Chapter 29
CHAPTER
TWENTY-NINE
REBEL
Gunner pulls me into his mother’s hospital room, his face flushed with anger. My heart pounds as I watch his perfectly crisp jaw line clench and unclench.
This is the second time Gunner’s stood up to his uncle for me. The first was when Stewart Kinsey wrestled his way into a seat at our table that day at the Tipsy Tuna.
He’s been sticking up for me in front of his mom too.
A sudden thought hits me right between the eyes. Did he not go home last night because of me?
I shift my attention to his extra pale face. After a day of hard labor, the lack of sleep is starting to show. He seems weary and gaunt.
“Son.” Sheriff Kinsey’s voice drags my gaze away from Gunner.
Gunner pauses a moment and I see him tuck on a mask to show that signature, aloof expression. He moves forward a step and then startles when he realizes he’s taking me with him.
Pale blue eyes shoot down to my hand and widen. He releases me quickly and in a flustered voice says, “If you want to leave…”
“I’ll hang back here.”
Relief flashes across his face and I know I made the right choice.
Gunner approaches the crowd of relatives surrounding his mother.
Carol Kinsey flops an arm over her forehead, moaning pathetically. “Son, you’re here.”
Robert Kinsey, the owner of the hardware store, slaps Gunner on the back.
His relatives absorb him like a giant, human-sized Venus fly trap. With so many Kinseys blocking him from sight, there’s not much I can do except awkwardly hang by the door.
I kind of wish I’d brought Benji with me. At least then, we could be awkward together.
“Oh, son!” Carol Kinsey whines. “I don’t know what came over me. I waited up all night, but you never came home and you didn’t answer my texts?—”
“I answered your text, mom,” Gunner says quietly.
“… my neck started to hurt.” Carol moans. “And black spots danced in front of my eyes…”
“The doctor said her blood pressure was through the roof,” Sheriff Kinsey says.
“You gotta be careful with that, Carol. You know our family has a history of high blood pressure,” Mayor Kinsey scolds.
“What do you mean?” Robert Kinsey grumbles. “She’s our sister-in-law. Not our sister by blood. It’s us who have to worry about our blood pressure.”
“Oh, right. I forgot.” The mayor coughs. “You see how much of a Kinsey you are, Carol?”
The conversation is nauseating and, since I don’t particularly like any of the people here, I decide to leave.
But before I can, the door widens and Stewart Kinsey walks in. His scowl deepens when he sees me, however, he doesn’t say a word. I give him a good, solid glare before walking out.
The elevator dings while I’m looking for a place to sit and three ladies dash through the hallway. Marjorie White is leading the charge.
Marjorie’s eyes widen when she notices me. “Rebel, Rebel. Oh thank goodness .”
My brows fly all the way up to my hairline. Did… Marjorie White just smile at me? Since when does that woman’s face know such pleasant expressions?
“We just heard the news about Carol,” Cecelia Davis says.
“How is she?” Rosalie Davis leans into me, her eyelids batting up a storm.
If Stewart Kinsey is a five out of ten on the creepy scale…
Marjorie White and her minions are breaking the scale.
“Uh, she’s okay. Her family’s with her now.” I step aside so they can rush in.
But they don’t.
“Rebel, you look absolutely drained. Let me see. I’ve got a bottle of iced tea in my purse.” Marjorie opens her giant bag and rifles through it.
“Do you want some chocolate?” Cecelia offers.
Rosalie walks backward. “I’ve got nothing but mint, but I can run down to the vending machine and get you a cup of coffee.”
Fear seizes my heart and my eyes dart back and forth. Marjorie and her posse must be up to something truly horrific.
“Here you go.” Marjorie offers the drink.
It’s probably spiked. “I’m not thirsty.”
“Chocolates?”
I shake my head at Cecilia.
“Coffee, then? I’ll grab a cup.” Rosalie darts away.
Unnerved, I gesture to the hospital room. “I’ll wait downstairs. You guys should head in.”
“Wait.” Marjorie slides into my path. “I have something I need to discuss with you.”
“I really don’t have time?—”
“It’s Lady Luck Society business,” Marjorie tacks on.
“Lady… Luck Society?”
Marjorie nods. “You’re Gunner Kinsey’s girlfriend, aren’t you?”
“I… am.”
“We heard what Carol said about Kinsey wives and girlfriends getting legacy privileges.”
Well, I’ll be.
Marjorie White is having herself a mutiny. Carol Kinsey is lying in the hospital bed only a few feet away and she would not approve of this conversation.
“We heard what you did at the trailer park and for the school,” Cecilia explains.
Marjorie takes over. “The entire town is buzzing about what you, I mean, what we ,” she gestures to herself and Rosalie who nods enthusiastically, “did for the less fortunate.”
I fold my arms over my chest.
“I just got a call from a very wealthy businessman who offered to set up a meeting with five of his business colleagues. They want the Lady Luck Society to help even more of the folks on that side of town.”
“He was very specific that it be for that side,” Rosalie jumps in, bobbing her head.
“And since you’re the expert on those types of neighborhoods…” Marjorie flaps her eyelashes.
Translation: Since they prefer to avoid actual people in poverty…
“… we thought you’d be the perfect candidate to meet with the donor and present a plan of action.” Marjorie’s grin turns strict. “Under the umbrella of the Lady Luck Society of course.”
Translation: you do the hard work, but we want the credit.
I frown. “Is this how you usually discuss matters in the Society?” I arch a brow. “Haphazard meetings outside of the hospital room of the chairwoman?”
Cecilia’s face reddens.
Marjorie glances away. “Consider it your last… test. If nothing goes wrong, we’ll support you one hundred percent. Carol will have to acknowledge you.”
A bitter laugh escapes me. “But if something does go wrong, you can say that I was never an official member of the Lady Luck Society and I did everything on my own.”
Marjorie clears her throat. “What could possibly go wrong? It’s a simple community outreach project. Very similar to what you did today.”
I hesitate to agree. Marjorie White has her own agenda and I doubt she has any intentions of helping me. However, I do want to join the Lady Luck Society and I do want to help more communities like mine.
Two birds, one stone.
Isn’t it worth the risk?
Just then, the door to Carol Kinsey’s hospital room opens and Gunner comes sprinting out. His pale blue eyes land on the women in the corridor and jerk around until they find me. His shoulders slump in relief but, a moment later, his face pales and he stumbles backward.
I rush to him, slipping an arm around his waist. “Gunner, are you okay?”
He nods faintly, sweat populating on his forehead and neck.
“Son, you look like you need a hospital cot of your own,” Marjorie White says worriedly.
Rosalie returns, balancing a cup of coffee. “Here, Rebel.”
I take the coffee from Rosalie and offer it to Gunner. “Drink this. It’ll wake you up.”
Gunner shakes his head.
Seeing that he’s being stubborn, I blindly hand the cup back to Rosalie whose smile drips into a frown before she fixes her expression.
“Let me drive you home,” Gunner whispers weakly to me. “It’s been a long day.”
There’s no way I’ll let him get behind the wheel of a car in this state.
I steer Gunner down the hallway. “I think I saw a bench somewhere. You need to sit down.”
Gunner doesn’t argue. Not that he’s the argumentative type anyway, but…
“Rebel, consider our offer and get back to me ASAP!” Marjorie calls. Her voice bounces against the walls of the hospital hallway.
I wave a hand in acknowledgement and focus on getting Gunner to a bench. He immediately leans his head against the wall and closes his eyes.
“What was that about?” he asks wearily. “Did the Ladies insult you again?”
“The opposite.” I settle beside him. “Marjorie offered to support me joining the Society.”
He peeks one eye open. “In exchange for what?”
“Doing more community projects like today.”
He makes a disbelieving sound in his throat.
“I’ll meet the donor and find out if it’s legit before I agree to anything. Don’t worry. I won’t be led into a trap.”
“Good,” Gunner croaks.
“Good,” I say.
His eyes fall shut again and his breathing deepens. He’s asleep.
I study the way his dark hair falls against his forehead, the straight slope of his nose and his firm, pink lips—lips that, for once, aren’t hardening into a scowl or tightening into a straight line.
My heart stirs strangely. When Gunner’s asleep, he’s way less intimidating. The hard planes of his face soften until I can see echoes of the little boy I’d been obsessed with when I was five.
My phone rings.
I jolt and answer the call, setting it against my ear. “Hello?” I whisper.
“Is anyone around? Can you talk?”
“Benji? Uh, yeah. I can talk.” Gunner’s out like a light, so I’m basically alone.
“Good,” Benji says. “Because what I want to tell you can’t be repeated.”
At that moment, Gunner’s head moves against the wall. It slides down, down, down… until it lands on my shoulder.
I gasp and look at his pale face.
“I’ve been holding myself back because it’s your business and I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, but I know what’s going on between you and Gunner.”
“W-what?” My heart jumps with guilt.
“I know he only said you two are in a relationship to get you into the Lady Luck Society.”
“Benji—”
“I asked around. The whole town said that you and Gunner were like enemies. People who went to high school with you guys were surprised when you started dating.”
“Yes, but?—”
“It’s not right that you’re forced to date your enemy for the sake of joining the Ladies.” Benji clears his throat. “As your friend, it bothers me a lot. So I did something about it.”
My throat gets dry.
“I offered a donation to the Lady Luck Society and I specifically asked to work with you.”
Marjorie’s proposal echoes through my mind and it all clicks into place.
“It was you? You’re the donor?”
“Well, mostly my dad,” Benji says. “But I’m the one who convinced him to do it.”
Gunner adjusts his head on my shoulder, nuzzling against my neck. Prickles of awareness skitter over my skin when his breath hits my throat.
I whisper tersely, “Why would you do that?”
“I’m offering you a way out, Rebel. You can help people and get into the Society without tying yourself to someone you don’t like or respect.”
“I had everything under control. You shouldn’t have bothered your dad over something like this!”
There’s a beat of quiet and then Benji says, “Are you… angry with me?”
“No,” I snap. “It’s just… I…”
I swallow hard, unable to explain myself.
He’s right. I’m angry. But why? Why am I annoyed that he intervened?
Benji’s voice cuts through the pounding of my heart. “Do you want to keep dating Kinsey?”
My eyes slide down to Gunner’s face and my throat clamps tight.
I don’t know how to answer that question.