GUNNER: Southside Skulls Motorcycle Club (Southside Skulls MC Romance Book 3)

by Jessie Cooke

  He looked from Zack to Tammy and tried to draw strength from the pretty smile on her face. He could see the worry in her eyes so he was especially touched by the smile. Raymond was holding the cold-ass Enswell iron to the cut on his eye, so he wasn’t sure the smile he shot back in her direction conveyed that. She hadn’t wanted to come, but told him she’d be even more anxious sitting back at the clubhouse, waiting to hear what was going on. Billy was sitting next to Tammy, and Patty and her Latin lover Manuel next to him.

  “Listen to me, kid,” Raymond said. “This guy needs to win or he’s out, and he’s fighting like it. You’re going to have to remember what I taught you if you’re going to beat this guy. Use the defensive tactics that you learned and wear him down, got it?” He took the cold steel off Gunner’s face and Gunner nodded. “You tired, kid?”

  “Fuck yeah.”

  “So is he. Remember that. When your muscles are begging for rest, remember that his are just as tired as yours are and keep going. Keep moving. Don’t stop.”

  “Okay. I got it,” Gunner said. He just wanted to get this shit over with. He loved the challenge of a good fight…one fight, with one man. This tournament stuff was shit that he wouldn’t be looking to do anytime soon again. He wanted to win this, collect his money, and get as far from Tennessee as he could. He looked back over at Zack. He had his arm resting on the back of Tammy’s seat. Fuck. He wanted to kill that guy.

  The sound of the bell brought him out of his homicidal fantasies and back to the task at hand. He could do this. He’d kicked ass in his first two fights. He had to give Ray credit, he’d taught him a lot in only two weeks. The first fight had been almost too easy. He’d only taken one well-placed punch from his opponent in the stomach before Gunner went after the guy’s face and head. He threw punch after punch until the man’s eyes suddenly glazed over and he hit the mat. The second fight hadn’t been that easy. They went three rounds and the only reason the other man submitted was because Gunner had him on the mat with his left arm twisted up behind him. Looking like he was on the verge of passing out from the pain, the man finally used his other arm to tap out. Gunner hadn’t meant to dislocate the shoulder he was holding onto; it had just snapped out of place when he let it go. The sound of the man’s scream tore through him and he tried to help him up. His opponent had used his good hand to bat away the one Gunner was holding out to him. Exhausted and on the verge of collapse himself, Gunner said:

  “Fuck you, then,” as he limped back to his own corner. By that time Gunner had blood running down the side of his face from a hard, direct hit, and every fiber in his body felt like it was on fire.

  The buzzer rang and Ray patted him on his sore shoulder and said, “Okay, kid, go get it done.”

  Gunner nodded and limped back out to the center of the octagon to the sound of mixed applause and boos from the audience, and sized up his next opponent. The guy he was fighting was known as “Dave the Destroyer.” He was taller than Gunner, but Gunner had him in weight and muscle mass. What worried Gunner was that “Dave” had also already had two fights, and his dark skin didn’t appear to have a break or bruise on it. The other thing that worried him was that the other man was smiling…like he was anticipating what he was about to do to Gunner. At the referee’s behest, the two fighters tapped knuckles. The buzzer sounded once more and Dave came out fighting, sending a right hook and then a left jab in Gunner’s direction. Gunner sucked in a sharp breath when the man’s large fist connected with the cut near his eye. He felt the trickle of warm blood as it ran down his face. Knowing Raymond would use the Enswell on him again gave him the boost he needed to throw his first punch. It landed on Dave’s big jaw and the other man stumbled backwards.

  Gunner felt a sudden rush of adrenaline. His limbs were tingling and his heart rate sped up. He advanced and threw another punch while the other man was off balance. He expected it to knock Dave down, or at least set him off balance even more. Instead, it only seemed to piss him off, and he returned the blow. His fist connected with Gunner’s mouth and he felt his lips split. For a few seconds, he was dazed, and Dave got off another wicked punch that struck him in the ribs before it registered to him that Raymond was yelling at him to use his kicks. He backed up as much as Dave would let him and tried to get a roundhouse kick off. Before it connected, Dave caught his leg and twisted it, taking Gunner to the ground. He tried to pounce down to pin him, but Gunner was able to scramble away and get to his feet. When Dave came at him again, he was ready. He threw out his leg and his big foot connected with the center of Dave’s thigh, causing him to drop down to his knees. Gunner dove for him and there was a grappling match on the mat. Neither man could manage to get the upper hand, but Dave got to his feet first. Gunner had to use the mesh to pull himself up and as soon as he was on his feet, Dave threw another punch. It caught him just under the chin and his head snapped back. If not for the mouthpiece, his teeth would have hit together so hard, they might have broken. Gunner’s ears were ringing but something about that hit had given him another surge of adrenaline and confidence. He grunted out loud as he threw a kick into the side of Dave’s legs. The man teetered back and forth and Gunner kicked him again, knocking him on his ass. He didn’t hesitate to go down to the floor as well, and this time he had the upper hand.

  His breaths were short and ragged, and his heart was pounding violently in his chest as he straddled the other man on the floor from behind and grabbed his powerful thighs. He pulled them up with another loud grunt. Dave let out a wild yell as Gunner managed to hyper-extend one, but he wasn’t ready to be beat just yet. He used his arms to push himself up and he began to buck wildly, trying to throw Gunner off his back. Gunner wanted to let go. His arms were burning and his head was pounding, but he told himself what Ray kept telling him. He just had to wait him out and let him wear himself down. It seemed like hours passed to Gunner as he held onto the man’s powerful legs with shaking arms. He kept wondering why the buzzer hadn’t rung yet. The man underneath him suddenly went limp and through a haze of blood and sweat, Gunner saw him lift his right arm and tap the mat. He released his legs and rolled off him onto his back. It was only seconds later when the buzzer rang and Dave realized that he should have waited. Gunner almost felt sorry for him as he watched Dave bury his face in his arms. Raymond and his helper were pulling Gunner to his feet. Gunner stopped them and put a hand out to Dave. This time the other fighter took it and, teetering on his own shaky legs, Gunner helped him to his feet.

  When he got back to his corner he looked at Tammy. Her eyes still looked worried, but she blew him a kiss. He winked at her with his uninjured eye and tried to smile. Zack was smiling at him too. With a great deal of effort, Gunner lifted his right hand and his middle finger. He saw Zack laugh. Fucker.

  Gunner had less than a half an hour to rest before he was called out for the last fight. He went out first with Raymond and the other guy working with him, a kid named Ben. As he stood in the center of the octagon and watched Red Crow advance down the aisle, he was overwhelmed at how big the Indian looked. He didn’t remember him being so damned big. He looked like he might have put on another twenty pounds of muscle since Gunner saw him last. That could go two ways. One, he could use that muscle to beat Gunner down in the first round. Or two, it could weigh him down and give Gunner an advantage. He could only hope it went the second way.

  Red Crow also didn’t look like he’d already had three fights. He was practically jogging down the aisle, anxious to get to it. Gunner could see that he was smiling as he got closer, and his eyes were on Gunner’s face. The door was pulled open for the big man and he stepped inside. He finally tore his eyes from Gunner’s face and turned to play to the cheering crowd. He held his arms up above his head and put his hands together so that every muscle in his giant arm was flexed tight. The crowd roared. Gunner was watching him as he heard Ray’s voice in his ear: “He’s all show, kid. You can beat his ass.”

  “He’s got a big ass,” Gunner said with a painful
grin.

  “Just means he’ll hit the mat harder when he falls on it. He’s too big. As long as you don’t let him knock you out with the first few punches, you’ve got this. He’s going to tire out quickly. He’s weighted down. Use your kicks, stay out of reach of his fists, and don’t stop moving. As soon as you see him start to look like he’s done, take him down.”

  Gunner nodded. Ray made it sound so easy. The referee called them to the center and Gunner’s eyes met Tammy’s again. He tried to draw strength from her. She still hadn’t said that she loved him, but she was getting closer to it, he could feel it. She was more affectionate with him, even when they weren’t having sex, and when she talked about the future, she often included him in it, saying “we” should do this or that. He almost had himself convinced that she’d agree to go to Massachusetts with him when this was all over. The only thing holding her back was Tommy. She called the hospital twice a day to check on him, from a different burner phone each time. So far, he was still medically stable but he hadn’t woken up yet, and they couldn’t tell her why. Zack told her that Randall had finally admitted someone was trying to take him out, and he’d gone into hiding. No one was quite sure where he was, but before he went, he’d called Tammy and told her not to worry. Not that it stopped her from worrying, but she did feel better than knowing he was walking around with a target on his forehead.

  When the referee finished his spiel, Gunner tried to tap knuckles with Red Crow, but the big guy pulled his hands back. Gunner was glad. He hated a poor sport and that just gave him another reason to want to beat the guy’s ass. He went back to this corner and when the second buzzer rang, he came out, dancing on his feet. The big Indian was throwing punches, and Gunner did as Ray told him and dodged them or blocked them without throwing any of his own. Each time he got out of the big guy’s reach he threw out a kick. Two of them had connected rapidly, causing Red Crow to double over for just a second. That was when Gunner went in and tried to take him down, but that was a mistake. The Indian wasn’t tired yet and as soon as Gunner got close, Red Crow wrapped his big arms around him in a vise-like grip and took him to the floor. Gunner felt like he couldn’t breathe as the Indian used his body weight to pin him to the mat. He was on the verge of panic when he heard Ray yelling at him. He tried to quell the panic and listen. What he heard was Ray telling him to keep moving. If he had enough air and could expand his lungs, he would have laughed. He had over two hundred and fifty pounds of solid muscle on his back, and Red Crow was grabbing for his legs. Gunner struggled to get his elbows underneath him. Red Crow had hold of one of his legs by the time he did. With the loudest grunt he ever heard come out of his body, he pushed himself up on his elbows. It startled Red Crow and he adjusted his weight. That gave Gunner the opportunity to buck him, and he slid off to the side holding onto Gunner’s right leg. As soon as he did, Gunner brought his left leg over and kicked him in the head. It was an odd angle, so there wasn’t that much power in the kick, but it was enough to knock him sideways. As soon as the weight was off him, Gunner scrambled across the sweat-soaked mat and pushed up. Red Crow still had a hold of his leg, but he wasn’t gripping it as tightly as he had been. Gunner used his other leg and kicked Red Crow over and over as he tried to pull him back down. The crowd was going crazy, and the Indian finally gave in and let go.

  He put his hands underneath him in push-up position but before he could rise, Gunner dropped down on top of him, hard enough to slam him back into the mat. Gunner heard him gasping for air and took advantage of it. He straddled him and put his arm around the Indian’s neck and pulled back on it as hard as he could. Red Crow was trying to twist and buck out from underneath him, but Gunner was done. He wanted this over with so he could take a shower, have dinner with his baby, and if he still had any range of motion, make love to her all night long. With a burst of energy that came from that thought, he pulled back even harder. He didn’t know that Red Crow had passed out until the referee came over and made him let go. It was over. He’d won by a submission. He dropped down to the mat on his butt and searched out Tammy’s pretty eyes. She finally looked happy. She was on her feet cheering for him. Zack stood next to her with his hands in his pockets and a grin on his face. When Gunner looked at him, he gave him a nod. Once again, Gunner used the last of his energy to raise his middle finger. Fuck Zack. He couldn’t wait to see the asshole in his rearview mirror.

  45

  Gunner’s plans of making passionate love to Tamara right after the fight didn’t pan out. He’d showered at the gym, and as soon as they got back to the clubhouse, while Tamara was fixing him a plate, he passed out. He slept past noon the next day. After he got up and dressed and put some salve that Raymond had given him on the cut on his eye and mouth, he had to wander out to the great room to find her. She and Zack had their heads together and he was instantly pissed.

  “Hey,” he said as he approached the table. They had been looking at something on Zack’s phone, but as soon as Gunner approached the table, Zack tucked it in his pocket.

  “Hey there, sleeping beauty,” Tamara said. She looked genuinely happy to see him. She stood up and kissed him on the lips. He couldn’t help but look at Zack to see how he was affected by that. As usual, the jerk was smiling.

  “You got my money?” Gunner asked him.

  Zack chuckled. “I’m leaving in a few to go pick it up.”

  “How much did we make?”

  “All about the money,” Zack said, sarcastically. “What about thanks, Zack, for the opportunity.”

  “Shut the fuck up. I got the shit kicked out of me four times yesterday and I can hardly move today, so I don’t want to hear your shit. I just want my money, so we can get out of here.” He felt Tammy put her hand on his arm, and his tense muscles almost instantly relaxed.

  “He’s going to get it, Gunner. Come on, you must be starving.” Gunner hadn’t realized how hungry he was until that very minute. With one last glare at Zack, he took Tammy’s hand and followed her into the kitchen. He was surprised when she picked up a big picnic basket instead of grabbing him a plate.

  “What’s that?”

  “A picnic basket.”

  He smiled. It still hurt his face. “I can see that. What’s if for?”

  She grinned. “Picnics.”

  “Is it going to take a while to get to the bottom of this? If so, I might need to sit down.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I just thought it would be nice to take you up to Lover’s Lane for a picnic. I should have thought about you being too sore to ride.”

  “I’m not too sore.”

  “Yes, we can do this another…” Gunner took the picnic basket out of her hands. Sore or not, time alone with Tammy was exactly what he needed.

  “Nope, we can do it now. You ready?”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive.”

  “Okay, good. I’m ready.”

  Tammy let Gunner drive the bike while she held onto the picnic basket and directed him where to go. They rode for almost an hour. Gunner’s body was screaming by the time he saw the sign for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. After they paid the small entry fee, he followed the road they were on until Tammy told him to turn off onto a dirt path. That led up to a secluded little picnic area where he stopped the bike and they finally got off. There were three picnic tables and a barbecue pit. The area was covered with deep, soft grass and wildflowers and surrounded by trees.

  “This is nice. How did you know it was here?”

  Tammy rolled her eyes and said, “I haven’t been here with Zack.”

  Gunner grinned. “Am I that obvious?”

  “Yes, and stupid. He’s an ass and I don’t want anything to do with him.”

  She sat the picnic basket down on the table and Gunner said, “Can I ask you a personal question?”

  “Sure.”

  “Was he an ass when you were together?”

  She sighed and dropped down on one of the benches. “Gunner…I wish you wouldn�
�t worry about him.” He went over and sat by her. “Manuel told me about this place. I’ve never been here before and I don’t want Zack.”

  He smiled. “I’m not worried about him. I was curious, that’s all.”

  She opened the basket and started taking things out as she shook her head. “Right. Well, if you are, the answer to your question is probably not going to help. But no, Zack wasn’t an asshole…not until the night he got drunk and cheated on me. I mean, he’s always been sarcastic and edgy, but he was different with me. He was always good to me and respectful and very protective.” Gunner watched as she continued to pull things from the basket. There was cheese, and crackers, cut-up fruit, chocolate-dipped strawberries, French bread, chocolate cake, wine…it seemed bottomless, and Gunner’s stomach growled with approval. He reached for a strawberry and she slapped his hand. “Not yet.”

  “He’s still protective, you know.,” Gunner said.

  “What do you mean?” She was fixing them each a paper plate as she talked.

  “Well, for one thing the way he took us in. I doubt just anyone could walk into that clubhouse and ask for and get room and board for four people.”

  “I knew he wouldn’t turn us down because at the core of that sarcastic, asshole exterior is still a decent person. He had the misfortune of being Mona’s and Swinger’s kid, so he learned some annoying coping mechanisms in the process. But at least he didn’t inherit their cold, hateful hearts.” Gunner nodded. He hated to agree with anything good where Zack was concerned, but Tamara was right. Gunner had seen how much Zack cared about her and he was even jealous of it. But, it told him that the guy at least had a heart. “You said ‘for one thing.’ What was the other one?”