Chapter Thirty-Three
Haizley
It didn’t take long to get dressed, and by the time I got back downstairs, Gunner was also dressed. The prospect had shown up while I was upstairs, and I hadn’t heard a thing.
“Kinda missing those sweatpants.” I smirked as I looked him over. It didn’t matter what he wore, there was no mistaking it; Gunner was gorgeous.
Gunner turned at the sound of my voice, and he assessed me the same way I had just done to him. His appraising stare had heat pooling in my belly.
Uncomfortable with the way he continued to stare at me, I looked around and realized he had cleaned up my kitchen. There wasn’t a trace of flour left on the floor.
“Come here, baby.” He held his hand out, and I walked to him without hesitation. He had made it clear he wanted me. Maybe it was time to give in.
“You ever been on a bike?”
“A bicycle?” I asked with a cheeky smile.
“Not a fucking bicycle,” he growled without any heat.
“No.”
“Then take your car. It’s warm today, but on the bike the windchill drops. Need to get you some leathers for riding.”
“Leather clothes?”
“Pants, jacket, gloves. The wind gets cold, and the leather helps block it.”
“How about just not ride in the winter?”
“Cause the winter is too fucking long. I don’t know what Blade was thinking, suggesting fucking Nebraska. There’s so much fucking snow here.”
“I’m sure he was hoping Beck would come home.”
Gunner looked at me and smiled.
“Yea. I should thank him. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have you.” He pressed his lips to mine for a chaste kiss. Even his chaste kiss had me leaning into him when he pulled away. He chuckled at my reaction and gave me a cocky grin. “Come on. I’ll follow you.”
Gunner led me outside, opening my car door for me so I could climb in. I started the ignition and gawked at him as he swung a long, powerful leg over the seat of his motorcycle. When he started his bike, the rumble of the engine settled somewhere deep inside me.
My thoughts went to Missy, and I wondered, not for the first time, why she hated bikers so much. I’d heard stories of outlaw clubs, of course, and what Amber had told me about the club that’d had a hand in her captivity, being a part of the club that had ultimately rescued her, showed that there were always bad seeds.
I wondered if there were bad seeds in the Silver Shadows. Diesel always stuck by Aspen’s side and growled at certain members, keeping them away from her. Maybe I should ask Gunner about those members.
The drive to the clubhouse was quick and uneventful. But when we pulled into the lot, my anxiety soared. I sat in my car, unable to move. I wasn’t sure how many of them had been at my house last night. But I knew Gunner had help cleaning up my mess.
I jumped when my door opened and Gunner squatted down in the opening.
“You ok?”
“Do they all know?” I asked, still staring at the looming building in front of me.
“King called church last night and told the brothers. The girls don’t know.”
“What about Aspen?”
“She doesn’t know. King thought it best for you to decide what she should be told. Normally, we wouldn’t share this with the women at all. But given it affects Aspen directly, it’s your decision as her therapist.”
“Ok, I have a session with her this morning. I’ll decide then what to tell her.”
“You feel up to doing a session?”
I turned to him, confused. “Of course.”
“Ok. Let’s get inside.”
Nodding, I stepped out of the car when he straightened up and stepped back. Gunner held my hand as we walked inside. Everything seemed normal. Aside from the cursory glance to see who walked in, everyone went about their business as though nothing had happened.
“Have you two eaten?”
I giggled, and Gunner pinned me with a sharp look. Pulling my lips between my teeth, I stayed quiet and let him answer.
“No.”
“Ok, grab some food, then meet me in church. Both of you.” King walked into the kitchen and came back out a few minutes later with a cup of coffee, then disappeared behind the church doors.
Gunner lifted the lid off the first steel container that kept the food warm and inside held a pile of pancakes.
I threw my head back and laughed. “How did Hash know I had a craving for pancakes?”
Gunner leaned down, his mouth close to my ear, and warned, “Not a fucking word unless you want me to spank that ass until it’s red.”
I sobered up, and a shudder racked through my body, shocking me.
“Yea, you fucking like that idea, don’t you?”
I kept my mouth closed and my eyes on my plate. Why would I want that? Why would anyone want that? Then I remembered how it felt when he had me over his shoulder and he smacked my ass.
Maybe I did like it.
Gunner filled my plate with more food than I could eat, and we sat together at a table. As I ate, I wondered how Aspen would feel about knowing Greg was dead. Would it ease her mind? Was it better for her to not know?
I knew immediately that wasn’t an option. Without knowing, she would continue to live in fear. Her life would be spent always looking over her shoulder. She needed that closure so she could resume her life.
When breakfast was over, Gunner and I met King and the other officers in church. It felt a little like standing before a firing squad as they all watched me walk in. I hesitated to choose a seat, not sure what exactly the rules were. Last time I was in here it was just Aspen, Amber, Corbin and I and then Gunner while Aspen described Greg. This seemed more formal.
Gunner led me over to the side of the long table and sat down, pulling me into his lap.
“She might want her own chair, Gun,” Cash advised.
“No.”
That was all he said. No asking me. No explanation. I looked down at him with one brow raised in question.
“Fuck, no,” he reiterated, pulling me in tighter.
Rolling my eyes, I turned to King.
“I need to tell Aspen what happened. She deserves to know that she’s safe.”
King leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin. For a brief moment, I thought he would tell me no. Instead, he agreed.
“Ok. Let her know she doesn’t have to leave right away. I don’t want her backsliding from being forced to move back home too soon.”
“Thank you. That will be helpful for her.” I had to respect the way he considered what she had been through.
“Maybe her first step could be doing sessions at your house, like Amber does?” King suggested.
“That would be a good idea. She hasn’t left the clubhouse since she got here. Other than to walk the grounds with Diesel.”
“She’ll have an escort, same as Amber, until she feels she can drive herself.”
“Why is Amber not allowed to leave the clubhouse?”
Amber had explained to me that she was on lockdown, but King had acquiesced to her appointments outside the gate as long as a brother was with her.
“That’s club business.”
“Is Amber allowed to tell me?”
The men were all quiet as King and I faced off. I waited while King decided how much he would tell me.
“Amber doesn’t know.”
Standing up from Gunner’s lap, I glared down at King. “What do you mean, she doesn’t know?”
“Did I stutter? You’re smart, Doc, you know what those words mean.”
“Of course I know what they mean, you arrogant bastard. What I don’t understand is why you are keeping secrets from her.”
King stood and towered over me. “It’s for her fucking safety. And yours. If you have a problem with that, I can put an end to the appointments and find her a new therapist.”
My breathing was labored. I could feel my anger rising. I guessed Gunner could as well, because he stood and pulled me back against his chest.
“Haizley,” Gunner warned.
“What kind of danger is she in?”
“That’s club business,” King repeated.
“That’s bullshit. She needs to be aware of what she is facing. How the hell do you expect her to put everything behind her if she doesn’t even know what she is facing?”
“If you can’t abide by the boundaries I’ve put in place, tell me now. Amber understands there are things she doesn’t know. She is ok with it. She knows she is safe here. She trusts us. Do you?”
Bastard.
He knew he had me.
I did trust them. With my secret.
Though, I wasn’t sure if I should trust them with Amber’s.
“Look, Doc, Amber is allowed to tell you whatever she wants as far as her life goes. And I hope she does. I want her to have you to talk to. You are bound by the law to keep her secrets. And now you are bound to us, so we keep yours.”
“King,” Gunner growled.
“You’re a bastard. You know that?” I hissed.
“Learned that back in December. We gonna have a problem, Doc?”
King and I glared at each other. I wasn’t sure what he meant by his statement. But I knew I had no choice. I wouldn’t walk away from Amber and force her to start over with someone new. I suspected King knew that, and that was why he was being an asshole.
He knew he had me over a barrel.
“No, we won’t, because I won’t hurt Amber the way the men in her life have. Just know this. My priority is those two women out there. You can set your boundaries, but if I find they are hurting either of those women in any way, I will not hesitate to stomp all over your fucking boundaries.”
With that said, I turned away from King and glared at Gunner. When he said nothing, I stomped past him and slammed through the church doors out into the main room.
Once again, all eyes were on me as I moved to the bar and ordered the prospect to get me a rum and coke.
“Little early for drinking.”
“You’re one to talk,” I mocked, raising a brow at the glass of amber colored liquid in his hand. “How do you deal with them? You don’t have to be here. You can’t possibly think it’s a vacation being here.”
Bane looked at me with a sardonic smile. “King is a pussycat compared to my fucking president. Believe me, this is a fucking vacation.”
He lifted his glass, clinking it with mine, and we both took a long drink. Emptying the glass, I slammed it on the bar and turned to look out over the room.
As I looked over at each man and woman in the room, I wondered how many of them had taken a life. There were a few brothers that I was sure had killed someone.
Like Banshee.
Talking with him might lead you to believe he was just a gentle giant. But seeing the way he spoke to Aspen that first day told me he wouldn’t think twice about ending the life of someone who didn’t deserve to live it. Yet Diesel never gave him a second thought.
Then there was Freeway.
He looked scary, with his bald head and tattoos. The vulgar way he spoke to women suggested he might be more like Greg than anyone here wanted to admit. It was clear the dog didn’t trust him. Diesel wouldn’t let him anywhere near Aspen.
While there was something dark about him, he struck me as more of a coward. The way he backed down quickly to Bane, suggested he was someone who would stab you in the back the moment you turned around, rather than face you head on.
He was the one to keep an eye on for sure.