Page 23 of Gunner

“Gunner, Skye wants to know if we’re free for dinner tomorrow night with her and Nate and Mitch and Autumn?”

“Come on, Gunner, say yes and let me interrogate you as a good friend should.”

Lacey blushed and shot her friend a glare which he thought was adorable.

“If Lacey wants me there, then that’s where I’ll be.”

Skye clapped her hands and smiled. “Yes. Lacey, I’ll text you the details later. Now I have to go and scrub paint out of the fridge before Nate gets home and Nancy gives him those big eyes. I tell you, that child can literally wrap her daddy around her little finger.”

“As it should be.”

Skye got a dreamy, faraway look. “Yeah, you’re right. Okay, catch you later.”

Skye disappeared from the screen, and Lacey spun to look at him. “You sure you’re okay with this? I don’t want you doing something just to keep my friends happy.”

“I’m sure, and she has an obligation as your friend make sure your man isn’t a complete dickhead, at least to you.”

Lacey stood and walked into his arms, resting her head on his shoulder. She looked tired which he knew in part was his fault from keeping her up at night making love, but the rest was stress and her working herself hard. He rubbed his hand over her back, before capturing her nape under the silky blonde hair she wore down today.

“You good, Cosmo?”

“Yeah, just feeling a little restless today.”

“You want to go out? Maybe head into town for some lunch and walk around the shops?”

Lacey cocked her head. “You’d do that?”

“Cosmo, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

Her smile and the light in her eyes were worth any shopping trip. “Thank you.”

She went up on tiptoes and kissed him, and he pulled her close, addicted to her taste before releasing her.

“Let’s go before I change my mind.”

Lacey giggled, and soon they were wandering around Hereford. He loved seeing his hometown through her eyes and the glee on her face when she saw the Cathedral in all its glory. He’d sold his house when everything had gone down with Osbourne, not feeling like he deserved a home here and believing he’d never be back. Being here with her was a minor miracle and one he was cherishing every second of.

Waggs was right; he didn’t deserve to have this joy in his life, but he’d be a fool to turn his back on it. He’d do whatever he could to right his wrongs for his team, as he’d done with Milla and his grandmother. As selfish as it may be, walking away from Lacey wasn’t something he could do.

They were in the Left Bank shop near the river paying for some artisan bread when he heard his name and froze.

“Gunner?”

He turned slowly and came face to face with Frederick Granger. His hand automatically tightened around Lacey’s as he moved so she was slightly behind him. He had no idea what Granger’s game was, but he didn’t trust him in the slightest.

“Frederick.”

“I hear you’re working for my son again.”

So that was his game, a fishing expedition to find out what was going on. Did that mean that the information he was passing to Bás wasn’t getting through or that he was being kept out of the loop?

“Yes, it’s early days but I think we’re coming to an understanding.”

Frederick was an elegant man, tall like his sons and fit from his army days with a formal, imposing bearing. Even now he wore a suit, no chance of him being caught in a pair of jeans. His hair had been dark like Jack’s, and there was a definite resemblance, but his hair was now greying. Unlike Jack and Will, this man didn’t have a shred of decency in him, and the concept of family meant nothing.

Gunner seethed to think what he’d put them all through. If he had his way, Frederick would be dead or locked up already, but he knew an operation like this needed careful handling and was happy to let Jack and Will take the lead seeing as this man had given them life.

“And who is this?” Frederick looked around Gunner at Lacey, and he tensed before relaxing, not wanting to give anything away.