Richard entered the bedroom and yanked open the drawer that contained the revolver he had Black recently purchased. Richard picked the gun up, loving the hefty weight in his hand.
Black mentioned Paige had gotten herself involved with some dirty bikers. Maybe that biker boyfriend of Paige’s had somehow gotten to Black?
Well, it didn’t matter. What could a lowlife like that do to someone like Richard?
Richard took off the gun’s safety. His father had taken him hunting in his youth, so Richard knew his way around a gun.
Normally, Richard didn’t like to get his hands dirty, but it seemed hiring an outsider had been a bad decision. He would have to do this foul deed himself. It was time he paid his ex-wife a little visit.
****
After a long day at work, Paige only wanted to take a hot shower and curl in bed. Gunner hadn’t texted her until she was closing up shop. She’d gotten a little worried his delivery job didn’t go as planned. Paige made a mental note to remind him not to worry her so much.
After locking up the bookstore, Paige bought take-out for two from the local diner. Then she took a bus back to the MC clubhouse. Paige entered through the back door leading to the kitchen.
Most nights, she didn’t mind socializing, but tonight, she wanted a quiet evening with her man. Grizzly, the MC member who must have been in charge of dinner tonight, gave her a nod of acknowledgment. She wished him a good evening and headed to Gunner’s room. Paige had just gotten in the shower when she heard the door open.
“Gunner, I’m in the shower if you want to join me,” she called out.
The door to the bathroom opened. Paige turned, instantly forgetting what she wanted to say the moment she caught sight of Gunner, covered in blood. She rushed out, nearly slipping on a puddle on the floor, but Gunner held her arms steady.
“What happened? Are you hurt? We need to take you to the hospital,”Paige babbled.
Gunner shook his head. “This isn’t my blood.”
“Oh.” Paige took a deep breath. Gunner said those words without a hint of emotion, and that chilled her a little. Then Paige reminded herself that this was Gunner. She accepted every part of him, even his violent lifestyle.
“What happened?” she asked him.
“Later, I want to shower with you,” Gunner said.
Paige helped him out of his clothes, and they got under the hot water together. Gunner held her close, and Paige leaned against him. Something was troubling her man, but she reminded herself to be patient. Gunner would tell her eventually.
After they dried off and dressed, they settled back in the bedroom and ate some dinner. Gunner finally felt like talking after they finished their burgers and fries.
Once they’d cleared out the trash, they settled back in bed. Gunner and Paige both leaned back against the pillows. He lifted her fingers to his mouth and kissed them.
“I caught a rat today,” Gunner said, then told her about what he’d been doing the entire day.
“Richard hired Black to kidnap me?” she asked in disbelief.
Gunner had eventually let Black loose, but only after Black promised he’d leave the country for a few months.
She leaned her head against his shoulder and didn’t realize she was trembling until Gunner slid his arm over her shoulders. He held her for a few moments.
“That about sums it up,” Gunner agreed. Her man seemed troubled. “Paige, he’s more dangerous than I thought.”
“I never imagined he’d resort to kidnapping.” Paige shivered. If Gunner hadn’t sprung a trap or gotten the answers out of Black, would her body be lying in a river somewhere?
“We’ll get him,” he said, kissing her fiercely. He pulled back and looked deep into her eyes. “I promise you he’ll be the one buried in the dirt.”
Sleep eluded Paige that night. She kept tossing and turning as her imagination took hold of her. She imagined her corpse lying in some water-logged and unmarked grave somewhere, and she whimpered.
Gunner woke up in the middle of the night, asking her what was wrong.
She looked into his groggy eyes and told him, “Go back to sleep, baby. I’ll be all right.”
Sure, that sounded like a lie. Paige wasn’t fine, but Gunner had had a long and exhausting day. He needed his rest. Gunner soon fell into a deep sleep, and she envied him a little, which was unfair, given how much energy he was devoting to dealing with her personal mess.
