Page 145 of Girth (Marked Skulls MC 1)
“It’s the Dragon Knights. They’re here,” I said, clasping a hand to my mouth.
“Go to your room, Brooklyn, let me deal with them,” Gunner said and he pushed me behind him.
“No, you can’t…” I began to say and Viper’s voice came through, accompanied by some more banging on the door.
“Brooklyn…open up now sugar,” he said, trying to make his voice mock sweet.
“They’re in a group. You won’t be able to handle them, Gunner. You have to leave,” I cried, while he took threatening steps towards the door. I ran behind him and clawed at his shoulder.
“Please, Gunner…they might recognize you. And I’m not allowed to see anyone outside the club. They won’t let you get out of here alive,” I was hissing at him, trying to keep my voice low so that they wouldn’t hear me outside.
Gunner looked at me with his eyes narrowed.
“Why are they here?” he asked. I shook my head.
“Probably just checking up on me,” I lied. I didn’t want to tell him the truth because I knew that he wouldn’t leave. And I didn’t want them to hurt him, which I knew would happen since he was by himself.
Gunner was debating what to do, while I tried to pull him towards the window.
“Please, Gunner…just leave. Go down the fire escape,” I cried and he finally relented.
“You should be coming with me,” I heard him say, as I slid open the window.
“I’ll see you soon. They know I’m in here. If I don’t answer the door, they’ll break in or follow us. I can distract them this way,” I said and held the window up.
Gunner lunged towards me, taking me into his arms again, before kissing me passionately for a brief second.
“I know you can take care of yourself, Brooklyn. I’ll see you soon,” he said and I watched as he climbed out of the window and jumped on to the fire escape.
I shut the window immediately, hoping that Viper and the gang wouldn’t have a clue of Gunner’s presence in my apartment. I ran my fingers through my hair, while the banging continued. I was glad I looked like a mess now, at least this way I’d be able to pretend that I had just woken up and was hungover.
My only hope was that they would just ask me to meet them somewhere and I could make an escape in the meantime. What was the worst that could happen? Viper might slap me and tell me to never raise a hand at him again?
Chapter 18
Gunner
I jumped down to the fire escape and the metal clanged under my feet as I ran down the steps towards my bike that was parked downstairs.
It wasn’t until my feet hit the hot concrete at street level, that I realized there were a group of three Dragon Knights members at the top of the street. They’d seen me jump and now they were running towards me. My patch would have given me away, and chances were that they knew me by face too.
What could a member of the Bad Disciples be doing in Brooklyn Jenson’s building? They could have possibly seen me climb out of the window as well.
I ran towards my bike, just as I heard bullets zing past me. They’d opened fire. I wasn’t thinking. I couldn’t think. My reflexes instinctually led me on to my bike, but I was thinking about Brooklyn.
They’d keep her now. They’d seen me in her building, possibly in her apartment and I was sure that they would not let her go. She’d have a price to pay for having a member of the Bad Disciples in her apartment.
My Harley whirred to a start, choking and sputtering as another bullet zoomed past me. They were closing in on me, but I was seconds away from escaping.
I turned to look, just as my bike went to a roaring start and I saw their faces. Their bloodshot eyes. Their clenched jaws and the guns in their hands. This meant war and they were going to bring the war to our doorstep.
I was racing, riding my bike without my helmet and all I could think about was Brooklyn. I should never have left her alone there. I should have brought her down with me. To Hell with her fucking door!
My eyes watered as I rode furiously towards The Rusty Pelican. My only hope was that some of the guys would be there, or Axel would be there so that I could gather a group and rescue Brooklyn. I was willing to do anything to save her, even if it meant going back there myself if I had to.
At the bar, I jumped off my bike, not bothering to park, and I burst through the doors.
Not everyone had gathered there yet, but Glock and the others were there and so was Axel. They all turned to look at me, and Glock’s smile dropped when he saw the look on my face.
“You look like you’ve been running from something, Gunner,” Axel said and I walked towards him in a hurry.
“I need your help, Axel. We need to find the Dragon Knights. We have to put a stop this, now,” I said, realizing how stupid I probably sounded to him. Axel’s eyes were focused on me, and I sensed Glock and the others crowd behind me.
“Before you burst in here, asking for help, Gunner, you need to sit down and explain to us what’s going on,” Axel said, in a calm and conscious voice.
I gulped, licking my dry lips in fury and I turned to find Glock and Sniper standing directly behind me. Hunter and Tank were there too, in a show of support. But I would need Axel’s sanction before anything could really be done.
“They just opened fire on me,” I said, knotting my brows at Axel.
“What the Fuck. Where are the bastards?” Hunter’s voice was in my ear. I heard a few guns cock in the bar. The fact that they had opened fire on one of their members was reason enough for war.
Axel’s eyebrows were raised, but he was still calm.
“Settle down, men, and Gunner, why don’t you explain to us just why they opened fire on you,” Axel said and the murmur in the bar died.
“Do we need to know the fucking reason?” it was Tank who interrupted Axel and the two men locked eyes and Tank eventually backed down.
“Yes, we do. We need to know what’s going on before making any rash decisions. So, G
unner…where did they find you and why did they shoot at you?” Axel continued and I took in a deep breath, wondering how much of the story I would have to explain before we could go and rescue Brooklyn.
“They found me where I wasn’t supposed to be,” I said and Axel’s eyebrows rose again.
“And where was that?” he asked and I clenched my jaw. I knew how this was going to look.
“In Brooklyn Jenson’s apartment,” I said and Axel nearly smiled but stopped himself in time.
“Jenson? You mean Adam Jenson’s girl?” Thor had stepped forward to ask, and I nodded my head while looking at him. The murmur in the bar erupted again, and I could sense everyone’s eyes on me. Axel was glaring at me as well, half amused and half surprised.
“Well well well…your father’s charms aren’t lost on you, are they, son?” Axel finally said and I wasn’t sure if he was complimenting me. Although time was of the essence and something needed to be done about Brooklyn right now.
“I didn’t know who she was till last night,” I said and I felt Glock thump my back victoriously. These guys were treating it as some kind of fucking victory!
“You fucked the daughter of the Dragon Knight’s president!” someone else hooted.
“Ex-President! Adam Jenson is dead now,” Axel corrected the guy, with a lopsided smile still on his face. For some reason, they weren’t being able to see just how urgent the matter was. I gritted my teeth so that I didn’t roar out. That would only help me lose more friends than I could afford.
“Do you want to start from the beginning, Gunner?” Axel said and I braced myself. I wasn’t exactly a storyteller, but then, I was willing to do anything to make sure that these guys would help me get Brooklyn back.
***
“Brooklyn and I have been seeing each other,” I began in a voice that I was hoping sounded neutral. The others were listening to me keenly, and most keen of all was Axel, who was still smiling a little. I wanted to yell at him and tell him this was not amusing, but clearly none of these guys understood the gravity of the situation.
