“Let me go! You’re hurting me!” I squealed and he finally released me and stepped away.
“Stay away from the window. Keep it shut. You fuckin’ hear me, bitch?” he was yelling at me now and the expression on his face had changed completely now. His face was red. I could see the veins throbbing on his forehead. There was a sudden fire in his eyes.
“Why? What’s wrong with the window?” I asked. He clenched his jaw, glaring at me with accusation in his eyes. Was he blaming me? Was he on to me? Did he know this was a set up?
“I told you, didn’t I fuckin’ tell you? I’m a very powerful man. There are people who want me dead because they can’t deal with the fact that I’m going to rule over all of them eventually. They want to crush me! Kill me! I need to stay away from the fuckin’ window!”
My heart was starting to sink. This was the whole principle of our mission. How was Bones going to manage shooting him if Gunther was purposely staying away from the window? Were we doomed?
I smiled at Gunther.
“I know you’re a very powerful man,” I told him and bit down on my lip. “But maybe you’re being just a little bit paranoid.”
He’d let go of my hand and walked over to the bar now, making himself a drink. He had his back turned to me but even so, I could sense his body was tensed up. He wasn’t in the good light mood from before.
“What the fuck do you know about anything?”
“I know that you shouldn’t be living your life looking over your shoulder. Besides, don’t you have your loyal men already? Men who will protect you at all costs?” I asked. I was itching to return to the window, to guide him back to it again. At the same time, I knew I couldn’t overdo it. If I pushed him now, he might end up realizing something was up, if he hadn’t figured it out already.
Gunther turned to me then, his eyes were bloodshot. Was it from losing his temper earlier? Was he going to hurt me? I had no idea what his next move was going to be, and it was starting to make me uncomfortable. Not knowing what he was going to do next.
He emptied the shot of whisky down his throat and the cubes of ice tinkled in his glass. He sighed with relief and then wiped the back of his hand over his mouth.
“Yes, I have my men. I have my club. I have a faithful following and we are going to rule over the rest of them. Those fuckin’ dogs. But till that happens, I need to be extra careful. I’m not like Lynch. I’m not an idiot.” There was a hiss in his voice as he spoke.
“Who is Lynch?” I asked, trying to sound casual while he took several more steps in my direction. He was coming closer to me and I could feel my skin prickling up again. I wanted him to keep his distance from me, but that wasn’t going to happen.
Part of the deal of tonight was for us to be alone together so that he could have his way with me. It was what I’d signed up for. I just wasn’t expecting to go any further with him than this. I wasn’t going to go any further with him, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to take it, if he wanted to.
I could feel the shape of the revolver in my purse as I clutched it tightly to my stomach. Gunther approached me. That anger was fading from his face, thankfully, but it was being replaced with something even more sinister.
Desire.
He’d decided enough time had passed. He was going to do something about taking what I was here to give him, and I thought I was going to get sick right there.
23
Bones
“Hey man, maybe you should take a break.” It was Cash, he’d walked over to where I was sitting with my gun still trained on Gunther’s apartment. Since my last conversation with Patch, the others had kept themselves away from me.
“And miss my one shot at him?” I grunted, still peering through the lens. Gunther had disappeared for a bit in his room, then reappeared in nothing but a fuckin’ silk robe. It was obvious what his next plan with Thea was. In fact, she had come close enough to get him to step near the window. She’d even managed to leave the window open for me to take a clear shot, but he’d pulled her away from it.
Either he was on to the plan, or he was paranoid about the window in his apartment. It was possible that he knew his life was in danger. Not just from us but from various other clubs and gangs who had it in for him.
It didn’t seem like he was aware of Thea’s role for the night because he was still trying to get close to her. I followed them closely around the apartment through my lens. Even though she couldn’t see me, I could see her. I saw the discomfort on her face. I knew she wanted to get out of there. But she was too far away from us. There were Gunther’s bodyguards by his front door who would be able to stop us or at least slow us down if we tried to get into the apartment.
Rescuing Thea out of that place without raising alarms and getting into a battle with Gunther and his men was out of the question. How much longer were we supposed to wait till it was time to head in?
“What is Plan B?” I asked Cash, who was standing behind me now. I could sense him there, breathing over my shoulder. The others were there too. Were they waiting for me to just give up? That wasn’t going to happen.
“We charge in there and get her out,” Cash replied, and I gripped the gun harder. It was easier said than done.
“We’ll have to call for backup. The four of us aren’t going to succeed in getting her out of there alone.”
“There are two guys guarding the door. And then there’s Gunther. We outnumber them,” Cash argued.
“I want to make sure Thea makes it out of there alive and unharmed.”
“So do the rest of us,” Cash said.
“Then we should have an actual plan,” I replied.
“We think you need to take a break. You’ve been in position for the past hour, man. You need to clear your head.” It was Rogue this time. They were all crowding around me now, huddled behind me, convinced that I was on the verge of losing my mind.
I lowered my gun and finally turned around to face them.
“I know what I’m fuckin’ doing,” I said.
“You need to fuckin’ calm down!” Patch followed me to the other end of the roof. Rogue had volunteered to take over the gun from me, and even though he wasn’t as much of an expert at it as I was; I stood up and handed the gun to him. He took up position and immediately I could see all the things he was doing wrong, but I didn’t say a word.
It didn’t matter.
This plan was not going to work.
Gunther wasn’t going anywhere near the window and we would just have to find a different way of getting Thea out of there. Maybe tonight wasn’t going to be the night that Gunther said ‘that’s all folks’ to the rest of the world.
Patch and Cash were smoking their cigarettes and I lit one as well.
“We realize this is a sensitive situation because she is involved in the mission,” Cash said as he breathed in a mouthful of smoke.
“Her life could be in danger. We need to get her out of there. She did not sign up for this shit,” I growled. Cash and Patch exchanged looks.
“I hate to break it to ya, Bones, but Thea was well aware of the situation when she headed into this thing. She was aware of these dangers. She knew the possible consequences of her actions. Gunther isn’t exactly the most predictable man to deal with. Whether you want to believe it or not, Thea was aware of all these factors.”
I took one threatening step towards Cash.
“So, what exactly are you trying to fuckin’ say? That she’d be willing to fuck Gunther to get what she wants?” I was speaking through gritted teeth, glaring at Cash who glared back at me. We had never been at loggerheads like this before. Cash was a friend. I didn’t want to pick a fight with him.
Patch stepped in between us.
“Guys, c’mon. We can figure this out as a team. That is what Grimm is expecting us to do. It’s not just about Thea. It’s about our club too. Gunther is a threat to all of us. We’re going to figure this out.”
Patch put a hand out, his palm strongly pu
shed against my chest.
I whipped away from Cash. The thought of Thea ending up fucking Gunther was planted in my head now and I knew it was capable of driving me nuts.
She wasn’t going to take it that far, was she?
She wanted to avenge her brother’s death. She wanted Gunther dead. She wanted to stand over him and make sure he was gone. All of those things were true.
But she wasn’t willing to fuck him to get what she wanted, was she?
But the truth was that I didn’t really know Thea. As much as I felt like I did. She was just a woman who I’d fucked a couple of times, right?
24
Thea
Gunther wasn’t in the mood to talk anymore. There were other things he would rather be doing, and he made it abundantly clear to me. That silk robe he was wearing was beginning to come undone and I could see flashes of his cock now. A sight I would have rather avoided seeing at all costs. Gunther caught my gaze traveling to his body underneath the robe and even though I looked away, and even though the color rose in my cheeks—he was excited by the fact that I’d seen him naked now.
I tried to keep the conversation going. I tried to keep my distance from him, as casually as possible. The only thing I could pretend to do right now was to walk around his living room, staring up at the garish prints he had framed up on the walls, the candelabras and gold ornaments he’d decorated the room with. Gunther had a strange sense of taste.
“Did you decorate the apartment yourself?” I asked him, trying to change the subject. Whatever he wanted to talk about, I didn’t want to discuss it. He was following me around the room now, whisky glass in hand. Ice cubes tinkled in the glass and it was the marker I needed to stay away from him, how much distance to keep from him. The last thing I wanted was to make any kind of physical or eye contact with him.
The closer the ice cube-tinkling sound came to me, the farther I moved away from him.
“Why are we talking about that shit?” he asked, but he wasn’t angry with me. I could sense that. He found it amusing.
“Can’t a girl be interested in your apartment and your sense of style?”
“I’m not living here for long. This is a shit apartment. Too small for me.”
“Oh! Are you moving out?” I asked, running my fingers over the mantle. I noticed how it was covered in a film of dust and I wished I hadn’t touched it at all.
“I’m going to get a bigger place. A house. A mansion. I’ll need a fuckin’ butler and a couple of housekeepers to keep the place in order,” he replied. I looked over my shoulder and threw him a seductive smile.
“Sounds fancy,” I said.
The folds of his robe were wide open now and his cock was dangling between his flabby thighs. I could feel that surge of sickness rising in my stomach again. I didn’t want to look at him. I wished I hadn’t come here at all. I wished I’d listened to Bones and come up with a different plan to bring him down.
Bones wasn’t going to be able to shoot him through the window. Gunther was avoiding that window like the plague. Our little plan was definitely ruined.
While I walked around the living room; eyeing the front door now, I could sense Gunther watching me, watching my body move, my ass move in the denim skirt. What was he thinking? He was going to lunge at me. What was he going to do after that?
We were alone in his apartment. I’d practically asked him to arrange this night. As far as he was concerned, I had begged him to let me be alone with him here. And being alone with him like this could only mean one thing…that I wanted the same thing he did.
My heart slammed against my chest. I wanted to get as close to the front door as possible, but what then? It wasn’t like I’d be able to make a smooth exit from there. His two thugs would be blocking my exit. They’d carry me right back in here if I tried to run and if Gunther ordered them to.
I’d overstayed my visit here. I should have tried to get out of this place a long time ago. Bones was right. I wasn’t an expert at judging what needed to be done. I should have been able to walk into this apartment, taken one look around the place…seen the one obscure window in the living room and judged Gunther’s attitude. I should have known in the first few minutes itself that this wasn’t going to work out. I should have made an excuse and left already.
But was it too late now?
Gunther was saying something. I hadn’t been paying attention. I could hear his voice ringing in my ears now and slowly, I turned to face him and saw him approaching me. He was taking strong meaningful steps in my direction, his silk robe flapping against his pudgy body.
I took a step away from him, but Gunther caught my hand and pulled me to himself. I gasped and gulped, trying to keep my horror to a minimum. If I reacted poorly with him, he would know this was all an act.
I needed to keep it up. I needed to continue selling this act to him. Make him believe that I still wanted him. But at the same time, I needed to make sure he didn’t take this any further than it had already gone.
How?
Gunther had me pinned to his chest.
“You feel that, bitch?” he growled. His pale face was pink now and I could smell the whisky on his sour breath again, making me gag. I knew what he meant. He was talking about his cock that was sticking into my thigh. I could feel it stiffening, growing…I was going to get sick on him. I tried to wriggle free but keep that smile on my face still.
“Do you feel it?” he barked at me now. He didn’t appreciate the fact that I was struggling to get away from him. That I was pulling away from him.
“I do…and maybe, maybe we should take it slow? Don’t you think?” I murmured and his brows furrowed. Had he never heard that expression before?
“Maybe we’d enjoy it more if we both…if we went slow, you know? Take some time to get to know each other.”
Gunther glared down at me and then the fury built up visibly on his face. He had taken personal offense to my suggestion.
“What the fuck did you just say?” he growled.
“I’m just suggesting that maybe we should take it slow…” I used to think I was strong and brave, and now it felt too much for me. I felt overwhelmed. I wasn’t sure what to do, how to handle the situation. I felt like I was freezing up within my own body. Gunther was searching my eyes for an answer. Trying to figure me out and I didn’t know what more to say. How to keep myself safe from harm.
“What kind of a fucking whore are you?” he growled and then grabbing me by my arms, he pushed me away from himself. I realized too late how much stronger he was than me. My body went flying backwards and I fell back, slamming against the mantle. My head knocked against the wall and I felt a thud on the back of my head. I was definitely bleeding, there was definitely a gash. The rest of the room spun once, and my vision was blurry.
I thought I would collapse to the ground. My knees buckled for a moment, but I did everything I could in my power to keep myself up.
I blinked, trying to clear that haziness from my vision.
I needed to stay conscious if I was going to find a way to get out of this place alive. Gunther was charging towards me again.
“Who the fuck are you?” I heard him growl. I cowered from him, but he’d caught me by my shoulder, and he spun me around to the middle of the room. Once again, he had completely overpowered me again and I felt my body freeze up.
“You’re hurting me. Let’s just talk…” I tried and he raged like a wild animal. Demanding answers.
“Why did you want to be alone with me? And now you fuckin’ want to take it slow? What do you think we’re doing here, whore? You think we’re in the middle of some kind of fuckin’ romantic comedy? Take your fucking clothes off!” He was coming at me again. This time he was going to rip the clothes off my body. I yelped, moving back and then fell backwards on the couch where I’d thrown my purse earlier.
Gunther was lunging at me again, but I fumbled around in my purse for the revolver and within a second, I had it out and pointed at him. The sigh
t of it didn’t stop him. Didn’t hold him back. He still came charging at me and then the shot rang in my ear.
I’d pulled the trigger. Pointed directly at him. But somehow, the bullet hadn’t gone where it was supposed to go. Hadn’t I aimed the gun at his chest? I’d meant to kill him, but Gunther was still alive.
He looked down at his right shoulder, where my bullet had caught him. Through the material of his robe, we could both see the blood starting to pool there. I was still on my back on the couch, holding the small gun with both hands now, my finger on the trigger. But I wasn’t prepared to pull on it again. My mouth was hanging open in shock.
Gunther staggered back, like he was in shock. Not because he was in pain. Then he finally looked up at me and I could see the rage in his eyes. The pure burning anger that was like molten lava now, flooding down his cheeks.
“You fuckin’ bitch!” he growled.
I rolled off the couch on the floor, the gun had fallen out of my hand, but Gunther was now throwing himself on me. My forehead conked against the floor, the rug dulling the thud a little, but his big heavy body was pushing down on me now, pinning me to the floor.
I screamed, but Gunther reached his hand out and tightly pressed on my mouth. How was he doing this? How did he still have the ability to keep doing this despite the bullet in his shoulder?
I was crying myself hoarse. But what was the point? It wasn’t like his thugs out there were going to rush in to save me. They were probably prepared to hear my cries tonight.
I tried to claw away from under him, but he was holding me down, keeping me down.
His mouth was right by my ear now.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re going? You think you can take a shot at me and that’s going to stop me? I’m indestructible!” he hissed and there was a manic laughter in his voice.
I wanted to scream Bones’ name. Call for him. Could he see me now from the other building? Was he going to come for me? Was it going to be too late?
Bones: The Black Cobra MC #4 Page 16
