Page 22 of Gunner
Smokey and Bullet walked in, and Bullet came to stand next to me while Smokey pulled Piper into the dining room.
“I don’t want to be you when Skid finds out what happened,” Bullet remarked, and I shook my head.
He handed me a cup of coffee and took a swallow of his while he waited for me to speak. All I could see was the look on Sadie’s face, realizing I rejected her when she was finally willing to try, and she would probably never open up to anyone again. I did that, and I needed to pay for the pain I caused.
“I deserve whatever he and the club decide for me. I just hope you let me keep my cut,” I admitted quietly, and Bullet turned to face me fully.
“Do you think you’re the first brother to fuck around on his old lady?” I shook my head, and he continued, “Smokey was known to chase tail back in his early years. Piper struggled to wrangle his ass, but once she did, he never looked twice at another woman.”
“And you? Did you ever step out on Lilly?” I asked, draining the last of the black coffee and placing the mug in the sink.
“Hell no. Lilly would cut my dick off and serve it for dinner if I ever fucked around on her.” He chuckled, and I joined him in the hollow expression. “Sadie has a good heart, Kade. If you’re meant to be together, she’ll find it in her heart to forgive you.”
“And if she finds someone else? Do I have to watch her fall in love with someone else, knowing he could give her what I couldn’t?” I asked and cleared my throat.
“If Sadie decides to move on, you have to accept it. Right now, you need to focus on dealing with your shit so you can be the man she needs. The club will take care of her and Jacob until you come back, or she doesn’t need us anymore.”
Smokey returned and looked between Bullet and me before he asked, “You ready to leave?”
“As I’ll ever be, I guess.”
The two men walked out of the clubhouse, and I fell in line behind them. The compound was starting to wake up, and a few brothers were sitting under the tents at the picnic tables. I nodded to Needles, and he returned the gesture with a concerned look on his face. Smokey walked to the truck we used to trailer bikes back and forth when needed, and I opened the passenger’s door.
Tossing the bag onto the floorboard, I turned to Bullet and asked, “Can you give this to Sadie when you think she’s ready to read it?”
He took the envelope and slid it into the inside pocket of his cut and replied, “I’ll take care of it. You take care of yourself, brother.”
With a slap on the back, he walked away, and I climbed into the truck. As Smokey pulled away from the Death Hounds compound, I vowed that no matter how much work I had to put in, I would be stronger for Sadie. I would be the man she needed and, one day, the man she was able to share herself with.
I would live up to the patch I proudly wore, and if I had to crawl through every painful memory to find out why I sabotaged my relationship with the only woman I ever loved, I would bleed the pain out until I was better. Sadie deserved that much.
Chapter 10
Sadie
Summer 2009
