Page 140 of Girth (Marked Skulls MC 1)
Gunner was glaring at me, as though everything I was saying was just shooting past him without making a dent in his convictions.
“Can we just leave this place? Can we just talk somewhere else?” he asked and I took a step away from him.
“You’re not listening to what I’m saying. You will have to eventually accept the fact that the Dragon Knights are a part of my life,” I told him, in a quieter voice. As annoyed as I could get with them, they were my family. Gunner was silent as he clenched his jaw at me. I could see him flaring his nostrils, drilling a hole into my face with his blue stormy eyes.
“I accept that they’re a part of your life, Brooklyn. Or have been. I just want to make sure that it’s a thing of the past,” he said and I huffed at him, with my mouth hanging open in a sarcastic smile. Like hell I would let him make that decision for me.
“You’re just like everyone else, aren’t you? Just like all the other guys I know. You think that just because we slept together…that I’m somehow now your property? That you can tell me what to do?” I snapped. My voice had grown high pitched and I could feel the anger coursing through my veins. I’d had enough of trying to reason with him. No matter what my feelings towards Gunner were, I now knew that it was a lost cause.
I brushed past him as I tried to walk away, but Gunner had gripped my wrist and yanked me towards him. The same way Viper always did, and I felt an electric shock run down my spine.
“Let me go, Gunner!” I screamed and he immediately released my hand. At least that bit was quicker than Viper did, but I was still enraged.
“I’m sorry. I don’t want to hurt you, but I don’t want you going back in there, Brooklyn. Not before you know what’s going on,” he said.
Gritting my teeth, and with my shoulders heaving, I glared at him.
“Then why don’t you tell me what’s going on?” I hissed.
Gunner took in a deep breath and he looked as though he was struggling with what he had to say.
“Well?” I urged him on and he threw me a look.
“They’re running a prostitution ring and you need to get out of there,” Gunner said flatly.
“What?” I found myself laughing, from the shock and surprise of the absurdity of that statement.
“Brooklyn, you heard what I said. They’re operating a sex trade, and you aren’t safe to be around them,” he said and stepped towards me again.
I stepped away, flapping my arms away from him because I didn’t want him to touch me.
“You’re joking, right?” I said, that smile of shock still lingering on my face. Gunner had to have been watching too many Netflix shows. Sure, the DK’s weren’t your average group of guys, but they sure as hell weren’t running a prostitution ring.
“There’s nothing funny about this,” Gunner said and I looked away from him. This had to be some sort of mix-up. Daddy and Luke would never have been involved in something like this.
“I’ve known them my whole lives, Gunner. You’ve got it wrong,” I snapped and he clenched his jaw, glaring at me with furious frustrated eyes.
“It’s not been going on for long, Brooklyn…so I don’t blame you for not knowing about it. All I want to do is get you out of this place before you get involved,” he said and I shook my head with rage.
“Are you crazy? Where are you even getting this information from?” I said and he looked away from me. Gunner had his eyes narrowed as he looked towards the bar.
“Brooklyn…let’s just leave,” he said, in a quieter voice.
“I’m not going anywhere till you tell me where you heard this. Is that what people are saying? They’re all rumors, Gunner. This is what the media does to discredit Motorcycle Clubs. You wouldn’t know how it is for them…but it’s all lies!” I found myself screeching with anger. He had no idea that by saying these things about the Dragon Knights, he was also blaming my family. He was blackening my brother’s memory. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been this angry with someone. And it was Gunner of all people!
“It’s not a rumor, Brooklyn,” he said quietly and I had to strain my ears to hear him.
“Right. What is it then? You have some sort of random evidence for it? Did one of the groupies spread this shit?” I knew my voice was loud and screechy now but I didn’t care. What he was saying was affecting me to the core. Neither daddy nor Luke would have stood for prostitution and I had known these guys all my life…whatever they were…they were not abusers of women! No matter how they treated the groupies, those women wanted to throw themselves at these guys.
“Brooklyn…” Gunner said my name quietly, while my body shook with rage.
“What is it Gunner? How do you know this?” I was screaming at him now, just moments away from slapping him across the face.
“I’m in the Bad Disciples,” he said and I felt like the ground was shaking under my feet. The Bad Disciples? The rival gang! I’d just slept with someone from our rival gang?
“No…” the word escaped my lips and Gunner placed his hands on my shoulders. I yanked myself away from him, and a look of desperation had entered his eyes.
“Listen to me…” he began to say, but I had interrupted him.
“Why didn’t you tell me? I had no idea!” I was screeching again.
“It doesn’t matter right now, Brooklyn. Neither of us had a clue. I didn’t know you were associated with the Dragon Knights either,” he said while I breathed in and out, trying to keep myself standing.
“You wanted to know how I know what these guys are up to…I’ve seen it with my own eyes, Brooklyn. I know what they’re doing,” he said and I stepped away from him, backing up closer and closer to the bar.
“You’re lying. You’re a liar!” I said and Gunner shook his head.
“The Bad Disciples are planning an attack on the Dragon Knights, and you need to keep your distance from them because shit is going to go down. I don’t want you to get caught up in it. Brooklyn…please, just listen to me,” he was following me as I kept backing away from him.
I couldn’t believe it…this couldn’t be true. Gunner belonged to the Bad Disciples? What would Luke have said? They were our arch rivals. I remembered how daddy spoke about them, the fights that Luke had gotten into with their members. There was no solidarity between the two clubs and they would never forgive me for what I had done.
“Was this some kind of prank? Was it a dare? Did your friends dare you to sleep with me?” I hissed at him and Gunner stopped in his tracks.
“I swear to you Brooklyn, I didn’t know who you were till you mentioned you’re friends with the Dragon Knights. But I don’t care, I just want you to be safe before things start falling apart,” he said and I clasped a hand to my mouth in agony.
“This is wrong. You’re lying. This is what you people do to us and I’m not going to fall for it,” I screeched and I heard the door of the bar open. The music and voices from inside grew louder and I whipped around to find Viper at the door. He was a dark silhouette against the lights of the bar, but I could tell that he was looking at me. With any luck, Gunner was covered in the dark shadows of the parking lot to not be noticed.
“Brooklyn Jenson, you’ve been out here for too long! Come back in here sugar, we’re waiting for you,” he said, in a slurring voice that was drowsy with alcohol.
Chapter 14
Gunner
I remained standing where I was. Frozen to the spot when I heard the man’s voice. He had just spoken to Brooklyn. I dared him to catch me standing there in the shadows. I was however too well hidden in the dark, or he was just drunk. Either way, he didn’t see me there.
Brooklyn had turned to him and then she threw me a look, but I couldn’t step towards her. As much as I would have liked to take her into my arms and run, my limbs were stuck. I’d heard him say her name. Her full name.
“Be right there,” I heard her call out to him in a chirpy voice and then, without giving me another look; she was gone. I would have liked to call out to her,
but my brain wasn’t working. It was too numb with the thoughts whirling around in my head.
Once she was back inside, I turned without a second thought and went over to where my bike was parked. I couldn’t even bring myself to look into the bar again. I didn’t want to look at Brooklyn.
On my bike, I rode furiously…not entirely sure of where I was going.
Brooklyn Jenson. I’d heard her name loud and clear. I wasn’t just imagining it.
I could see Jenson clearly in my mind now. With his cocky smile and the same brown hair. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that they had similar features. Brown hair, and green eyes.
