Gunner: Satan’s Fury MC- Memphis, page 4
“Okay.” He took a piece of paper and pen off the table and started writing. Once he was done, he handed the paper to me. “You need anything, just call or text this number.”
“Okay, thank you.”
Before I could say anything else, he walked out of the room and closed the door. As I sat down on the bed, my mind drifted back to the moment I entered the clubhouse and how scared I was. It was like I’d entered a different world—a world filled with secrets and danger. I found myself wondering if my mother had felt the same way when she’d first come to the clubhouse all those years ago. I was even more curious about her relationship with Gus. Hoping to find some answers, I reached into my purse and took out my phone. I dialed my mom’s number and as soon as she answered, she asked, “Did you find the clubhouse?”
“Yeah, I’m here now.”
“Did you talk to Gus? Is he going to help you find Harper?” she asked frantically.
“He’s going to try.”
“Oh, thank god,” she replied, sounding relieved. “Did you tell him about the daycare and—”
“I told him everything, Mom.”
“Good. Then, he’ll find her.”
“You really think so?” My throat started to tighten. “’Cause I’m not going to be able to survive it if something happens to Harper.”
“We’re going to find her, sweetheart, and I really do think Gus will help us get some answers. That’s more than anyone has been able to do.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I am. You’ll see.”
I couldn’t shake the feeling that she was keeping things from me, so I asked, “What’s the deal with you and this Gus guy?”
“I’ve already told you. He’s an old friend of mine.”
“I know that’s what you told me, Mom, but I’ve got a feeling there’s a lot you aren’t telling me about him … and his club.” Thinking about how prim and proper she’d always been with her little pant suits and refined etiquette, I told her, “I wouldn’t think that these are the kind of people you would’ve run around with … at least not with Gran around.”
“I met Gus when I was still living in Memphis. He helped me when some guy tried to steal my purse. We spent some time together, but that ended when I accepted a job in Nashville. I started seeing your father shortly after, so I lost ties with Gus. Simple as that,” she answered nonchalantly.
“So, you guys dated?”
“Yes.” She exhaled a deep breath before saying, “It’s hard to explain, sweetheart. Just remember … you can’t always judge a book by its cover.”
“Maybe not, but some things are hard to overlook.”
“It’s not as hard as you might think.” She paused for a moment, then asked, “By the way, how is he?”
“Gus?” I thought for a moment, then replied, “Umm … fine, I guess. He kind of freaked out when I told him I was your daughter.”
“Did he seem angry?”
“It’s hard to say what he was feeling. He stormed out of the clubhouse for a few minutes, but when he came back, he seemed okay. That’s when I told him all about Harper. After I finished telling him everything, he asked about you.”
“He did?”
“Yeah. He wanted to know how you were doing and if you were happy.”
“Oh. That kind of surprises me.”
“Why wouldn’t he, especially if you two dated?”
“It’s complicated.” I could tell she was ready to change the subject when she asked, “Have you heard anything from David or the police?”
“I got a call from Detective Haralson earlier, but I wasn’t able to take it.” I looked down at my watch and was surprised to see that it was after ten. “I should call him back.”
“Okay. Keep me posted.”
“You know I will.”
When I ended the call with my mother, I had every intention of dialing Detective Haralson’s number, but instead, I opened my pictures on my phone. I started scrolling through all the different photographs of Harper, and my heart literally ached with grief. I missed her terribly. I’d never been away from her this long, and it was killing me. I thought back to the day I found out I was pregnant. At first, I was nervous, but that changed when I started to feel her growing inside me. Early on, I knew that she was going to be special. I could just feel it, and when she was born and I held her in my arms for the first time, she took my breath away. I’d never seen a more beautiful creature. She was so absolutely precious with dark, soulful eyes, full rosy cheeks, and tiny fingers and toes. As she grew older, her little personality started to blossom, and anyone could see that she was kind and so very smart. I’ve always been so proud that she was mine and that I was her mother—and as her mother, I would do whatever it took to protect her—even if that meant putting my own life in danger to do it.
Gunner
When I got back to the bar, I was relieved to see that the guys were still sitting at the counter. They were talking amongst themselves, and from the looks on their faces, they still had no idea what was going on. As I sat back down next to Blaze, I asked, “Where is he?”
“The last I saw, he was headed to his office,” Riggs answered.
“He didn’t say anything to any of you?”
“Nope. Not a word.”
Concern crossed Blaze’s face as he asked, “Did you see the look on Gus’s face when she said her mother’s name?”
“Yeah. It was hard to miss.”
“So, it’s not just me?” Blaze had always been good at reading people, especially his brothers. Whenever something was going on, he was one of the first to pick up on it. This time was no different. I could see the wheels turning in his head as he looked over at us. “You guys think there’s more going on with this chick than just her missing daughter?”
“Definitely. Just not sure what,” Murphy answered.
“You boys can stop trying to figure it out,” Moose told us as he walked into the bar. He was the club’s VP and knew Gus better than anyone. Moose was there when he started the Memphis chapter and has stood by him ever since, making him one of Gus’s closest friends. “Gus will talk to you when he gets good and ready. Until then, this conversation ends here.”
“Understood. We wanted to make sure everything was okay with him.”
“Everything will be fine as soon as we find August’s daughter.” He walked over to Riggs and said, “I’m gonna need you to find out everything you can on David James, and not just the basic stuff. If he’s dealing with any under-the-table bullshit, I want to know about it.”
Riggs was our club’s computer hacker, and he was amazing at his job. There wasn’t anything he couldn’t do on that fucking computer, including gathering intel on folks that no one else could find. He stood up to leave and told Moose, “I’ll see what I can dig up.”
Once he was gone, Moose looked over to me and said, “Gus wants you keeping an eye on August.”
“Whatever he needs me to do.”
“Just make sure she isn’t left alone. If you aren’t around, have a prospect on her.”
“He thinks she’s in danger too?”
“No way to know for sure. This thing with the kid could be a random kidnapping or it could be something more. We just don’t know yet. Until we do, Gus doesn’t want to take any chances. All of you need to stay alert. You see anything out the norm, you be sure to let Gus know about it.”
Before he walked out, T-Bone asked, “What about the run?”
“We’re still on for the morning. We’ll have to make some changes, but it’s too important to postpone.” He shook his head as he headed out of the bar. “Timing isn’t on our side, but we’ll just have to make the best of it.”
Everyone had things that needed to be done so we all left the bar, and without saying a word, went our separate ways. Following Gus’s orders, I started down the hall towards August’s room. I’d almost made it to her door when Rider called out to me. “Yo, Gunner.”
“Yeah?”
“Gus wants to see you in his office.”
“Okay, I’ll be right there.”
I figured I still needed to check in on August, so I knocked on her door. When she answered, I could tell she’d been crying, and it tugged at me in a way I didn’t expect. I wanted to console her in some way, but there was little I could do. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she was still sniffling as she asked, “Did he find out anything?”
“Not yet. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.” She looked at me—not with a quick glance, but really looked at me. Sadly, her eyes were masked with heartache and pain, making it impossible to know exactly what was going through her mind. “Do you need anything?”
“No.” She shook her head as she wiped the last of the tears from her eyes. “I’m okay.”
“I need you to stay put. No going outside or even down the hall without me at your side.”
“Why? Is something wrong?”
“Just taking all the necessary precautions to make sure you’re safe,” I tried to assure her. “If you need me, you’ve got my number.”
“I do.”
“Try to get some rest. I’ll be back when I can.”
“Okay. Thank you … umm … What was your name again?”
“Gunner.”
“Right. Thank you, Gunner.”
As soon as she closed the door, I went down to Gus’s office to see what he needed. After I knocked, I stepped inside and found Gus sitting at his desk with Riggs and Murphy seated in front of him. While Gus didn’t look as on edge as he had earlier, it was clear from his demeanor that something was weighing on his mind. “Rider said you wanted to see me.”
“Have a seat, son.” Having no idea why he’d called us all in, I sat down next to Murphy and watched as Gus leaned back in his over-sized leather office chair. He crossed his arms and looked over to us with a fierce expression. “I’ve got something to discuss with you boys, but I’m trusting you to keep this conversation between us. What’s said in this room, stays in this room. Is that understood?”
“Understood,” we each replied.
“I wouldn’t even be telling you any of this, but you need to know how important this all is to me.” We nodded, then waited for him to continue. “I’m sure you’ve noticed that over the years I’ve never taken on an ol’ lady.”
“We have,” Murphy answered.
Gus had been known to take advantage of the club’s hang-arounds from time to time. They were always eager to please the president of the club in hopes that he might take them on as something more serious, but that never happened. Gus never got attached to any female, only using them for the task at hand, and then he’d move on, leaving a trail of broken hearts in his wake. I never thought much about it. Figured he just didn’t want the distraction or the hassle of taking on an ol’ lady. I never realized that there was more to it than that until he said, “I’ve had my reasons for that.”
We each settled back in our chairs as we waited for him to continue.
“You weren’t around when this charter started, but you’ve heard the stories. You know how we built this club from scratch.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard ‘em,” I confessed. “I’ve also heard the club would’ve never been as successful if you weren’t the man running the show.”
“I don’t know about that, but I’ll admit, it wasn’t easy. There was a lot of shit that had to be done with getting the clubhouse together and opening the diner and garage … but that was only a small part of it. We fought tooth and nail to stake our claim over the territory, but I was damn-well determined to make it happen. We were just getting our start when I met Samantha Travers.” His expression changed the moment he spoke her name. “I’m pretty sure I fell for her the minute I saw her. Damn. She was a beautiful thing. Way out of my fucking league, but we ended up hitting it off. Spent the whole damn summer together. I loved her like crazy.”
Anguish crossed his face as he continued, “I don’t know how to explain it … I knew from the start she was the one. Knew even then there’d never be another. I was gonna put a ring on her finger and a property patch on her back, but she left before I got the chance.”
“Wait. So, she just up and left out of the blue?” Riggs asked.
“Yep. I had no idea she was even thinking about it. Went to bed with her in my arms and woke up alone the next morning with a fucking Dear John letter resting on the pillow.” I could hear the pain in his voice as he said, “Nearly broke my fucking heart.”
Sounding surprised, Murphy questioned, “You didn’t try to go after her?”
“Not at first. I kept thinking that she’d find her way back, but she never did. When a year passed and I still hadn’t heard anything from her, I went to find her. That’s when I learned she was married. Found her a fella that fit into her world perfectly—a way I never could have. I knew then why she hadn’t come back. Couldn’t say I blamed her.” He brought out his cigarettes and lit one. After taking a long hit, he let out a breath of smoke and said, “That was over twenty-five years ago. I haven’t heard a word from her in all those years, and then today her daughter shows up … a daughter named August who was born eight months after Samantha left Memphis.”
“Oh, shit.” I leaned forward as I asked him, “You think August is your daughter?”
“Can’t say for certain, but sure as hell looks like it,” he grumbled.
“You didn’t know Samantha was pregnant?”
“Didn’t have a clue. She never told me, and if I had to guess, I’d say that August doesn’t have a clue about any of this either.” He slammed his fist against the desk, then sat there with a blank expression until he said, “If August is my daughter, then that means it’s my granddaughter who’s out there missing. We have to find her.”
“I’m here to help you any way I can,” Murphy assured him. “We all are.”
“I appreciate that, brother.” He looked over to me as he said, “I want you keeping an eye on August. I’m trusting you to make sure nothing happens to her.”
“You can count on me, Prez.”
“Always have.” He ran his hand over his beard. “I put a call into the Ruthless Sinners clubhouse and spoke to their prez, Viper. He’s putting feelers out to see if he can come up with anything on Harper. While I was at it, I asked him about the mayor.”
“And?” Riggs pushed.
“He said he’s all kinds of shady. Far from the up and up, so August might be right about him knowing more about Harper than he’s letting on.”
“Damn, that makes things complicated.”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t matter.” His voice was low and full of warning when he added, “In case there’s any question … I’m gonna find her, and when I do, she better be okay or I’m gonna fucking end whoever took her.”
After we were done talking, Riggs and Murphy went to check in with their ol’ ladies while I went to the kitchen and gathered up a couple of drinks, a sandwich, and some snacks. As I carried them down the hall to August’s room, I thought back over everything Gus had said. Since I’d joined the club, I’d done everything in my power to do right by him. I’d proven to him and my brothers that I was loyal to the club, that nothing came before them, and I almost screwed it all up when I tried to pick up Gus’s daughter at a fucking gas station. Granted, I had no idea who she was at the time, but I knew exactly who she was now, and there’d be no more fucking around. Like it or not, the beautiful August James was off limits. I knocked on the door, and when she answered, I was pleased to see that her eyes were no longer red from crying. She looked down at all the food I brought, and a soft smile crept over her face. “What’s all this?”
“Thought you might be hungry.”
“That was really sweet of you, but like I said earlier … I’m really not hungry. There’s just too much going through my head right now.”
“I can totally understand that.” Knowing she needed to eat something, I walked over and set everything down on the desk. “I’ll leave it here in case you change your mind.”
Her gorgeous dark eyes met mine as she said, “Thank you, Gunner.”
I only held her gaze for just a moment, but the damage was done. I knew it was a mistake. I had a job to do, but as I stood there looking at her, I wasn’t thinking about Gus or the club. I wasn’t thinking of what was at stake. I was only thinking about her and the need I felt to get closer, making me realize I was in serious trouble. Fuck me. This woman was going to be harder to resist than I thought. Doing what I could to pull my head out of the fucking clouds, I cleared my throat and said, “No problem. You sure you don’t need anything?”
“Just my daughter.”
“We’re working on that. It’s just going to take some time.”
“But shouldn’t we be out there looking for her?”
“You’ve said it yourself that the cops were out there looking for her, so there are people out there working on it,” I tried to assure her. “A man like Gus has the ability to look in places they can’t. You did the right thing coming to him. You just have to be patient and let him do the job you’ve asked him to do.”
“I’m trying. I don’t know Gus … at least not the way my mother did, so it’s hard to trust that he can really find her, you know?”
“I get it. You’re just gonna have to go with your gut on this.” I looked her in the eye and added, “You wouldn’t have come here unless something inside you told you it was the right thing to do.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“I am. Now try to get some rest. I have some things to see about, but I’ll be back in a couple of hours to check in on you.” As I started towards the door, I told her, “If you need anything, Gash will be right outside.”
“Gash?”
“He’s one of our prospects.” I opened the door and stepped into the hall. “Like I said earlier, we’re taking every precaution to make sure you’re safe.”
