Page 122 of Gunner

“Of course I know what they mean, you arrogant bastard. What I don’t understand is why you are keeping secrets from her.”

King stood and towered over me. “It’s for her fucking safety. And yours. If you have a problem with that, I can put an end to the appointments and find her a new therapist.”

My breathing was labored. I could feel my anger rising. I guessed Gunner could as well, because he stood and pulled me back against his chest.

“Haizley,” Gunner warned.

“What kind of danger is she in?”

“That’s club business,” King repeated.

“That’s bullshit. She needs to be aware of what she is facing. How the hell do you expect her to put everything behind her if she doesn’t even know what she is facing?”

“If you can’t abide by the boundaries I’ve put in place, tell me now. Amber understands there are things she doesn’t know. She is ok with it. She knows she is safe here. She trusts us. Do you?”

Bastard.

He knew he had me.

I did trust them. With my secret.

Though, I wasn’t sure if I should trust them with Amber’s.

“Look, Doc, Amber is allowed to tell you whatever she wants as far as her life goes. And I hope she does. I want her to have you to talk to. You are bound by the law to keep her secrets. And now you are bound to us, so we keep yours.”

“King,” Gunner growled.

“You’re a bastard. You know that?” I hissed.

“Learned that back in December. We gonna have a problem, Doc?”

King and I glared at each other. I wasn’t sure what he meant by his statement. But I knew I had no choice. I wouldn’t walk away from Amber and force her to start over with someone new. I suspected King knew that, and that was why he was being an asshole.

He knew he had me over a barrel.

“No, we won’t, because I won’t hurt Amber the way the men in her life have. Just know this. My priority is those two women out there. You can set your boundaries, but if I find they are hurting either of those women in any way, I will not hesitate to stomp all over your fucking boundaries.”

With that said, I turned away from King and glared at Gunner. When he said nothing, I stomped past him and slammed through the church doors out into the main room.

Once again, all eyes were on me as I moved to the bar and ordered the prospect to get me a rum and coke.

“Little early for drinking.”

“You’re one to talk,” I mocked, raising a brow at the glass of amber colored liquid in his hand. “How do you deal with them? You don’t have to be here. You can’t possibly think it’s a vacation being here.”

Bane looked at me with a sardonic smile. “King is a pussycat compared to my fucking president. Believe me, this is a fucking vacation.”

He lifted his glass, clinking it with mine, and we both took a long drink. Emptying the glass, I slammed it on the bar and turned to look out over the room.

As I looked over at each man and woman in the room, I wondered how many of them had taken a life. There were a few brothers that I was sure had killed someone.

Like Banshee.

Talking with him might lead you to believe he was just a gentle giant. But seeing the way he spoke to Aspen that first day told me he wouldn’t think twice about ending the life of someone who didn’t deserve to live it. Yet Diesel never gave him a second thought.

Then there was Freeway.

He looked scary, with his bald head and tattoos. The vulgar way he spoke to women suggested he might be more like Gregthan anyone here wanted to admit. It was clear the dog didn’t trust him. Diesel wouldn’t let him anywhere near Aspen.

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