Page 45 of Gunner
I saw Kade and Dalton walk to the back of the line, and as I sat down, I glanced back at them, confused why they were so mad and standoffish toward everyone. Trying to make small talk with the people around me, I purposefully left two chairs vacant for them. When they sat down, I could feel the tension rolling off Kade.
“Is everything okay?” I whispered, and he nodded tightly, his gaze bouncing to the head of the table quickly.
Smokey was looking down the table, and I could feel his gaze on us. Piper cast me a quick, confused look, and I subtly shrugged. Old ladies knew that club business wasn’t our business, even if our men whispered their secrets to us at night in the dark.
The conversation grew in volume as everyone ate and told stories of Uncle Mick throughout the thirty years he was a member of the club. I heard about his first tattoo, and I smiled at Needles as he wiggled his eyebrows at me. I had a plan to cover my shame once and for all, and it has taken me months to finally decide on a design.
One of the brothers passed around old photos from when Mick was first patched in, and the smile on his face made me so happy. He loved the Death Hounds and dedicated his life to two things—us and the club. Some days, I questioned which was more important, but when we discovered his life insurance policy with Dalton, Jacob, and me as beneficiaries, I finally knew the answer.
Piper and Lilly stood from the table, and I looked to see them ducking behind the bar. The long wooden bar had the club’s logo emblazoned across the lower front and a high shine across the top. Liquor bottles lined the mirrored back and beer taps were placed at both ends. I noticed they started lining trays with shot glasses and watched as they filled each with Evan Williams whiskey. It was Uncle Mick’s favorite drink, and I smiled, knowing we were getting close to his final send-off.
The conversation continued with Kade and Dalton whispering to each other and almost ignoring those around them. I was starting to get worried when shot glasses began to appear at each seat. Piper and Lilly made sure everyone had a drink, then they returned to their seats.
Smokey stood at the head of the table and lifted his glass into the air. The conversation ended, and I felt Kade shift his attention to him as Smokey began to speak.
“Scribe was one of those brothers you knew would have your back when things got bad. As some of you know, he sponsored me when I first prospected almost twenty years ago, and he showed me what it truly meant to be a Death Hound. More than one time, he kicked my ass when I fucked up and when Torch made his final ride, it was Scribe who kept the club together while we regrouped. He made sure we didn’t make rash decisions and always kept a level head when his back was against the wall. We could all learn a thing or two from him.”
I heard Dalton scoff under his breath, and a few heads turned to him with confusion before looking back at Smokey. Piper looked worried, and I glanced at Kade, who had a tight grip on his shot glass. Smokey cleared his throat and continued.
“Today, we say our last goodbye to a man who helped shape all of us into who we are today. Death Hounds, lift your glasses.” Everyone, me included, raised our shot glasses into the air as Smokey declared at the top of his lungs, “Death Hounds!”
And the room yelled back, “For Life!”
With those words, we all took one final drink to my uncle, one of the greatest men I ever knew. He didn’t have to be a father figure to us. He didn’t have to save us,save me,but he did, and as the whiskey burned its way down my throat, I let one final tear fall.
Skid stood and pushed his chair back with a screech, drawing attention to himself, and the room grew quiet. Kade whispered something to him, and he shook his head before storming out of the clubhouse. I could hear his motorcycle crank up, and the sound of his screeching out of the parking lot and skidding onto the street made my heart race. He was pissed, and I feared he would hurt himself.
Kade leaned over and whispered, “Get Jacob so we can head home.”
I snapped my head to him, confused why we were leaving the party early, but from the look in his eyes, now wasn’t the time to question him. I trusted Kade, and the tension from him and Dalton worried me, so I stood from my seat and approached Piper. Kade watched me like a hawk, his jaw full of tension and his eyes full of fire as Smokey stepped to the side to let me hug Piper.
“I’m sorry.”
“Whatever it is, it’s not your fault. Let them beat their chests and everything will be better in a few days.”
“I hope so,” I whispered and released her.
Smokey patted me on the back as I walked by, and Kade clenched his hands into fists. When I got close to him, he took me by the hand and tugged me quickly into the kitchen. Jacob was eating a bowl of ice cream that Hatchet’s old lady, Reba, had passed out.
“It’s time to go, Jacob,” I explained, and he looked up at me with sad eyes.
“I don’t want to go.”
“Jacob, get your stuff together. We need to go,” Kade said with a gruffness in his tone.
Reba looked at me before she offered, “Can Jacob spend the night with me? I was going to take the kids back to the house and have a movie night.”
“Please, Sadie,” Jacob pleaded, and I looked to Kade.
He relaxed his features and turned to Reba, “Can you call Sadie when you get home?”
“Sure,” she replied, sounding as confused as I was.
I hugged Jacob and reminded him to mind Reba before Kade took me by the hand and tugged me out the kitchen door and into the chilly air. I struggled to keep up with his long strides, and when we got to his bike, I worried he was too angry to drive.
He sat down on the bike and looked at me. “Let’s go.”
“Not until you tell me what’s going on.”
