I became rigid.
Gunner slid his fingers down my left arm. It was like a spider crawling down my skin. I wanted to throw up and pee myself at the same time. I hated this. I hated it so much.
His fingers wrapped around my wrist and he lifted my hand.
“Put your finger out,” Gunner whispered.
I did as told.
He put his finger at a picture right under the new President of Back Down Devil MC. “This is Jasper. He’s their VP. He was there when Ryley was shot. And this guy…” Gunner moved my hand to another picture. “This guy is Trent.”
The picture stole my breath.
It was a police mugshot of the guy.
His jaw looked cut from steel, his face designed to perfection with a mix of roughness, toughness, yet he looked like he could splash some water on his face then model cologne or underwear. His black hair was messy, sort of slicked back, but it was his eyes that sucked me right in. Terrifying yet sexy eyes.
“This guy is a monster,” Gunner said. “He’s the one who pulled the trigger and shot Ryley.”
For some reason, hearing that instantly turned me on. I thought about all the times Ryley called me a bitch. Or a whore. Or when he’d grab at my ass. Or when he’d try to stick his hand up my shirt. Hell, guys like Ryley were more than half the reason I had ended up with Daxton because I was afraid they were going to go too far and I wouldn’t be able to protect myself.
I couldn't stop looking at the picture of Trent. His shoulders looked a mile wide in the picture. He didn’t have a care or worry on his face, even though he had been arrested. Most of the guys around the Night Soul clubhouse tried so hard to give the aura of bad ass, but Trent’s mugshot did more than anything any had ever done in the clubhouse.
“A monster,” I whispered.
“Yes,” Gunner said. “But that’s not why we’re here.”
He moved my hand again to another picture.
The guy he stopped on was a really tough looking guy. Sort of clean cut, built with muscle on top of muscle. His eyes were dark and scary, super intense.
“This guy,” Gunner said. “This is Duke. He’s a military guy. But he’s got plenty of problems. He may look strong as fuck but he’s got plenty of demons. That’s our target.”
I heard Gunner’s words but it took me a few seconds to process what he had just said.
I turned my head and was too close to him.
He had a sick happiness in his eyes.
“Our target?” I asked.
Gunner nodded. He then spun me around and put me against the wall. “That’s right. You’ve been lingering around this club for far too long, Harlee. You want to earn? You want to do right? This is your chance.”
“Meaning what?”
Gunner’s lip curled. “You’re going to kill who I tell you to kill.”
three.
(trent)
“They were coming for you, Prez,” Jasper said.
Trev looked right at me. “You shot one?”
“Yeah.”
“Kill?”
“No,” I said. “He’ll bleed out if he doesn’t get help. They’ll drop him at the ER and make up a story. They know better than to bring the PD into this shit.”
“Especially between two towns,” Max said.
“No matter what,” Jasper said, “they aren’t letting the gun thing go.”
“So what do we do?” Cash asked. He finished off a beer and leaned back in his chair. “I’ve got a massage in about thirty minutes.”
“A massage?” Austin asked.
Cash winked. “Love those girls down on the corner.”
“Christ,” Trev said. “They spray you with disinfectant when they’re done?”
“Spending time with Cash?” Jasper asked. “They better spray themselves.”
Everyone chuckled.
“Fuck you, Jasper. You’re just jealous that you have to pay extra to roll over and finish up. They love my cock down there. They call it the lizard.”
“Because it’s bumpy and could poison you?” I asked.
Everyone burst into laughter.
Cash jumped up and grabbed his gun.
I wasn’t afraid of Cash. He was an asshole. Mostly talk, loved to fight and fuck, but if it came down to it, he’d take a bullet for you. So I stood up and gave him a target.
He grabbed his belt buckle. “Say one more thing. I’ll let it down. It’ll roll right across this table at you, Trent.”
“Cock talk,” Trev said. “We have wars all around. People want me dead. But, sure, let’s break out the rulers and measure our dicks.”
“How many rulers you got, Prez?” Cash asked. “It’s gonna take more than one to measure me.”
“Okay, horse man, lizard dick, whatever,” Trev said. “Sit down or I’ll shoot your dick off.”
Cash quickly plopped down. He looked at me and threw the finger.
Love you too, brother.
“Maybe it’s time to think outside the box,” Trev said. “Take a risk.”
“Meaning what?” Jasper asked.
“We get Night Soul their guns,” Trev said.
That brought silence to the table.
We all looked around at each other. There were reputable gun sources the MC worked with when needed. But when it came to resale from club to club, there was only one place to go.
“You’re talking the family,” Xavier said.