Chapter 13
Brooklyn
My heart was racing as I walked in the dark as far away from the bar as possible. Viper had caught me leaving at the last minute, asking me questions again…flirting. I was hoping that I’d managed to make my escape by claiming that I needed some air and I wasn’t feeling too well. I knew they had all been heavily drinking the whole night and maybe, if I got lucky, he wouldn’t notice how long I was gone. Either way, I needed to make this quick.
I turned around to face Gunner when I thought I’d walked far enough away from the bar. I was relieved to see him, happy that he had called…at least he wasn’t the kind of guy who’d just ignore me endlessly just because we’d gotten into an argument.
“So, what do you have to say for yourself?” I said and crossed my arms over my breasts. My eyes were adjusting to the darkness of the night, and his blue eyes seemed to twinkle in the dim silvery moonlight that was surrounding us. He towered over me, a hulking bulk of a man…all muscle and strength and I was quickly reminded of why I was so damn attracted to him.
“Well, I do want to apologize for my behavior. I should have explained it better,” Gunner said and I pursed my lips.
“You’re not very good at apologizing, are you?” I asked him, arching my eyebrows. Gunner wasn’t in good humor, unlike me…I was just glad to see him again. I was just glad that we might have a chance to make up.
“I said I wanted to apologize,” he said and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
“But you didn’t actually say the words,” I tried to smile at him, but he was making it very difficult to.
“It’s hard to beg for an apology right now, given where you are,” he said and I rolled my eyes at him. Not this again! I thought we had gone past it. I thought he wanted to apologize to me for asking me to stay away from my friends.
“What are you doing here then, Gunner?” I snapped and he took a step towards me. Our proximity made my breath choke up in my throat. Just a step in my direction had a crippling effect on me that I couldn’t explain.
“I’m here to take you away from this place, to a safer location,” he said and I opened my mouth and shook my head in frustration.
“Why are you bringing this up again, Gunner? I thought you wanted to apologize,” I said and he stepped towards me again.
“You don’t know them Brooklyn!” his voice rose a little and I glared at him.
“And you know them, how? I’ve spent all my life in their midst, Gunner. They are not what they seem from the outside. Yes, they can come on a bit strong and they live life differently from the regular Joe…” I was speaking too quickly now, desperate for him to see reason. If we were going to have any kind of relationship…whatever it might be…he would have to accept my friends. The Dragon Knights accepting him was another question entirely.
“Brooklyn, you’re mistaken about them,” he interrupted me and I rolled my eyes at him again. He was just not hearing me.
“I think I know them better than you do! You’ve made your judgements about them, just like everyone else in Long Beach has. If you’re not in their bad books, there is no need to worry. And I’m not in their bad books, Gunner…like I said, I’m like family to them,” I said, stopping myself just in time from mentioning how involved my family had always been with the Dragon Knights.
Gunner was glaring at me, as though everything I was saying was just shooting past him without making a dent in his convictions.
“Can we just leave this place? Can we just talk somewhere else?” he asked and I took a step away from him.
“You’re not listening to what I’m saying. You will have to eventually accept the fact that the Dragon Knights are a part of my life,” I told him, in a quieter voice. As annoyed as I could get with them, they were my family. Gunner was silent as he clenched his jaw at me. I could see him flaring his nostrils, drilling a hole into my face with his blue stormy eyes.
“I accept that they’re a part of your life, Brooklyn. Or have been. I just want to make sure that it’s a thing of the past,” he said and I huffed at him, with my mouth hanging open in a sarcastic smile. Like hell I would let him make that decision for me.
“You’re just like everyone else, aren’t you? Just like all the other guys I know. You think that just because we slept together…that I’m somehow now your property? That you can tell me what to do?” I snapped. My voice had grown high pitched and I could feel the anger coursing through my veins. I’d had enough of trying to reason with him. No matter what my feelings towards Gunner were, I now knew that it was a lost cause.
I brushed past him as I tried to walk away, but Gunner had gripped my wrist and yanked me towards him. The same way Viper always did, and I felt an electric shock run down my spine.
“Let me go, Gunner!” I screamed and he immediately released my hand. At least that bit was quicker than Viper did, but I was still enraged.
“I’m sorry. I don’t want to hurt you, but I don’t want you going back in there, Brooklyn. Not before you know what’s going on,” he said.
Gritting my teeth, and with my shoulders heaving, I glared at him.
“Then why don’t you tell me what’s going on?” I hissed.
Gunner took in a deep breath and he looked as though he was struggling with what he had to say.
“Well?” I urged him on and he threw me a look.
“They’re running a prostitution ring and you need to get out of there,” Gunner said flatly.
“What?” I found myself laughing, from the shock and surprise of the absurdity of that statement.
“Brooklyn, you heard what I said. They’re operating a sex trade, and you aren’t safe to be around them,” he said and stepped towards me again.
I stepped away, flapping my arms away from him because I didn’t want him to touch me.
“You’re joking, right?” I said, that smile of shock still lingering on my face. Gunner had to have been watching too many Netflix shows. Sure, the DK’s weren’t your average group of guys, but they sure as hell weren’t running a prostitution ring.
“There’s nothing funny about this,” Gunner said and I looked away from him. This had to be some sort of mix-up. Daddy and Luke would never have been involved in something like this.
“I’ve known them my whole lives, Gunner. You’ve got it wrong,” I snapped and he clenched his jaw, glaring at me with furious frustrated eyes.
“It’s not been going on for long, Brooklyn…so I don’t blame you for not knowing about it. All I want to do is get you out of this place before you get involved,” he said and I shook my head with rage.
“Are you crazy? Where are you even getting this information from?” I said and he looked away from me. Gunner had his eyes narrowed as he looked towards the bar.
“Brooklyn…let’s just leave,” he said, in a quieter voice.
“I’m not going anywhere till you tell me where you heard this. Is that what people are saying? They’re all rumors, Gunner. This is what the media does to discredit Motorcycle Clubs. You wouldn’t know how it is for them…but it’s all lies!” I found myself screeching with anger. He had no idea that by saying these things about the Dragon Knights, he was also blaming my family. He was blackening my brother’s memory. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been this angry with someone. And it was Gunner of all people!
“It’s not a rumor, Brooklyn,” he said quietly and I had to strain my ears to hear him.
“Right. What is it then? You have some sort of random evidence for it? Did one of the groupies spread this shit?” I knew my voice was loud and screechy now but I didn’t care. What he was saying was affecting me to the core. Neither daddy nor Luke would have stood for prostitution and I had known these guys all my life…whatever they were…they were not abusers of women! No matter how they treated the groupies, those women wanted to throw themselves at these guys.
“Brooklyn…” Gunner said my name quietly, while my body shook with rage.
“What is it Gunner? How do you know this?” I was screaming at him now, just moments away from slapping him across the face.
“I’m in the Bad Disciples,” he said and I felt like the ground was shaking under my feet. The Bad Disciples? The rival gang! I’d just slept with someone from our rival gang?
“No…” the word escaped my lips and Gunner placed his hands on my shoulders. I yanked myself away from him, and a look of desperation had entered his eyes.
“Listen to me…” he began to say, but I had interrupted him.
“Why didn’t you tell me? I had no idea!” I was screeching again.
“It doesn’t matter right now, Brooklyn. Neither of us had a clue. I didn’t know you were associated with the Dragon Knights either,” he said while I breathed in and out, trying to keep myself standing.
“You wanted to know how I know what these guys are up to…I’ve seen it with my own eyes, Brooklyn. I know what they’re doing,” he said and I stepped away from him, backing up closer and closer to the bar.
“You’re lying. You’re a liar!” I said and Gunner shook his head.
“The Bad Disciples are planning an attack on the Dragon Knights, and you need to keep your distance from them because shit is going to go down. I don’t want you to get caught up in it. Brooklyn…please, just listen to me,” he was following me as I kept backing away from him.
I couldn’t believe it…this couldn’t be true. Gunner belonged to the Bad Disciples? What would Luke have said? They were our arch rivals. I remembered how daddy spoke about them, the fights that Luke had gotten into with their members. There was no solidarity between the two clubs and they would never forgive me for what I had done.
“Was this some kind of prank? Was it a dare? Did your friends dare you to sleep with me?” I hissed at him and Gunner stopped in his tracks.
“I swear to you Brooklyn, I didn’t know who you were till you mentioned you’re friends with the Dragon Knights. But I don’t care, I just want you to be safe before things start falling apart,” he said and I clasped a hand to my mouth in agony.
“This is wrong. You’re lying. This is what you people do to us and I’m not going to fall for it,” I screeched and I heard the door of the bar open. The music and voices from inside grew louder and I whipped around to find Viper at the door. He was a dark silhouette against the lights of the bar, but I could tell that he was looking at me. With any luck, Gunner was covered in the dark shadows of the parking lot to not be noticed.
“Brooklyn Jenson, you’ve been out here for too long! Come back in here sugar, we’re waiting for you,” he said, in a slurring voice that was drowsy with alcohol.