I know he will."

  "Really?" Hope blossomed in my chest.

  "I think now that he knows about the two of you, Butch will do everything within his power to make sure you're both okay."

  I closed my eyes to hide my tears and leaned my head against Gunner's wide chest. "I just want to save my brother. If he can help me with Harry, I'll never ask for another thing as long as I live."

  I promise.

  Gunner patted my shoulder. "I'm sure he'll help."

  There was something funny in Gunner's voice, but damned if I could figure out what it was. I wasn't sure it was important now either. If Gunner said Butch would help, then I knew he was right. I trusted the man, and I didn't trust many.

  I turned and stepped back from Gunner when the front door opened and several men walked in. I recognized Butch and Bear, but the rest of them were strangers. I could tell from the similar vests they wore that they were all part of the Soldiers of Fortune.

  I scooted back up against Gunner. That was a scary lot. Every single one of them looked lethal. I doubted there was a single one of them less than six feet tall. Between them, they had more tattoos and piercings than I'd ever seen in my life.

  "Gunner, Henry," Butch said as he walked by. "My office."

  "What does that mean?" I whispered to Gunner. "Am I in trouble?"

  I wasn't sure what it meant if I was.

  "No, baby." Gunner's hand slid down to the middle of my lower back. "Butch just wants to talk to you."

  "Okay." I was scared out of my mind and hoped Gunner didn't feel me shaking.

  I walked with Gunner to Butch's office simply because I had no other choice. Gunner's hand was in my lower back, escorting me forward. I was pretty sure if I ran, I'd be caught before I took two steps.

  When we reached the office, Gunner led me over to one of the two chairs in front of the desk. He sat down in the other one.

  "Would you like a drink?" Butch asked from his seat on the other side of the desk. He already had a glass in his hand.

  "Do I need one?" I asked. Just what did he need to talk to me about? My heart lodged in my throat. "This isn't about Harry is it?"

  "No, this is about the detective."

  I winced. "I tried to tell him I didn't want to go into protective custody, but he refused to listen. He said if I didn't go with him, he'd arrest me. He wasn't even willing to wait until Gunner got back so I could tell him our dinner plans had to be canceled."

  "He said he'd arrest you?" Butch asked as if he couldn't believe I'd said that.

  I nodded quickly.

  "You do know they can't force you to go into protective custody, right?"

  I frowned as I glanced from Butch to Gunner then back again. "Then why'd he force me to go with him?"

  Butch grimaced. "That's what I'd like to know."

  "What exactly did Detective Ross say to you, Henry?" Gunner asked. "Did he tell you why he was there when you let him up?"

  "Oh, I didn't let him up. I was in the bedroom changing when I heard a noise out in the main room. I thought it was you. When I got out to the living room, Detective Ross was standing there."

  "He was already in your apartment?" Gunner asked. "Not the entryway?"

  "No, he was in the middle of the living room."

  "Henry," Butch said, "a police officer, even a detective, may not enter your place of residence unless they have a warrant or are invited in by the owner or if they believe someone's life is in danger."

  "Well, he did say he needed to take me into protective custody." That pretty much meant he thought my life was in danger.

  Didn't it?

  "He should have knocked on the door and told you that," Butch insisted. "He didn't have a right to come into your home without a warrant or an invitation."

  My brow flickered with uncertainty. "Then why did he?"

  "Tell us exactly what he said, Henry," Gunner instructed.

  "When I asked him how he'd gotten in, he said it didn't matter and that I needed to go with him. He was putting me in protective custody because my life was in danger. When I asked him why my life was in danger, he got kind of agitated and said we didn't have time to discuss it. We needed to leave before it was too late. I told him I needed to wait for my dinner guest to get back, but he grabbed my arm and started dragging me toward the elevator, telling me if I didn't go with him, he was going to arrest me."

  I couldn't decipher the look that passed between Butch and Gunner, but I knew I didn't like it. "What?" I asked. "What aren't you telling me?"

  "At any time, did you mention Gunner's name?"

  "No, why would I? Who I have for dinner is none of his business."

  "How well do you know Detective Ross?"

  "Not at all," I replied. "He and his partner questioned me after my car exploded. The only other time I've ever met the man was when he came to my apartment tonight."

  "You've never spoken to him before?"

  "No, but I talked to his partner after Bug left the hospital. He wanted the medical report on Bug's injuries for his files." What was I missing? "Why?"

  "Did you give him the medical report?"

  My head snapped back as indignation filled me. "Of course not. Without a court order, he has no right to that information. It's covered under doctor patient confidentiality."

  "I had to ask, Henry," Butch said. "We need to know how much this man knows and why he's asking questions, especially if it pertains to the Soldiers of Fortune."

  "Wait, you think this is about you guys?"

  Butch stared me straight in the face. "I'm positive of it."

  Well, damn.

  Chapter Ten

  ~ Gunner ~

  I could see that Henry was stunned by the information Butch had given him. The man's blue eyes were so rounded, they dominated his face.

  "You need to understand, Henry," Butch said, "certain elements in law enforcement want to put an end to us whether we've broken the law or not. They believe just as you do, that we're a bunch of lawless thugs."

  "Oh, I don't—"

  Butch held up his hand. "It's okay. If I'd never had any dealings with a motorcycle club, I'd believe that, too."

  Henry's cheeks flushed a lovely shade of red. "I admit I did think that, but then Gunner explained to me what a motorcycle club really was and I..." Henry shrugged. "I guess it's not so bad."

  "Not all clubs are like ours," Gunner said. "Some are just like the ones you read about in the newspapers."

  "How do you tell the difference?" Henry asked.

  "I'm not sure you can unless you live the life," Butch replied. "On the outside, we all pretty much look the same. It's the inner workings that make us different. Take the Skullmasters for instance."

  Henry's eyebrows lifted. "The...Skullmasters?"

  Burch chuckled. "Yeah, pretty stupid name, but they were a pretty stupid MC, too. We recently had a big run in with them. That's how Bug got hurt."

  "That's the motorcycle club I read about in the paper, the one where their leader went to jail?"

  Butch nodded. "Fang had it in for me for a very long time. I got him kick
ed out of the Soldiers of Fortune back when we were both still prospects."

  "Why?"

  "Fang was an abusive asshole. He kept abusing the honeys and forcing them to have sex with him. I don't agree with that type of behavior. Yeah, I like honeys as much as the next guy, but they have the right to say no to us and I don't believe there's ever a reason to leave bruises on someone unless I'm beating the shit out of some dumb fuck that deserved it."

  "After Fang got kicked out, he formed his own MC," I added in. "I suspect his need for revenge had been burning for a very long time. Bear and Bug almost died when he blew up our warehouse and then several of us got injured when he used an RPG on the clubhouse."

  Henry gasped. "Why would he do that?"

  "He was trying to get us to leave the city so he could take over our territory."

  "That's why you guys got Bug out of the hospital so fast, why you told me his life was in danger."

  I nodded. "At the time, we didn't know who was after us, just that someone was. It wasn't safe for Bug to be at the hospital. If Fang and his gang had come in there, a lot of innocent people would have been hurt."

  Henry's face was a little pale when he swallowed and met my eyes. "They're all behind bars, right?"

  "The Skullmasters have been disbanded," Butch said, "and all those involved with the attack on our MC have gone to jail."

  "How do you live with your life being danger like that all the time?"

  "It's actually not like that all the time," I quickly said. I had no idea why I was trying to show our MC in a good light so hard. "Usually, things are pretty quiet. It just seems to be a little livelier lately."

  "But, aren't you ever scared?"

  I glanced at Butch, unsure how to answer that question.

  "I think we're all aware that there is a certain level of danger belonging to a motorcycle club," Butch said carefully, as if he was trying to reassure Henry as well. "But you have to remember, there's danger in crossing the street. Just because we all live here and we ride motorcycles doesn't mean we're always in danger. In fact, I'd say it's a bit safer. There's always someone on duty to keep things secure, and if one of us ever has a problem, the entire club has a problem."

  Henry glanced at me. "That's what you meant by being brothers?"

  I smiled as I nodded.