10. Gunnar
GUNNAR
Logan and Claire are at the picnic table behind the clubhouse. The place is vacant. The haunted maze and other Halloween setups are dark and silent.
A small pool of light illuminates the patio. Claire is wrapped in a leather jacket, much like mine is around Rue. She’s sitting next to Logan, and his arm is slung over her shoulders.
He looks like I feel.
“Claire,” Rue calls as we approach.
Her sister lifts her eyes to Rue. They’re swollen and red enough to tell even in the bad lighting. She looks drunk and hungover all at once.
“It’s all gone,” Claire says in a broken voice. “All of your things. Mine. Most of the house burned.”
Rue walks around the table and wraps her arms around her sister. “It’s okay. As long as no one was hurt.”
“Thea was out at a party. We don’t know how it started, but they think it might have been a Halloween prank gone wrong.”
“Thank god no one was hurt,” Rue says, sinking down onto the bench next to her sister.
Claire sobs. “I don’t know what we’ll do.”
Logan, AKA Thunder, tugs Claire toward him. “The club has resources for helping women.”
Rue’s gaze moves to me. I nod. I tell her, “We’ll set you straight. You don’t have to worry.”
Claire’s drunk crying gets worse. Logan gently pulls her to her feet, then lifts her into his arms. “She needs to sleep this off.”
Rue watches them go. I hold out a hand. “You’re very calm for someone who just had their world wrecked.”
“It’s because of you. I don’t know why, but when I looked up and saw you standing there, I knew it would be okay.”
A rock forms in my throat. “I’ve got you, sweetheart. Come on. Let’s get some rest. We’ll get things taken care of in the morning.”
I lead her through the clubhouse where a couple of other club members are having a late-night conversation. A guy with a gun is standing by the door.
“There’s someone on guard duty round the clock,” I explain. “The gate and fence are guarded too.”
She files this away as I lead her to my apartment. When I open the door and lead her inside, she admits, “It’s really nice here. It’s not what I expected.”
I nod as I unzip the coat I lent her. “We wanted to make it very comfortable, and there’s a lot of partying that goes on here all hours of day and night. So we did a lot of soundproofing.”
“Could you live here?” I ask, holding my breath for her answer.
“I don’t know,” she answers honestly. “I’ve always dreamed of living somewhere with lots of trees. I love a cozy cabin in the woods.”
My frame tightens slightly. “Let me show you something.”
The sound of my boots echo on the tile as I move to a desk in the corner of the living room. I pull open a drawer and get out a file.
There is tension in my entire body as I spread out a piece of folded paper that holds the drawing for the cabin.
“An architect is working on the design for this now.” I show her a map. “This is the property right beside the club’s land. It’s ten acres. I bought it a while back. It has woods like we were in earlier.”
She’s silent for a moment and I finally let myself look into her eyes. “If you want to live here, I’ll build you a house.”
A gasp catches in her throat. She sways against me, swallowing hard. “I’d love that, but Gunnar, you don’t even know me.”
I take her hand, turn her palm over, and kiss it. “I know I want to make you my future.”
She searches my face, eyes moving back and forth. “Saying yes feels crazy. We just met.”
“No pressure, Rue. But my home is yours now if you want to stay.”
“I don’t have anything,” she says, choking a little as that comes out.
“I’ll make sure you have everything you need.”
When tears fill her eyes, I hug her. “It’s all good, little zombie. I’ve got you. Let’s get some sleep. Tomorrow’s gonna be busy. Have you ever ridden on a motorcycle?”
“No. Never.”
“Are you afraid?”
“Not with you there to keep me safe.”
I undress her the rest of the way and put her into my bed. Our bed. When I settle around her, she sighs and closes her eyes. “Is it weird if I say I love you?”
“Is it weird if I tell you I’ve been in love with you for hours?”
I tilt her face until I can kiss her. “Love you, my little Halloween treat.”
“I love you, my big beast.”