Page 46 of Gunner
“Now isn’t the time, Sadie. You have to trust me.” His tone was bordering on demanding.
“I want to trust you, but you’re scaring me. If we need to leave, is Jacob safe?”
He relaxed his face and brought his hand to my cheek. I leaned in, needing him to connect with me and disconnect from the anger coursing through him.
“Jacob’s safe. So are you. I’m just pissed right now. I promise, when I can tell you, I’ll explain everything, but right now, I need to go check on Skid.”
I climbed onto the back of his bike, wrapping my arms around his waist and pulling myself flush against his back. He was tense, and as we pulled away from the clubhouse, I could feel some of it seep from his body. As we approached the gate, I yelled, “Let’s take the long way and give him a few extra minutes at home alone.”
He patted my hand on his chest and turned onto the road. The further we rode, the more relaxed he became, and when we pulled into my driveway to see Dalton’s bike parked next to the garage, he exhaled.
Whatever was going on had them both on edge. I would listen when they wanted to talk, and until then, I hoped I could keep them from doing something stupid.
Chapter 19
Kade
Seeing Skid’s bikeparked in Sadie’s driveway was a relief. His anger,my anger,was at an all-time high, and I was worried a few times he was going to start running off at the mouth before it was time. The information he gathered over the last five days was enough to make me sick to my stomach. For the almost five years I’ve been a part of the club, words like ‘brother’ and ‘family’ were the foundation on which I built my loyalty to the Death Hounds. Hearing what Skid found out had shaken me to my core.
I pushed the kickstand down on my bike and turned off the engine, casting us into a chilled silence as a light snow started to fall. Climbing off the bike, I offered Sadie my hand and helped her steady herself on the ground. She looked at me with confusion in her eyes, and I needed to tell her something,anything, to alleviate some of her worry.
She wasn’t in danger, but the lies on which she built her safety were crumbling, and I feared she was going to crash hard when she discovered the truth. And I would tell her the truth, as soon as I could get Dalton to tell me everything he learned, not just the parts that pissed him off. I needed a bigger understanding of what happened all those years ago that caused Smokey and Bullet to deceive not only Mick and Sadie but the entire club.
“Is everything okay, Kade? Please, be honest,” she whispered, her eyes flittering to the house before her gaze connected with mine. I lowered my forehead to hers, trapping small snowflakes between our heated skin.
“Everything’s fine, darlin’. Your brother is struggling with losing Mick, and I feel powerless to help him.”
“Why is he so mad?” She paused, then continued, “And why are you?”
“If I promise to tell you everything once I get your brother in a better state of mind, would you accept that it’s club business and I can’t talk about it right now?”
Please let her say yes.I couldn’t bear lying to her, but I would. For her own peace of mind.
She exhaled, a cloud of white air coming from her pouty lips as she nodded and replied, “I can accept that . . . for now.”
I pecked her on the lips and pulled back, linking my hand with hers. “Let’s go see what kind of mood your brother is in.”
