Page 137 of Girth (Marked Skulls MC 1)
“Brooklyn, look at me!” he snapped and even though there was a loud din in the bar around us, Gunner’s voice was high. I jerked my head around to him and then rolled my eyes when I saw how angry he looked.
“Relax, Gunner…they’re cool. I’m like a sister to them. I know how this sounds but if you grew up around guys like them, you’d know what I know,” I said and I could see that his shoulders were heaving. His biceps looked just as clenched as his jaws were.
“Oh yeah? And what is it that I would know?” he asked and I pushed a curl away from my eye, trying to assimilate my words. If anyone, I assumed that it would have been Gunner who would understand me, and why I associated with DK.
“That they’re just like everyone else. They just have a different way of life, that’s all,” I said, choosing my words wisely. I was wondering if it would be a good idea to reveal to him that my father and brother had both belonged to the club as well. Gunner looked distressed enough.
“You need to stop hanging around with them, Brooklyn. Right now,” he said in a lower guttural growl and I crossed my brows at him.
“What are you talking about?” I asked him and Gunner let out a deep sigh, like he was trying to control some kind of building up rage.
“You heard what I said, Brooklyn, you have to stop seeing them,” he said and I scoffed in disbelief.
I didn’t need another man in my life, who was jealous and protective about me. I already had enough of that to deal with from Viper and the rest of the guys. Gunner had seemed easier going than that, less violent about something like that. But now he was proving me wrong.
“You can’t tell me who I can see or not!” I said and Gunner banged the table with his fists, making me jump.
“Dammit Brooklyn, listen to me!” he barked and gritted his teeth again. “I’m serious here. This isn’t some game. You need to stop associating with them,” he said and I whipped my head away from him, pursing my lips together in angry disbelief.
I couldn’t believe this was actually happening. I barely knew him…and he knew nothing about me and he was already dictating who I could or could not see!
“I don’t need to listen to this,” I said and picking my purse up from the table, I made to get up.
“Brooklyn…please, just listen to me,” Gunner said and reached for my hand but I had already moved it away from his grasp.
“They’re just friends to me, Gunner, and I told you they’re like family. I didn’t peg you as the kind of guy who’d get jealous of my friends,” I said, whirling away from him. I could hear him following me through the bar as I made my way outside.
“Brooklyn!” I heard him call my name as I burst through the doors and out on the streets now.
“What?” I snapped, whipping around to face him.
“I’m not jealous. This has nothing to do with my feelings. I just want you to stop hanging out with them. Okay?” he said. I could see that he was still angry, but that he was trying to control his rage. The veins on his neck were pumped and throbbing, his face was darkened and for the first time, I felt a little frightened of him.
“No, it’s not okay! Not unless you admit that you want me to stop hanging out with my friends. We’re not even dating…I don’t even know the first thing about you!” I was screaming now and he was standing in front of me, clenching his hands on his sides.
“I won’t admit that because it’s not true. I don’t care how many friends you have or who you see. I just want you to stop seeing them!” he growled and I rolled my eyes.
“They’re my friends!” I said and Gunner pressed his eyes close and took in a deep breath.
“You need to listen to me,” he said.
“Why?” I countered him and he had nothing to say. He just stood there, glaring at me and trying to keep his temper in check.
I had enough people in my life who were protective of me and trying to tell me what to do. I didn’t need another one added to the list. Despite how angry I was with Gunner’s behavior though, I still wanted him. My attraction towards him hadn’t gone anywhere and I wished that we could just move on from this thing. I wished we could just turn back time to the previous night, when I was lying in his arms in his bed. Maybe it was a wrong move to try and get to know him.
“I’m not jealous of who you hang out with,” he finally said, in a low breathless voice and I rolled my eyes at him again. Crossing my arms over my breasts, I glared at him…waiting for an explanation, when his cellphone rang.
“Yeah,” he said, answering the phone, while still looking at me. I could see the ferocity in his eyes…the very eyes that I had been so attracted to…that I was still attracted to. But it felt like he was impossibly out of my reach now.
“Yeah. Now?” I heard him speak into the phone and then in the next moment, he snapped it shut. It was one of those cheap kind of burner phones and just like how bare his apartment was, Gunner’s life looked too simple to be believable. He was hiding something.
He fixed an icy blue stare on me again, as I stood in front of him with my arms crossed.
“I have to go,” he said, in a low grim voice and I widened my eyes at him. This was unbelievable!
“Where? We’re in the middle of a conversation,” I said and he pushed his phone back into the pocket of his dark jeans. His wide muscular thighs moved and I remembered how strong he was when he drove into me. How I was nothing but a helpless toy in his hands. I wanted that back. I wanted those moments back with him.
“This is not a conversation, Brooklyn. It’s an argument, which you seem to be winning,” he said.
“Try harder then, give me an explanation why I shouldn’t be hanging out with the Dragon Knights,” I said, recognizing the tremor that had now entered my voice. Gunner took in a deep breath and shook his head.
“I shouldn’t need to give you an explanation. You should be able to trust me,” he said.
“Trust you based on what?” I screeched and he shrugged his shoulders.
“I have to go, Brooklyn. Be safe,” he said and then turned from me. I watched him as he walked towards a Harley that was parked against a lamppost and I felt my mouth go dry. He was just leaving…like that! Without an explanation!
We were supposed to be on a date.
I watched in silence, with my nostrils flared and my breathing heavy, as Gunner swung his legs over his bike, strapped on his helmet and then rode off into the night.
My hands were quivering as I slipped my phone out of my purse. I needed human company, to stop
myself from going mad. Gunner had asked me to trust him…but, how could I? Especially now.
The truth was that there was nobody I could really trust anymore, now that Luke was gone. I knew it was my fault that I had harbored hopes with Gunner. I should have known that he was just like all the rest.
“Viper,” I said, when I heard his voice at the other end of the line. “Hey, my shift at PJ’s got cancelled. Are you guys at the bar?” I asked him. He said they were and that they’d wait for me there, and I slipped my phone back into my purse and started walking in that direction.
Just a few nights ago, Gunner had insisted that he didn’t want me going home alone at night, and today he’d just left me here by myself. What was so important that he couldn’t stay and explain himself to me? He made it seem like he had nothing important going on in his life to begin with.
I needed to cool off and I needed several drinks.
Chapter 11
Gunner
Axel was sitting on the bar stool again. An emergency Church session had been called and Glock had called me to say that they needed me there. I was still angry with Brooklyn and how stubborn she was being. I couldn’t believe that she knew the guys at Dragon Knights and I wanted to believe that she had no idea what they were involved in.
“Quiet!” Axel called out and the hush died down in the bar. I was standing with Glock, Hunter, Sniper and Tank, and Axel and the others were looking at us.
“What did you find?” Axel asked and Tank was the one to speak first.
“We went to the warehouse like you asked us to, and at first everything seemed normal. Just a warehouse full of storage units,” Tank said and Axel nodded his head.
“Then this girl turned up. She was in tears and one of the guys yanked her around. She said that some chick called Candy had upset one of their clients by crying,” Glock continued and Axel fixed his eyes on me.
“So, what do you think is going on, Gunner?” Axel asked me and I clenched my jaw.
“They’re running a prostitution ring. They’re getting these girls to sleep with men for money. We don’t know who these clients are but there is definitely money involved and from what we saw; these guys don’t treat the girls well,” I said and Axel and I were staring at each other. He could see how pissed off I was.
