Talon

by Savannah Rylan

  It was time to go back home. My one night getaway was over.

  5

  Gunner

  I woke up with a gasp, springing up into a sitting position and realized that I was covered in a film of sweat and was breathing hard. I’d been dreaming about Jenson again and I had to blink severely to get my normal vision back.

  Immediately, I got a whiff of a female scent in the room and memories of the previous night came rushing back to me. I looked to my side and saw that Brooklyn wasn’t beside me. I fell back on to my futon with a sigh of relief. Glad that she wasn’t there to witness me having a nightmare.

  Staring up at the wall, I tried to recall every moment of the night. How her body had smelt, how beautifully delicious her curves were, how she moaned when she came and it brought a smile to my face. It had been a long time since I could forget about everything else…my dad, Bryce, Jenson…everyone. In those few hours spent with Brooklyn, I had thought about nothing else except her body.

  My phone beeped and I got up to fish it out of my jeans. It was a text message from Glock, telling me to go to Church again. I ran a hand through my hair and flung my phone away, before walking into the bathroom for a quick shower before I left. I’d made a commitment to the club now and I had to come through on it.

  ***

  At the Rusty Pelican again, I was one of the last to arrive. The place was teeming with people, some of whom I’d been introduced to the previous night and some of whom I knew only by face. The club had at least a hundred members as far as I knew.

  Axel was sitting on a high bar stool again and he acknowledged my presence with a tip of his head, as I weaved through the crowd to find Glock. Tank, Hunter and Sniper were with him and we exchanged thumps on each other’s backs as the usual greeting. The men looked serious and ready for a big announcement.

  Around Axel, the other older members surrounded him. Ethan and Larry were in their fifties as well, and I knew had been friends with dad when he was alive. Even though I knew or knew of these men, I had never actually worked with any of them.

  “Quiet,” Axel called out and the din in the bar died out and everyone looked up at Axel’s authoritative face.

  “Firstly, lets welcome our newest member, Gunner,” he said and a few of the men clapped and Glock thumped me on my back again.

  “You’re getting the full celebrity treatment,” Glock said with a laugh and I grinned.

  “We’re proud to have you here, Gunner and now…getting down to business, I have an important announcement to make, so brace yourself,” Axel continued and another round of silence fell down on the group.

  “As you all know, we’ve been thinking of making some big changes around here. Namely, finding an alternate trade other than drugs,” Axel said and some of the men around us whispered to each other.

  “Over the past year, we’ve been building contacts in the weapon’s trade and we think we might finally have something,” he continued and the whispering chatter grew in the bar.

  “Doesn’t that involve more risks, Axel?” Tank spoke up and Axel nodded his head.

  “And the rewards are even higher,” he replied with a laugh. “Now, it doesn’t mean that we’ll be stopping our drug trade completely, it just means that we’ll concentrate on weapons more,” he explained and the men around me nodded in agreement.

  “And now that we have Gunner with us, who has no doubt become somewhat of an expert in the weapons field, I’m sure we’ll manage just fine,” he added and I smiled back at Axel as he spoke, aware that there were eyes on us.

  I kept my hands thrust into the pockets of my jeans and tried to assimilate all this information. As far as I knew through my association with the club, they had always dealt with only drugs, so now we were going to push our boundaries even further.

  “This is gonna be good,” Hunter turned to us and rubbed his hands together excitedly.

  “Won’t that mean more storage space?” Sniper asked and the others laughed at him and Glock patted his shoulder.

  “So young, so naive,” he joked and they laughed some more. If Sniper was embarrassed, he didn’t show it. He was probably already used to them pulling his leg for being the youngest member anyway.

  “Quiet!” Axel called out again and we all turned to him.

  “And there is something else that I want looked into,” Axel said and I squinted at him with my brows furrowed.

  “This job is for Glock and Tank,” he added and I felt Glock stand up in tighter attention. “I’ve been hearing rumors that the Dragon Knights are running a sex trafficking ring. I will not allow that on my territory or anywhere for that matter,” Axel said, with his voice hardening.

  I could tell that this subject was serious to him. He meant every word he was saying.

  “I want you boys to find out everything you can and report back to me. This is going to stop if it’s true,” he said.

  “Yes, Axel,” Tank said and Glock chimed in.

  In this regard, I knew this would be what dad would have done as well. Dealing drugs and weapons was as far as our club would go, harming children and women was not and would never be allowed. Axel tipped his head at me again. I was glad we agreed.

  ***

  I stayed at Church for a couple of hours longer, getting better acquainted with the members of the club. I could see that Tank, Hunter, Sniper and Glock had become thick friends and I felt like I could rely on them as well. We were all in the same age group, the younger members of the Club and these guys seemed to like to joke around more than anything else. At least their chatter kept me distracted from thinking about other things, namely Brooklyn.

  When I left Church, I got on my bike and rode it directly to PJ’s. At the bar, I knew it was probably too early for her to be on her shift, but I wanted to give it a shot anyway. I needed to see her again.

  Sam was cleaning up the counter, the guy who I knew from before I left for Afghanistan. Sam had owned PJ’s for as long as I could remember.

  “We’re not open for another hour,” Sam said when he heard the door open. When he looked up and saw me, a smile spread on his face.

  “Gunner! You’re back. We’re always open for you, man,” he said and started pouring me a whisky before I even asked for it.

  I approached the bar and took the shot glass from him and drank it all in one swig.

  “Good to be back,” I said, feeling the burning sensation course down my throat.

  “How come we haven’t seen you around here yet? Did you get back today?” Sam asked, genuinely pleased to see me again.

  “I was here last night in fact,” I said to him.

  “Oh yeah, it wasn’t my shift last night,” he said and gave the counter another wipe.

  “Yeah, I know. I met your new recruit. Brooklyn,” I said, avoiding his eyes.

  “Oh yeah, she’s something isn’t she?” Sam asked and I looked up at him. Something else couldn’t even begin to explain her.

  “Hey, I was wondering if you had her phone number,” I said and Sam’s brows crossed. He looked surprised that I wanted her number. A slow smile spread across his face and he nodded his head.

  “Sure man, whatever you want. You’ve served the country,” Sam said and found a scrap of paper to scribble down a phone number. I took it from him and folded it, before popping into my front jacket pocket.

  “Thanks, man,” I said and stood up from the chair.

  “Hey, will we see you back here tonight? Brooklyn won’t be here but maybe I’ll be good enough,” I heard him call out, with a laugh in his voice.

  “Only if you dress up for me, Sam,” I said and as I walked out of the bar, I heard him break into another volley of laughter.

  Outside, by my bike, I dialed the number on the scrap of paper, anxious to hear her voice again.

  She sounded sleepy when she answered the phone on the fifth ring.

  “Hello?” she said and I felt a tremor run down my spine. I wasn’t expecting her voice to have that effect on me.
>
  “It’s me,” I said and waited for a few seconds to see if she realized who it was.

  “How did you get this number?” she sounded a little worried and I was already imagining what she was wearing.

  “Not important. What are you doing tonight?” I asked her. I heard her take in a deep breath before she spoke again.

  “Working,” she replied.

  “I know you don’t have a shift at PJ’s,” I said.

  “Are you stalking me now?” she snapped at me over the phone and I didn’t even try to suppress the smile that formed on my face. She was feisty and I liked that.

  “I won’t have to if you agree to meet me tonight,” I said and I could hear her breathing hard into the phone. I’d met her only once, but I felt like I knew her face by heart. I could picture her green eyes sparkling under heavy lids. Her curly long brown hair falling over her face as she tried to not look at me. Those curves. That ass. I gripped my phone tighter in my hands.

  “I’m busy tonight, Gunner,” she said, but I wasn’t about to give up that easily.

  “With what?” I asked and I could hear her thinking.

  “Things!” she snapped and I smiled again.

  “Something tells me that whatever you were trying to escape last night, has not gone away today. So, my suggestion is that we help each other forget for a little while longer,” I said and Brooklyn’s silence was encouraging.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, in a less enraged voice and I knew it would take only a few more minutes for her to agree to see me again.

  “Oh, I think you do. Eight at Temple Bar,” I said and then hung up the call because I didn’t want to give her an opportunity to refuse me.

  Satisfied with myself, I hopped on my Harley and prepared to ride back to my apartment. I knew she was going to show up. Something electrical had happened between our bodies the previous night which I knew she couldn’t deny.

  I knew this wasn’t the time in my life to get involved in anything with a woman. I had a new life to concentrate on building, and it would be unfair to drag Brooklyn into my mess. But I also knew that I had to see her again. Maybe once more and then I’d be able to get over it. One more night with her and I’d be able to move on with my duties.

  6

  Brooklyn

  I let my hair down for the night, and styled it into tight brown ringlets around my face. I didn’t have anything new in my closet because I didn’t go out often these days, but I’d found a short leather skirt and a red chiffon blouse that I thought looked good on me. A pale pink lipstick and a shimmery eyeshadow completed the look, and I was ready to leave the apartment.

  I was stuffing some essentials into a small black clutch and my eyes fell on my phone. There was a missed call notification on the screen and I saw that Viper had called me. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at that. Did he really need to call me every day? No matter how much I appreciated the Dragon Knights and its members for looking out for me…which I genuinely did, that feeling of claustrophobia was beginning to set in. Neither Luke nor my father had ever been this controlling, and I had never been answerable to them on a daily basis.

  These guys on the other hand wanted to know where I was at all times. On my nights off from PJ’s, Viper usually made sure that I met up with them at their bar, The Bird. As flattering as it all was at first, it was now starting to become a nuisance.

  Whatever inhibitions I was feeling about accepting to go on a date with Gunner that night was quickly disappearing. I was glad for the distraction, although I knew at the back of my head that he was more than just that.

  ***

  When I walked into Temple Bar, my eyes fell on Gunner immediately. He had picked out a small circular table near one of the windows of the place and I walked towards him, weaving around the tables.

  He was in the same black leather jacket as the previous night, but freshly shaven, and his cheekbones looked sharp and high as ever. He was sitting with his arms folded on the table with a bottle of beer in front of him and our gazes locked as I approached him. That familiar feeling of wanting him was rising up in me again.

  “You look beautiful,” were his first words and he stood up and held my chair out for me and I sat down. When he sat beside me, I could see him looking at me again. At my face, down to my breasts and then down to my bare legs under the leather skirt. I felt naked under his burning gaze, but I wanted him to keep looking.

  “What are you drinking tonight?” he asked and held up a hand for one of the bartenders to come running to us.

  “A gin and tonic, please,” I told the guy and he rushed off to get me one and Gunner’s gaze fell on me again.

  “You strong armed me into coming tonight,” I said to him, feeling my cheeks flush while he stared at me. He had that twinkle in his eye and a half-grin on his face, like he always got what he wanted and that was making me nervous.

  “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” he said, just as the guy placed my drink in front of me and I took a sip. He was watching my every move, the way my lips touched the glass, the way I had my hands clasped on my lap, how I had my ankles crossed under the chair…it was like he was trying to figure me out.

  “So, what do you do, Gunner?” I found the courage to ask and he took a deep swig of his beer.

  “I was in the military,” he said and looked past me and I saw that faraway look in his eyes which made my heart stand still. It was clear that he didn’t want to talk about it anymore.

  “My brother is in the army too,” I found myself saying, even though that was a lie. Luke wasn’t in the army anymore. He was dead. Gunner looked back at me briefly and threw me a weak smile, before drinking his beer again.

  “I used to think it was something to be proud of,” he said and I saw how he clenched his jaw, like he was furious about something. Instinctually, I reached for his hand and he let me hold it for a moment.

  “I know how it affects people and families,” I said and Gunner gently, but surely, pulled his hand away from me. Then he took another swig of his beer.

  “What is a girl like you doing working at a place like Pj’s anyway?” he asked, changing the subject quickly and I gathered myself again.

  “I don’t know what you mean by that, but it’s the only kind of job I could find,” I said, not mentioning it was also the only kind of job I was allowed to have. Getting a regular office job, leaving the neighborhood or the city…was completely out of the question. The Dragon Knights would never allow that to happen.

  Gunner narrowed his eyes at me, like he couldn’t believe what I was saying.

  “Is this what you really want to do?” he asked and I shook my head.

  “Of course not. Once upon a time, I wanted to be an artist…” I said and laughed nervously, even though he wasn’t laughing. “But painting is a hobby is what I’d always been told. It doesn’t pay the bills,” I added and he was still staring at me with those squinting blue eyes. Gunner sat back in his chair and drank some more of his beer, before he spoke again.

  “Whoever’s been telling you that is lying. Turning your hobby into your livelihood is what will bring you happiness,” he said and I couldn’t even believe he carried those thoughts in his head. He just didn’t seem that kind of a guy.

  * * *

  ***

  We’d spent at least three hours in Temple Bar, before we left the place and walked together towards an old muscle car that was parked at the back of the bar. Even though I had spent that much time alone with Gunner, it felt like there was still so little I actually knew about him. I knew he liked to drink, I knew his father was dead and that he was in the military. Other than that, he had revealed nothing personal about himself. He tended to turn to jokes or ask me questions, every time we hit a topic which he was uncomfortable with.

  I’d had a couple of drinks by now and I walked beside him as we headed towards his old car.

  “Where are we going?” I asked him, stopping in m
y tracks suddenly and Gunner stopped too and turned to look at me.

  “We don’t have to go anywhere, Brooklyn,” he said and walked up closer to me. I was looking at him, my eyes pooling with desire. All these hours spent together at the bar was only a build up to what was actually going to happen. What we both knew was going to happen. That was what we were here for in the first place weren’t we?

  “Okay,” I said and I brushed past him and opened the driver’s side of the door and looked at him over my shoulder. He was standing where I left him and I could see that he was staring at my ass.

  “Brooklyn, you should know that this was not why I asked you out tonight,” Gunner said and I saw the way his eyes glazed over.

  I didn’t reply to him and instead bent down on the bench seat of the old car, placing the palms of my hands on it so that my ass stuck up in the air.

  “Fuck. Woman.” I heard him grunt under his breath as he came charging towards me. I bit down on my lip as he grabbed my ass, squeezing and touching it as he stretched himself over me. His hands found my breasts and he squeezed them. Tight enough for me to wince and his thumbs found my nipples through the material of my blouse and he stroked them into an erect position.

  I could feel my core starting to ache for him again. His cock throbbed against my butt and I arched myself further, pressing into him. I was desperate for him. My body was going mad to have him inside me, to feel the length of his cock pushing into my folds.

  Gunner was pressed to my back and I could feel his breath falling hotly on my ear. He hurriedly pulled my skirt up my thighs and his fingers hooked on the elastic of my lace panties. He rolled it down quickly so that it fell in a pool around my ankles.

  “You’re making it very hard for me to behave myself” I heard him grumble through gritted teeth and I bit down on my lip. I knew I asked for this. I knew it was my fault…but it was no punishment. This was exactly what I wanted.