He was ushering the girls out into safety. Axel would be waiting for them with another group of backups from the Bad Disciples, to take the girls. That was the plan.
“You!” I heard a voice behind me and I turned with my gun pointed.
It was Viper and he had his teeth gritted and he was throwing himself at me. I pulled the trigger but I was out of bullets and his hands curled around my neck.
I pushed back, reaching for his neck as I tried to strangle him at the same time. His eyes were bloodshot, bulging as we both tried to kill each other. I wanted to kill him with my bare hands for touching Brooklyn. I didn’t care if he killed me in the process. I could feel myself choking, the flesh on my bicep burning where the bullet had cut it open.
Then we heard the sirens. Viper weakened his grip around my neck and I took the opportunity to throw a punch at him. My knuckles met bone and he staggered back on his feet.
“Fuck!” he screamed and I punched him in the stomach, knocking the breath out of him. There was blood dripping from his nose and he was bent over, holding his stomach. No. I didn’t want him to die like this. I wanted him to die slowly. Painfully.
“Gunner!” I heard Tank’s voice.
“We have to go now!” Glock yelled out to me. Someone had called the cops. It could have been one of the girls who might have run away before Axel caught her.
I could see everyone running out of the warehouse, the Bad Disciples and the Dragon Knights alike. None of us wanted to get involved with the cops. Viper was still hunched over, trying to gather himself.
“I have to go get Brooklyn,” I said to Glock.
“We’re going to get all those girls back,” I heard Viper say and I threw him a look over my shoulder as I walked back into the warehouse. “We’re going to come back stronger than before. You guys are dead meat,” he said as he lay crumpled on the floor and I nearly smiled. It was over for them, he just didn’t know it yet.
In the dark, I ran through the corridors. They were all empty. Everyone had left. I could hear the cop sirens outside getting closer.
“Brooklyn!” I screamed for her, hoping she was all right.
“Gunner!” I heard her say and I followed the voice.
When I found her, she ran into my open arms and I pulled her to me. She kissed the side of my neck.
“We have to get out of here. The cops are coming,” I said, grabbing her face with both hands and she nodded.
“Bastards,” she said and we smiled at each other.
“Did you get all of them?” she asked as I locked her hand in mine, leading her through the corridors towards the door on the side that we had come in through.
I looked at her and smiled and a wash of relief flooded her eyes.
“It sounded awful out there. I wish I could have helped,” I heard her say.
“I just needed you to stay out of it. I’m glad you did,” I said to her as we ran out in the open.
23
Brooklyn
I was sitting on Gunner’s Harley behind him; with my arms wrapped tightly at his waist. I could feel the wind in my hair, it lashed against my face and nothing felt sweeter than this freedom.
I laid my face on Gunner’s back and I felt his muscles move underneath my cheek. I’d thought he was dead. Viper had convinced me that they got him. But here he was, in the flesh and I was holding him. He had saved me, just like I knew he would.
This man who I thought I didn’t know, was now the only person in the world I could trust. It was strange to imagine that the people who I considered to be family were the ones who had put me in this situation. This guy who I had just met was the one who had saved me from them.
I slipped my fingers underneath his t-shirt, just to feel the warmth of his skin. I breathed in deeply and his scent tingled my nose. Just an hour ago, I believed that I was going to be forced to have sex with some kind of monster. Gunner had saved me from it.
I was surprised when he slowed the bike and eventually brought it to a stop on the side of the road. The sound of the cop sirens was still in the air, but we were far enough away for nobody to find us.
Gunner turned to me, before jumping off the bike.
“I needed to stop,” he said in a deep throaty voice. His blue eyes were sparkling and he looked strong and I bit down on my lip.
“Why?” I asked him and without saying anything, he leaned towards me and pressed his lips to mine. I gasped when our mouths touched and I sucked in his breath. His hands had reached up for my face and he was holding me in position, sliding his tongue in and out of my mouth. It was the same motion he would have used if his cock was inside me and I couldn’t stop myself from imagining it. I wanted him inside me again. At this most inappropriate moment!
Gunner pulled himself away from me and I noticed that he had a smile on his face.
“You were touching me. I needed to kiss you,” he said and I sensed my cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interfere with the ride,” I said and he leaned over and kissed my lips lightly again.
“It isn’t your fault that you have an irresistible effect on me,” he said and I was blushing again.
He was leaning against me, against the parked bike, and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. I felt safe there with him, like nothing could happen to me. He was strong and muscular and he smelt of fire and metal. I wanted his mouth on mine again, but I was too shy to initiate a kiss.
“Brooklyn…are you hurt?” he asked, placing a hooked finger underneath my chin. With that he tipped my face up towards him and peered into my eyes.
“Not physically. Not anymore,” I said in a soft voice. Gunner’s eyes had turned stormy again. He was angry about something, when all I could feel was joy. Joy at seeing him again.
“You said they hit you,” he said and I shook my head.
“That was before, in my apartment. They didn’t after that,” I said and Gunner studied my face, as though he was looking for bruises or Vipers.
“I shouldn’t have left you alone in the apartment,” he said and I shook my head.
“It wasn’t your fault. I should have listened to you and left the bar with you last night. Then none of this would have happened,” I said and he stroked my chin gently with his thumb. His eyes were still focused on me.
“You didn’t know. You trusted them and you were loyal to your family’s memory,” he said and I gulped.
“How could they do this to me? Daddy…Luke…” I began to say and he took me into his arms again. The tears that were flooding my eyes again seemed to disappear the moment our bodies met.
“They would never would have condoned this, Brooklyn. You can’t blame them,” he said and I buried my face in his chest. I could have spent my life in his arms, that was how relieved I was to be there. He was stroking my hair affectionately now.
“What’s going to happen to the girls?” I asked, without looking at him.
“I’m not sure, but Axel will make sure that they are taken care of. We don’t know how long they’ve been in captivity at that warehouse. We don’t know where they’re from,” he said and gently pulled me away from him so that he could look into my eyes. “But I promise you, Brooklyn, I’ll make sure that they get away as far as possible from here,” he said and I nodded my head.
“I can’t believe I’m with you…you’re with the Bad Disciples,” I said with a laugh.
“Jenson would have been disappointed in you. I mean, Luke,” he said and I shook my head.
“Are you kidding me? He wouldn’t have been with the Dragon Knights anymore if he knew what they were doing. He wouldn’t have let them treat me like this. And he would have been grateful to you for what you did for me,” I said and Gunner leaned in to place a long wet kiss on my forehead.
“I don’t need thanks for this, Brooklyn. I came for you because of myself. Because I wanted to see you safe. Because I wanted us to be together again,” he said and this time, I couldn’t stop myself from beamin
g. I kissed him, sucking his lips into my mouth and he leaned me over the bike, holding me by my waist. Our lips remained locked together and I was convinced that he was never going to let me go.
24
Gunner
I rode to The Rusty Pelican with Brooklyn and for the first time since Afghanistan, I felt a sense of accomplishment. I had rescued Jenson’s sister and I knew that in some way, I had returned my debt to him. I wasn’t so sure about how the Bad Disciples or Axel would feel about bringing a Dragon Knight’s associate to the bar. Rescuing her along with the other girls was one thing, but bringing her into our holy lair was another.
I could sense that Brooklyn was nervous about it as well. When I stopped outside the bar, I helped her off the bike and we kissed again. A short and sweet kiss to help ease her nervousness.
“It’s going to be all right,” I said to her, stroking her hair. Brooklyn’s eyes were panicky and she looked tired.
“We’ve been rivals for so long. I’m not sure that they would appreciate you bringing me here,” she said, smoothening the top of her messy brown hair. It had come undone and her curls had begun to straighten. She was still the most beautiful creature I’d set my eyes on.
“I know this will be difficult for all of us, but I had to bring you here, you understand?” I said and she nodded her head.
“I want to thank all your friends personally, for everything they’ve done for me and the girls,” she said and I reached for her hand.
“Then let’s go inside,” I said and tugged at her hand. Brooklyn seemed to hesitate and when our gazes locked, I could sense that she needed more time.
“Hey, I’ll be right beside you the whole time. And if they don’t accept you, we’ll leave together,” I told her. She shook her head.
“No, I can’t do that to you. I know what family and loyalty mean. I don’t want you to get into trouble with them because of me,” she said, in a small weak voice and I reached for her face and pulled her to me again.
“You mean more to me than my loyalty to a MC Club,” I said and couldn’t believe I was actually saying those words. My father nor Bryce would have been shocked and disapproving of those words. But they weren’t in my position and they didn’t know Brooklyn! She had managed to change my life in just a few days.
She smiled at me weakly and then we walked towards the bar with our hands in each others.
We could hear everyone cheering and celebrating inside as I pushed open the door. It was a victorious day and we had managed to win the war without losing any of our guys. The music was loud, the room was smoky and everyone was drinking and congratulating each other. When Brooklyn and I entered, several heads turned to us, including Glock, Tank and the others. Axel was in the middle of chugging down a big glass of beer, which he emptied down his throat and then slowly placed on the bar counter.
The cheering and the voices died down the moment everyone realized that a Dragon Knight associate was amongst us. Axel had fixed his eyes on us too, a narrowed threatening gaze. Brooklyn wriggled her hand out of mine and I could sense how much more nervous she now was.
“Gunner,” Axel said, in a slow drawling voice and I clenched my jaw.
“Why have you brought her here?” Thor spoke up and I looked him straight in the eye.
“She wanted to thank you all for rescuing her and the other girls,” I said in a loud and clear voice.
The music had been turned low by someone and nobody was saying a word, waiting for Axel’s reaction.
“You are Brooklyn Jenson,” Axel said, turning his gaze to her now. Brooklyn gulped nervously and then stuck her nose up in the air, showing bravery. I knew that she was exhausted and also insecure in these surroundings.
“Adam Jenson’s daughter,” Axel continued and Brooklyn finally parted her lips to speak.
“Yes,” she replied, as proudly as she could.
“Your father would have been pissed if he knew that you were here. Amongst us,” Axel said, looking around him at his men.
“Axel, she was going to be used for prostitution by the Dragon Knights,” I interrupted him and he held up a hand to silence me.
“Do you know how your father felt about us?” Axel said to her and Brooklyn nodded her head.
“Yes, but he didn’t know what the Dragon Knights would do to me once he was dead,” she said, meeting Axel’s eyes.
They were glaring at each other and I was beginning to feel like this was a bad idea. I should never have brought her here.
“You’re a very brave girl. I hear that you put up a fight,” Axel said, in the same voice but his eyes had relaxed. Brooklyn gulped again and nodded her head.
“My father and brother made sure that I learned to stand up for myself,” she replied and Axel started walking towards her now. I stepped in closer to her, but he continued on his path.
They were facing off now, Brooklyn was glaring back at him.
“Your father and Gunner’s father used to be best friends,” he told her and Brooklyn snapped her head around to look at me. I could see the surprise in her eyes; the same shock I got when Axel had told me this earlier.
“And while we all disagreed with each other, I know for a fact that Adam Jenson would not have wanted his club to turn to this,” Axel said and then he smiled at Brooklyn. She was beginning to smile as well.
“Welcome to the Bad Disciples sweetheart. You have our protection,” he said and throwing his arms around Brooklyn, he dragged her into a warm fatherly hug. Everyone around us cheered loudly and I could breathe again.
I looked over across the room and saw Brooklyn standing in the middle of a circle of my friends. Glock, Tank, Hunter, Sniper and even Ethan were chatting with her, pouring her drinks. They all wanted to get as much inside information about the Dragon Knights as they could from her. Brooklyn looked relaxed. If she was exhausted, she wasn’t showing it. She was talking and laughing and exchanging high-fives with the boys and I was just relieved that she was safe.
“She’s a good girl,” I heard Axel’s voice behind me. I turned to look at him and then nodded my head.
“I had no idea who she was when I met her,” I said to him and he nodded his head and smiled.
“Yeah, we never really mixed with the Dragon Knights, but I’m sure Nicholas and Adam would have both been pleased to see their children together, looking out for each other,” Axel said, and hearing my father’s name was another reminder of my life. And how different it would be, now that I had Brooklyn in it.
“I hope you can forget about what happened in Afghanistan, son. You need to move on from that,” Axel said and we looked at each other, and I thought I saw concern in the older man’s eyes.
“I’m beginning to. I want to thank you for your support, Axel,” I said and held out a hand to him.
“You are an Alton and an important member of the Bad Disciples; of course, you have my support. And you have my blessing to be with Brooklyn Jenson,” he said and then shook my hand. I smiled at him, before turning and walking up to my group.
I noticed the way Brooklyn’s eyes lit up when she saw me, and I pushed past Sniper and Hunter to get to her. She wrapped her arms around me and rested her head on my chest. The others laughed and cheered.
“I was just telling Brooklyn how she needs to do something about your clothes,” Glock said with a laugh and she looked up at me adoringly.
“And I was telling him how I like what you wear,” she said and the others laughed.
“Glock once tried out for an Abercrombie and Fitch photoshoot,” I said and everyone burst out laughing, punching Glock playfully on his arm.
“That’s a lie. Don’t believe everything this guy tells you,” he said and Brooklyn and I locked eyes. I had a feeling she was going to believe everything I told her. We had built a kind of trust between us which would be very difficult to break.
Now that she was safely back in my arms, I knew that she was out of danger and I could see it in her eyes that she knew it too.
&n
bsp; 25
Brooklyn
Seven months later
I woke up to the light streaming in through the lace curtains I had put up in our bedroom. Gunner’s arm was protectively wound around my breasts as he slept beside me. I looked at him sleeping, with his brows relaxed and a peaceful expression on his face. He hadn’t had a nightmare in several months. The PTSD he was suffering from after Afghanistan had slowly but surely started to disappear and I was thankful for that.
He woke up less often in cold sweats now and even when he did, all it took was for us to talk for a few minutes before he could go back to sleep again. I didn’t think that Gunner could ever forgive himself for what had happened to Luke, but he was getting better. He was learning to live with it and accept himself for it. I of course knew that there was no blame. Luke had always taken risks and it had eventually gotten him killed. That was the whole truth and it had never been Gunner’s fault.
I watched him as he slept and a wave of love for him rose up in my chest. I kissed him on his forehead and his eyelids fluttered, and I looked around the room. It never failed to amaze me; the way our lives had changed in the past seven months. When I met him, this apartment was completely bare. Now, it was beginning to look like a home. Our home.
I ran my fingers over the bulge of his biceps, feeling the rough texture of his skin which was covered with tattoos, including a skull wearing a crown. He still had the metal tags on a chain around his neck, a reminder of his military past and I kissed his shoulder again. Gunner blinked his eyes open and when he saw me, he pulled me to himself with a smile. No matter how late he worked, I always woke up with him beside me, in his arms. I couldn’t remember the last time I had experienced this kind of stability in my life, and I was dating a biker!
Gunner (The Bad Disciples MC Book 1) Page 14