Gunner: Satan’s Fury MC- Memphis, page 15
“I know. I feel the same way.” I inhaled a deep breath then said, “I wish things could’ve been different … that you didn’t have to find out about me like this.”
“We both know Samantha had her reasons for keeping you from me, and I’m trying to come to terms with those, but I just can’t stop thinking about how different things could’ve been if I’d just followed my gut and had gone after her.”
“Why didn’t you?”
Gus reached into his pocket for his wallet. He flipped it open and pulled out an old, folded sheet of a paper. He offered it to me, and as soon as I opened it and saw the handwriting, I knew it was from my mother.
August 19, 1994
Gus,
I’ve been lying here watching you sleep for hours, just thinking about the time we’ve shared together. This summer has been the best few months of my life. I can honestly say I’ve never been happier, and that’s all because of you. I love you, Gus. I love you with every fiber of my being. You mean so much to me, more than I thought possible. With you, I’ve learned how it feels to truly love and to be loved. That’s why this letter is so hard to write.
I’ve done a lot of thinking over the past few weeks, and I’ve come to realize that it doesn’t matter how much I love you or you love me. It just isn’t enough. We’re from two different worlds, headed down two completely different paths, and if we stay together, we’re only going to end up destroying one another. I can’t bear for that to happen. I love you too much. It breaks my heart to say this to you, but I’m leaving Memphis. I am asking you to please respect my decision. Don’t try to find me. Don’t call me. Let me find a way to move on, and I will do the same for you. It’s the only way either of us will ever make it through this.
This wasn’t an easy decision for me. In fact, it’s killing me to walk away from you, but deep down I know it’s the right thing to do. Please remember—I love you today, I loved you yesterday, and I will love you tomorrow and always. That will never change.
Love,
Samantha
After reading the letter, I could only imagine the heartbreak that my mother was feeling as she wrote those words to Gus. Even though she knew the truth about him, it was clear that she loved him terribly. It must’ve been gut-wrenching to know that she had to leave him and the life that they could’ve had together in order to protect him. Tears were steadily streaming down my face as I muttered, “Oh, Gus.”
“I bet I’ve read that letter a million times over the years.” He looked out onto the lake, watching as the waves crashed along the bank, and sighed. “Now, it finally makes sense why she didn’t come back to me.”
“You really did love her, didn’t you?”
“I did. I think I always will. I tried to move on, tried to forget about the time we had together, but in all my years of searching, I never found anyone who made me feel the way she did.”
“So, you never married?”
“Never.” He shook his head. “Didn’t seem right to tie myself to someone that I couldn’t truly give my heart to.”
There’s not many men in this world who would’ve made the choices he’d made. Most would’ve just denied their true feelings and married someone who they didn’t fully love. It would have made it easier to move on and forget the past, but Gus knew that would only bring him more heartache. I couldn’t help but respect him for that. “I can see why she loved you so much.”
His eyes met mine as he said, “I want you to know that if I had known about you, I would’ve—”
“I know, Gus,” I interrupted. “And so would I, but we can’t go back. We’ve just gotta find a way to move forward from this. We all do.”
“You got any idea how we do that?”
“No, but I’m sure we can figure it out.”
“I certainly hope so.” He placed his hand on my arm as he said, “You’re everything a father could want in a daughter, and I really hope you’ll give me a chance to get to know you and Harper better.”
“I’d like that.” I knew I was walking on sensitive ground when I asked, “What about Mom? Do you think you could forgive her … that you two could find a way to work past all this?”
“I’d like to say we could, but I honestly don’t know.” He turned his attention back to the water. “There’s been so much hurt, years and years of it, and not just for me. Samantha endured plenty of heartache of her own. I just don’t know how we move on from that.”
“If you both still love each other like you say you do, then you’ll find a way.”
“I guess only time will tell.” He glanced down at his watch. “We better be getting back. I need to help get things prepared.”
“Prepared for what?”
“Can’t say. That’s club business,” he answered flatly.
“So, you don’t discuss club business?”
“No, not with anyone except the brothers.”
“Not even with the president’s daughter?” I asked with a smirk. “Besides, something tells me that this particular business has something to do with me.”
“That might be true, but it doesn’t change anything.” His tone turned serious as he said, “Discussing details only puts you and Harper in danger, August. Not going to let that happen.”
“Okay, I understand.”
As he stood up, he glanced over at me and said, “I’m guessing since you mentioned the president’s daughter thing, that you and Gunner had a conversation.”
“We did. In fact, we had a lengthy conversation.” I followed him over to his motorcycle, and as I got on behind him, I put on my helmet and said, “In case you didn’t know, he really thinks a lot of you.”
“I think a lot of him as well.” After he put on his helmet, he glanced over his shoulder at me. “You got yourself a good one with him.”
Without giving me a chance to respond, he started the engine and drove out onto the main road. The sun had just started to set as we started back towards the Sinners’ clubhouse. I tried to focus on all the beautiful scenery, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what Gus had said about helping the others get prepared. I was curious to know if his getting prepared had something to do with the men who were trying to kill me. I couldn’t help but wonder if he would kill them just like he had the gang members who’d threatened his brothers so long ago. It was then that I realized I simply didn’t care how he dealt them. I just wanted it to be over. I wanted to get on with my life and get my daughter home to her own bed and to Floppsie. When we arrived at the clubhouse, I thanked Gus for taking the time to talk to me and for the amazing ride. It was great to get away, even if it was just for a little while.
Once we said our final goodbyes, I went back to my room to check on Mom and Harper. To my surprise, I found Jae sitting on my bed with Harper, watching cartoons. “Oh … Hey, Jae. I didn’t know you were watching Harper.”
“Your mother asked me to sit with her for a little while,” she explained.
“Did she happen to say why?”
“No.” Jae got up off the bed and walked over to the side table. She picked up a notepad and said, “But she did leave you this note.”
When I read that she’d gone to the house to get Floppsie, my heart started to race with horror. All I could think about were those men charging towards my house and how they’d come to kill me. There was a good chance that at least one of them was still there watching to see if I would return. I couldn’t believe that she’d do something so foolish, especially over something as silly as a child’s toy. Knowing she could be in danger, I rushed over and grabbed the burner cell phone Cade had given me and dialed her number. I let it ring several times, and when she didn’t answer, I called her again. And again. Still no answer. Damn.
Gunner
The sun had barely begun to rise when Gus called my brothers and me into a meeting with Sinners. As hoped, Riggs and Hammer had managed to hack into the security feed at each of Polito’s properties, which was an integral part to taking Polito down. We spent the entire morning and most of the afternoon going over the video feed. By doing so, we were able to start gathering a head count of all of Polito’s men, and each of their comings and goings of the four properties. He had fifteen in his main warehouse, and eight more holed up in his office building along with Polito himself and his right hand, Sal Carbone.
From what we could tell, the smaller warehouse was mainly used as storage and had only two guards posted. Unfortunately, we still had no idea how many Polito had inside the house. With the cameras being on the exterior of the home, we couldn’t get a good visual on what was going on inside. After hours of trying to get a decent view, Blaze became frustrated and grumbled, “This shit isn’t doing us any good. We can’t see a damn thing with these fucking cameras.”
“I’m sorry, brother, but it’s the best I could do,” Riggs replied.
“We gotta find a way to get a look inside or we’re gonna be fucked,” Murphy warned.
Knowing he was right, I offered, “I could go over and check it out.”
“It’s too dangerous,” Viper warned. “If anyone sees you, this whole plan could go up in flames.”
“We need cameras inside the house,” Murphy pushed. “That’s the only way we can be certain of what we’re walking in to.”
“He’s right,” Riggs interjected. “If Gunner and I could get close enough, I could install a couple of micro-cameras on a couple of the windows. If positioned right, we could get a better idea of what’s going on in there.”
Gus looked over to him and said, “Get it done. Murphy … Go with them in case they need a hand.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Riggs, Murphy, and I stood and walked out of the conference room. We followed Riggs down to his room, and once he had everything he needed, we got in the SUV and headed to Polito’s home. He lived several miles out of town in one of those gated communities with houses that were three times the size of most with meticulous landscaping and overstated décor. I pulled up to the curb across the street from Polito’s and killed the engine. Other than a couple of cars parked in the drive, there was no one in sight, making it impossible to know if anyone was around. I looked over to them and said, “We’re gonna need a distraction.”
Murphy scanned the area for a moment, then said, “There’s a fire hydrant. We could run it over … fake an accident.”
“Hmm … Yeah, we could do that, but then, we’ll have to deal with not only the fire department but also the cops. I’m thinking that might be too much of a distraction.” I motioned to the house across the street. “You think they’ve got security system?”
“From the looks of it, you would think so.”
“Can’t you do your voodoo and trigger the alarm?”
“Yeah, I can do that.”
“Make it a good one … one that will bring the cops and the fire department.” I looked back over at Polito’s place as I said, “Give our friends something to watch for a while.”
Riggs pulled out his laptop, and within minutes the loud, pulsing sound of a security alarm was going off. Knowing the cops would be there soon, I started the SUV and drove over to the street behind Polito’s. We got out and started to make our way to his backyard. Once the cops showed up, we jumped the fence and rushed over to the hedges. Adrenaline was pulsing through me as we went from window to window, mounting the cameras where we could get a decent view inside the house. We were just finishing up when two fire trucks pulled up across the street, giving us the distraction we needed to get the hell out of there.
Murphy whispered, “It’s time to move!”
My heart was pounding a mile a minute as we got back in the SUV and tried to catch our breaths. With a proud smirk, Riggs announced, “I can’t believe we pulled it off.”
Murphy dashed his excitement when he replied, “We don’t know for sure that we did. We still need to see if the cameras show anything.”
“You’re right. Let me check.” He grabbed his laptop from the dash, and after a few clicks, he looked back over to me and smiled. “We’re golden.”
“Good deal.” Murphy seemed relieved as he said, “Let’s get back and tell them we’re in.”
I started up the SUV and headed towards the Sinners’ clubhouse. I was eager to see August. Even with everything that had been going on, she was on my mind all day. Remembering how upset she was about hearing the news of Gus being her father, I needed to lay my eyes on her and make sure she was okay. When we pulled up to the clubhouse, we all got out of the SUV and headed towards the front door. As we stepped inside, I turned to them and said, “You go ahead. I’ll be there as soon as I check in on August.”
“Will do.”
I was just starting down the hall when I spotted August rushing towards me. Her eyes were filled with panic as she gasped, “Mom’s gone, and I’m afraid that something’s happened to her.”
“What do you mean gone?”
“She left Harper with Jae and went to the house to get Harper’s bunny. She’s been begging for that crazy thing since we got here. I guess all the whining got to Mom, and she decided to go do something about it.” August let out a frustrated sigh. “I don’t know what she was thinking! Doesn’t she know how stupid it is for her to go back to the house?”
“Maybe she’s okay. Have you tried calling her?”
“About a hundred times, but I never got an answer.” Her eyes were wide with panic as she stammered, “So … I went to check her room, and that’s when I found her phone on her desk. She’d left it here!”
“Damn.” Knowing she had no means of transportation and she’d have to get through the guard at the gate, I asked, “How the hell did she even leave? She’s got no car.”
“I have no idea,” she huffed. “If I had to guess, I’d bet she called a cab or an Uber.”
“Okay … That’s possible, but how the hell did she get through the gate? There’s always a prospect on guard.”
“Who knows? She’s always been pretty crafty when she puts her mind to it.”
“Damn.” I ran my hand through my hair as I thought about my next move. I knew he wouldn’t like hearing the news, but I had to tell Gus—the sooner the better. I reached for August’s hand, leading her down the hall and said, “Come on. We gotta talk to Gus.”
When we got to the conference room, Gus was sitting at the table with Riggs and the others, watching the surveillance feed, and none of them even noticed when we walked up behind them. I cleared my throat, drawing Gus’s attention over to me as I said, “We’ve got a problem.”
“What’s going on?”
“It’s Samantha … She’s left the clubhouse.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Samantha left August a note saying she was going to the house to get something for Harper. August’s looked for her, but she’s nowhere to be found.”
“Damn it!” Gus stood up and interrupted me as he roared, “How the hell did she get out the fucking gate?”
“I don’t know, but I’m sure as hell gonna find out!” Viper turned to Hawk and asked, “Who’s monitoring the fucking gate?”
“Bolt’s on duty until midnight.”
Rage washed over Viper, making him look like he was about to explode as he roared, “Get his ass in here, now!”
Hawk stood and quickly walked out of the room. With a hopeful expression, Gus looked over to Riggs and asked, “Can you trace her burner?”
“There’s no point in trying to trace it,” I told him. “She left it on her desk.”
“Well, damn,” Gus grumbled.
“What are we going to do now?” August gasped. “What if they have her? What if they hurt her?”
“I know you’re worried, but we’ll find her, August.” I reached for her, pulling her towards me as I wrapped her in my arms and held her tightly against my chest. “We’ll find her.”
I was still holding her when Hawk returned with their prospect, Bolt. Viper stood and charged towards him as he growled, “Were you watching the gate today?”
“Been standing at my post since two this afternoon,” Bolt answered.
“Did you happen to see Mrs. Rayburn leave the premises?”
“Yes, sir. I did. She left around five or so,” Bolt answered, completely unaware of the wrath that was about to come his way.
Viper grabber the collar of his t-shirt, fisting it in his hand as he jerked Bolt forward and snarled, “And you just let her walk out of here!”
“She told me that she got the okay, Prez.” His voice trembled as he added, “I just assumed that she was telling me the truth.”
“And you didn’t think you should check with me before you just let her waltz out of here!” Viper roared.
“Like I told ya … I-I thought she was telling the truth, sir,” he stammered. “Under the circumstances, I didn’t think she’d make that shit up.”
“Goddamn it! How could you be so fucking stupid!” The vein in Viper’s neck pulsed with rage as he said, “Get your shit and get the fuck out of here. Your days with the Sinners are done.”
“But Prez. It was an honest mistake!” Bolt pleaded.
“I’m no longer Prez to you. Now get your ass out of my clubhouse!” Viper demanded.
Looking completely defeated, Bolt lowered his head and walked out of the room. We were all so busy listening to Viper let loose on Bolt that none of had noticed that Riggs had been steadily working on his computer. He muttered something under his breath, then turned his laptop monitor in our direction. “Umm, Gus … you’re gonna want to see this.”
