by M. Merin
“I got to cut this all off, just hold still. Don’t move at all.” Drawing a knife from his boot, he first cuts my gag off.
My mouth is so dry I can’t form words; then panic retakes me as a shadow blocks the light.
“Rogers, go find some water for our girl, she’s in a bad way.” Gunner looks up at my Gram’s right hand. Rogers smiles and nods, then disappears. “Keep your eyes open, we don’t know where he is.”
“I got you, Riley. I’m so sorry, Sweetheart.” Gunner repeats over and over again. My mind is too tired, my throat to dry, I can do nothing but fall limply to the ground as he continues to slice through the ropes holding me; nothing except enjoy the hints of freedom as they come.
Rogers quickly returns, bottle of water in hand. Gunner has Rogers slowly pour that into my mouth as he continues to cut off the pieces of rope wrapped around each of my limbs. Needles stab my hands and feet as the ropes are cut free and circulation returns. Gunner rubs each limb while Rogers continues to drip water into my mouth.
As I get control, my mind grasps one thought. “Gunner, he took my cut off. I lost my cut.”
Rogers helps to slide me forward into Gunner’s embrace. “Shush, Sweetheart, I have it in the truck. I’ve got it. Got to get you out of here now, alright?” He says while placing light kisses all over my face.
Walking over to the corner, Rogers looks into the bag. “I think this is hers?”
I nod when they both look at me. After that, all the energy I can muster is used to snuggle my head into Gunner’s chest.
Faintly aware of being transferred from arm to arm, I cry out anytime I think I’m away from Gunner. Sometimes he’s there to soothe me, other times I feel my Gram’s hand on my head. Voices always murmur that I’m safe.
Flint
Fucking went off on my own and ran smack into Kennelly. He was walking away from his brother-in-law’s junkyard. Had that piss-ant duct-taped and in the back of my truck in no time. Called Jasper to meet me at our safe house.
Wrench had already given us properties to check, including one Kennelly had listed under his mother’s name. Ten minutes with Jas and I was all it took for Kennelly to give it all up. Called Gunner to point him towards his woman.
Jas and I head back to Mrs. Riley’s, while the Nomad stands guard over Kennelly. He is to await Gunner’s retribution.
Eileen Riley
When my husband died I felt suffocated. My daughter, who we gave everything to, played the devastated child to perfection for our friends and associates. We spoiled her, I knew that but loved her to bits. She despised us both, and at the time of her father’s death held her newborn daughter over me like a Lord.
My disgust at what I had raised caused me to be cautious around Riley. Darling Riley, who never wanted anything other than a hug. By the time she was old enough to see that her parents would never care for her, I was unable to bring her into my household.
I insisted on Friday dinners. Through years of chemo treatments, promises of remission; I put on a brave face. Afraid for the day I wouldn’t be there for her.
God does work in mysterious ways. The day came that Alex; Lord, I have to remember he prefers Gunner now, came to me. He’d stumbled upon Riley and somehow knew she was meant to be his. I remember the absolute panic that flooded me with his announcement that day, replaced almost immediately with calm. He told me a dozen reasons why he was wrong for her, but that he wanted to take away all her pain. To treasure her.
I’ve spent today waiting for word on my granddaughter before Rogers’ call finally came. Relief floods me when Gunner comes in carrying our sweet girl. I can only point upstairs, unable to speak.
Rogers grabs my wrist, “I’ll call your doctor. I want him to check both of you.” He says and I realize I’m no longer running this. “I’m going to collect my gun and will be here when Gunner needs to step out.”
Nodding, although it isn’t necessary; I head upstairs.
Gunner has laid Riley on the bed in the first room he comes to. I go to get a wet cloth and water glass from the bathroom. Coming out, I see that he has opened her jeans and is trying to gauge if any further damage had been done. I hold the doorframe, swaying, not having considered that atrocity.
Seeing him nod to himself and refasten her pants sets my world right again. He looks back at me like he knows I was watching; “I think she’s alright. I don’t know for sure, but our girl will get the care she needs.”
Our girl indeed.
Gunner
After the doctor comes and goes, and I’m satisfied with his promise to come back in the morning; I spend the night wrapped around my Sweetheart.
Either waking her from her nightmares or to ease her thirst, I watch over her; apologizing every time I can that there was MC business that kept me from protecting her. Riley’s cries, asking me to stay with her, break my heart over and over.
When morning comes, I reverently whisper my devotion to her and explain that I have to leave her here with her Gram and Rogers for a while. That I’ll check in when I can but knowing that I won’t be back before nightfall. Even then, I don’t know if my Sweet Riley will ever want my hands on her again.
Before I leave, I put the cut that I got her beside her on the bed then make sure that Connal is watching the front and Jake is out back. Rogers is still sleeping on the couch in the front room. I swear to myself that my sweet girl will always be protected.
Chapter 29
Gunner
The guys had transported my bike to Mrs. Riley’s house and by the time I make it to the safe house, I’m ready for the task ahead. The only thing bothering me is the possibility of having to kill Riley’s parents if they were involved in this; I know she doesn’t love them but the idea of it might taint our relationship.
I go down to the basement, thinking of the timing. I killed a Brother the night before and Deb has been moved to the room next to this, recovering after I burned her Grizzly’s ink off. I walk in to see Kennelly naked and either asleep or unconscious, I don’t care which. I start tying off the ropes around his thighs. Once I decide he won’t bleed out too fast, I unroll the pack of knives to start separating the skin from his shin. He’s silent the first moment he awakens, then the screaming starts.
Within minutes, Jasper and Flint are in the room. “What the fuck, Gunner?” Flint asks in a low voice. “He’s been talking.”
“Don’t give a fuck what he’s been saying,” I grunt out. “He scared my Sweetheart.” I just keep on slicing meat off the bone. Flint takes a step further into the room.
“This is how I’m doing it, Boss.” I glare at him. “Setting the Gold Standard for how all our Ol’ Ladies are treated from now on.”
Jasper reaches for Flint’s shoulder and pulls him out of the room. Jas gets me, he’s got kids to worry about; we can drop a flap of this fucker’s skin somewhere, someday. That’ll get the message across.
Kennelly starts screaming shit like, ‘they weren’t going to pay any more’, ‘they wanted her away from you’, ‘you shouldn’t have touched her’.
Worthless bastard thinks I care what he says. He drugged, kidnapped, and hogtied Riley. No part of the rest of his short, miserable life will be pain-free.
“You want anything from him?” I ask, shooting a look back to Jasper. When he shakes his head, the only other thing I need to know is: “How many pieces for disposal?”
Once Jas answers me, I spend the next four hours with that sorry fuck. By then, I not only have shit on the Maddocks, but on two other officers in town. I am only relieved that the Maddocks were not involved in this attempt to take Riley from me.
And oddly enough, I like our Sheriff enough to be pleased he’s clean.
I shower at the safe house. I won’t stain our home with this shit. The Brothers that will dispose of his remains are all in the living room when I emerge, the younger two keep their eyes on the floor like I’m the Boogeyman. They’ll each take a bag and ride out different ways, they all have a wood chipper in
mind.
I go to Mrs. R’s home with the intent of bringing my Ol’ Lady to our apartment but one look at Ri asleep and I know that I will stay here with her as long as she needs. Seeing Rogers in a chair in the far corner of the guest room, I motion for him to leave. Clasping his shoulder, I say; “Anything you need, anytime, let me know.”
“Just take care of her, Mr. Sorenson; just that.” He says nodding at me.
“Gunner?” Riley whispers from the bed as he closes the door behind him. I proudly note she had slipped into her cut at some point. “Take me home?”
“You sure? We can stay here.” I kiss her forehead lightly.
“Yes, I feel better.” She looks up at me, pleadingly.
Nodding at her, “Let me help you get dressed then, Sweetheart.”
Saying our goodbyes, I gather Riley into my arms; ignoring her admonishments that she can walk, I simply hold her tight.
Once in our apartment, I walk straight back to the bedroom. Putting her down she strips naked quickly and I pull off everything but my briefs before sliding into bed next to her.
“The Sheriff will call when they find him, right, Gunner?” She murmurs into my chest. I sigh, wondering how to answer. The Sheriff has an APB out for Kennelly, and last I heard Michaels was shitting himself on how to delicately question the Maddocks’ about their involvement.
Leaning back to look into her eyes, my hands squeezing her shoulders so she knows this is serious. “They’ll never find him, Sweetheart.” Her eyes widen after a second, she stares intently at me then nods as if in response to some question she had herself.
“Are you alright?” She asks, cupping the side of my face; looking worried for me.
I don’t know how to respond to her, so I slam my mouth down on hers. Riley hasnever, not followed my lead. She responds in kind, raising a leg to wrap around my waist.
“I went dark, Sweetheart; but you’re my light and I was worried you wouldn’t...” I start when I’m finally able to pull my mouth away from hers.
“Shhh, I understand why, Gunner.” She takes my hand, laying kisses over it. “You promised you would never lie to me,” She smiles sweetly at me, as if the dark in me is just a passing shadow. “Keep your promises and you’ll always have me.”
Sliding her hand down into my briefs, she starts massaging my hard cock. “No, Sweetheart, you need to rest.” I try to dodge away from her, but she raises an eyebrow at me.
“I need you, Gunner. I won’t be able to sleep otherwise. Please?” She lies back, spreading her thighs and bringing my hand up to her breast. My cock jumps, poking her in her thigh and she shoots me the smuggest smile I’ve ever seen.
Groaning, I duck my head down to her tits; holding them together to suckle both; until I ease a finger through her lower lips, spreading the gathering moisture.
“My Sweetheart’s always so wet for me,” I moan into her mouth. I quickly break away to grab a condom from my shelf. “Come on, now, get up on me.”
I pull her onto my covered dick, gripping her hips; I help her find her rhythm. “Can you see if you can lick your own nipples, Sweetheart?”
Son of a bitch!
She can.
Riley
Stretching out my sore muscles when I wake the next morning, I reach out for Gunner; raising my head to look towards the bathroom since he isn’t beside me, I quickly realize it was the smell of breakfast that woke me.
I pull on his discarded t-shirt from the night before and wander out to the kitchen.
“Hey, Ri, you’re kinda ruining my attempt at breakfast in bed!” He leans over to kiss me while scrambling eggs.
“As if I could sleep through the smell of bacon!” I smile at him. “I’ve decided I’m skipping classes today, it’s deserved after this weekend, right?!” I pop open a diet coke, and sit at the island, watching him as he works on breakfast.
“Absolutely, I have to stop at the clubhouse to see Jasper later, want to ride with me?”
“If you’ll take me to the grocery store afterwards, the dinner is tonight.”
“Riley! No one is expecting it. Fuck! After this weekend?” He looks really surprised but I want normal, not to sit around thinking about what could have happened.
“Text them that dinner’s still on. I am fine and I want to spend time with everyone.” He serves up our breakfast, pausing to text the group after I insist a second time.
I handle the dishes while he showers, surprised when my cell phone rings. Even more surprised to see it’s my mother.
“What?” I don’t have it in me to treat her with the respect she’s always demanded of me.
“Riley, are you alright?” She asks, only slight pausing after my brisk answer.
“What? After your lackey hogtied me and kept me in a root cellar for eighteen hours in the middle of winter?” My question is met with silence.
“Riley, I don’t know what that…that biker has been filling your head with but we had nothing to do with this.” She finally responds.
“Oh, so you never previously paid Kennelly to keep an eye on me?” I spit back.
“Well, of course, Riley; I mean we’re gone so much and my mother insisted you be raised in that town she loves so much.” She starts acting offended. “We’re your parents; we just wanted you to be safe.”
“You never wanted to be parents and now that I’m old enough to be independent of you; why don’t we just keep it that way?”
“Riley, we’ll be in town next weekend. Why don’t you come to the house for dinner and we can clear the air?” She asks but I can hear her typing away in the background and know that she’s already focused elsewhere.
“Is Gunner invited?” I ask, she can’t think that I’d step foot in that house without him?
“Riley, you can’t seriously expect that to happen?” She laughs. “My Goodness! The Blake’s and their oldest son will be staying with us and you want a criminal in our home? Riley, we can talk and their son is an engineer of some sort. You two can talk about computers.”
“I’m sure they’d just love the cut Gunner got me then! I plan on wearing it all over town, so maybe they’ll see me when they’re out shopping? It says ‘Property of Gunner’ in large letters across the back.”
“I sincerely hope this is some sort of joke, Riley Jane Maddock!” Hmm, she sounds upset. “If the press obtain a picture of something like that, we’ll be publically ridiculed!”
“Alright, I’ve got to run. Let me know if you want to meet him, otherwise, I’m not interested in seeing either of you.”
I turn back from the window to see Gunner standing in the entrance to the hallway. “Everything alright?”
“Yes, mother wanted to trot me out at the house next weekend. They’ve invited a friend and their twenty-something son.” Gunner raises an eyebrow, crossing his arms. “I think I made it very clear that if you aren’t invited then I’m not meeting up with them.”
“Better get that ring for you real soon.” He smiles, crossing to me. “Don’t want my Ol’ Lady running off with a younger man, after all.”
Wrapping my arms around him, “I’m afraid you’re stuck with me now, Ol’ Man.”
He kneels in front of me and quickly removes my underwear, treating himself to a second breakfast. I just barely stay on my feet, gripping his shoulders for the strength to stand while he licks and sucks my clit. The neighborhood must have heard my screams that morning. They’ll be hearing them a lot.
Chapter 30
Riley
Arriving at the clubhouse sometime later, Gunner has me stay in the front room while he goes looking for Jasper. Moving behind the empty bar in the corner, I grab a glass and the spray gun for soft drinks.
“Oh! Just give me a minute.” A woman shouts out from across the room. A blond woman I’ve seen in here before, a Girlie I think. She crosses the room with a large container of ice. “It comes out warm, so you’ll want this!”
“Oh, thanks.” I’m not really sure what the etiquette is with
the Girlies. “I’m kind of a diet coke addict.”
“I hear you, I’m down to two a day and that took a while!” Her eyes widen as she turns to smile at me and sees my cut. “Hey, that looks real good on you. Riley, right?”
“Yes, I’m sorry, I don’t know your name?” She dumps the ice in the well behind the bar, scooping some into a glass for me. “Thanks again.”
“I’m Betsy, been a Girlie a couple years now. I usually get breakfast for the guys and straighten the place up during the day. You ever need anything, just ask.” She smiles shyly at me. “I help the Ol’ Ladies coordinate parties they want to hold here also. Bree’s wedding will be here in a couple months.”
“Wow! I guess I didn’t think of the clubhouse that way.” I respond, thinking of Betsy in a slightly different light than how I considered the Girlies’ to be originally. I sit down, and fiddle with my cell as Betsy prepares the bar.
Probie soon comes out with more buckets of ice, “Riley! How are you doing? You alright now?”
Betsy’s head spins around, surprised at the question; so I guess she doesn’t know about my kidnapping. “Hi, I’m doing better. Thank you for helping the other day.”
“I didn’t do much. I felt bad I couldn’t say anything when you came to the gate, and then…” He looks quickly to Betsy, and back to me, “Well, what happened later, I am real sorry. Anything I can ever help you two out with, I’m your man.”
“Club Business. I get it.” I may not like it, but… “Hey, I’m sorry, I don’t even know your name.”
“Sorry, it’s Mick.” He wipes his hand on his jeans before reaching out to shake my extended hand. “Don’t have a road name yet. Gunner in back?” He asks, I just nod; leaving him to stand there looking between Betsy and I. He finally goes for more ice.
“Betsy?”
“Yeah, Riley?”
“Any reason Probie looked so nervous seeing us together?” I keep eye contact with her.