Chapter 17
Gunner
I’m anxious as fuck. The weight of my gun sits heavily in my hand as we pull up to the house. We got a lead. We got information on her parents, and now I’m storming that fucking house to find her. I will rain hell down on anyone who had anything to do with her disappearing.
We opted to bring the van in case she’s there. God, I pray that she’s there.
“She’s gonna be okay, brother.” I look over at Remy and nod my head. I know she is. If she isn’t, I’m going to raise hell. I’m going to tear this fucking city apart until I find her.
“We almost there?”
“Yeah, Prez. One minute,” Locke tells me. I nod my head as I look down at my gun. Will I need to use it today? Will I take a life for her today? It’s ironic to think this is what things have come down to but I will, I will kill for her.
“What if she isn’t here?”
“They know somethin’.”
“What if they don’t, Gunner?”
“They do!” I roar this time. I know they do. I can feel it in my gut. They know something I don’t, and they’re going to tell me. They’re going to tell me every fucking detail I want to know.
We pull up and park on the back road behind the house. I glance over and see the back door and know it’s show time.
“We hit hard and fast. Don’t let any motherfuckers leave your sight.” The guys agree as we file out of the van. We move quickly through the backyard and toward the back door. I kick it in, and we make our way inside. A woman screams until I grab her around the throat and press my gun to the side of her head.
“You look just like her,” I say as I press the gun harder. She cries when a man comes into the room. Locke moves quickly and subdues him. The others move around, checking the house as I drag the woman into the living room, grabbing a dining room chair as I go. I shove her down onto it and zip-tie her hands to the chair while Locke does the same.
“She isn’t here,” Hodge announces.
“Fuck. Fuck!” I roar as I press the gun against the woman’s temple harder. She cries louder before Remy shoves something in her mouth to shut her up. The man has already been gagged.
“You’re gonna tell me everything I wanna know. You hear me?” I growl in the woman’s face. I pull the rag free and look her in the eyes.
“You’re her mom. Where’s Natasa?”
“She isn’t here. She doesn’t live here,” she sobs.
“I know that. Where the fuck is she?” I ask once more. The woman shakes her head.
“I don’t know.” I nod toward Hodge, and he slams the butt of his gun into the side of her husband’s head. He screams around his gag as blood trickles down his temple.
“I don’t think you understand what’s about to happen here. I’m gonna ask one more time where Natasa is, and if you don’t give me an answer I want, I’m shootin’ him in the head,” I warn as I pull the gun away from her and aim it at her husband.
“She isn’t here! She doesn’t belong to us anymore,” she cries as tears fall down her cheeks.
“What the hell does that mean?”
“We sold her!”
“You what? To who?”
“He told us what she did, what she was. She was nothing but a whore! We couldn’t have that in our family. I wouldn’t allow it. Clark offered to take her off our hands. He said he would handle her.”
“You sold your fuckin’ daughter?” What the hell is wrong with these people? How the hell could they do something like this?
“She was a whore. We couldn’t have that clouding our name.”
“So you sold her?” Anger and fury run wild in my veins. My hand slowly begins to tremble as I think about what she’s saying. Hodge walks over and grabs my arm, lowering it to my side.
“They’re dead, Hodge. Both of them,” I state in a deadly tone.
“I know, Dad. I know, but we need to find her first.”
“They sold her. They fuckin’ sold their daughter,” I scream, and before I know what I’m doing, I walk over and punch the man in his face, and I don’t stop. I don’t stop until the guys are pulling me away from him.
“Car pullin’ up outside,” Remy informs us as he peaks through the blinds.
“Gag her,” I order, nodding toward her mom once more. Locke moves in and gags her as we all move closer to the door.
“Fuck, Gunner. It’s her and some man.”
“What?” I move to the window and peek out to see her walking in front of a man. This man looks exactly like what Rick described to me. Is that him? The man who bought her? What the hell are they doing here?
“Grab her when the door opens,” I declare as I move back toward the door. The guys nod as they reach the steps and begin to climb up. The doorknob turns as my heart thunders in my chest. I take a deep breath and blow it out just as the door opens. Nat steps in first, and I grab her, pulling her into my arms as she screams.
“It’s okay, Nat. It’s me,” I tell her. She instantly calms as her eyes jump to my face. She blinks a few times as if to make sure I’m really here.
“Gunner?” she asks as tears fall down her cheeks. It all happened so quickly that I didn’t have time to react to the man who was with her.
“He’s runnin’!” Hodge yells. I start to move Nat away from me, but she holds on tighter. She clings to me even as I try to pull her off.
“I need to get him, Nat.”
“Don’t leave me!” Those three words break my fucking heart. Instead of chasing him down, I pull her in closer.
“I’m not leavin’ you, baby girl. Never leavin’ you.”
“Let him go. We’ll find him later,” Locke advises. Nat stays curled into my chest, sobbing as I bury my face in her hair. Fuck, I missed her. It’s not even been that long, and I fucking missed her.
“I was worried about you,” I tell her.
“Please, just hold me.”
“I’m never lettin’ you go, baby girl.”
“What about them?” Remy asks. I look up and see her parents watching us intently.
“Kill them.” Nat pulls away just enough to turn her head and look over at them. I look down at her and see the disgust in her eyes.
“They sold me, Gunner. Sold me to Clark because they believed what he said about me.”
“I know. They told me.”
“Sold me. They fucking sold me!” She screams as she pulls away from me. “How could you do that to me? Do you know what he did to me? What he let happen to me? I was raped! By more than one man because of you!” She screams louder as her words hit me hard. She ran away because he was letting people rape her. That’s why she was on the streets. My god, what kind of sick fuck is he?
“Nat?”
“You’re probably disgusted now, right? Wished you never touched me?” She yells as she turns to face me.
“Nat-” I begin, but she isn’t done yet.
“Raped, Gunner. I didn’t want it. I didn’t want any of them to touch me. You must hate me now. I bet you can’t even stand to look at me.” I stalk toward her, grabbing her around the waist and lifting her off the floor. Then I’m slamming her back against the wall and kissing her like we both depend on it. I grind my cock against her, showing her just how much I want her. When I can’t take anymore, I set her on her feet and rip her jeans off.
“He … before we came here …” She can’t say it. She can’t say the words, but I don’t need her, too. I know what he did. I can see the look on her face.
I pull my cut off and drag my shirt over my head before kneeling in front of her. Rage nearly consumes me as I clean her body. Nat cries harder. I wipe away everything he did to her. Then I stand and pull my jeans down and lift her once more. I thrust into her, showing her who she belongs to.
“The only fuckin’ cum that’s gonna be inside of you is mine,” I growl as I pump into her. I don’t care that everyone, including her parents, can see us. I don’t care about anything at this point except fucking her and showing her who she belongs to. She’s mine and mine only.
“Gunner,” she whimpers as I fuck her roughly.
“You wanna come, baby girl? That what you want?”
“For you. Only for you,” she cries as I take her faster. I know what she needs, and I’ll gladly give it to her. I keep going, grunting and groaning until we both fall apart. She bites into my shoulder to keep from screaming as I grunt and fill her full of me. When I can’t possibly come anymore, I pull out of her and help her back into her jeans. Then I pull mine up and turn to face everyone. For the most part, they’ve all looked away.
“Kill them. No. I’ll kill them,” I declare as I walk over and grab my gun off the small table where I left it. I move in front of her dad and smile as I press the gun to his head.
“Gunner?” Nat calls my name.
“Hodge, take her out to the van. She doesn’t need to see this,” I tell him.
“I don’t want to leave you,” Nat argues.
“Just to the van, baby girl. I’ll be right there.”
“Please, Gunner.” I turn to look at her over my shoulder and shake my head.
“I’ve gotta finish this.” She nods her head and lets Hodge lead her through the house. She looks at her parents one last time on her way out but doesn’t say a word. She leaves with Hodge out the back door, and then I pull the trigger.
Once her father is dead, I turn to her mother.
“You were supposed to protect her. You were supposed to love your child. You never deserved her.” I raise my hand and point the gun at her next. I don’t wait to hear her say anything. I don’t wait for her to realize what she did. Instead, I pull the trigger and send her straight to hell with her husband.
“We still have Clark to deal with,” Locke speaks up.
“I know, and we will.” I walk past them and head out the back door and straight to the van. When I climb in, Nat launches herself at me. She wraps her arms around my neck and nuzzles her face into my shoulder.