Chapter 17
SEVENTEEN
brOOKLYN
I woke up with a gasp when I heard slamming on my front door.
I realized that I was still wearing the corset and the black pants from the previous night.
What had happened hurled through my brain, and I remembered why I was so afraid.
The slamming on my front door resumed. Whoever was doing it was in a hurry and possibly angry.
The only person it could be was Viper or someone from the Dragon Knights.
With a shiver running down my spine, I hesitantly got out of bed.
The banging on the front door hadn’t stopped, and now it sounded like they were going to break down my door any minute.
In the mirror in my bedroom, I caught a glimpse of myself.
My curls were a mess, my makeup was smudged and there were dark circles around my eyes where my eyeliner had run and pooled.
I looked like a complete hungover mess, and I wrapped my arms around myself in fear.
Something was about to happen. I could sense it in my bones. It had to be Viper. He was here to teach me a lesson on respect. No woman ever raised their hand to a member of the Dragon Knights. I had done something unthinkable, so now I would have to pay the price for it.
My feet trembled on the cold floor as I got closer and closer to the door.
The banging grew louder, and it looked like it was going to break apart.
There was no escaping this. Eventually, they would find me…
Viper would find me, and I would have to face the consequences.
It didn’t matter whose sister I was or whose daughter.
The fact that I had slapped one of them put me in a position where I deserved punishment.
I tried to strengthen myself, jutting my chin up in the air. There was no point being afraid of him. I had done it to defend myself, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. If Luke had taught me one thing, it was to never regret anything.
My hands were trembling as I unlocked the door, and gently, I pried it open.
The person on the other side pushed against the door wildly, flinging it open, and I gasped in fright.
But it wasn’t Viper; in fact it wasn’t anyone from the Dragon Knights.
Gunner was standing in front of me with his shoulders heaving and his body towering over me as I craned my neck to look up at his face.
“Brooklyn!” he said my name like he wasn’t expecting to see me. I parted my lips, but no words came out, because I couldn’t believe how relieved I was to see him. I’d assumed I would never see him again. After our argument the previous night, I didn’t think he would have a reason to seek me out.
But Gunner just kept showing up.
He was studying me closely, looking me up from my face, down to my disheveled clothes and then back to the mess of my hair. His blue eyes were stormy; his chiseled jaws were clenched.
“I was hoping you would be here,” he said in a less panic-stricken voice.
I gulped. Then he looked past me, into my apartment, and I saw the creasing of his brows.
He stared at my lipstick that was smeared around my mouth and looked back at the apartment again.
That’s when it struck me. I knew what he was thinking.
“Is there someone in there with you?” he asked as he brushed past me, storming into the apartment.
I closed the door and followed him in as he looked around the living room.
When he turned to me again, I softened my gaze at him.
I didn’t blame him for assuming that I’d brought someone home with me.
Not after how I’d behaved with him or how stubborn I was being now coupled with the state he found me in this morning.
“There’s nobody here, Gunner. I’m by myself,” I said to him and dropped my gaze to my feet in embarrassment.
I was glad to see him, and I wanted to apologize.
After the way Viper behaved with me, the way the other guys looked at me when he was talking to them about me…
my memory of their conversation in the diner…
I knew there was some truth to what Gunner had told me.
Besides, there were butterflies in my stomach from my relief of seeing Gunner again. I felt safe in his presence.
“Brooklyn…” he said my name gently, and I stepped towards him in a rush.
“Gunner, I want to apologize for last night,” I interrupted him and stopped in my tracks as I saw him watching me closely. There was silence between us for a few moments before he spoke again.
“And I’m sorry for the way I left last night. I should have stayed there and made sure you were back home safe,” he said. I pursed my lips together to suppress a cry that I knew was coming.
He saw the look on my face and came closer to me, although he was still being careful not to touch me. I didn’t blame him. I had tried my best to make it clear to him that what we had was in no way a growing relationship.
“It’s okay. I came home safely,” I said and met his eyes again.
Gunner looked like he hadn’t slept well.
There was a shadow of a beard on his cheeks, and his eyes looked tired.
Whatever he had been up to the previous night, he was still here first thing in the morning, and that was all that mattered. I wanted to be in his arms again.
“But you’re not safe yet, Brooklyn,” he said, and I gulped before nodding my head in agreement.
“I know. I believe you, Gunner,” I said. He ran a hand through his hair and took in a deep breath.
“There is something else we need to talk about,” he said.
“We don’t have to talk about it right now,” I told him. I wanted him to know how happy I was just to have him there. I didn’t care about the other things.
“No, we should talk about it now, Brooklyn,” Gunner insisted, and from the look in his eyes, I could tell that he was going to make sure he got his way.
I sighed and shook my head.
“Okay, so you’re a member of the Bad Disciples, and I’m associated with the Dragon Knights.
It’s complicated. I know…but I’m sure we can work around it somehow,” I said and clasped my hands together in desperation.
It was more than a small complication, and I knew that better than anybody.
But having Gunner in my life was more important.
He was staring at me, like I was speaking nonsense, and then a glaze came over his eyes. He looked away from me.
“That is a problem, I recognize that…but there is a bigger issue that we need to address first,” he said. I knotted my brows in confusion.
“You mean the prostitution ring? I believe you, Gunner…I’ve just been in denial that they could be capable of something like that. But I know there is truth to what you’re saying,” I said. He finally looked at me again.
“Brooklyn…your brother. You said that he’s in the army,” Gunner said, and my heart felt like icy cold hands had grabbed it. Why was he referring to Luke now? I could feel myself panicking.
“Yes…” I said, but he interrupted me.
“He’s not in the army anymore, is he? He’s…” he said as my hands flew to my mouth. I had to stop myself in time from crying.
“Don’t say it. Please, Gunner, don’t say it!” I cried, and he lunged towards me and embraced me into his arms.
“I’m sorry, Brooklyn…if I could, I’d do whatever it took to make this easier for you,” he said, breathing into my ear as he held me tightly to his chest.
“Why are you talking about my brother? Did you know him?” I asked and pulled away from him. I was peering into his eyes now, looking for clues on his face, and I could see that Gunner was avoiding looking at me.
“Gunner…please. Just tell me what’s going on. Don’t bring up Luke and not tell me why,” I cried, growing rigid in his arms while he tried to formulate the words.
“Yeah, I knew him…I knew him as Jenson,” he said. I could see that he was struggling. I tried catching his gaze to get him to look at me.
“How? Why did you know him as just Jenson?” I said, and I felt the grip of his fingers tighten on my arms. He looked at me finally, from under heavily hooded lids; his blue eyes had turned the shade of an angry cloud just before it’s about to break into heavy rain.
“Because we were together in Afghanistan. I was Captain of his team,” he said, and I felt his fingers release me. I stepped away from him. My hands had flown to my mouth again, and I could feel hot tears pricking the backs of my eyelids.
“You were in…” I couldn’t get the words out. Gunner’s face looked dark, struggling with his own emotions.
“I’m sorry, Brooklyn…I was there that day.
It happened in front of me. He stepped on a land mine, and I knew I should have stopped him.
I was responsible for my men. I knew it was dangerous.
But he kept walking. I thought I had it under control…
” Gunner was speaking too quickly for me to get all his words.
He was mumbling and growling under his breath, running his hands over his hair repeatedly.
I rushed to him and placed my hands on his muscular strong arms, trying to calm him down, but he wouldn’t look at me again.
“Gunner…please, Gunner. Please just stop,” I said and watched as he suffered.
I wasn’t an expert, but it was clear he was suffering from some degree of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
I wanted to help him. Talking about Luke hadn’t affected me as badly as I would have expected it to.
I just wanted to make Gunner feel better.
“Please, just listen to me, Gunner…” I cried in a louder voice, then he stopped fidgeting and finally looked me in the eye again. His eyes were glassy; he was miles away from here.