Page 28 of Bruiser's Reckoning

“Agreed. Dagger and you’ll move her out. Take her to one in Avon,” Hammer orders.

“You want us to take her to the beach?” Not that I have a problem with it, but it’s farther away from my brothers than I would like.

“Yeah, Twister’s club won’t be but a couple hours away. I’ll call ‘em and let them know what’s going on.”

I nod and look around the table. “That’ll work, Prez, but any way Carbine and Colt can join us?”

“Yeah, that’ll be good. A couple more eyes on her won’t hurt, but y’all are going to have to leave tonight. The faster she disappears, the sooner we can have this taken care of.” Hammer slams the gavel down, ending church, and the pit of my stomach feels like acid is building within it.

There’s more to this than what we’ve found out. This bastard is up to something. Something big. Whatever that is will bring on a reckoning none of us will be ready for, I’m sure of it. If something were to happen to Gwyneth, I know in my gut that I’ll destroy anyone who gets in my way of those who dare touch her. She’s mine, and I didn’t even realize I could want a woman like her. That is until I laid eyes on her and got the reality check of a lifetime.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

GWYNETH

The look on Bruiser’s face is enough to tell me whatever they discussed in church wasn’t a good thing. I’m pretty sure it has to do with me.

Me and this situation that’s happening with the man who is sick in the head.

I cross the room, meet him halfway, and plant my hands against his chest while his arms go around me. “What’s going on?”

“We’ll talk about it later. Right now, we gotta get back to the apartment, you need to pack a go-bag. We’re heading out,” he states, squeezing my waist.

I blink up at him, sensing now is not the time to argue with him about go-bag or about where we’re going. So, instead, I lick my bottom lip and nod. “Okay, but you will tell me, right?”

“Yeah, Princess, I’ll tell you,” he mutters, dips his head down, and kisses me ever so gently. “Now, let’s go.”

“Okay.” Stepping away from him, I don’t get far before he snags me around the waist to keep me close. Together we make our way to where I left my stuff sitting while I spent time helping Avery and Willow with preparations. I grab my bag and smile at both women. “Sorry, we’re not sticking around. I wish we could.”

“It’s okay,” Avery says, looking somewhat upset. “When it comes to the club, I’ve learned to expect things like this.”

“Trust us when we say it’s never a dull moment around here,” Willow adds to Avery’s statement with a small smile. “If we didn’t expect the unexpected around here, we’d all be running scared of the what-ifs and whatnots.”

“Come on, Princess,” Bruiser urges me toward the door, where I spot not only Dagger waiting but Colt and Carbine.

I nod and give both women a wave goodbye, a sense of dread twists around in my stomach, leaving me with a bad taste in my mouth. I’m used to just Dagger and Bruiser watching out for me, but add in two more guys, there’s more to whatever this is.

“Princess, we’re heading out as soon as you get your bags packed,” Bruiser says the moment we step over the threshold into the apartment. “We don’t have time for explanations right now, but I swear once we’re on the road, I’ll give you the answers you deserve.”

“Okay.” I’m not surprised in the least, but it doesn’t make me happy. I want to know what’s going on. “Can you tell me how much I should pack?” I ask while pulling out a duffel bag from my closet.

“Just pack some clothes, Gwyneth. Whatever else you need, we’ll pick up when we get where we’re going. And you need to leave your phone here.”

“I need to let Angie and her dad know I’m leaving town,” I tell him, opening the bag. My mind whirling with the danger that I know I’m facing but not knowing what it is. I really want nothing more than to argue with him right now, though I know it’s not a good idea. Not with the mood he’s in.

“Gwyneth, baby, I know you want to talk to them and let them know, but you need to get packing and not worry about telling everyone where you’re going. We’ll get word to them and let them know what’s what. Now, get packed before I just throw shit in the bag for you.” He turns and leaves the room without letting me speak further.

Biting back a response that might start an argument, I go about packing and throwing different random types of clothes in my bag. The last thing I go to grab is my birth control, and an idea pops in my head that has me grinning. I grab a couple of my toys, including my favorite one. I pack them quickly and throw a couple other things on top. I barely get the zipper zipped when Bruiser steps back into the room.

“Ready?” he asks, eyes going to my bag.

“Yes. Can you tell me now where we’re going?” I ask, hefting my bag up off the bed.

Bruiser steps forward and takes the heavy bag from me. “I’ll tell you when we get on the road.”

“Right,” I grumble, staring up at him. “Will you at least let me grab a few snacks from the kitchen? I don’t want to have to rely on fast food and gas station junk.”

“Already packed it up, Princess,” he mutters. “Dagger’s put it in the truck for me.”

---