Chapter Fourteen
One week later
“Any news?” John asked, leaning back in his chair.
Gunner shook his head. They were back at his place. Carlos and Scarlett were in the kitchen, working on dinner together. Carlos had some kind of paper due about healthy eating, and he was learning all the basics from Scarlett.
They were working through their problems. Gunner wouldn’t allow Scarlett to hide or to run away from what was happening. Kent was a real threat, and as he’d not been seen, and it was one week closer to the deadline, he knew without a doubt that it would happen soon.
Kent wanted the Prez patch. He wanted the club, and he’d do whatever was necessary to win. His men were out hunting for him, and if it wasn’t for Bennie, he’d be out there with them.
“They can’t locate him. Kent was always known for being able to hide. No one could ever find him until he wanted to be found. It was one of the reasons I didn’t want to fucking lose him.”
“How did Billy handle the VP patch?” John asked.
“He didn’t feel that he deserved it. With this shit with Kent, a lot of the guys are pissed they didn’t see it coming, myself included.”
With the time passing, he didn’t know what to do. It would only be a matter of time before Kent did strike.
“Billy’s a good choice. He’s loyal to you and to the club.”
“Yeah, and we need that right now.”
“I’ll always have your back,” John said. “Without a doubt.”
He nodded and took a seat. His leg bounced as he listened to Carlos and Scarlett in the kitchen.
Sex hadn’t resumed among all of them yet. She was no longer staying in her home, and she shared their bed every single night. Gunner was just happy to hold her, to feel her in his arms.
“Any news on Cherry?”
His ex-wife had tried to get their son moved from the private ward where he was. Gunner had made sure the doctors were aware that under no circumstances were they to change Bennie’s medication or his arrangements without consulting him first. Cherry had also been removed from the list of people who were allowed to see Bennie.
Afterward, he made sure his wife paid him a visit.
Staring at John, he made sure his friend got the message. “Cherry won’t be a problem anymore.”
John looked at him and nodded.
He had found out that his ex was a traitorous little bitch. She was prepared to use her own son as leverage against him to get more money. It was why she’d tried to move Bennie.
Gunner had found the evidence, and he’d dealt with her how he dealt with all traitors. Killing his son’s mother didn’t bother him. Her death had been a long time coming. He only hated that he’d put Bennie and Carlos through enough pain before he realized how much of a fucking bitch she actually was. It seemed rather fitting really. He’d made her beg for death long before he’d given it, and now she had a permanent place within the club—only she was six feet under for that privilege. She was buried on club property and would remain there for a long time.
He’d pulled the trigger and watched her fall back into the hole he’d made her dig. There had been no feelings of happiness, just acceptance that she was gone, and he’d done what he’d needed to do.
“Are you okay?” John asked.
“Me, I’m more than fine. I should have done it a long time ago.” He could no longer trust her though. Bennie was in a vulnerable position, and he made sure that there were men to watch him. He made sure to see his son several times a day.
Scarlett was always there as well, to cheer him up. With Finn gone, and the boys who helped him dealt with, Carlos had returned to school.
Everything was getting back on track, and he just needed to deal with the one loose cannon in his life, and that was Kent.
Soon, he’d show himself.
Scarlett entered the room, and she offered them both a smile. “Dinner’s ready.”
Carlos was at the table looking nervous.
“You cook this?” Gunner asked.
“Yeah, it wasn’t so hard when Scarlett showed me everything that was going wrong, you know. It was kind of fun.”
“My son likes to cook?” Gunner smiled as Carlos’s cheeks heated.
“There is nothing wrong with a man wanting to cook. A lot of girls think it’s pretty sexy,” Scarlet said. “Ignore him.”
Carlos chuckled.
He took a bite of the baked chicken spaghetti, and he was quite impressed with his son’s skill.
“This is really good,” Gunner said.
“Thank you.”
“See, I told you. Stop stressing and allow yourself to relax,” Scarlett said.
“There’s something I want to tell you,” Gunner said, looking at his son. He knew he’d have to talk to Bennie soon, but with Scarlett and John there, he didn’t want to leave it. “You know that Scarlett is pregnant.”
“Gunner?” Scarlett dropped her fork to the plate.
“No. We made a mistake with waiting, and I’m not going to wait another second.”
“I know she’s pregnant, Dad,” Carlos said. “She vomits in the morning and she doesn’t make coffee anymore, and she has those fruity things that she seems to like so much.”
“The baby is mine,” Gunner said.
He reached out taking hold of Scarlett’s hand, refusing to let her to run. He was tired of people running.
Carlos stared at her hand and smiled.
“I know,” Carlos said. “I know that you’ve been seeing Scarlett and John. That you’ve got some kind of poly relationship going. Bennie and I both know. It wasn’t hard to guess with you guys eye-fucking each other all the time.”
Scarlett gasped.
“I did tell you my sons were not sweet and innocent.”
Carlos burst out laughing. “Far from it. It’ll be cool to have a brother or sister. Are you guys moving in here?”
Scarlett looked at John. “It’s a beautiful place,” Scarlett said, picking her fork back up and stabbing at her plate.
“This place is bigger, and you’ll love it. We can start working on the nursery,” Gunner said.
“Bennie and I started on it,” Carlos said.
They all left the dinner table and followed Carlos upstairs to the spare bedroom. Gunner stepped in, flicking on the light, and indeed the room was completely different, and he’d not even entered this room in some time. The walls were a pale yellow, and there were different drawings that he knew his kids had done.
“We kind of figured what was going on, and to show that we hold no hard feelings or anything, we did this.”
Gunner saw tears in Scarlett’s eyes, and he moved to her side, wiping them away. He hated to see her cry, but at least he knew these were tears of happiness.
“I can’t believe you did this.” She sniffled.
“Do you like it?”
“It’s beautiful.”
There was a crib in the center of the room, and she walked up to it.
“That was mine and Bennie’s. It was in the attic. Bennie got it down and fixed it up like that. You might want to check over it though before the baby comes,” Carlos said.
John moved up behind them, touching her back.
“We can make this work, Scarlett.”
She nodded. “I can see that. People in town are going to be harder to please.”
“Screw them,” John said. “Half of them have secrets of their own. Let them whisper. We’ve got to do what makes us happy, not what makes them happy.”
He pressed a kiss to her neck, and Gunner stroked her hip.
Opening his arms, Carlos stepped toward him, and Gunner hugged his youngest son. Everything was coming together. He only hoped that he could keep everything working even with the threat he faced.
****
Time was ticking.
John knew with very second that passed, the deadline for Kent grew closer. Even though the cartels had agreed with Gunner’s plan and told them straight that Kent was going to die, that didn’t mean the threat wasn’t real.
Each night, he slept with one eye open, making sure his loved ones were protected at all times. He’d even started to place guns at different locations around the house. When Gunner and Scarlett had been out, and he’d been left to his own devices, he’d checked every single part of the house to see where anyone could enter, where they could hurt the people he loved.
During the day, between meetings, he took the time to catch up on sleep. It was the only other way he knew he could recharge his batteries.
He’d just closed his eyes when there was a knock at the door. Running a hand down his face, he got to his feet, clearing the tiredness from his eyes.
Opening the door, he saw it was Gunner.
“Hey, man, what’s up?”
“I just thought I’d come to see how you were. I know you’ve not been sleeping all that well.”
“I’m fine. How’s Scarlett?”
“I dropped her off at the day care center. Bennie is with a physical therapist.”
Bennie was making an excellent recovery. His young age and determination had moved him toward the next stage of getting better. Thinking about Bennie brought him back to the memory of Finn.
He’d done a lot in the past few days to help his friend.
“What are you going to do when the boys start asking about Cherry?” John asked.
“Tell him that she had to go. They’ve not asked about her, and when I saw Bennie this morning, he asked to keep her away, that he didn’t want her near him.”
John nodded. “Everything feels so fucked-up.”
“You still not talked to Scarlett?” Gunner asked.
“Not since she saw me break down. Every time I try, she finds an excuse to leave the room or to walk away. I’ve never known her to be the kind of woman to not fight back. I hurt her deeply.”
“You’re going to have to make her listen to you,” Gunner said. “That’s what I did. I made her listen. I wouldn’t go anywhere else.”
John smiled. Each time she walked out of a room, he let her. The only time he’d gotten close to her was at night. He probably should have spoken then, but he’d just been happy to have her in their bed, in his arms.
“She’ll come around.”
“You don’t sound so sure about that,” John said. He ran a hand over his face. He was fucking exhausted. Sleepless nights no longer appealed to him. “When do you think this fucker is going to hit?”
“Kent? It could be any day now. I’ve been riding around, pretty much put a target on my fucking back. I was hoping that as we got closer to the deadline of him needing my dead body, he’d lose his shit, and I’d be done.” Gunner blew out a breath. “I guess he’s a lot more patient than I fucking thought. You need to get some sleep.”
“No, I can’t sleep. Not yet.”
“What use are you to me if you can’t even aim straight?”
The phone on his desk started to ring. “My secretary still out there?”
“Yeah, she told me to come right on in. Your door was closed though.”
“I don’t want anyone just walking in,” John said. He’d not wanted Gunner to see that he’d been using his office to catch up on sleep.
Grabbing his phone, he listened as his secretary spoke.
“Someone called Kent is on the line, sir. He said it’s urgent.”
John turned to look at Gunner. “Put him through.”
Pressing the speakerphone button, he waited.
“Hello, John,” Kent said. “I’m hoping Gunner is there with you. I’ve seen him visiting you a lot more, and let’s just say I’ve got two special somethings in your life right now.”
There was a loud scream to be heard, and then Scarlett’s voice.
“Leave him alone!” she yelled.
John’s blood ran cold.
Another scream, and Gunner paled.
“Carlos, are you okay?” Scarlett asked.
“Your son’s a little fucking pussy, Gunner. Can’t even handle a few broken bones. You know what, I think I’m going to take him piece by fucking piece.”
“What do you want?” Gunner asked.
“I want you both here, at the warehouse. Come alone or I will tear the baby out of your whore, and make sure she can’t have any children. You try anything funny, I will make your lives a living hell.”
Kent hung up, and John grabbed the phone, throwing it across the room. He was so fucking angry.
“She was at the fucking day care center!” John gripped the edge of the desk, his rage consuming him as fire filled his blood.
After everything they’d been through, he couldn’t allow Scarlett to get hurt.
“We don’t have time for us to lose it right now,” Gunner said.
“He’s got her and Carlos, Gunner. You do realize the risks right now? You’ve got to know them.”
“I know them, John. I fucking know more than anyone that he could kill her. That he could take away two of the most important people to me. Bennie’s in the hospital. I lose his brother, I’ve got to tell him what happened. I’m not having that conversation. We’re not doing this,” Gunner said. “Will you help me get our woman back, and my son, and if anything happens to me, promise me you’ll take care of them?”
“You don’t even have to ask,” John said.
He would protect Gunner with his life, and there was no way he’d let anything happen to him.
They left his office, and he told his secretary to cancel all of his meetings and to take the rest of the day off.
John climbed into his car, and Gunner sat in the passenger seat.
“You got any guns in this car?”
“They’re in the duffel in the back.”
“How long have you been carrying guns around?”
John smirked. “What makes you think I ever stopped carrying them around?”
“You wear a suit to work.”
“So? My best friend is the Prez of an MC, and you’re known for fucking people off. I got prepared and stayed it. The suit is just a front.”
“Like a superhero.”
“I’m not a superhero, Gunner. I’m long past that fucking status.”
They rode toward the warehouse, and once outside, John parked the car. Today could see his life ending. He may not live to see his wife give birth, or to share in the love of a family.
“If I don’t make it today, I want you to tell Scarlett that I’m sorry. That all I wanted to ever do was give her everything. I don’t want her to hate me or what we’ve done.”
“Shut the fuck up and get out of the car. No one is dying today but Kent and whoever he has with him.”
****
Scarlett kept trying to tug her hands out of the rope. They had tied them too tightly, and even though she’d cut her flesh, she had to get to Carlos. He was curled up in a ball on the floor, his leg at an odd angle.
Kent and two men she didn’t recognize kept pacing the floor.
“What if they don’t come?” one of the men asked.
As time started to pass, she saw they had all started to look a little scared. Kent was barely hanging on by a thread. When he’d taken her, she’d been throwing trash out in the alleyway. It had taken her by surprise when he’d caught her and bundled her into a car. She didn’t even realize he was there. When she was in the car, she saw they had Carlos. They’d bound and gagged him.
Carlos had looked at her and seemed to try to ask if she was okay.
He was such a sweet kid, and no matter what she tried to do, they had hurt him. She’d wanted them to hurt her rather than hurt a boy. That’s all Carlos was, a young boy.
Tears kept falling down her cheeks as she watched.
Blood was pooling beneath his leg that Kent had stamped on until she heard the echoing of a break along with Carlos’s screams.
“They’ll both come. We’ve got these fuckers here. They’ll come.”
“I’ve heard that John’s not to be messed with,” the other one said. “That Gunner wanted him as VP.”
“John’s a fucking pussy. He’s about as scary as my fucking granny, and she’s fucking dead. Shut up.”
He kept saying fuck over and over.
“Is this all about taking Gunner’s place?” she asked.
Her voice was croaky from her screams.
She wouldn’t stop screaming, and Kent had struck her across the cheek, stunning her. She’d not screamed again, but her voice hurt, as did her face.
Keeping her hands close to her stomach, she hoped that he didn’t try to take away her baby. Even though she’d been hurt by learning what Gunner and John had done, she didn’t want to lose her baby.
She loved her baby already, and she couldn’t wait to meet him or her.
“That club deserves better than Gunner.” Kent spat the words. “He thinks he’s all high and mighty. Served his fucking country. He don’t know shit of the stuff I’ve done for that club.” Kent pressed a finger to his head. “He don’t have the brains to take it to the next fucking level. He’s a fucking pussy, and all pussies need to go to ground.”
“This coming from a man who’s hurting a sixteen-year-old child who’s bound up. Yeah, you’ll be a better choice for the club.”
Kent bent down and glared at her. “You think you’re so smart, do you, whore? You’ve got those two wrapped around your finger. Willing to do whatever to keep you safe. You must have a pussy made out of gold.” He reached out, stroking a finger down her cheek. “Once I get rid of Gunner and John, I’ll kill the kid, put him out of his misery, and then I’ll get rid of that piece of shit inside you. Once that club is mine, I’ll get you to how I want you. I’m going to have to starve you a bit because I don’t like my bitches fat. I’ll see just how fucking hot your pussy is.”
He grabbed the back of her neck, pulling on her hair as he did that. She cried out and tried to pull away from him.
His lips pressed against hers, and she bit him.
Kent jerked back and slapped her face, left and right, before releasing her.
“I’ll make you beg for my cock, and you’ll see. You’ll wish you never fucking turned on me, whore!”
He was about to kick her, but the door opening stopped him. She watched as John came in, gun poised at Gunner’s head.
Her heart picked up at seeing her two men, but then shattered as she watched them both. They looked pissed off, angry, and ready to kill.
“What the fuck is this?” Kent asked.
“This is simple. You want him dead, right? You want the fucking patch?” John asked. “I want to know what your deal is.”
“What?”
“How do you get your cartel deal, Kent? You got to have his head or something?”
“You’re not kidding anyone.”
John pointed his gun at one of the other men, and she gasped as with a single shot the man went down.
Bang.
Kent now had his gun raised, pointed at both her men. With them focused on each other, she wriggled toward Carlos.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yes. It hurts.” Carlos covered his face.
“I know, honey. I know.”
“Scarlett,” Carlos said.
“Yeah?” She glanced up to see them arguing. They were talking about Gunner’s death, and Kent and the guard were advancing.
“I have a knife.”
Her gaze went back to Carlos.
“What?”
“In my jacket.” She reached into his jacket, which was hard to do with her hands together. It was one of those pocket knives. She couldn’t open it. Her hands were shaking. Even though Carlos was shaking, he took the knife from her and flicked it open. “You’ve got to help them.”
Feeling fear unlike anything she’d ever known, she kissed Carlos’s head. “Don’t die.”
Moving over him as if she was protecting him, she saw Kent and John talking, coming to some sort of agreement. Kent was so close, and she was behind him. She had to do this fast for it to count.
Since her pregnancy, her balance had been off lately, and waves of dizziness would overcome her.
If she didn’t do this though, John and Gunner could end up killed.
Carlos looked at her, and she saw that he didn’t have much longer. He was bleeding, so pushing all of her fears aside, she gripped the knife tightly. Turning around, she stood as fast as she could. With her hands tied it made it awkward, but putting all of her anger, her fear, her rage into her attack, she plunged the knife into his neck. She pulled it out, and before he could react she did it again.
This time, he spun around, shoving her away and knocking her against the wall.
She didn’t see what happened next.
The sounds of gunshots rang around the warehouse.
When it was over, John came to her. He rolled her over and held her tightly. “Don’t ever do anything so fucking stupid again,” he said.
“I didn’t want him to kill either of you.”
“Gunner and I had a plan.”
“If it meant one of you dying, it was a stupid plan.”
John had the knife, and he sliced through the rope. She threw her arms around him. “The club is going to clean up the mess. We’ve got to get Carlos to the hospital.”
She didn’t wait around. John took the lead, helping her into the car. Carlos was already in the backseat. “I’ve already called the club. They’re going to take care of the bodies,” Gunner said. “I’m so sorry, son, I had no idea they’d come for you.”
“It’s okay, Dad,” Carlos said.
“You’ve got to stay awake. We’ll get you to the hospital, and everything will be fine.”
John was behind the wheel, and completely disregarding the speed limit, he got them to the hospital in record time. Before he even parked, she got out with Gunner as he carried his son into the hospital.
They were immediately transferred to another department, and she stood there, feeling completely weak.
John came in, and he did what he always did best. He ordered everyone around. He got a doctor to check her over even though she argued that she was fine. John wouldn’t take no for an answer.
After running several tests, the doctor gave her the all clear, and they were back in the waiting room.
She wanted to go up and see Bennie, but she didn’t want to worry him.
John took her hand, and she held him tightly, squeezing him back.
“I don’t know what I’d have done if anything happened to you,” John said. She pressed her head against his shoulder. “I know you’re angry with me right now, and I have no right to ask, but I hope one day you can forgive me for what I did.”
Looking up at him, she smiled. “I do forgive you, John. I can’t stay angry at you for too long. I know why you did it.”
“You’re not angry at me anymore?”
“No, I’m not.”
He cupped her cheek, and she didn’t pull away. “You didn’t want to talk.”
“I wasn’t ready to talk. Maybe I’ve been too stubborn, but I love you and Gunner. I want to make this work. For us to have a family together. I do want to try that. Do you think we could? Do you forgive me?”
“There’s nothing to forgive, Scarlett. I love you, and I’m sorry. I just wanted to give you everything.”
“I do have everything.”
Scarlett held him close as they waited for Gunner. An hour passed before he came out, and they both stood.
Gunner cupped her face, tilting her head back. She knew they got a couple of weird looks, but fuck them. This was her life, and she intended to live it how she wanted.
“Is he okay?”
“He’s fine. He’s out for a couple of hours. They’ve repaired the break, and he’s got a cast on. He’ll be joining Bennie in some physical therapy, but other than that, he’s fine. Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. He didn’t really hurt me. A few bruises, but other than that, I’m good.”
“Thank God. I can’t fucking lose you. I won’t.”
“You won’t lose us, either of us. We’re here to stay, Gunner.”
His gaze went to John, who nodded.
“We’re all good?”
She chuckled. “Yeah, we’re all good.”
****
Six months later
Gunner rested his head on Scarlett’s stomach, trying to listen to the sound of his little girl. She had already kicked him in the head, and Scarlett couldn’t stop chuckling. They were out in the clubhouse’s garden. Carlos stood at the grill with John and Bennie and several of the guys.
Scarlett was on bed rest though as she’d been doing too much at the day care center. Their little girl was growing faster every single day. He’d already seen the blurry ultrasound pictures, and he knew his girl was going to be a looker.
In the past six months, life had changed a lot for him. John and Scarlett had sold their house, and now lived with him and his boys. He was there for every single step of the way. John was by her side as well. After Kent’s attack, their life together got back to normal. Scarlett forgave him and John. On the club front, he’d made some changes as well. He’d removed all of his deals with the cartels including transporting. Since Kent’s betrayal, he’d been working on deals closer to home, and keeping drugs out of his town. He didn’t want any of that shit in his life.
Gunner had also made the club vote. He’d told them about his relationship with Scarlett and that he was fucking John as well. They both belonged to him. He wanted the club to take a vote to keep him as Prez, and it had been unanimous in keeping him as their Prez. They didn’t give a fuck who he screwed just so long as they stayed in dough and Scarlett baked cookies for them.
“How are my two girls today?” Gunner asked, pressing a kiss to her stomach.
“We’re doing okay. Mommy’s fat, though.”
“Mommy’s not fat. I kissed every single inch of her just last night, and I didn’t find any extra bits.”
She threw her head back, laughing.
“Can you two be less gross?” Bennie asked.
His eldest son had made a full recovery. It had taken him some time to learn to do things slowly, to pace himself. He had ended up in the hospital a few times because of this, and Gunner had been pissed at him.
In the end, Bennie’s back was fine, and he was even looking at going to college in the fall. He was catching up on all of his classwork, and he also was dating the girl whose name Gunner couldn’t fucking remember. Still, they were cute together, and for his birthday, he’d gotten Bennie lots of condoms with the warning that he didn’t want to be a granddad.
Carlos had also recovered, and it hadn’t taken as long. He was fully healed, and the short kidnapping hadn’t affected him too much. The first week after the attack, he’d woken up in the night screaming, but Gunner had stayed with him, and made sure he was safe.
No one hurt his family.
Gunner glanced out toward the far field. There was a reason the clubhouse had a lot of yard. There were a lot of secrets buried on this land. Secrets of the club.
“I don’t think it’s gross,” John said. “It’s cute.” He dropped a kiss to Scarlett’s lips, and joined them.
Billy had taken over manning the grill.
Getting up, Gunner helped Scarlett to sit up, and they enjoyed their food together. They were one big happy family.
Scarlett gasped and quickly grabbed both of their hands, placing them on her stomach. “Do you feel that?”
Gunner kept his palm across her rounded stomach and waited. There it was, and he smiled. “She kicked. Our baby girl kicked.”
Bennie and Carlos moved closer and their hands were on her stomach.
The look of wonder in their eyes matched his. He’d never taken the time to care about them when Cherry had been pregnant.
“She’s going to be a little fighter,” John said. “Just like her mother.”
“She’s not going to need to fight,” Carlos said. “Bennie and I can take them. Dad, what are you going to do about dates?”
Gunner stared at his boys. “She’s not going to be dating. It’s as simple as that.”
Scarlett shook her head. “If our daughter wants to date, then she will date.”
“That baby is part of me, and I know what men think, and it’s not pretty.”
“I don’t care what you say. Our little girl will be dating if she wants to.”
“Yeah, she can date,” John said. “There’s nothing wrong with having a chaperone or four.”
Gunner smirked at his friend. “Or the entire club. I like it. Our little girl will always be protected.”
“Don’t worry, Mommy will be here.”
He’d never felt so fucking happy in all of his life. He had his boys, his best friend, the woman he loved, and the club.
****
“Come on, baby, you can do it. You can push,” Gunner said.
Scarlett whimpered, holding both of their hands. John and Gunner had been determined to be part of the birth together. She’d read about the pain, and she whimpered as she felt it completely suckered her. “I can’t. It hurts.” She collapsed on the bed, needing a few seconds.
Her water had broken two hours ago, and the contractions had immediately started. The doctor between her thighs told her to give one more push, but she shook her head.
“You’ve got this, baby,” John said. He kissed her head. “Let’s meet our daughter. Come on, sweetheart.”
They were waiting for her, and with tears in her eyes, she sat up again, holding their hands as she pushed again.
She listened to the doctor as she kept on telling her to push, and then one final push.
Scarlett’s heart nearly stopped as she heard the sound of the baby cry. That was her little girl, her baby.
“A beautiful baby girl,” the doctor said.
John and Gunner at her back as the doctor placed her daughter in her arms.
“Well done, Mrs. Williams.”
She was still John’s legal wife, but at the clubhouse as a way of Gunner’s men accepting his relationship, they had married her to both of them in the eyes of the club. That had been a really special day for her.
Their relationship came with all three of them.
“She’s so beautiful,” she said.
The pain was lessening as she stared at her little girl.
She leaned back so Gunner and John could have a look.
“Our baby girl,” Gunner said.
She rested her head back. She knew it didn’t matter on whom. She loved both of her men equally. They always held each other no matter what.
Staring down at her daughter, she knew that she’d never stop loving them.
They were bound together for eternity, and there was no better place to be.