“By nightfall. Brick offered to pick you up after your shift,” Gunner said.
Paige lowered her fork and sighed. “Gunner, is that really necessary? I don’t want to be a bother.”
Gunner kissed her cheek. “You’re not a bother, and it is necessary. Your crazy ex-husband is after you, and who knows what he’ll do.”
Paige began to protest, but he took her mouth instead. She gripped his bicep, fiercely kissing him back. After the kiss, she nodded. “All right, I understand. But it’s only temporary, right?”
“Agreed,” Gunner said.
Paige returned their empty plates and mugs to the tray and set it aside. Then she began taking off her shirt. Gunner’s mouth went dry at the sight of her gloriously naked.
“I’ll enter the shower first,” Paige said, flashing him an inviting smile. “Feel free to join me.”
The moment she entered the bathroom, Gunner followed right after her. Suffice it to say, their shower took longer than intended. They dressed afterward, and Gunner escorted Paige to the bookstore. Once she was inside, Gunner’s phone rang. He saw it was a call from Whizz, the MC’s resident computer expert.
“Whizz, what’s up?” Gunner asked after answering the call.
“The alarm in Paige’s apartment went off,” Whizz said.
“I’m on my way there,” Gunner said. “Do me a favor and tell King to assign someone else for today’s delivery job. I need to take care of a personal matter. He’ll understand.”
“Fine. Gunner? Be careful,” Whizz said.
Gunner ended the call. When he told Paige he wanted to set up a simple security system in her old apartment just in case the guy who broke in before would attempt the task again, she told him to do whatever he wanted.
He didn’t think the intruder from before would make the same mistake again. Maybe Richard hired the guy for another job, one that didn’t involve breaking and entering. Silent fury filled Gunner as he rode toward Paige’s neighborhood.
After finding a parking spot and giving the nearby meth heads a warning glare, Gunner raced up the apartment building. Then he took out his cell phone.
Whizz had installed an app that connected him to the cameras they recently put in Paige’s apartment. He also put in an advanced-locking mechanism on the door that could be controlled digitally. It prevented whoever was inside the apartment from getting out easily. Basically, they set up a trap for a rat.
Satisfied at seeing the guy trying to work out a way to get the front door opened, Gunner took his time finding Paige’s unit on the seventh floor. There were no external stairs outside her building.
Gunner finally arrived at his destination. He pulled out his gun, then texted Whizz, telling him open the lock. Gunner heard a click and he tucked his phone away. Then he kicked the door open, sending whoever was inside tumbling to the floor.
Gunner entered the apartment, pointing his gun at the intruder. He’d already caught a glimpse of the tall, balding man from the app. Seeing the bastard in person only pissed him off further.
The guy scrambled for something inside his coat. A gun. Gunner kicked the weapon away as soon as the revolver was in the man’s hands. The safety was still on. It didn’t look like this guy had fired his weapon often. The man raised his hands.
“Don’t kill me!” the man blurted.
“This is the second time you broke into my girlfriend’s home, friend. I’m guessing this time, you’re not just here to steal some documents,” Gunner said.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but if you let me go now, I won’t contact the police,” the man said. “I’m sure we can both work something out?”
Did this guy really believe he could talk his way out of this?
“Don’t you know where you are? This is Grace, and the Ruthless Reapers MC controls everything, including the police,” Gunner said in a flat voice. He hunkered down, still pointing the gun at the man’s head.
“If you run, I’ll shoot you in the leg. I won’t hesitate shooting other parts of you as well. I need you alive, after all,” Gunner said.
Mercifully, the man seemed to understand the position he was in because he nodded.
“Empty all your pockets. Do it now and if you keep something from me…” Gunner trailed off, letting the man’s imagination fill the rest in.
The guy dumped out everything in his pockets. Gunner picked up his wallet and took out the man’s license. He read the guy’s name out loud. “Fred S. Black. Is that your real name or is that a fake?”
“Real. My mother gave me that name,” Black said in a hysterical voice when Gunner shoved the barrel of the gun against his skull.
