Page 44 of Sunshine & Ink

I drew it out and aimed it directly at Raker.

“You need to leave now.”

His harsh face didn’t even change. He stood there with his arms crossed across his cut, the leather stretched across massive shoulders.

I focused the gun on him, holding it with both hands to make sure it stayed steady.

“I don’t want to shoot you. All I want is for you to leave me alone and never come back.”

“No,” Raker said bluntly.

“Go away!” I cried, feeling sweat begin to trickle down my back.

“Don’t be a little fool, Sunni,” he snarled. “Of course I’ve come to take you back with me. I don’t care about what you did. Your place is back at the Saints MC with me.”

“No! I won’t go back with you!”

He took another step toward me, crunching across the broken shards of ceramic on the floor. Everything seemed to be frozen in time.

His eyes bore into mine.

“Give me the gun,” he said, his jet-black eyebrows drawing together.

He held his hand out for it, and I couldn’t help my eyes roaming over those massive arms, the way the dark, swirling tattoos sometimes blended into his tanned skin, and the way they also stood out starkly, marking his status as Prez.

His voice was firm and authoritative. Like always, Raker expected to be obeyed absolutely.

My body responded instinctively too, my skin prickling, wanting to step closer, obey him, put the gun in his outstretched palm.

Oh, why was I such a coward? I should have shot him three times over by now.

My guts turned over inside me, the urge to obey Raker deep and shameful.

Even after all he had done

Even after the way he had betrayed me

NO

I wasn’t that girl anymore

I let the spark of anger grow inside me as he stalked closer, his big chest open and arrogant, like he could never imagine I’d actually want to hurt him.

But I did

The gun was hard and slick under my hands but I had been to the range many times with Willow and Elise. I had practiced.

“You can’t tell me what to do,” I spat at him. “I’m not your whore anymore.”

I finally pulled the trigger, aiming for his legs, but Raker moved so fast the bullet sliced through his forearm with a sharp puff of blood, and he didn’t stop, knocking the gun out of my hands as I yelped in surprise.

It clattered loudly on the coffee shop floor as he gripped my wrist with his massive hand, his dark eyebrows drawn together.

He looked impossibly furious.

“Too slow, sweetheart. You should have taken your shot twelve feet ago if you actually wanted to kill me. Now, unless you have anything else you want to kill me with, get your ass in gear and come with me. I don’t have time for this.”

Then he looked down.

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