I ripped Emma from his grasp, putting her behind me before I threw my first punch. It connected with his jaw. He recovered quickly and ran at me trying to tackle me. I sidestepped his effort, landing another punch in the process. Emma was crying for us to stop, and when my eyes met his, he looked as bloodthirsty as I felt. We charged at one another, with him taking me to the ground. He got in several good punches before I was able to buck him off. We wrestled in the rocks and dirt for a few minutes when I got the upper hand and mounted him. My fists rained down on him. I did not stop until I was lifted off of him. I still saw red as I struggled against the arms that held me until sound kicked back in and I heard the voices of my brothers. Knox and Tank held me back. I looked around immediately for Emma, but only saw brothers.
“Where is she?” I gasped.
“Dylan took her home,” Knox responded.
When they let me go I took off running straight for Knox’s car knowing I still had the keys. I was in and starting the car when Knox slid into the passenger seat. Before I could protest, Knox said, “You can’t do this alone.” I nodded and sped off to Emma’s.
It took almost no time to get to her house. Knox and I were out of the car as soon as I parked it, running to the front door. Dylan opened the door as I raised my hand to knock.
“Leave!” A word I was growing to hate.
“Move Dylan,” I commanded.
“You don’t get to come back here and fuck with her. I allowed it once, but never again. Knox!” Dylan looked to her Reaper who seemed torn with what to do. He was loyal to a fault and would most likely move Dylan out of the way for me if I asked, but that would put him at odds with the woman bearing his child.
“It wasn’t me.” It was the best way to cut through all the shit that was keeping Emma and me apart.
“Ha Ha Ha.” The fake laugh from Dylan only heightened the angst I felt. “You honestly expect me to believe that?” When I did not deny it, Dylan shook her head. “That’s pitiful. You could have at least been more original. Like, I love her and I didn’t mean to hurt her. Or maybe the slut tripped and fell on my dick. But it wasn’t me. Ha ha ha. That’s pitiful.”
“Dill you need to listen to him.” At least Knox still had my back.
“Why? What could he possibly say that would get me to move from this spot to let him in this house?” Both Dylan and Knox turned to look at me.
I ran my hands through my hair and took a deep breath. “I have a younger brother, Travis. Fox is his road name. We have been butting heads since I got back to Baton Rouge. Emma saw him fucking that chick, not me. We look a lot alike and in the dark it would be easy to miss it. Especially with what she was facing and then he said her name. She would naturally jump to the worse conclusion.”
“It was my brother routine.” She air quoted the last two words. “Wow! That is even worse than it wasn’t me. Get lost Gunner. No one wants you here.”
“FUCK NO! Listen. My brother has a tattoo on his neck,” I said as I pulled down my shirt to reveal no tattoo. “Ask her. Ask her if the brother on the couch had a tattoo right here.” I pointed to the right side of my neck. “It runs down his neck and over the right side of his shoulder.” Dylan looked hesitant, but not as sure of herself as when I first walked up. “Please Dylan. Just ask her.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Emma
“So fuck you and your untouchable face. And fuck you for existing in the first place. And who am I? That I should be vying for your touch. And who am I? I bet you can’t even tell me that much.”
I did not know when music became my savior, but over the last year I turned to it more than I ever thought possible to help me through some of the worst moments of my life. Tonight was no exception as “Untouchable Face” by Ani Difranco boomed from my docking station.
At first I did not hear the knocking until it turned to a rapid hammering on the door. Once Dylan got me through the front door I ran to my room locking myself in. I called Amber telling her we were coming. I knew Gunner would be close behind and I just needed to make that decision before I faced him again. Now I hid behind my locked door as I pulled suitcase after suitcase from my closet and started to pack.
It was time to move on. I kept saying that over and over again hoping it would sink in, because my whole chest heaved with each article I folded and placed in the suitcase. I would never be able to move on in Camden City. I needed the same perspective that Amber gained by leaving this town and putting everything in her rear view. The hammering turned to pounding.
“Who is it?” Slurring was at a minimum. Well at least I was sobering up; got to be thankful for small favors.
“Dylan.”
“Anyone else with you?” I asked as I came to the door.
“Just me. I promise.” Her assurance had me unlocking the door to find her standing there.
“Gunner and Knox are here.”
“I don’t want to see him.”
“I know. I know,” she said, waving her hands in a calming motion. “I just think you have to hear what he has to say.”
“About what?” My voice rose.
“The tattoo you told me about. The new one he got on his neck. Well the Gunner downstairs doesn’t have one.”
“What?” How could that be? Butterflies started in my stomach again. Nervousness for what could be. Did I dare hope?
“Just talk to him. Knox and I will stay. If you want him gone, I will make Knox make him leave.”
“I don’t know Dill. My chest feels like it has been ripped open at seeing him. I don’t know if I can handle talking with him; let alone being in the same room with him. It’ll be too hard.”
“But maybe it won’t be hard. Maybe there is a reason that we never thought of that would make all of this go away.”
“I don’t think anything he could say could make this heart ache go away.”
“Just give him a chance.” We stared at one another and when I gave Dylan a slight nod, she turned and walked down the steps. I went back to packing, because nothing he would say could change the outcome of us.
I turned down Ani Difranco, but let her sing exactly what I was feeling as I heard heavy footsteps on the stairs.
Gunner.
“What are you doing?” Gunner’s question had me looking up. His appearance, although I knew he was coming, took my breath away. He was that sexy. Him here was just right. Wearing blue jeans and a dark t-shirt with his cut was enough for me to swoon. I shook my head, reminding myself of what an asshole he was and went back to packing.
“I’m packing,” I said with as much sarcasm as I could muster.
“Obviously, but why?” Was he that dense? Had he hit his head since the last time I saw him? Or maybe that sweet butt sucked his dick too hard and got a face full of more than just semen? I rubbed my eyes, trying to rid that image from my mind.
“Shit,” I whispered as tears filled my eyes. “We are moving to Dallas with my sister.”
“No!”
“Yes!” I wiped at the tears I refused to shed. No more!
“It wasn’t me. Who you saw! I know it looked like me and I can only imagine what you saw. But that was Travis my brother. See,” Gunner said as he pulled his shirt down to show his neck, which did not have ink all over it. I walked over to get a closer look.
“But you said you got a new tattoo.” How was this possible?
“Yeah. This.” Gunner turned his arm over revealing a small tattoo on his forearm that was a circle with a smaller circle inside of it. Both circles had a cross that cut through it, almost like what you see when you look through the scope of a gun.
“What is it?”
“A sniper scope. If you look real close you can see Jerry, my spotter’s name in the scope.” Gunner took a tentative step forward, pointing to the slightest change in ink where the name was tattooed.
“Emma,” he said, drawing my attention back to him. “I am so sorry for what Travis put you through.” Another step. “I would never ever do anything th
at would hurt you.” But that was a lie. Every time he left it hurt. Another step had us toe-to-toe. “It has been hell not talking with you. I went ape shit crazy when I found out what happened. My brothers had to pull me off Travis so I would literally not kill him.”
“I can’t keep doing this.”
“I know cher. And you shouldn’t have too. This is on me. I have shit going down in Baton Rouge that spilled into us. For that I am so sorry. I never meant for this to happen. Please believe me.” I looked away from him, losing my fight against the tears as they ran down my cheeks.
“I can’t stay here.” And I meant it.
“Don’t say that.”
“Gunner there is nothing left for me . . . for my boys here.” Exhaustion like I never knew existed landed square on my shoulders. I bent my head resting it on his chest. “This whole town, the club, this house. They carry nothing but ghosts. And lucky for me I have two of them that haunt me.”
“Two?” The word was barely above a whisper.
“Yours and his. His I could live with, but yours is what is killing me. The dream of you, of us together; it haunts me more than the death of Tru ever did. I can’t stay in this town waiting for you to show up when you are ready.”
“I’m ready now.”
“No,” I said looking at him. “You’re not.”
“I am. I got things in the works to make it happen. I just need more time.”
“That is one thing I have run out of. I have no more time to wait. No more time to sit by and watch things happen to me. I need more.”
“I got more to give. I swear it.” Gunner enveloped me with his arms.
“I can’t,” I cried, pushing against his chest.
“Please Emma,” Gunner said taking hold of my arms, not letting me go. “I can make this right. All of it. I just need more time.”
“We are moving to Dallas.” Each time I said it made it more real. “I can’t do this anymore. This in-between. This waiting game of when you are ready. I need something more.”
“I am trying here.” His voiced pained.
“I know, but it’s not enough. Not anymore.”
“Emma.” Gunner dropped to his knees. “PLEASE!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Gunner
“Emma.” I fell to my knees. My heart thundered in my ears as Emma’s words skipped like a broken record in my mind. “PLEASE!” I begged her. This could not be happening. Everything I had been working for over the last week was starting to fall apart. The way church ended in Baton Rouge had me desperate to make this work.
“Gun . . .”
“I love you Emma.”
“Don’t do that.”
“Say you don’t love me,” I demanded as I stood back up. Hope sprung up as I saw the light return to Emma’s eyes.
“Gunner. Your first time saying it can’t be when I am trying to leave all of this behind. That’s not fair.”
“It’s not the first time,” I argued. “Je t’aime bebe tu es mon coer.” I cupped her face as I repeated the next words. “I love you. You are my heart.” A single tear ran down her cheek as she closed her eyes. “Ej t’aime. I love you . . . so much cher. You are my heart.”
“Gun.”
“Say you don’t love me,” I challenged again.
“It doesn’t matter.” I opened my mouth to argue, but Emma put her fingers to my lips. Her touch alone halted my words. When she pushed against me this time I let her go. Emma turned away from me as she spoke. “I may be your heart,” she paused, looking over her shoulder, “but you always put duty before your heart.” I wanted to tell her she was wrong, that I would put her first, but the words would not come. She took a step away from me. Although the step was small, it was louder than any words she could have said.
“Even when you thought you were hiding from the responsibility of the cut, you fulfilled your duty to your country, to your team. You are an honorable man, Gunner, and for that you have earned the respect and love of many people, including me. But that love, no matter how deep, is not enough.” I had no words. Everything she was saying Baton Rouge accused me of not doing. How could she see me so differently than they did?
When Emma turned to face me this time, I could see the determination in her eyes. She knew what she wanted and it was no longer me. “I have to do this Gunner. I need to put some time and distance between me and this place.” My breathing hitched as it hurt too much when I tried to breathe. The silence stretched on as we stared at one another.
“And from me.” I needed to say it. I needed to put the words out there and have her deny them. Her eyes turned sad as she closed the space between us. Her lips connected with mine as she wrapped her arms around my neck. Our usual fast and furious pace was replaced with slow and deliberate. Each kiss, every touch had us looking into each other’s eyes.
“I’m so sorry Emma,” I said again. “I love you so much.” And I did from the deepest, most broken part of me -I did.
“I know Gun. It’s just no longer enough.” And there were no words that would fix this. Only action. But in order to make it happen I had to do the one thing that caused all this in the first place. I left.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Gunner
“I don’t know what to do,” I confessed to Wesson, Colton, and Whistler. We sat in Wesson’s office as I conveyed everything that had happened since I learned about Emma’s surprise visit to Baton Rouge. This was my first stop after Knox and I left Emma’s.
“She’s leaving. And there is not a damn thing I can do about it. I want out. But they haven’t given me an option I can live with.”
“What about asking Emma to move there?” Colton asked.
“With the drugs and the women?” I replied. “Shit. I hate being there. I could not imagine inviting Emma and her boys to come and live in my own personal hell.”
“Did you tell her?” Wesson asked.
“Hell no.”
“Why not?” It was Whistler’s turn to ask a question.
“Fuck. It was church.” Whistler seemed satisfied with the answer, but Colton and Wesson both looked skeptical. “And I can see why she wants to leave and put all this behind her.” I paced back and forth as I ran my hands over my head.
“Then let her go.” Colton and his dumb ass comments.
“Like you could let Logan go?”
Colton chuckled in response. “Fuck no. I saved her from the devil himself. And then got you,” he pointed to me, “to blow up their mother fucking clubhouse to end it.”
“So what, I should blow up my own club to end this?”
“Maybe.”
“Colton,” Wesson said silencing him. “No one is blowing up anything. They’re our brothers for Christ sake. You need a plan.”
“I know. That is why I am here. I need your help.” I looked at each one.
“It’s about time,” Wesson said.
“But to do what?” questioned Whistler.
“I need support from this chapter to start my own.”
“Your own chapter? You?” Whistler grumbled. “You’re barely off your training wheels and you want support for your own chapter so you can get regular pussy. What the fuck is wrong with you boy?”
“Whistler.” It was Colton’s turn to try and put Whistler in his place. “Stop while you’re ahead old man. No one wants to hear your shit.”
“We’ve been through enough this past year because of pretty pink pussy, there is no way in hell I am about to . . .”
“Whistler.” Wesson’s tone alone had everyone standing up straighter. It seemed as though not much had changed between Camden City’s VP and Enforcer. “Where are you suggesting this new chapter?” My lips turned up slightly before I opened my mouth.
“You sly dog,” Colton said. “Dallas.”
“Whitewater actually,” I corrected. “It is north of Dallas. A small town.”
“How far from the hospital?” Colton knew exactly the right questions to ask.
“Thirt
y minutes tops.”
“It needs to be a unanimous vote.” Whistler interrupted.
“I know,” I replied.
Wesson looked at Colton. “Church in 45.” Colton immediately got out his phone and began texting. I did not even look to Whistler, already knowing the look he would have on his face – part disgust because a woman was involved and part respect for having the balls to do something about it.
As I walked out of the office I saw Tank and Knox at the bar. I made my way over to them when Woods called me from the front of the clubhouse. “Gun. I need you out front.”
I looked to Tank and then Knox. Both shrugged their shoulders, but stood up and followed me out the door. When I got to the gate, there was Bain and The Dream on their bikes surrounded by Lefty, Ax, and Worm.
“Brothers.” I was surprised to see them in Camden City. “What brings you here?”
“Hoping to find you and put an end to this insanity,” The Dream said.
“Has something else happened?”
“Besides your brother going off the deep end,” answered Bain.
“Fox is trying to rally everyone to vote you out.”
“What the fuck?” Knox groaned.
“Amen brother,” grumbled Tank.
“Why don’t we bring this conversation inside?” Woods suggested as he opened the gate wider.
After parking their bikes, Bain and The Dream followed us inside right as Colton was leaving Wesson’s office. After a quick once-over, Colton extended his hand to The Dream and then Bain. “Welcome brothers.”
“Nice digs,” Bain commented as he shook Colton’s hand.
“Some remodeling was in order,” Knox joked as Dylan came waddling out of the kitchen holding a big bowl of ice cream.
“Jesus woman,” Colton exclaimed when Dylan joined the group. “You never stop eating.”
“He’s hungry,” she whined, rubbing her belly. Knox tucked Dylan into his side before taking the spoon and feeding her.
“Brothers. This is Dylan,” introduced Colton. “My sister, his old lady.”
Emma's Reaper: Soul Reapers #4 Page 8
