Chapter Thirty-Five
Gunner
Kissing Haizley was something I would never get enough of. Her soft plump lips opened, allowing me entrance as soon as my mouth reached hers. She was receptive to having my hands on her. Having my mouth on her. And soon she would be just as receptive to having my dick inside her. Pulling back, I released her face and had to grab her shoulders when she swayed.
The cocky grin I shared told her I knew exactly how much I affected her. She narrowed her eyes, huffed out a curse, and turned away, stomping up her front steps.
I threw my head back and laughed. Her sass made me hard, and when she turned to glare at me, I made a production of shoving my hand inside my jeans to adjust my dick.
The heat of her anger quickly turned to lust, and I knew it wouldn’t be long now. Fuck, this was the longest I had ever gone without fucking a woman. I walked backward toward my bike, never taking my eyes off her.
I sat on the side of my seat, my legs stretched out in front of me, and pulled out a cigarette. She watched as I lit it and sucked in a drag, blowing the smoke out off to the side so it didn’t impede my vision of her.
She stood for a moment more before finally unlocking her door and walking inside.
It was fucking cold out here, but nothing would pull me from watching over her while she was in the house alone with Jack’s asshole brother.
When he pulled into her driveway, my body stiffened. It took every ounce of control I had not to march over and punch him in the face and tell him to fuck off.
But I promised Haizley.
Derek sat in his car for a few minutes, and I wondered if he was afraid to get out. When he did, instead of going inside, he walked over to me.
“I’m not gonna hurt her.”
“It would be fucking stupid to try.”
His hands fisted at his side, and I stood from my bike.
“What’s it gonna take for the club to see I’m fucking trying? Jack asked me to see a shrink, and I’m here.”
“It would take Jesus Christ himself to walk this earth again for us to forgive you.”
Derek looked up at the sound of Haizley’s door opening. She stood on the porch, those tiny arms crossed over her chest like she thought she was threatening.
It was fucking adorable.
Turning back to me, he said, “I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m asking for a chance to know my brother.”
Then he turned and walked toward my woman. I couldn’t hear what they said, but when Derek looked back at me and then shook his head to Haizley, I had an idea of what she’d asked.
He stepped inside her house, and she turned to me, pointing at her eyes with two fingers. She then turned them in my direction.
I see you too, little lamb.
I sat back on my bike and got comfortable. It was gonna be a long, cold hour, but for her I would sit my naked ass on an iceberg to ensure she was safe and never had to do what she did last night.
Ever again.
The next few days, I had a prospect sitting at Haizley’s house while I worked at the shop. It didn’t matter that she was meeting with Cash and Amber. I didn’t want her alone.
We spent the evenings at the club, having dinner while she got to know the women more. I wanted her to be friends with the other old ladies.
I hadn’t brought up the topic of her being an old lady again. I shouldn’t have brought it up then. I always prided myself on being a patient man, but when it came to Haizley, all bets were off.
I wanted her locked down.
Like yesterday.
“Hey, Indie. You ready for me?”
I looked around the screen and spotted Grace standing just inside the door. I set down my gun, letting my client have a break, and walked over.
“What are you doin’ here?”
“I’m a paying customer.”
“King know you’re here?”
“Jesus Christ, you guys are relentless. There is nothing between King and I. We can’t stand each other.”
I raised a brow at her but said nothing.
“How is Haizley? She figured out you’re stalking her yet?”
“WHAT?”
I closed my eyes at Indie’s screech.
“You can be a real bitch, Grace.”
There was no heat in my words, and judging by the satisfied grin on her face, she knew it too.
Indie stomped over and smacked my stomach. “Why are you stalking her?”
“I’m not stalking her. I’m fucking protecting her.”
“From what? Having a life? I knew you did something to her when she canceled her appointment,” Indie ranted.
“I didn’t do anything. It was a misunderstanding. And by the way, her piercing looks great.” I winked at Indie and went back to my client.
“Asshole.”
I laughed until I heard a voice that turned me cold.
“I told you, little girl, to watch how you fuckin’ talk to a Shadow.”
Fucking Freeway.
I turned back to the main area and froze. Indie was staring down Freeway, but his eyes were on Grace.
“Well, well, well. This is a surprise.” Freeway tsked.
Grace didn’t speak. She didn’t move. She looked scared, something none of us had ever seen coming from Grace.
“Freeway! What the fuck are you doing here?”
He stared down at Grace for another moment before turning to me. His grin could only be described as smarmy. Like the creepy fucking uncle the girls all hid from during the holidays.
“Well, Bruce here said he would do my tattoo, and I didn’t have to come at the crack of fucking dawn.”
I turned a glare on Bruce, and he shrugged. It wasn’t his fault I hadn’t said anything. I didn’t think Freeway would ask him. He tried to book with Indie, and it wasn’t because he liked her work. Indie said no, which I knew she would. Even if she hadn’t, no fucking way would I allow her to work on him.
“What did I tell you about respecting my employees?”
“How about telling your fucking employees to respect you?” he sneered.
“I will run my fucking business how I see fit. I will remind you again, I’m the fucking SAA. Apologize.”
His eyes turned to saucers before narrowing on my patch. Mumbling something I couldn’t distinguish, he turned to Indie and Grace. “I apologize.”
Grace nodded and moved toward Indie’s station. Indie glared at Freeway and gathered her tools from her station, before focusing on Grace. “Follow me.”
Grace followed her into the piercing room. I didn’t let anyone use it for tattoos. We had curtains and room dividers for privacy. But given Grace’s state, I didn’t say a word.
Her reaction to Freeway would definitely need to be brought to King’s attention.
The rest of the day was uneventful, and when I was done, I rode over to Haizley’s. She was supposed to meet me at the clubhouse, but since I got out earlier than expected, after my last client canceled, I decided to surprise her. Maybe I could talk her into riding behind me.
I hadn’t gotten her on my bike yet, and I was more than ready to feel her pressed up against me. Her thighs tight against my hips.
Pulling up to her house and seeing the deputy’s car, jealousy and anger overruled everything else, and I hopped off my bike, barely getting the kickstand down. I looked around and didn’t see the prospect anywhere. I would take care of that later.
Jogging up the few porch steps, I opened her door, expecting to see Blackwater. Instead, Deputy Reed stood over my woman, arguing with her.
“I know he was here. What the fuck did you do?”
“Deputy, I can assure you, I have no idea where he is.”
“What the fuck is going on?” Moving between Reed and Haizley, I had no choice but to bump him back with my chest. Which I would have done anyway, even if there had been enough space between them. If ever there was a time to bang on my chest and mark my territory like a fucking caveman, it was now.
“Watch it, Gunner. That could be considered assault,” Reed threatened.
“Wouldn’t be the first fucking time I caught an assault charge protecting a woman. Matlock’s real fucking good at getting those thrown out.”
“Gunner.” Haizley pulled on the back of my cut, and I turned to her. I wasn’t worried about turning my back on the deputy. What Haizley didn’t know was that when Nav installed the security cameras, there was one in this room as well. I hoped he gave me a fucking a reason.
I wasn’t taking a chance with her safety.
If she ever found out, she would be pissed, but I made sure Nav was the only one who knew. I didn’t even have access, and Nav, despite being a great fucking hacker, had his own issues with privacy, so I knew he wouldn’t betray her patients.
“Got a tip that Greg Williams came into this house a few nights ago and never left. I was questioning the homeowner about his whereabouts.”
That was interesting.
“What night was it?”
“Saturday evening.”
“Your tip was mistaken. I was with Haizley on Saturday evening. In fact, Blackwater was here Sunday morning, asking about a tip of suspicious activity. We explained all that, and he seemed satisfied. Maybe you should check with him.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, waiting to see what he would do next. He tried to stare me down, but it wasn’t long before he looked away.
Fucking pussy.
It was easy for men to intimidate women. But put them up against a six-foot eight-inch former outlaw biker and they backed down pretty fucking quick. Despite the gun he wore on his hip.
I had my own gun stuffed in the back of my waistband, but I wouldn’t pull it without a damn good reason. Legally, I wasn’t allowed to carry, concealed or otherwise. Lucky for us that was one of allowances the sheriff made and looked the other way.
I knew this guy was fucking shady. Nav still hadn’t found anything. But I knew in my gut this guy was bad. We just needed to figure out how.
“I think it’s time you left, Deputy,” Haizley stated with an authority she felt comfortable with because I was there, and I fucking loved it.
“This isn’t over. I know you had something to do with his disappearance, and I will prove it.”
“Isn’t he a wanted rapist, Deputy?”
“Suspected rapist,” he clarified. “Those women deserve justice if he is guilty. And justice comes from him being behind bars.”
I pondered his behavior. It seemed as though it almost pained him to make that statement, and I wondered if there was a connection between Deputy Reed and Greg Williams. His voice was controlled, but there was something about the way he said suspected rapist, like he didn’t believe the countless reports of women who had been drugged and raped over the past six months. Many of whom had identified Greg by the sketch I drew from Aspen’s description.
“I’ll be in touch,” he warned and walked out the front door, leaving it open. Walking over to the doorway, I watched as he climbed into his car. He sat there for a few minutes, and we eyed each other until he backed out of the drive and finally left.
Closing the door, I leaned my forehead against the wood, trying to control my rage. My woman had been left unprotected a-fucking-gain. I needed to calm my anger. It wasn’t her fault. The fucking prospect would feel my wrath when I found him. And I would make the others watch. We weren’t training fucking pussies. If they couldn’t handle a cop showing up and ran, they weren’t built for this life.
Taking a few more deep breaths, I stood back and turned to Haizley.
“Where is the fucking prospect?”