Page 46 of Painless
“And I take it you boys did this?” My gaze moved over all three of them, taking in and memorizing every detail.
“We did.” T-bone rested his hands on his metal belt buckle, some kind of intricate design in silver that looked like a Celtic knot.
No risk, no reward,I thought as I pulled my hand away from my holster, and held it out across the table to shake his.
“You did me, and the world, a favor.” The shock in his amber eyes was palpable as he stared at my hand. “Did he scream and beg like a little bitch?”
“Worse than any woman I’ve heard.” T-Bone’s lip curled up in a smirk, but he still didn’t shake my hand. “No lost love between you two then, huh?”
“He had a chance to prove he’d help out family when called upon, after the Steel Demons saved his ass from his citizens’ first uprising.” I let my hand drop to the table. “And he sided with our enemy instead.”
“Tash.” A muscle jumped in T-Bone’s jaw when he said the name.
I stayed silent, choosing not to confirm any details of my club’s personal business. This guy would have to draw his own conclusions on whether I was a friend or foe.
He relaxed slightly, his men following suit.
“We’ll be seeing you, Steel Demon.” The raven on his shoulder cawed in agreement.
They turned and walked, allowing me to finally see the club patches on their backs—a raven with its wings spread out and the words,Sons of Odin MC.
Sixteen
MARIPOSA
Gunner pulled straight into his garage and cut the engine. He lowered his feet to the floor while I remained with my arms locked around his waist.
“Are you gonna tell Reaper about those guys?”
“Yeah, I will.” He took his helmet off and shook his hair out. “In the morning.”
“You sure?”
“Yes, baby girl.” He turned in his seat and gave me an affectionate stroke on my cheek. “They’re no threat to us. I’m not worried.”
He hopped off the bike and started stripping out of his leathers, but I wasn’t convinced.
“Why would they do that to your uncle?”
“Probably because he fucked them over.” Gunner hung his helmet on his handlebars, then lifted me off my seat by my waist. “Trust me, my uncle was no peach. If those dudes wanted to jump me, they would have. Running into them could be a good thing, actually.” He grabbed the edges of my jacket and pulled me into him with a boyish grin. “Now, can we enjoy the rest of our evening together?Withouttalking about other men?”
“Fine,” I sighed in mock disappointment, reaching up on tiptoes to kiss him.
He hesitated at the door leading inside, chewing his lip as he turned to me. “Before we go in, I just want to say, don’t get freaked out by the stuff I’m into.” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I never have women over, so it’s a bit of a man-cave. Just, you know, it doesn’t define who I am, okay?”
“Gun,” I laughed, threading my fingers through his. “I don’t know if there’s much more about MC life that can shock me.”
“I guess we’ll see,” he muttered, pushing the door open. Horus immediately sailed from his shoulder into the house.
From the outside, his house looked like one of the smaller ones in the compound, but the inside was as open and spacious as a cathedral.
The house only had one story, with high arching ceilings and an open floor plan. It resembled a hunter’s cabin, with dark wood accents, exposed beams, and a massive stone fireplace. Horus had perched on a hunk of wood mounted to the wall near the ceiling, which blended in seamlessly with the beams.
Gunner had minimal furniture and the space was spotlessly clean. Skylights and huge windows made it seem even bigger, bringing the dark desert wilderness inside. Once I had a moment to admire the house itself, my eyes fell upon what he must have been warning me about.
The wall surrounding the fireplace was completely covered in a display of weapons. My eyes took in the massive assault rifles first, then moved across to the hunting rifles, then shotguns and revolvers—some of which looked to be antiques. He had a small collection of more modern-looking handguns, then blades of every size, shape, and curvature along the far side.
“You already knew I liked weapons,” he said. “I’m kind of a collector, too.”
