Page 104 of Gunner

She straightened and wiped her mouth. “I’ll be fine, Chief,” she said, her voice shaky. “Just…haven’t seen anything like this before.”

I understood what she meant. In my time as a cop, I’d seen some disturbing shit, even worse in a sense, yet I’d never had such a strong reaction as I did on this crime scene.

“It’s tough, the first time,” I said, my tone softer than usual. “Especially with a scene like this.”

“My wife… she’s pregnant. Due in six weeks.” Her eyes filled with a fear that didn’t need words. The unspoken question hung between us. Could her family be next?

“Go home,” I said firmly. “We’ve got everything covered here.”

“Are you sure?”

“I insist. No use hanging around here.”

She nodded, gratitude flickering in her eyes. “Don’t listen to them, Chief.” She gestured vaguely toward the crowd and the press. “You’re doing everything you can.”

Her words, simple and sincere, were a balm I hadn’t realized I needed. I watched her leave. If only I could do the same. Turn back the time and return to the moment in Gunner’s arms before I answered the phone call.

Gunner.

Shit.

What was I going to do? Was there any record that he owned the place? He’d said no. That he’d bought it from the previous owner before the man died, but still my stomach churned with unease. First the body at their casino. Now this. Either a member of the Blood Hounds was guilty, or someone was trying to frame Gunner.

A shiver ran down my spine. Gunner was a tough bastard who wouldn’t hesitate to kill. I had no delusion that he was suddenly a good guy because we were together, but what we’d witnessed in that basement wasn’t something he was capable of.

My phone rang in my pocket. It was the mayor. Dammit.

“Mr. Mayor,” I answered. “How can—”

“What the hell’s going on, Witter?” Getty asked. “My phone line’s been ringing off the hook about another pregnant woman being murdered. Please tell me this is some sort of joke.”

“I wish I could, Mr. Getty, but we’re at the scene of the crime right now. We’re still processing. As soon as we’re finished, I’ll give you an update.”

“I need more than an update, Witter. I need the bastards responsible for this off the streets. How can I win the election if the people aren’t confident in my ability to curb the crime rate? People are mentioning Wentworth should be running for mayor again.”

A throbbing was developing at the back of my head. Was the election the only reason he had for wanting the case solved? What about all the innocent lives lost? With every woman who died, a baby also went missing.

I was doing the best I could with the little support I had. Didn’t he know I wanted to catch those responsible for these crimes as badly as him? Maybe even more. With this case closed, I could finally put the whole thing behind me.

The more I thought about leaving the force, the more appealing it sounded. I never wanted this position. That had been Mason’s dream, not mine. After years of fighting to remove the stain on my name, it was time to move on.

“We’ll get to the bottom of this,” I said. “We have some important evidence our tech team is working on to trace some transactions.”

“Call me when you have answers, Witter.”

***

After the day I’d had, I should be passed out in my bed, but I ended up at the Blood Hounds clubhouse instead, tired, hungry, and with a dull ache in my head. For once, the clubhouse didn’t seem to be filled with people, probably because everyone had already turned up earlier during the day for the BBQ. I should have been able to sneak into Gunner’s room without any problem, but just my tough luck, I ran into Tango in the hall. He seemed to always pop up whenever I was over, as if he kept an eye out for me, but I wasn’t in the mood to entertain his bullshit.

“Isn’t it kind of late for you to be out, Chief?” he asked. “Getting fucked behind the trucks today wasn’t enough? You back for more?”

Ordinarily, I would have been embarrassed to find out someone had seen us. Of course it had to be this sneaky bastard. I wouldn’t put it past him to have followed us.

“I just have one question for you, Tango. Why are you so interested in where your president puts his dick?”

“What are you implying?”

“Isn’t it obvious? If you wanted Gunner to fuck you, you should have made that clear before I came along. You lost your shot. Now get the fuck out of my way. Or else.”

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