Page 28 of Gunner

Grimm smiled, his face turning soft. “If Gerald needs a break, I’m sure Jamie and the boys wouldn’t mind taking her off your hands for a few.”

“Thanks, Grimm. I’ll let Ger know, but I think we’re handling it well so far.”

They made it look…possible. The rough life, falling in love, having “healthy” relationships, and even starting a family. I’d been stuck in fighter mode for so long their normalcy looked strange.

Bay gave his report on the casino, which was doing great. Good news for both our clubs, since we had invested alongside the Grimm Reapers, thanks to Crowe. It might be time to invest some of that money we made on dope in other legit businesses. The problem with handling drug money was not being able to spend it all the same way one would with a legitimate business. Through the casino, Grimm and Crowe had opened another channel to launder dirty money.

The meeting went on for another half an hour, and I zoned out and checked my phone. No calls. No text messages. It’d beenthree days since I left Witter stranded. Was he still so pissed he was avoiding me?

I’d turned back, but when I got to the apartment building, he’d already left. Back at the clubhouse, I’d swapped my bike for a van and driven by his place just to ensure he had gotten home in one piece.

He’d been in one piece all right—walking out of his neighbor’s house with his German shepherd. Everything had looked normal—neighborly—except for the way the neighbor had stood in the doorway watching Witter until he got inside.

Something was up with them, and my stomach soured.

Why hadn’t I bent him over the handlebars of my motorcycle and fucked him when I had the chance? That would have shown him. But that kiss. Fuck, the intensity of it had driven me away before he could touch me. The cop tasted like only hell could, so fucking pleasurable, but the end was destruction.

“Gunner, anything you’d like to add?”

I startled at Grimm’s question. I’d sat in on their church two other times, and he’d never asked me to speak before.

“Uh, we’re considering a biker rally here in Smoky Vale,” I said. “It’s a huge undertaking, and I get it if you’re not interested. Just thought I’d mention it.”

“Actually, that’s a fucking good idea,” Grimm said. “Let us know if you need anything.”

“We’ve got this.”

We might be friendly with each other, but I could pull off an event of this nature without the Grimm Reapers. Dammit, our club gave birth to his, and it was about time we acted like it.

The meeting wrapped up without incident. I surged to my feet, beating a hasty exit. I’d chosen my seat close to the door for exactly that reason.

“Hey, Gunner, where’s the fire?” Saint fell into step beside me.

I rolled my eyes. “Next time you talk to Crowe, you can let him know I came to the meeting.”

“Man, that ain’t why I’m here. I’m not spying on you for Crowe. A bunch of us are heading over to the casino. Why don’t you go with us?”

The casino sounded like a good idea. I needed a distraction to stop thinking about a certain cop—acting chief of police. I chuckled. He always stressed that point like it made a rat’s ass of a difference to me.

“What’re you laughing about?” Saint asked.

I shook my head. “Nothing. The casino seems like a good—”

Witter was the last person I’d expected to see sitting in the mess hall in the middle of the day, having a drink at the bar with Mason’s son. They were in deep conversation. Witter had his hand over the younger guy’s.

If ever I needed confirmation of how much more involved he’d been with Mason, it was right there.

Witter and Jamie were close. Their relationship could be due to the years Witter and Mason had been work partners, but I doubted it. With their bent heads together, whispering, they were too familiar with each other. Their relationship had to have been built on more. Ben smiled at the young man with affection, and Jamie returned the smile like a son would do at a father.

I felt gutted.

Mason had never let me get that close to his kid. Hell, all these years, I’d had to pretend Mason and I never had any contact. No one knew of the stolen nights together. I’d always thought our secrecy was due to our forbidden relationship—he was the chief of police, and I was a criminal. But maybe he’d wanted to keep us a secret so his work partner wouldn’t know I was his side piece.

I would never have thought Mason was capable of such dishonesty. After the first time Witter had arrested me, I shouldhave gone with my gut instinct and taken him out despite Mason’s protest.

“Gunner, what about the casino?”

Until Saint called my name, I hadn’t even been aware I was already halfway to the bar. Witter’s broad back, so relaxed a second ago, snapped straight, although he didn’t look up to acknowledge me.

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