On any other night, this scene would have been enough for me to get up and leave, but tonight…I had too much on my mind to bother with this.
Everything Gunner had said was still ringing in my ears. I didn’t want to believe it was true. This was my family. Viper was a bad apple amongst them no doubt, but these guys were all looking out for me. How could I do anything to go against them? What would daddy have said if he knew I’d slept with a member from the rival gang? What would Luke have done?
I tried to reason with myself, and think about whether Viper’s behavior was justifiable. If I was truly loyal to the club, if I was truly loyal to my family…then I should have been with Viper. He was the kind of guy daddy would have chosen for me. Viper was the guy he would have been happy to see me with. Luke was always protective of me, treating me as his baby sister, but ultimately, he would have settled down with the idea. Never in a million years, would either of them have allowed me to date Gunner. He was completely out of the question and a big mistake.
But I knew I had fallen for him. We’d known each other for only a few days, but I’d felt the connection. He knew how I was feeling, he could see into my soul and there was something about him…something unspoken which made me believe that I could trust him. That he would keep me safe.
And yet, he had turned up here tonight, spouting all of that nonsense about a prostitution ring! How was that even possible?
I’d been thinking about it for so long that my thoughts were muddying my head. I could feel a dull aching throb at the back of my brain, and then a flash from a conversation from that morning floated up. A conversation from the diner; of Pike and Viper and the others sitting around in the booth and talking about girls. They’d spoken about money, about payments…what did that mean?
I looked around the bar at the people who I considered to be my family. No matter how rowdy or violent they were, or how badly they treated the groupies that always hung around them; I couldn’t imagine these guys being involved in a prostitution ring…or was I just walking around with blinders on my eyes?
Was it really that unthinkable?
From the corner of my eye, I saw Viper again. He had kept his distance from me since that slap and I figured that he was too drunk then to come up with a payback. But then, I saw him whispering something into someone’s ears. It was Blade, one of his closest friends and someone who I tried to avoid as much as possible too. He had asked me out many times and I’d turned him down each time.
Blade and Viper were looking at me while they spoke. They both had darkened expressions on their faces and I shifted in my chair, nervous under their heavy gaze from across the room. I could sense that they were talking about me. Was Viper telling him what I’d done? That I’d dared to slap him? A slap from a woman was probably the biggest insult any of these guys could receive. I was surprised that Viper hadn’t just pinned me to the wall and had his way with me right there.
With their eyes still on me, Viper and Blade walked over to Pike, who had his hand down some girl’s jeans. He didn’t take his hand out, while they spoke to him and abruptly, Pike looked up and over to me. They were telling him something about me and I saw him narrow his eyes at me.
I could feel panic overtake my body. Were they going to do something? Surely, they wouldn’t do something to me! I was Luke’s sister. I was a part of their family. I was like a sister to them!
Pike suddenly smiled, a cold evil smile that sent chills straight to my bone. Even though my mind was swimming with alcohol, I had the good sense to smile back at him. Viper, Blade and Pike looked away from me and walked away together to talk to each other huddled in a corner.
I could hear my heart beating out of my chest as I stood up from the chair, collecting my purse off the table. No matter what rules of loyalty and trust daddy had taught me, I couldn’t do away with the gut feeling that something was going on and something wasn’t quite right.
I weaved my way through the rowdy crowd towards the doors of the bar. I could sense Viper and his friend’s eyes on me, expecting one of them to step up and block my way any moment. I counted every step, I could nearly hear the clock ticking as I pushed open the doors.
Nobody had stopped me.
Then I ran. I could feel the cool wind in my hair as I ran in the dark. I didn’t wait to call a cab, I just wanted to get out of there. Even as I ran, I hoped that I was just overreacting, that I was just panicking for no reason. That it was just the alcohol that was making me paranoid. No member of the Dragon Knights would do anything to put me in danger, or hurt me.
I only stopped running when I came closer to my apartment building, out of breath and sweating. Nobody had followed me.
That night, I locked my door in the apartment and then in my bedroom. I made sure all the windows were locked tight as well and even though I tried to stay awake and be alert, I fell asleep easily. I’d had too much to drink.
Chapter 16
Gunner
I eventually found my way to The Rusty Pelican that night. The guys were all there already and they greeted me in with cheers. I knew I was a mess.
As if I didn’t hate myself enough for what had happened to Jenson and how I wasn’t able to save him, now I was going to be responsible for Brooklyn too. She would have to find out eventually, and when she found out the truth; she would know exactly the kind of man I was. The kind of man who couldn’t protect his own men. And then she would hate me, just like I deserved.
I knew I was falling for her, I was falling bad…and I also knew that I deserved everything I was feeling then. I didn’t deserve any happiness after what I’d done to Jenson.
When Hunter pulled out his pack of cigarettes, I made a beeline for it and lit one with the Zippo I still carried around in my pocket. The end glowed deep orange as I took in a breath and exhaled. I could feel the nicotine seeping into my blood vessels.
“You’re smoking again?” Glock asked and I shrugged when I looked at him.
“Where have you been?” Sniper asked, bringing over a fresh batch of beer for the group. The glass bottles in his hands tinkled and sent shocks down my spine. I still couldn’t come to terms with everything I’d discovered that night. The fact that Brooklyn was still there, surrounded by the Dragon Knights was bothering me too. But I couldn’t have dragged her away. I couldn’t force her to do something she didn’t want to do.
“I had some business to attend to,” I told them unconvincingly and puffed away at my cigarette. I could feel the smoke filling my lungs, the nicotine taking over my senses.
“I really can’t wait to storm the place,” Hunter said, gripping his bottle tightly in his hands. Sniper looked enthusiastic as well.
“They might have a shit load of weapons stored in there. Either way, it’s going to be a huge risk,” Tank, the wise one in the group, spoke up.
“But we’ll have weapons of our own, won’t we?” Sniper said but nobody responded. We all knew what a raid like that could mean. There was always a potential of lives being lost. The only advantage we had in this situation, was the element of surprise.
I gulped down large quantities of the beer in front of me and then wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. The cigarette continued to sizzle between my fingers.
“We have the weapons and we know what’s going on in there. We need to get those motherfuckers,” I said through gritted teeth and sensed them all turning to look at me. I wasn’t a big talker and they had all noticed that, what I’d just said had probably surprised them all.
“Welcome back, man,” Glock said with a laugh, reaching over to squeeze my shoulder. I gulped some more beer and my mind swayed with thoughts of Jenson and Brooklyn again. I took another drag of the cigarette to forget.
“Anything could be happening to those women. They could be sold off by now. They could be chained. Tortured,” I was speaking feverishly, staring into space with my eyes widened and my hands trembling slightly as I brought the cigarette to my lips again.
“Yeah, but w
e’re going to put a stop to it. You okay, man?” Hunter was peering into my eyes, in all probability; trying to figure out what had suddenly made me so talkative. All those words were pouring out of me in a gush, because I wanted to do everything I could to stop thinking about Brooklyn, and her brother.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I snapped at him, and emptied the beer down my throat. The others were silent as they watched me get up and go to the bar again. My heavy-duty Military grade boots crunched on the floor as I walked up and ordered three more bottles of beer. I had every intention of emptying those three down my throat as quickly as possible. I was hoping that if I was drunk enough, then I wouldn’t be thinking about what I was trying so hard to forget.
I came back to the table and realized that the topic had changed.
“You need to get some new tats, man,” Sniper said in a joyful mood now. I knew what he was talking about. Every member of Bad Disciples got their mark; one the life side of their chest, a tattoo of a skull with a crown. My dad had it and so did Bryce and so did every patched member around me.
“Let’s do it tonight,” I said and Glock laughed, like I was joking.
“Wait, you serious? It’s going to take a couple of sittings and we’re going to war tomorrow,” he added, his smile dropping when he saw me glaring at him. The word “war” reminded me of Jenson again, and the land mine I wasn’t able to save him from; and I shifted in my seat.
“Yeah, whatever, fine,” I mumbled under my breath angrily and chugged down half a bottle of beer while the others watched me.
“What’s up with you, man?” Tank asked, creasing his brows as he looked at me intently.
“Nothing,” I said and banged the bottle down on the table. “Nothing’s wrong with me, I just want to get this thing over with,” I said, and Brooklyn’s face floated up in front of my eyes.
If I was going to stop these thoughts in my head, I would have to do a lot more than drink a few beers.
***
I woke up the next morning, in what seemed to be someone else’s apartment. It took a few minutes for the fogginess in my eyes to clear and for me to recognize that it was Glock’s place.
The room was lit brightly and I could see that it was early morning. Lying on my belly, I squinted my eyes against the light and tried to think about the events of the previous night, but that was a failed mission.
I couldn’t remember how I got there or what happened after the first three bottles of beer that I drank. I was on Glock’s couch and I moved and felt my brain rattle in my head. With a groan, I crashed back down on the couch and tried to sit up again. My limbs ached, my bones seemed to crack and there was a massive continuous throb in my head. I had tortured myself the previous night, knowing fully well the degree of the hangover I would have to go through the next morning. But I would have done anything to numb the pain. I’d smoked at least two packs of cigarettes, or at least that’s how my lungs felt that morning.
My mouth felt dry as well and when I cleared my throat, my vocal cords squeaked and rubbed painfully against each other. I knew my throat was going to feel hoarse all day. I flipped myself around on my back and stared up at the ceiling.
The previous night had been one of the worst drinking sessions I’d put myself through in a very long time. And I might have been able to forget Jenson and Brooklyn for the time being, but this morning, they were back fresh and with a vengeance in my mind and I felt like I was going to explode.
I couldn’t help but think about how peaceful I’d felt that morning when I woke up with her in my arms. How she’d smiled at me when she got up and revealed her bare body to me. I missed having her ass in my hands! How was she the first thought in my head these mornings? Why couldn’t I think of anything or anyone else but her?
I knew it had been a bad idea to drink that much, especially since today was going to be an important day. I knew we were all going to regret this and I wondered what Axel would have to say to us when he saw our condition.
“Yo,” Glock had walked into the room and I heard his voice before I saw him. Even turning my head hurt and I groaned again.
“Wow. You were on a roll last night,” he said and somehow, I managed to sit myself up on the couch. It was then that I noticed that Sniper was sleeping on the floor beside the couch while Hunter was sprawled on the carpet in the corner of the room.
“Did we all sleep here?” I asked Glock groggily, while he turned on the coffee machine. Sniper and Hunter moved when they heard our voices. Sniper was moaning as well.
Glock smirked as he prepared mugs for us.
“Yeah, looks like it. I have no idea how we got here,” he said.
Hunter was looking out of the window.
“All our bikes are here,” he said and pressed his temples with his thumbs. Sniper groaned and fell back down on the carpet.
“Today’s the big day!” Tank had walked into the room now, looking as fresh as someone who had just returned from the gym. He was showered and shaved and his ponytail looked shampooed too. How the hell had he managed to do that?
He clapped his hands together, rubbed them and walked over to help Glock with the coffee.
“Did you drink at all last night?” Sniper mumbled sleepily from his position on the floor and Tank looked at him, like he had been asked a silly question.
“Of course. I’m so fucking hungover!” he said and Glock looked at me with a knowing smile. We were all jealous of Tank’s ability to soldier through a hangover.
“We have to go back to the Pelican now,” Glock said, when he brought the mug of coffee to me. I took it from him, grateful for something to drink and gulped down the coffee even though it was burning my tongue.
“Yeah, I just got a call from Axel. We’re going to start putting things in motion now,” Tank informed us and Sniper started attempting to get off the floor again.
“I’m going to have to meet up with you guys later,” I said, finishing the coffee in a hurry.
“Where do you have to go?” Glock asked and I stood up from the couch, slightly unsteadily.
“I have something to do first. I’ll meet up with you guys there in a few hours,” I said and Tank followed me around the kitchen as I emptied the dregs of the coffee in the sink.
“You can’t keep disappearing on us like this, man. This is really important.” Tank started lecturing me and I clenched my jaw.
“I said I’ll be there. I just need to get something done first,” I said, glaring back at him.
“Guys, guys! Relax. Tank, he said he’ll be there and Gunner, just hurry up. Axel doesn’t appreciate delays,” Glock intervened and Tank threw me a threatening look before turning away from me.
I said nothing more to them, as I picked up my helmet from the floor near the front door and then walked out of Glock’s apartment. I could feel the energy returning slowly to my veins. The coffee had worked wonders. Either way, I didn’t have the time or the liberty to lick my wounds this morning. There were more important things to worry about than a fucking hangover.
I had to get Brooklyn out of that place no matter the cost.
Chapter 17
Brooklyn
I woke up with a gasp when I heard slamming on my front door. I realized that I was still wearing the corset and the black pants from the previous night. Events from the previous night hurled through my brain and I remembered why and how I was so afraid. The slamming on my front door returned. Whoever was doing it was in a hurry and was angry. The only person it could be was Viper or someone from the Dragon Knights.
With a shiver running down my spine, I hesitantly got out of bed. The banging on the front door hadn’t stopped and now it sounded like they were going to break down my door any minute. In the mirror in my bedroom, I caught a glimpse of myself. My curls were a mess, my makeup was smudged and there were dark circles around my eyes where my eyeliner had run and pooled. I looked like a complete hungover mess and I wrapped my arms around myself in fear.
Something was about to
happen. I could sense it in my bones. It had to be Viper. He was here to teach me a lesson on respect. No woman ever raised their hand to a member of the Dragon Knights. I had done something unthinkable and I would have to pay the price for it.
My feet trembled on the cold floor as I came closer and closer to the door. The banging grew louder and it looked like it was going to break apart any minute. There was no escaping this. Eventually, they would find me…Viper would find me and I would have to face the consequences. It didn’t matter whose sister I was, or whose daughter. The fact that I had slapped one of them put me in a position where I deserved punishment.
I tried to strengthen myself and I jutted my chin up in the air. There was no point being afraid of him. I had done it to defend myself, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. If Luke had taught me one thing, it was to never regret anything.
My hands were trembling as I unlocked the door and gently, I pried it open. The person on the other side pushed against the door wildly, flinging it open and I gasped in fright. But it wasn’t Viper, in fact it wasn’t anyone from the Dragon Knights. Gunner was standing in front of me, with his shoulders heaving and his body towering over me as I craned my neck to look up at his face.
“Brooklyn!” he said my name like he wasn’t expecting to see me. I parted my lips, but no words came out because I couldn’t believe how relieved I was to see him. I’d assumed I would never see him again. After our argument the previous night, I didn’t think he would have no reason to seek me out.
But, Gunner just kept showing up.
He was studying me closely, looking me up from my face, down to my disheveled clothes and then back to the mess of my hair. His blue eyes were stormy, his chiseled jaws were clenched.
“I was hoping you would be here,” he said, in a less panic-stricken voice and I gulped. Then he looked past me, into my apartment and I saw the creasing of his brows. He stared at my lipstick that was smeared around my mouth and looked back at the apartment again. That’s when it struck me. I knew what he was thinking.
Girth (Marked Skulls MC Book 1) Page 72