Lola watched the conversation unfold, surprised that no one was questioning her presence. What type of man was Gunner? Did he regularly drag random women into this clubhouse so that they didn’t bother to ask? She’d been taunting him all afternoon, in part as a distraction to herself from how very frightened she was for Grace. And if she were entirely honest, in part because it had been a few months since she’d had satisfying sex with something that wasn’t battery run or attached to her own body. Quick encounters, brief flings, sure, but nothing that scratched her deepest itches. When he’d put her up against that wall in the bathroom, and slapped the phone out of her hands, the fear had connected with her desire and flamed through her, sending her into a surprising wash of need. She was pretty sure she’d do almost anything he asked her to do right now if it meant easing the ache that was roaring through her.
But a different kind of fear made its way inside her heart as Horse and Gunner made their way towards the office. She obviously needed to follow them — staying out here wasn’t going to be any kind of solution — but she’d seen enough gangster movies and been sidelined at enough shady situations to feel really uncomfortable with stepping out of the public eye. Gunner she knew, a little, and trusted, a little, but there was no one else in the room that she could say either of those things about. And while she trusted herself to talk her way out of almost any interaction, getting out of physical trouble was something very different.
She was going to have to trust Gunner more.
She tried to keep her hands from shaking as she followed the two men into the office.
The door had barely closed behind them when Horse turned around, a lascivious grin on his wind-reddened face.
“Hiya, Teach,” he said, not bothering to control his gaze as he looked Lola up and down. “Gunner thought he should dress you up so you’d fit in?”
She glanced over at Gunner, whose expression lay somewhere between neutral and bemused. Okay, then.
She stepped up to Horse, settling herself just an inch away from his thighs. She put her hands on her hips, pushed her breasts forward and raised an eyebrow. “What in the world makes you think he picked out this outfit for me?” She put one hand on her neck and let it slip slowly down, tracing over the flesh of her upper breast, teasing past the side. His eyes stayed on her face, but he shifted a bit. “I do just fine all on my own.”
“Do you now?” His tone was teasing. “Care to prove it?”
She didn’t look at Gunner this time; there was no way he’d agree that what she was about to do was a good idea, anyway. But she knew challenges and had issued more than a few in her time. She actually would not put her money in this exact moment on her being Horse’s type. She’d absolutely never had a boob-intrigued person refuse to stare at her cleavage. But he wanted to see how far she’d take the game, and he needed to know that she was committed. The best line she could come up with in the non-heat of the moment was, “Let me teach you this,” which in retrospect, was awful. But she put her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. He responded, pressing his hands into the small of her back to tug her body against his, kissing back with fervor, but not touching his tongue to her lips or trying to get at her tits or anything. He did spin her around, lifting her ass up and plopping her down on the desk, but she let him, spreading her thighs wide and letting him step between them while she continued the kiss.
That was all it took for Gunner to step in.
“All right, that’s enough,” he said, and Horse was pulled back, laughing. Gunner stood between them, his frame crackling with tension and anger.
The motion conveniently put him between Lola’s thighs, where Gunner had just been, and she laughed too. She leaned forward, wrapped her arms around Gunner’s shoulders, and tugged him gently back against her.
“Don’t worry, hon,” she said, kissing Gunner’s neck and feeling his answering shiver. “Horse isn’t after me. He’s just trying to unsettle you. Isn’t that right?”
Horse gave her a huge smile. “I like the Teach, Gunn. Well done. She’s quicker that you are.”
Gunner stiffened again, and Horse gave him a wink. It did nothing to calm the man down.
“You’re the only one who knew, Colton,” Gunner said, and he spat the name like Lola’s mother would’ve dragged out her middle name. “She’s just a girl to me. Why the hell would anyone target either one of them without knowing what the truth is?”
Horse scoffed. “Come on, Gunn, smarten up. I told you years ago that if you really wanted to protect either of them, you needed them to leave town and never associate with either one of them again. Set up a blind account through a lawyer. Keeping them here, in town? It doesn’t matter that people don’t know exactly —” he broke off, looking at Lola.
Gunner sighed. “Yeah, she knows. There’s not much point in keeping it a secret now.”
“Okay,” Horse said. “Look. We were as careful as we could be without erasing her from your life, and I get why you weren’t willing to do that. But now we’re in a fix. You want the girl back. We need to figure out why she was taken. I’m not your leak, man. I give you my word on that.”
Lola could feel the tension all through Gunner’s shoulders and back. She studied Horse for a long moment, taking in the creases around his mouth and eyes, the gentleness she thought she could see under the rough exterior. She was absolutely convinced he’d meant her no harm when he’d let her kiss him before. She didn’t know if he was gay or asexual or just not interested in her, but he was, in some odd way, taking care of his friend by checking her out. Given their relative ages, maybe Gunner was his surrogate son or little brother. He wanted to make sure that he was okay. She liked him.
And he’d been an okay kisser for someone who clearly was just having a laugh.
“Tell me what you think,” Gunner said, and he leaned back into Lola just a little. That was lovely; it felt good to ease his tension and relax his mood. She hadn’t felt like she’d accomplished much in the last few hours, although she didn’t think she’d actually been a burden. Still. At least she’d helped.
Horse nodded. “We both felt like the race this morning was off somehow, right?”
Gunner agreed. “First the bike, then Billy pulling the gun, then his reaction when I took it from him.”
“What did he say to you, anyway?”
“That he didn’t want to do it. He said something about things being bad when he got back to the clubhouse, but he didn’t say what. I reminded him that the Breed would happily patch him in if he needs out of the Vipers, but — I dunno, Horse, I still say they’ve got something on him. He’s the wrong kind of kid for them. He doesn’t use, he hates selling, he’s too small to beat anyone up. But why would the Vipers possibly be choosing now to come for us? We’ve existed here for years, them and us, and never really had a problem. It’s an odd decision for them to make.”
“Maybe they have more of a problem than you think,” Lola put in. Both of the men looked at her, and she shrugged. “Just because you haven’t had an external problem doesn’t mean there hasn’t been an internal problem. You could have accidentally said something that they didn’t realize. And if you say that this is a woman thing, I will hit both of you in the head.”
Horse snickered, and Gunner didn’t say anything.
“So, if we’re thinking the Vipers have something to do with all of this,” Horse said, “the next step is to set up a meeting. See what they know – if there’s something sanctioned or if someone’s gone rogue. It’s also possible, after all, that someone within their organization is trying a power grab, looking to set them and us against each other in a war and pick up the pieces over our dead bodies. You think your boy Billy might talk?”
Gunner considered it a moment, then nodded. “I think it’s worth a try, anyway. I’ll give him a call.”
“Okay,” Horse said. “If you’re still leaning towards keeping the cops out of this, then I think that’s the next step. Set a meeting, set it here if you can, gravel pit if you can’t. You know what to do from there.”
“I do,” Gunner said. He was quiet for a moment again, then sighed. “I just need her back, Horse. I’m gonna tell you the truth right now. I will do absolutely anything they tell me to do to save that little girl’s life.”
“And Laurel?”
Lola could feel the pain twisting up inside of the man in her arms, and she squeezed him just a little tighter without even thinking about it.
“If I can get both of them out alive, then I will,” Gunner said. “But if I have to choose between them? It’s always gonna be Grace.”
Horse nodded. “I’m glad you know where your limits are. That’ll help. We’re heading into dark times now.” The older man sighed. “Sam always wanted you to stop riding and take care of that kid, Gunn. Maybe this is a sign.”
“You need me.”
“I needed you. I’m used to you now. I’d rather you didn’t go, but the kid’s more important than anything else. You take care of the kid, and yourself, and let the Teach help.” Another wide grin. “I’m pretty sure she’s ready to help in all kinds of interesting ways. I’ll take care of the club and me. Okay?”
“Yeah,” Gunner said. “I’m going to go upstairs. Wash up. Make the call. I’ll let you know what I find out.”
“You do that,” Horse said. Gunner stepped forward, and Lola hopped off the desk, landing on her kitten heels without wobbling. She was very proud of that. “And enjoy yourself while you wait. Hear me?”
Lola laughed and hooked her arm through Gunner’s. It was part a show for the members outside the door that was now opening, and part because she was concerned that without the support, Gunner would lose his balance and stumble. He was walking a tightrope now, and she was pretty sure it was just going to get narrower and more difficult as time went on. She wondered if he knew that. If there was going to be a way for her to help when things got tight.