Sweet Revenge (Sinners MC Book 1), page 16
“When the Widows are over—”
“They’re over.” He interrupted me and squeezed my shoulder. “And very soon, you’ll have the chance to look your fucking father in the eyes and end him in any way you want to.”
“Looking forward to it, brother.”
He moved past me but stopped and looked back. “And tell Maggie to keep her damn cats away from me, or Becs won’t need to do any makeup on me.”
I laughed and followed him down the hall toward the office, grabbing my phone from my pocket to call Becs.
I needed to get Becs here with her gift.
And then I needed to see my girl.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
MAGGIE
I didn’t know what was going on.
Yesterday, I waited all day for Gunner to come back, but it wasn’t until late that he knocked on my door. He seemed quiet and tired, but he asked if he could come in. We laid down together on the bed, and he held me close after he put on a movie. We didn’t really talk; we were just together, and that was okay. I only wish I knew more about men to understand what his silence meant.
When he got up this morning, he gave me a kiss and told me to get ready, saying he’d be back for me in a little while. I didn’t know what that meant either, but I showered and got dressed in jeans and a sleeveless blouse hanging in my closet. I also left my hair down because I liked the way his eyes lit up the last time he saw it.
Wandering around my room, I was a little anxious, and if I was being honest with myself, I was also a little excited to see Gunner again. I’d hoped he would kiss me more last night, but he didn’t, and I was worried he didn’t like what we’d done. That maybe he changed his mind about me, about us. I never felt for anyone what I felt with Gunner. I had no idea that was what I’d been missing, and now I found myself wanting more.
I just didn’t know how to ask for what I wanted.
An abrupt knock on the door startled me out of my thoughts. I swallowed hard and walked slowly to my door before pulling it open to a freshly showered Gunner. I only knew that because his hair was still wet, and I could smell the fresh scent of his soap.
He took a few steps forward and leaned down, kissing my lips slowly. “You look beautiful, baby.”
I smiled shyly when he pulled back a little. “Thank you.”
He lifted his hand and laid his palm against my cheek, grinning. “Happy Birthday.”
My mouth dropped open in surprise. “How did you know it’s my birthday?”
“Ritz told me.” I thought back to conversations with Ritz at lunch, and I suddenly remembered that first lunch. He’d asked my age, and I told him my birthday was August first.
“I haven’t celebrated my birthday in a long time.” I shared quietly.
He lifted his other hand and laid it against my other cheek. “That all changes now.” He kissed me softly and whispered, his lips still brushing against mine. “You will never spend another birthday alone.”
I tilted my head back until I could look into his eyes. “When’s your birthday?”
He smiled. “October tenth.” He gave me one final kiss before he dropped his hands and stepped back. “Are you ready for your gift?”
My smile dropped. A gift? I’d never gotten a gift for my birthday. Sometimes I’d gotten a cupcake or ice cream if we had extra money but never an actual gift. I didn’t know what to do with that.
His expression was worried. “What’s wrong?”
“I never got a gift on my birthday.” I admitted softly.
Sadness flicked through his eyes. “That changes today too.”
He put his hands on my shoulders and walked me backward. “Sit on the bed and close your eyes.”
“Okay.” I agreed hesitantly.
I closed my eyes and waited even though I heard whispering and felt the rush of anxiety and anticipation roaring through me. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to scream or cry, so I just waited, but it felt like forever until I heard Gunner’s voice.
“Okay, baby, open your eyes.”
He stood before me holding a big white box with an even bigger pink ribbon and a smile on his face. He took a few steps forward and set the box beside me on the bed. “Open it.”
I lifted my hand slowly and let the tails of the satin ribbon slide through my fingers. Pulling the end, I smiled when it instantly pulled apart and fell from the box. I glanced up at Gunner who gestured for me to continue. I nodded, and using both hands, I pulled the top off the box. I peeked down into the box and jumped off the bed, my eyes trained on the cat and kitten looking up at me from inside. The bigger one let out a meow, startling me, and I lifted my hand to my mouth when tears flooded my eyes.
Gunner put his arm around my shoulder and pointed into the box. “The gray cat is the mom, and her name is Lilly.” He pointed at the little one lying tucked in tight next to Lilly. “And the little one is her kitten, a girl name Luna.”
I wiped below my eyes, but it was no use because the tears kept coming. Gunner dropped his arm, only to wrap both of them around me from behind. “Do you like them?”
I nodded my head quickly, but I couldn’t speak yet. He gave me a pet, something to take care of, something to love.
“Baby,” he whispered, kissing the side of my neck. “Are you okay?”
I nodded again and let out a little sob when he turned me and hugged me close to his chest. I felt his warm breath against my ear. “Do you want to hold them?”
Once again, I nodded my head vigorously, and he chuckled before turning me back toward the box. He stepped around me and lifted Lilly from the box, holding her out to me. I wiped my face again before reaching out and taking her from Gunner. I pulled her to my chest, and she meowed, making me giggle while I sniffled. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, so I did both at the same time.
Lilly leaned over my arm and looked down in the box at the tiny face looking up. Gunner reached in the box and pulled out the little white and gray furball. “I got them from Sydney Dimarco who volunteers at the shelter. She said they’re bonded, which means they can’t be separated, and I’ve noticed when Luna is out of Lilly’s sight, she looks for her.”
I sat Lilly on my bed, taking Luna from his hands and giggling when she reached her paw up and smacked me on the chin. I snuggled her in tight and felt her purring against my chest.
“Can I come in yet?”
My head jerked toward the door when I heard Becs’s very impatient and excited voice. Looking at Gunner, I giggled.
“She’s impatient.” He tried to seem annoyed, but he was grinning. “Should I let her in?”
“Yeah.” I whispered.
He leaned down and kissed my lips softly before brushing the tears from my cheeks with his thumbs. He moved toward the door and pulled it open, revealing a very excited Becs standing on the other side holding an armload of cat stuff. And beside her, stood another woman I didn’t know, also holding a ton of stuff.
Becs pushed past Gunner and laid everything down on my bed before she came to me and hugged me tightly against her. We both laughed when Luna meowed loudly between us and pulled apart.
She reached behind her and smacked Gunner on the chest. “Can you believe he thought of this all by himself?”
My eyes moved past her, and I smiled at Gunner. “I can actually.”
He grinned and I noticed the rest of the stuff was on the bed and the other woman was standing beside him. “Maggie, this is Sydney Dimarco, Cam’s wife.”
She moved forward and held out her hand to me, which I shook. “I hope it’s okay I’m here. I wanted to see your reaction.” She giggled softly. “I get really excited when we have a successful adoption, but when I heard it was a surprise, I couldn’t resist.”
“It’s okay.” I whispered and lifted Luna a little in my arms. “Thank you for this.”
She tilted her head and smiled sweetly. “Thank you, Maggie. For everything.” She took a step back and pointed at the door. “Okay, I’m going to let you guys get settled, but Gunner and Becs have my number, so call me if you have any questions. Okay?” I nodded, and she continued. “And when this is all over, I’d love to get a cup of coffee, and you can tell me how they’re doing.”
“Okay.” I whispered.
She reached down and squeezed my hand, smiling at all three of us before walking out the door.
“Look at all this cool stuff Gunner bought for these two.” Becs pointed at the bed. “Did you leave anything at the store?”
“What I didn’t buy, Ritz did.”
My eyebrows dipped down. “Ritz?”
“He went with me and ended up adopting a black cat that wouldn’t leave him alone.”
I giggled and sat down on the bed, putting Luna next to her mama. They snuggled together for a minute before Luna went off to explore all the goodies on the bed. I reached down and ran my hand along the silky fur of Lilly’s back, giggling when she laid on her side and purred.
We spent the next hour setting up all the cat stuff Gunner bought, which may have been too much, considering I only have one room, but I was determined to put it all out. Gunner went over the instructions Sydney had given him about feeding and litter, what cats liked and didn’t like, but I already knew they loved their scratching posts. Gunner said Sydney told him what they were called and where to buy one.
He bought two.
And they were each huge, but the cats were all over them, so I guess it was a good idea.
After a while, Becs said she had to go downstairs for a few minutes, but I only nodded. I was completely in love with my gift, with my two gifts, and couldn’t look away from them. Gunner came over and stood beside me, wrapping his arms around me and kissing my temple.
“Thank you, Gunner,” I whispered. “You have no idea what this means to me.”
“I think I do,” he whispered back. “But why don’t you tell me?”
I smiled and laid my head against his chest, wrapping my arms around his waist as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “It’s like you gave me something I never knew I needed or wanted.”
“I’ll give you everything I can.”
I pushed back and stood on my tiptoes, pressing my lips to his. It didn’t take long for the kiss to heat and get deeper. Gunner shoved his hand under the back of my shirt, and I moaned when I felt his rough palm against my skin. He walked me backward until I felt the back of my knees hit the bed. He lifted me and put me on the bed, following until we were both lying down, and his hot, hard body was on top of me. I shoved my hand under the back of his shirt, just like he had done to me, and he groaned, running his hand down my side.
When he jerked his head back, my eyes flew open and widened when I saw what had his attention. I started laughing when I saw Luna sitting on his back, licking her paw like it was perfectly normal to be there. The irritation on Gunner’s face slowly slid away and was replaced with a softness as I continued to laugh.
I pulled my hand out of the bottom of his shirt and wiped the moisture from the corner of my eye. “That’s so funny.”
He chuckled and leaned down, rubbing his lips against mine. “Next time, we’re doing this in my room.”
“Okay.” I giggled and reached my arms around to move Luna who did not want to leave him. I understood how she felt.
He pushed off the bed when he was able, and with one arm around my waist, he pulled me up with him. “I have one more surprise for you.”
My eyes widened. “There’s more?” I shook my head. “That’s too much.”
“Never too much, baby.”
He reached down and grabbed my hand, pulled me from the room behind him and closed the door quietly. I followed, having no idea what was going on or where we were going, but I still followed, completely trusting him to only lead me in the right direction.
Another first for me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
GUNNER
I couldn’t help but grin as I led her down the stairs. Her reaction to the cats was even better than I’d hoped for and watching her laugh made my fucking chest hurt, I was so happy. Stepping off the bottom step, I immediately looked to the right and saw everyone standing together, waiting quietly. Balloons made the space look better as well as the giant Happy Birthday banner that was hanging on the back wall.
Maggie took the final step down, and I moved to the side. She looked over, her eyes wide, and I laughed out loud when everyone whispered, “Happy Birthday, Maggie.”
She stepped back, putting herself right against my chest and giggled before she whispered, “Thank you.”
My eyes swept across the group of men and women standing together, all having adjusted their behaviors to make Maggie more comfortable, and it made me appreciate them more than I already did. I reached down and grabbed her hand, tugging her over to the whole group, where she gave and accepted hugs.
Another huge step for her.
It seemed she was making them more and more.
I saw the surprise on her face when she saw her therapist, Lisa, who Becs had called, and Kat standing next to each other. She gave them both hugs and nodded her head when Lisa whispered something in her ear.
Becs came to stand beside me and pushed her shoulder against my bicep. “You did good, Gunner.”
I tilted my head down and looked into her dark eyes. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “She’s telling them about Lilly and Luna right now.”
I felt a hand wrap around the back of my neck and turned my attention from Becs to see Bear beside me. “She’s happy.”
“And not afraid.” Becs pointed out.
“We’re gonna keep it that way.” Bear squeezed my neck before he turned and headed for the bar.
“I’m gonna get a drink.” I gestured toward the bar. “You want anything?”
She pointed at her belly and frowned. “Nope.”
“How’s it going with Race?”
She lifted her arms and glanced around the room. “Well, he’s not here, so what do you think?”
“He’s been working long hours,” I explained, “but he’ll be here.”
She dropped her hand to my chest and patted. “You guys are going to have to get used to the idea that he and I just don’t get along.”
“He’s supposed to be on you when Bear can’t be.” I reminded her.
“Yeah, well, thankfully that hasn’t happened yet because Bear’s been able.”
My eyes flicked back and forth between hers, and I saw the sadness she was trying to hide. “You movin’ in with him?”
She huffed and blinked slowly. “Don’t really have a choice, do I?”
I lifted my hand and wrapped it around the side of her neck. “Not this time, honey.”
She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear when I dropped my hand. “Maybe when this is all over, I’ll get my freedom back.”
I chuckled. “Will it really be that bad living with Bear?”
She dropped her chin, her expression clearly annoyed. “Are you seriously asking me that?”
I laughed and looked over her head, my eyes landing on Maggie who was talking to Ritz. I flicked my gaze back down. “Think of it this way; you won’t have to worry about anything. He’ll take care of it before you need to.”
“That’s the problem.” She sighed. “He’ll steamroll me.”
“He just wants the best for you.” I pointed at her belly. “And the best for this little one.”
Her shoulders dropped in defeat. “I know.” She motioned toward the bar. “Go, get your drink. I’m going to find Kat.”
I moved through the crowd that was getting louder and was reminded just how much these guys loved a good party. I planned to get Maggie out of here before the rowdy stuff began for her sake and my own. I slept next to her last night and then snuck out this morning, but fuck I didn’t want to. I wanted to wake her up with my mouth between her legs, but we weren’t there yet. Although, if the way she’d been responding to me had been any indication, she was ready to move a little faster.
Skinner pushed a bottle down the bar toward me and threw me a smirk. That kid was gonna be an asset when he got a little older. Hell, he was already proving to be one. Leaning my back against the bar, I watched my brothers laughing and hoped the shit we had planned was going to work so we could have this more often.
They deserved this.
Hell, we all did.
Glancing to my left, I saw Bull leaning against the bar beside me, and I tensed. I knew he had something to say, so I waited, and it wasn’t long before his low voice broke the silence between us. “I don’t trust you.”
I dropped my head and looked at my boots briefly before lifting it and scanning the room again. “I know.”
“I did, brother, with my fucking life, but now…” He shrugged his massive shoulders.
I took a long swallow of beer and dropped the bottle back down to hang from my fingertips. “He killed my mother. Made me watch. Then set the cabin on fire and burned her to ash.”
His body stiffened beside me. “Fuck.”
I remembered that moment the way I always did, with nothing but pain in my chest for my mom who suffered in a way that no one as good and kind as she was should ever suffer. “You shouldn’t trust me. But you should know why I’ve been working so damn hard to bring him down.”
“And Snake?”
“Maggie deserves a life where she’s free and doesn’t have to look over her shoulder constantly. I’m going to give that to her. I have to.”
“For your mom?”
I huffed and looked down again at the bottle. “For both of them.”
He lifted his hand and slapped it against my shoulder. “What you need to realize, brother, is there’s no ‘I’ in this anymore. We all need to bring them down, and we will do it together. If you don’t trust us, when the time comes to end the Widows for good, you may find yourself standing alone, face-to-face with the enemy and no one at your back.” He took a long drink from his bottle. “That damn sure wouldn’t be a place I’d want to be.”
