Gambler

by KJ Dahlen

  Getting inside her car, she slammed the door shut and locked it. She didn’t know if she wanted to look for trouble or not but she reluctantly lifted her head and searched the area around the House. The late afternoon light held too many shadows and she couldn’t really see anything out there but she knew he was there all the same.

  Starting her car, she reversed and took off for Gambler’s house. She knew she would be safe once she got to the compound.

  Chapter Two

  Deep in the shadow of the tree line on the side of Redemption House, he sat on his bike and watched her come outside. His eyes narrowed as he watched her pause and look around, almost as if she could sense him nearby.

  Then as she drove away, the man sitting in the shadows smiled. The glee he should have felt was missing from his eyes. It had been seven years since he’d seen her last. Seven long years, two of which he spent in jail. He found out after his arrest that someone had claimed he was stalking them. But it wasn’t her that brought the charges though, it had been her father. Max Portland.

  He shook his head. He never would have thought Paige would have told anyone about him. She’d been on the younger side when he found her and there was something about her that he just couldn’t let go, he knew she was younger than most, but that only gave him a moment of discomfort. No that wasn’t true either...when he was with her, he hadn’t felt discomfort. He felt complete dominance. He wanted to brand her and get her completely under his thumb.

  Then when he got out of jail, she was gone. She no longer lived at home and for the longest time he couldn’t find her. Then he happened to see her picture on a brochure about the Redemption House. The brochure had been thrown away and it was stained and dirty but Paige’s face had been clear enough to see.

  He came here from Boston and had been following her for the last three weeks. She hadn’t even known he was there until recently but he had a feeling she knew now. She might not be able to see him yet, but she knew he was there all the same. He’d found out through gossip about her living with her boyfriend and he followed her home one night. When she pulled into the compound of the Sin’s Bastards MC, he pulled back and watched.

  That’s when he saw the boyfriend pull up. When he saw them embrace his rage grew. She didn’t belong to the other man she belonged to him. He watched as they went into the house and he growled in annoyance then took off. That should have been their house, not her house with another man. He snarled when he thought about the many ways he could make her pay for betraying him with another man.

  The next morning, he came back and followed the boyfriend to work. He found out he worked for Moore Brothers Construction. The longer he watched him the more he learned. The man’s name was Gambler Moore.

  It wasn’t long before he knew more than he ever wanted to about the Sin’s Bastards MC and the Moore Brothers Construction company. The people of this town liked both. He had to shake his head. Having an MC attached to a town, usually wasn’t well received by the people of the town.

  But he wasn’t a dummy. He thought about how he could use what he learned against Paige and her new boy toy. He knew he wanted revenge for what she’d done to him. She belonged to him, not this Gambler. And this time, he would claim her or kill her. If he couldn’t have her... no one would.

  When Paige got back to Gambler’s house, she found Molly and Dusty already home. She was still shaky when she got there.

  Molly studied her and looked worried.

  She shook her head at the older woman and glanced over at Dusty. When Dusty wouldn’t greet her, she looked back at Molly. “What’s going on?” she asked softly.

  Molly glanced at her grandson and back to Paige. “Well, I’m not real sure. He’s been very quiet all day.”

  They both watched as he went inside and then looked at one another again. “Is something going on that we should know about?” Molly finally asked.

  Paige shrugged. “Not that I know of.” Her own problems were forgotten as she concentrated on what could be bothering Dusty. “He disappeared without telling me where he was going this morning but when I called Cricket, he was over there. He usually tells us when he leaves, so we know where he’s going.”

  Molly nodded. “Yes, I saw him there. He got there before I did. I was surprised.”

  “Maybe after he goes to bed, I can call Cricket and find out if he said something today.” Paige’s eyes went to the front door where she’d last seen Dusty.

  Just then, Gambler came home and their talk was tabled when they both saw his face.

  Molly waited for her son to join them before she asked, “What’s wrong?”

  Gambler scowled at his mother briefly then calmed down. “Just some problems at work. Nothing for you to worry about.” Then he looked around before he asked, “Where’s Dusty?”

  “He’s inside,” Paige replied. “Has he mentioned anything on his mind lately? He seemed out of sorts this morning.”

  Gambler flexed his shoulders. “Not that I know of.”

  “Ok, well as long as you both are home I’d better get back before your dad gets home,” Molly stated as she turned and began walking the short distance to her own home.

  Gambler watched his mother leave then turned to Paige. “What’s going on?”

  Paige shrugged. “I’m not sure. Dusty was gone when I got up this morning. I’d gone back to bed for another hour of sleep after you left and when I got up, he wasn’t there. I looked all over the house and finally called Cricket. He’d been there since shortly after you left. Then according to your mom, he’s been quiet all day. I just got home and he wouldn’t even look at me.”

  Gambler frowned. “That’s not like him.” He turned and walked into the house. When he didn’t find Dusty in the living room, he walked back to his bedroom and found his son curled up on his bed.

  Sitting down beside him, he reached out to brush the hair out of his face. Dusty flinched and Gambler frowned. “What’s going on kiddo?”

  Dusty shrugged but didn’t say anything,

  “Are you feeling ok?”

  Again, Dusty shrugged but didn’t say anything.

  Gambler waited and when his son refused to speak or even look at him, he got up. “Well, ok then. I guess I’ll get supper started and we can talk later.”

  Paige glanced over at Gambler as he came in while she set the table. When she noticed his frown she asked, “Is everything ok?”

  Gambler shook his head. “No, I don’t think it is. Mom was right, there is something bothering him but he won’t talk to me.” Running his fingers through his hair, he slammed his hand down on the table. “I don’t really need this right now.”

  Paige didn’t say anything for a moment, then she asked, “Is something else going on? Do I need to worry about it?”

  Gambler shook his head. “I’m not sure. Someone is lurking around the worksite and office. It could just be kids messing around or the homeless looking for a dry place to sleep or something else altogether but at this point, we just don’t know.”

  “What? What are you talking about?”

  “We’ve been noticing some mischief at the work site, not much really, just dirty foot prints where they shouldn’t be, at first, then tools and stuff that were not missing but moved, then today when we got to the office we found someone had trashed it. When we checked out the work site, someone had wrecked the kitchen cabinets we were going to install today.”

  Paige sat down in a chair with a thud. Her heart pounded in her chest as she thought about what he said. “How long has this been going on?” she whispered.

  Gambler snapped his head around to see her pale face. “Honey, are you ok?”

  Paige nodded then repeated her question, “How long has this been happening?”

  Gambler shrugged. “About a week or so, why?”

  Paige closed her eyes. When she opened them, she shrugged. “No worries. I was just wondering that’s all.” Then she looked down the hall. “What’s going on with Dusty?”

&n
bsp; Gambler shook his head. “I’m not sure. Maybe if he won’t tell me, he’ll tell Cricket. They are very close that way. I thought he was opening up to me but now that we’ve moved back here he’s getting closer to her again.”

  “And that bothers you, doesn’t it?” Paige observed quietly.

  Gambler sat down at the table with her and thought about what to say. “Yeah, it kind of does. I’m the boy’s father. Hell, I never knew he existed until a year ago. The moment I met him I knew he was my son. I was so furious with Cordy for keeping him from me. But once I heard their story, I wasn’t surprised. Cordy always was nothing more than a bitch but to do that to her baby sister? Wow, it was totally unbelievable. Cordy would have killed my baby if Cricket hadn’t been there to stop her.”

  Paige reached over and took his hand. “They had each other in a terrible situation. But now they both have a bigger family and other people who really love them both. I hear bits and pieces of what they went through and after all that, I don’t know if I could just give him up either, not the way she did. It must have about killed her to just give the boy up to you.”

  Gambler nodded. He remembered well the way things went down a year ago or so. She had made it extremely easy for him to step into fatherhood. If she had been more like her sister, she wouldn’t have done that. Hell, if she’d been more like her sister his son wouldn’t even be alive.

  “We’ll get through this, baby I know we will.” Paige tried to assure him. “Being a kid is so hard at times and when you grow up like he did you’re gonna have even more problems. He just has to trust you enough to bring his problems to you. But sweetheart, if he takes them to Cricket, you can’t get mad at either of them. He trusts her but if she’s half the woman I think she is, she’ll turn him back to you. She knows your family now and she loves your brother. She’ll do the right thing. I just know she will.”

  Gambler was feeling more than a little lost at the moment. Then he gazed at Paige and smiled. “Yeah, I know she will too. She always does the right thing and I trust her enough to do it now too. I just hope that kid knows how much I love him.”

  “I’m sure he does.” Paige squeezed his hand. She got up and went over to the fridge to see what she could make for a meal.

  When she turned around and looked at Gambler she saw him sitting there with his head hanging down and his hands were cradling it. She saw the defeat in his posture and couldn’t help but feel unsettled.

  She couldn’t help but think about her own problem now. What if he has tracked her down to this place? She hadn’t thought about him for the last seven years and as far as she was concerned, it could be another seventy years before she thought about that man again. She shuddered as her thoughts turned to the past. She closed her eyes and stopped herself from remembering her life seven years ago.

  Instead, she got the ingredients out of the fridge for spaghetti and mindlessly began to put them all together. Half an hour later, she set the table. Gambler had disappeared and when she went to look for him, she found him sitting on Dusty’s bed watching his son sleep.

  He looked up at her when she appeared at the door and she motioned for him to come with her. Gambler nodded and leaning over his son’s body, he gently kissed his forehead.

  Wordlessly, they sat down and ate their supper in silence. They were both caught up in their own drama and neither one wanted to break the quiet. Neither one wanted to talk about what they were thinking either.

  After supper, Gambler grabbed a bottle of beer and went outside to sit. Paige felt bad for not being able to talk about her problems but they were her problems. She didn’t know if he was here or not and she didn’t want to stir the pot as they say.

  Leaving Gambler to sit outside, Paige went back to their bedroom. She undressed in the dark and pulling on a t shirt, she sat down on the window seat and looked outside in the growing darkness. She didn’t even notice the changes as the darkness crept in and stole away the waning light of day.

  She got lost in the past, seven years in the past...

  She had been in the park studying when she heard the loud roar of a bike as it drew near. She looked up and saw a biker stopped near her bench. He was just sitting there staring at her. He let the engine run for a moment then he turned it off. The silence was almost deafening.

  His long dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the base of his neck. His eyes were covered by mirror shades and his face was half covered in a scruffy beard. Dressed in blue jeans that had seen better days and a black t shirt decorated with cigarette holes didn’t appeal to her but they didn’t have to. She didn’t want anything to do with him. She couldn’t see his eyes because of his sunglasses but there was something about the man she didn’t like.

  Paige began to pack up her things slowly. She knew to never make any sudden moves as that was one way to get hurt. She might only be seventeen but she knew that much.

  When she got her things together and stood up to walk away, he spoke to her, “You don’t have to run away little girl. I think you should stay so we can get to know each other a little better.”

  Paige shivered. His voice was cold and gravelly. She could feel his stare boring a hole in her skin. She wouldn’t look at him but she did tell hi,. “I have to go. I’m meeting my dad.”

  The man chuckled. “Sure you are baby girl. Don’t worry we’ll see each other again. I’ve decided that I want to get to know you a whole lot better.”

  Paige didn’t say anything she just hurried away. When she was far enough away, she turned and looked back, only to find him watching her. She shivered and took off running. She prayed he wouldn’t find her again. She didn’t know how she knew it but she knew he meant her no peace. She had a feeling he would find her again and again. She changed up her routine or tried to always be around other people but it didn’t work. He would find her time and time again. Each and every time he found her, he would just sit on his bike and stare at her.

  The next few weeks were hell for her as she tried to hide from the stranger but he always found her. He would follow her everywhere she went. He would never approach her in a crowd but he always let her know he was around. Each time he found her, it made her all the more nervous, so nervous her friends began to notice. It got so bad she didn’t go anywhere outside her house. She would see him hanging around her school. The school began to notice him as well. They called the police on him a few times but when the cops showed up, he always left before they could talk to him.

  One night she woke up in the middle of the night and thought she saw him outside her bedroom window watching her sleep. He was wearing his sunglasses and it was dark outside. He scared her so bad she didn’t go to school for three days. Finally, her father asked her what was wrong.

  She finally broke down and told him about the biker stalking her. Max had called the police and had the man arrested. When she reported the incident at her window, the police did find footprints in the wet dirt that didn’t match Max’s footprints. They did match the bikers though. He spent several hours in jail but in the end, they had to release him. He hadn’t actually done anything to Paige and they couldn’t hold him. He was warned to stay away from Paige.

  Paige was still afraid but after a couple of days and no sign of the biker, she finally relaxed her guard. That was her first mistake. Her second mistake was in believing he would follow the rules. The police had warned him to stay away from her.

  Apparently, he didn’t listen so well. Four days after he’d gotten that warning... he found her alone and unprepared. He pulled up behind her. When she turned to look and saw him, she ran and he pursued. He finally trapped her in a dead end alley.

  Paige shuddered when she remembered what happened next. He might not have raped her but he did beat her almost to death. She would never forget when he took off his sunglasses and she saw the look in his eyes for the first time.

  His eyes were pale, so pale there was almost no color to them and so very cold. She couldn’t see any spark of life in his
orbs at all. But what scared her the most that day was the total lack of empathy in his body. He seemed to grow as her fear grew, getting bigger and bigger with each step he took to get to her. She remembered the first few blows she took and she would never forget the pain he gave her or the message he whispered in her ear just before she passed out. With each blow she took, he schooled her in MC etiquette. Who knew MC’s had rules?

  She didn’t remember how long she laid in that alley before someone finally found her. She didn’t see the horrified look in the policeman’s look when he first saw her, nor did she remember the ride to the hospital. In fact, she didn’t remember the first eight days she was there.

  She lost so much more than eight days though, she lost her spleen and a ton of blood, three teeth and had her jaw wired shut for several weeks. Not to mention several broken ribs and a brain injury she still suffered bad headaches from even after seven years.

  Because she was close to eighteen by then, she would have to testify in court about what happened to her. She didn’t want to do it but had no choice, either testify or the man would walk. She got up on the stand and told her story and in the end, Matthew Reno A.K.A the man she knew of as Sinner had gone to jail for assault. He got four years but this wasn’t his first rodeo and she knew it wouldn’t be his last.

  Paige stared out the window but didn’t see anything as she was so caught up in past. She missed hearing Gambler come into the room. She didn’t hear him ask if she was all right either. It wasn’t until he knelt in front of her that she even realized he was there.

  Shaking the cobwebs from her brain, she gazed down at him and caught his worried look.

  “Are you ok?’ he asked again.

  She nodded, as she couldn’t seem to find her voice.