Page 39 of Gunner
“Do you need help?” he asked, and I shook my head.
I could feel his eyes on me as I walked into the bathroom and splashed some cold water on my face. He watched as I walked into the bedroom, and I felt him filling the doorway as I slipped on a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt. Grabbing one of my hoodies from the closet, I pulled it over my head and tugged a pair of warm socks on before turning my attention back to him.
“We need to bring in some firewood, and I want to make some cupcakes since I have a feeling we are about to be overrun by the club.”
“I’ll grab the firewood and get the fire going again. Do you need any help with the cupcakes?”
Kade could grill with the best of them, but his ability to bake left a lot to be desired. I giggled slightly, and he smiled his brilliant smile at me as I replied, “You handle the wood, I’ll handle the baking.”
As I went to walk past him, he tugged me into his bare chest and brought his hand to the back of my neck. I looked up at him, and he whispered, “I love you, Sadie. You don’t have to do this alone. I’ll be right here for whatever you need.”
His soft lips were a reassurance, and as he released me, I knew with Kade, I was safe and loved. Leaving the bedroom, I felt a wet nose brush against my wrist, and I looked down to see Bear walking next to me. I looked over my shoulder at Kade, and he shrugged with a smile. Knowing he had my back, feeling his presence behind me, gave me the reassurance I could handle the next few days.
The kitchen gave me comfort, allowing me to control something when my brain was spinning a million miles an hour, so when I began to pull the ingredients from the cabinet, my anxiety started to settle. Kade stepped up behind me, grabbing two coffee cups from the cabinet and pouring us both a cup of coffee. He placed my cup on the counter next to me before he opened the back door to let Bear outside.
A cold blast of air poured into the small kitchen, and I felt it to my bones, the chill wrapping an ominous blanket over me. I tried to shrug it off as I measured the ingredients from memory and quickly placed a pan of cupcakes into the oven. After preparing the second pan, I placed the dirty dishes into the sink and cleaned the counter.
The sound of motorcycles was faint in the distance, and I turned to see Kade standing in the living room with a clean shirt and his cut on. He walked to me and pulled me against him, and I wrapped my arms around his waist, breathing in the rich smell of the leather. The sounds grew louder, and I pulled back to find him staring down at me with worry filling his eyes.
I smiled tightly, and he placed a finger under my chin before he leaned over and gently kissed me. I wanted to get lost in his touch, forgetting the pain that was slicing through my heart like a hot knife through butter. When my mom died, I didn’t shed a tear for her, but the loss of Uncle Mick was eviscerating me.
The motorcycles pulled into the driveway, and Kade released me as the sound grew quiet. He walked to the front door, and when a knock sounded into the house, he looked over his shoulder at me and asked, “Are you ready for this?”
“No, but let them in,” I admitted and felt a tear break free.
Smokey was the first person I saw when the door opened, and his kind eyes met mine as he, Piper, Bullet, Lilly, Claw, Needles, and Hawk, the club’s enforcer, walked into my tiny house. Leather filled the space, and I stood awkwardly as Smokey approached.
“Sadie, honey. I’m sorry about Scribe. He was a loyal brother, and I want you to know the club’s here for whatever you need.”
“Thank you,” I whispered as Kade stepped up next to me and wrapped his strong arm around me, pulling me closer to his side.
Piper’s glossy eyes met mine, and my chin trembled as she moved closer. Smokey pecked her on top of the head, and she motioned for Lilly to join us. Kade whispered, “I’m going to talk to Smokey for a minute. You going to be okay?”
I nodded, and he kissed my temple before the group of men filed out of the house into the backyard. Piper pulled me into a crushing hug, and I wrapped my arms around her, feeling Lilly rubbing my back as I cried against Piper’s shoulder.
The timer on the oven dinged, and Piper reluctantly released me. I wiped my cheeks, and they followed me into the kitchen as I swapped the pans and reset the timer. Placing the vanilla cupcakes on the counter, I turned to see them looking at me with worry.
“How are you holding up?” Piper asked, and I exhaled, leaning into the counter.
“I’ll be okay, but I’m worried about my brothers. Uncle Mick was a father figure to us all but more so to the boys.”
“He loved you guys so much. He was as proud of you as any father could be,” Lilly reasoned, and I closed my eyes briefly to keep the tears at bay.
“If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know what would have happened to us.”
They looked at me with understanding. My mom was a club slut for a few years before I was born, and when Uncle Mick found out, he went to the old Death Hounds clubhouse and dragged his younger sister away from it. He could have taken a beating for what he did, but the club was impressed with his ballsy attitude and offered him the chance to prospect.
My mom was banned from the club, and she found her kicks elsewhere, resulting in three kids with three unknown fathers. She made bad decisions that we had to live with, and her selfishness left us alone more often than not. I wished I had good memories of her, but the only ones are with Uncle Mick.
Piper poured her and Lilly a cup of coffee, and the three of us sat around the small kitchen table, silently watching our men discuss whatever it was they were talking about outside. The sun was casting its warm beam across the back yard. I didn’t know what the protocol was with the club when a brother died, so I turned to the president’s wife.
“What do I need to expect for the funeral from the club so I can prepare Jacob?”
“The club will have its own service to remember Scribe after the funeral. It will be unruly and loud, but the Death Hounds always send a brother off in style. Lilly and I can watch Jacob,” she remarked, and I nodded in understanding.
The back door opened, and the smell of weed wafted through the door. I looked up to see Kade walking in with Smokey as the rest stayed in the backyard, passing the joint around the small group.
Kade walked over and kissed me on the head before he asked, “Smokey said the club will take care of the funeral for Scribe, so all you have to do is make the arrangements.”
