GUNNER: MC ROMANCE (Forsaken Riders MC Romance Book 4)

by Samantha Leal

  She threw the bag of fruit into her car via the open window and crossed the street to the other side. The usual collection of men sat outside the barber shop, and as she approached them, some of the older guys got to their feet to greet her.

  “Holly, how are you doing?” a man named Mitch asked her. He had been one of her father’s closest friends.

  “I’m good, thank you,” she said as she wrapped her arms around him for a reassuring hug. “But what is going on down here today?”

  “What, you mean you haven’t heard?” Mitch asked with raised eyebrows. “I thought you gals in the diner would be the first to hear, what with all the people you got passing through…”

  “I haven’t been in this morning,” she said. “I woke up late and came straight down here… I don’t even know where my cell phone is, so God knows if Elle has tried to get me… What’s happening?” She looked up at Mitch with wide eyes as her heart began to race. She could tell from his expression that it was something bad.

  “Looks like the old ways are coming back,” he said finally. “You were only young when they were driven out of Red Creek, but folks always thought they’d come back…”

  Holly shook her head with bewilderment and looked around at the serious faces all around her. They were all in various states of fear, disappointment and sadness. The old men of Red Creek, whose families had been there for generations and been some of the founding members were all in front of her now and looked as if they were on the verge of a breakdown.

  “The outlaws…” Mitch said ominously. “They’re back.”

  As Holly looked up into his eyes, she heard the thunder of wild engines in the distance. They were loud, heavy and growled through the peaceful streets like a hot knife cutting through butter. Her skin prickled as she turned and watched the scene in front of her unfolding… Under the light of the sun, the glint of silver shone so brightly she had to lift her hand to cover her eyes.

  There could have been hundreds of them. She never would have been able to count… But right there in front of her, wild men, with long hair, stubbly faces and long beards, covered in leather and tattoos, came roaring into the streets on the backs of some of the loudest and most powerful motorcycles she had ever seen.

  Her mouth gaped open as she watched them circling around the streets and revving their engines. These men were dangerous, and they meant business. And by the looks of things, they had just claimed her town.

  4.

  As Holly pulled into the parking lot at the diner, a plume of sandy dust sprayed out behind her car’s wheels. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and the only person she wanted to see was Elle. She jumped out of the driver’s side and ran up the steps to the front door and pushed it open. The little bell tinged above her head, and a few of the truckers on their stood turned slightly to clock who was coming in. She walked in swiftly and made her way straight to the kitchen. One of the other girls, Abbey, was front of house and taking orders. She waved to her as she passed.

  In the kitchen, Elle was stacking up plates at the side of the sink for the pot washers.

  “Hey, doll,” she smiled with her big lipstick smile as Holly burst in.

  “I need to talk to you!” Holly hissed as she grabbed Elle by the elbow and pulled her out of the kitchen and into the service hall. It was dark in there and cold. Probably the coldest place in Red Creek as it was flanked either side by huge walk-in freezers.

  “What’s the matter?” Elle looked stunned.

  “Have you seen what’s going on out there today?” Holly asked as her voice shook. “It’s crazy.”

  “No,” Elle said nonchalantly, and then, “Do you mean with the bikers?”

  Holly looked at her with her mouth agape.

  “Yes, of course I mean with the bikers!”

  “That’s not something to worry about,” Elle said with a laugh. “This is exactly what we’ve been waiting for our whole lives!”

  “What do you mean?” Holly asked, completely confused, not for the first time that day.

  “Holly, come on. Both of us are single twenty-five year olds, looking for Mr. Right… Don’t you think there’s a good chance that this new bunch of wild men may bring something good our way?”

  Holly stopped and thought about it for a moment. It hadn’t even crossed her mind that a biker might like her.

  “I guess I hadn’t really thought about it… I’m more worried about what they’re going to do to this town.”

  “They’re going to keep us safe, that’s what,” Elle guffawed. “The old people, they don’t understand that times have changed and crime is everywhere. These guys may be badass and dangerous, but I’d rather have them here than not if another rival gang comes looking for a small town to take over.”

  Holly listened to her and could kind of see her point, but it was all so new to her, she didn’t really understand.

  “Listen,” Elle said as she rubbed her arm reassuringly. “These outlaws were run out of town years ago, for what reason I don’t know, but I know that not everyone thinks them coming back is such a bad thing, and I’m one of them. I think it’s exciting and just what this place needs. The majority of people who live here are all over fifty, and it’s basically God’s waiting room.” She laughed at her own joke. “I mean come on, did you not get a good look at any of them? I bet some of them were hot, right?”

  Holly thought back to what she had seen in the street. The screech of tires, the rumbling of engines and all that leather, muscles and ink.

  “I didn’t really get a good look, but yeah, I mean, I guess so.”

  “Exactly,” Elle said with a huge grin on her face. “Some strong, hot men who could look after and protect us? There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with that to me.”

  Holly knew her friend was right, but she was still worried about what kind of trouble they might bring to the town. She knew what men like that were all about… and most of it was illegal.

  “And,” Elle said as she wrapped her arm around Holly’s waist and led her to the farthest end of the service hall, “I know where they’re all going to be tonight.” She wiggled her eyebrows and grinned from ear to ear.

  “Oh no,” Holly said. “That is just going looking for trouble!”

  “Don’t be such a bore,” Elle teased. “I’m not taking no for an answer, anyway.”

  “I thought you were working?” Holly tried to shake free.

  “I’m getting off at six, and I’ll be over to pick you up at eight. Now get yourself home and get ready!” she laughed.

  Holly looked at her friend. Her enthusiasm and excitement was infectious and even though Holly had a bad feeling about it, her curiosity was also building.

  “Okay,” she finally said, defeated. “I’ll come… But where are we even going?”

  “They’re having a party down by the lake,” Elle smiled.

  “Seriously?” Holly laughed. “That doesn’t sound very outlaw-ish.”

  “Oh it will be,” Elle nodded. “Trust me, it’s going to be wild.”

  Holly drove home, her head swimming full of possibilities. When she had woken up that morning, she had just been expecting another dull day in Red Creek, with her trying to pass the time in the quickest way possible. Now she was on her way home to get ready for a wild party with a bunch of bikers. She couldn’t help but smile at her predicament.

  Holly was a good girl, but on this occasion her curiosity was definitely getting the better of her. For the first time in her life, she thought, Why the hell not?

  Back at home, she ate her fruit as she had planned and flung open her closet doors. She’d decided that if she was going to party with men like that, then she was going to dress the part. She hadn’t been out to a club or a bar in such a long time. She didn’t even know what people wore anymore, but she still had a tight little black dress and some killer heels that she could slip into and still look like she had when she had bought them at nineteen.

  She looked in the mirror and smi
led. Elle was right—this little bit of excitement was exactly what they both needed.

  5.

  By the time it reached 8:00, Holly was all dressed and ready to go. She sat on her porch drinking a glass of wine for the first time in forever, and she clicked her heels together. She had chosen the little black dress and her sky-high heels. She wrapped a cropped leather jacket around her shoulders and plumped up her lips again with red lipstick. When Elle’s car came honking down the street, Holly smiled and stood up, lifting the bottle of wine with her.

  “Started already!” Elle exclaimed as Holly bounced into the car beside her. “I like it!”

  The girls drove through town, seeing the bikers’ presence at every turn. Harley Davidsons were lined up along pretty much the entire length of Main Street and the men were out in force. Some of them were older with long, graying beards and some were young, muscly, covered in tattoos and very, very attractive.

  Elle clapped her hands together in delight as she watched them all walking around their quiet town. She turned to Holly and grinned.

  “I am far too excited,” she beamed. “I can’t wait to meet them.”

  They drove out of the other side of town and took a left down the long lake-side road. It went on for about two miles, but the lake was somewhere in the middle. Bikes growled past them, and Elle honked at them and waved. The riders looked in at them and winked. Some of them even cat-called, and Holly had never seen Elle so worked up and carefree. It was great to see, but her nerves were mounting… They really didn’t know what they were getting themselves into.

  When Elle pulled off the road and into the tree-covered parking lot, Holly got out of the car and looked up at the sky. The trees were thick and like a canopy above them, but she could just make out the light from the moon. Other cars were arriving at the same time.

  “Everyone wants to be here tonight,” Elle said. “It’s all people have been talking about in the diner all day.”

  “I bet the old boys aren’t,” Holly said, feeling slightly guilty.

  Elle stopped and took hold of her by the shoulders. “We don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” she said. “I don’t want to force you into anything you don’t want to do.”

  Holly thought about what she had said for a moment. She knew that it would be easier to turn and climb back into the car and get the hell out of there, but she also knew that Elle had been right. She was a single girl and she wanted to meet someone. She had heard all about bikers, their loyalty and commitment to family, and now that was what Holly craved more than ever. She wanted a family of her own, and a man like that could give it to her.

  “No,” she said defiantly. “I want to. Come on, let’s go and have a good time.” She linked her arm with Elle’s and pulled her forward into the forest. The sounds of bike engines, music and cheering was already pulling them in.

  As the lake started to become visible through the trees, Holly could see the swarm of bodies down by the water’s edge. The majority of them were big, burly men, gorgeous looking and wild in nature. They swigged from whiskey bottles, chain-smoked cigarettes and arm wrestled each other on the big rocks dotted around the shore line.

  As they made their way down to meet them, Holly’s heart was pounding. What if none of them were interested in her and she was going to make a fool of herself? She clasped Elle’s hand with nervousness and Elle squeezed back.

  “Don’t worry,” she whispered.

  As they approached the crowd, Holly recognized several people who came into the diner. They were there partying too, and some of the girls from town were already wrapped up in passionate embraces with the bikers. Elle pulled her towards a small group of men and some of them turned to look at them.

  They were all so attractive and had that lustful bad boy edge that Holly didn’t know where to rest her eyes. She knew they were all weighing her and Elle up, taking them in, and in no time at all two of them stepped forward. They looked as if they were in their late twenties or early thirties, and they were tall, ripped with muscles and perfect jawlines, and their shaggy hair fell down around their eyes. They smiled at the girls with cigarettes clenched between their teeth.

  “What do we have here?” one of them said cockily.

  They began to circle Holly and Elle with the air of predators. The girls clung together, but Elle still smiled, swaying from leg to leg like a school girl.

  “I’m Elle,” she purred, “and this is Holly.”

  The two guys stopped and came closer. The other men in the crowd either watched with amusement or went back to arm wrestling and smoking. Holly noticed that one of them was getting tattooed with a big silver needle. The two bikers were so mean and sexy that Holly felt her sex begin to pulse in anticipation.

  “Holly,” the guy in front of her said, his dark brown eyes glinting at her and making her go weak. “I’m Glider.”

  He took hold of her hand and held it up to his lips. When he kissed her, the skin on her whole body began to prickle and she almost lost her breath.

  Elle was being led away to the side of the crowd to talk to her man, and she turned to Holly and grinned as he wrapped an arm around her. Glider smiled at Holly and held up his bottle.

  “Can I get you a drink?” he asked with more gentleness than she had expected. Even though he was intimidating, there was something about him that was pulling her in. How could this have even happened? They had just walked into the middle of their brotherhood and been chosen immediately by two of the hottest guys there… It was like a dream come true.

  “Yes,” Holly smiled as she bit her bottom lip, “I would love one.”

  6.

  Glider took her hand and led her to the outskirts of the group. There was a fire raging and some of the bikers were throwing whiskey into it and hauling women up over their shoulders and slapping them playfully on the ass. Holly watched with wide eyes and Glider looked down at her and smirked.

  He stopped by some flat rocks and sat down. Clutching the whiskey bottle within his fist, he unscrewed the top and passed it to her. She didn’t know what to do at first… Was this the drink he had offered to get for her? Were they really just going to share swigs from the bottle? She looked at him uneasily, but he urged her to take it.

  “I thought you wanted a drink?” he said.

  Holly smiled sheepishly and took it from him. When she knocked it back, it was hot and strong on the back of her throat.

  “So, what’s your story?” Glider asked as he lit a cigarette and eyed her with interest.

  “What do you mean?” she snapped.

  “Feisty,” he smirked and took another drag. “I mean, what brought you down here tonight? Trying to piss off your parents?”

  Holly felt as if she had been punched in the gut.

  “No,” she said flatly. “My parents are dead.”

  The smile fell from Glider’s face, and he sat up straight.

  “I’m sorry,” he said genuinely.

  Holly looked down at the floor and kicked at the dust with the tip of her shoe.

  “It’s alright, you didn’t know,” she said before she reached out and took the bottle back from him.

  “Mine too,” he said. She looked up to him with surprise.

  “Really?” Holly asked. She sat down next to him and looked deep into his eyes.

  “Yes,” he nodded. “I lost both of them in a car accident when I was nine.”

  “Wow,” Holly said as she touched him lightly on the hand. “Well then, I’m sorry too.”

  Glider nodded and took another drag on his cigarette.

  Holly watched the way his big, rough hands gripped the tip of the filter and were adorned with big thick silver rings. Even though he was clearly dangerous, there seemed to be a softer side to him and he seemed willing to open up.

  “So we certainly have something in common, then,” Holly said.

  Gilder nodded and smiled.

  “Not many people our age know what that’s like,” he blew a plume of smoke
into the night air. “So, why did you come down here tonight?”

  “Curiosity,” she admitted. “Not a lot happens around here, and I wanted to see what you guys were all about.”

  Glider smiled and looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

  “Honest answer,” he said.

  Holly shrugged and smiled. “I take it Glider isn’t your real name?” she asked.

  “It’s Rory,” he winked. “But don’t tell anyone.”

  Holly could barely keep the smile from her face. He was certainly pulling her in and keeping her interested. She wished she could just sit and look at him—he was so good looking. His shoulders were broad and heavy with muscle, and a big, black, patterned tattoo snaked its way down his arm.

  “It’s tough, though, not having a family,” he said suddenly. “It’s one of the reasons I joined the club.” He motioned towards the rest of the men on the lakeside and to the motorcycles dotted around them.

  “I wish I had something like that,” Holly admitted. “I work as a waitress… Not quite the same.”

  He laughed and held out his hand for her to pass him the whiskey.

  “You’re different,” he said. “It’s not often I meet a girl with a good head on her shoulders… Especially not one as beautiful as you.”

  Holly felt her cheeks flushing red and her heart begin to race.

  “Thank you,” she blushed. “You seem pretty well rounded, too.”

  He laughed and got to his feet.

  “Well, I don’t know about that,” he winked. “But how about we get the hell out of here anyway and go somewhere where we can talk properly?”

  Holly looked at him and took it all in: where she was, who she was with, the fact that she had only known him for ten minutes and he wanted her to leave with him and go somewhere just the two of them…

  She knew it was crazy to trust him, especially considering what he was involved in, but she couldn’t help feeling instantly connected to him. He was right—they shared such a massive coincidence, an experience that not many people had gone through at their age, and it drew her to him all the more.