Under the Gun (CEP Book 3) (16 page)

She got up on her knees and wrapping her arms around him from behind clasped her hands in front then kissed the side of his neck. “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. I’m really truly sorry.”

He put a hand up to cover hers. “I was fucked up for a while after that,” he said quietly. “Wasn’t sure if I wanted to live.”

She held in her gasp, not wanting him to stop talking but paying the price for it as her heart clenched in her chest for him. God.

“Almost got court martialed for arguing with my superior officer. Came home, didn’t give a fuck about anything. Crashed my car.”

She closed her eyes taking in all his pain and laying the side of her head against his, held him tighter.

“Finally, Dad got fed up and put me in counseling. It helped. A lot. But I still have nightmares sometimes. Guess I always will.”

“You went through a lot.”

He squeezed her hands then turned and kissed the side of her head before getting up. “I’ll be back.”

She nodded and watched as he left the room then lay down pulling the sheet back over her.

“Hey," she heard and felt a depression in the bed when Gunner sat. She felt his hand on her back where he rubbed it a couple times. “Wake up, sleepyhead. I’ve got something for you.”

She hadn’t realized she’d fallen back to sleep and now popped an eye open to see him in all his hotness sitting there smiling down at her.

“You got something for me?” she asked sleepily.

He chuckled. “Sit up, baby.”

It took her a moment but she did what he said, pulling the sheet up as she leaned back against the wall.

“Here.” He held a fork out to her to take a bite of something.

She leaned forward and ate and good lord what she took into her mouth was amazing.

“Oh, my God. What is that?” she asked, chewing.

He smiled. “Crab omelet.”

“It’s delicious!”

He chuckled and handed her a plate then grabbing his own plate from the nightstand, went to the other side and sat in bed, eating with her.

“I need some water,” she said. He reached over and grabbed one of the unopened bottles he’d brought in, opening it and handing it to her. “You thought of everything.”

“Yep. My motto is ‘Be Prepared.’”

“Oh. You were a Boy Scout too?”

He laughed. “Nah. Just thought it sounded good.”

When they finished eating, she said, “That was great. What other tricks you got up your sleeve?”

Setting his plate on the stand then taking hers and doing the same, he proceeded to show her several tricks he’d kept a secret until then and she loved every friggin’ second of it.

Thursday morning Gunner again went with her to work staying throughout the day, but he had to leave at four telling her he’d be back around six and that he’d let security know she was alone.

Everything went off without a hitch.

When he picked her up, they went to dinner at a sports grill where he told her what he’d been doing the last part of the day.

“Oz and I went to talk to the Edwards.”

She frowned. “You did? Why?”

He sighed but feeling she had a right to know, told her about the knife that’d been stuck in her door.

“What?” she asked, feeling her stomach drop at hearing that. Holy fricking frick! She’d been scared before but now, good God!

He reached a hand across the table and covered hers. “It’s okay, baby. Creeped me the fuck out too, but that’s why I’m here. To protect you.”

“Was the, uh, knife one of the Edwards’s?” she asked.

“No.”

“Okay, and?”

“Tommy doesn’t live with them anymore, so we got his address and hit him up. And that was pleasant, let me tell you. Kid’s a punk if I ever saw one.”

She nodded, remembering what a jackass he’d been in their session a couple years before and then here lately too, of course.

“After we got past his macho, ‘I don’t give a fuck who you are’ bullshit, and maybe after Oz put the kid in a headlock,” he chuckled, “he swore he’d never seen the knife before.”

“Oz put him in a headlock?” she asked, shocked.

Gunner laughed. “Thought the little bastard was gonna piss himself.” He shrugged at her open mouth and tilted his head almost apologetically. “It worked. We got our information and left him alone after. I also got his schedule. Works at some vintage vinyl record store. So we swung by there and he was working on the dates your stalker showed up at your apartment. So I’m thinking we can rule him out.”

She frowned. “Then who is it?”

“Gotta be Vance.”

She shook her head. “I still don’t see him doing this. He’s a grown man.”

“With a Ph.D. in psychology. Babe. He knows how to fuck with people.” He took a drink of his beer. “Don’t get mad but Tilly said he has a history of messing with your head.”

Her brow wrinkled. “Tilly always says that but honestly I don’t see it.”

“He give you ultimatums?”

She thought for a moment. “Well, yeah, on occasion, but everyone does that at certain times.”

“He twist shit around and make it look like it’s your fault?”

He did do that too but, again, she felt that was something every person did at one time or another.

“Make you feel guilty for living your life while he was living a lie?”

Damn.

“Yeah,” she whispered.

“There you go.”

She watched as he ate the rest of his burger then reality set in. “He did. He did do all those things.” She looked at him in surprise. “I guess I didn’t see it because I honestly didn’t care.” She frowned in realization. “He didn’t really mean anything to me, so I never took the time to analyze his actions.”

“Kinda like you didn’t analyze mine until I mentioned it?”

Her brow wrinkled. “God. What’s wrong with me? I’m a psychologist who doesn’t analyze people!”

He chuckled. “Babe, you’re busy with your clients. Your brain probably shuts down at times after hearing all the shit you hear all day long.”

“I need a vacation.” She popped a French fry in her mouth and shook her head. What the hell? She totally needed to get a grip.

“How about we go somewhere when I get all this figured out?” he asked.

She perked up at that because, hell yes! She was all for going away with him. “Somewhere warm? With water?”

He nodded and grinned. “You in a bikini? Fuckin’ count me in.”

She giggled at this as they finished their meal, and after going by her place to collect some things then back to his apartment, she gave him a sneak peek of what their vacation would consist of, including a preview of her in the bikini she’d bought on sale just the month before.

He’d lunged at her making her give chase around the apartment then finally catching her, he showed her his own idea of a what their trip would be like, not letting her leave the bed once. Which so totally worked for her.

Friday was a good day with Gunner staying with her at the office the entire day. That night they went to see Quinn’s sister Jodi’s off-Broadway play.

As they sat in the crowd, she could tell Gunner was uncomfortable.

“Never been to a play before?” she asked, bumping his shoulder.

“Not since I was The Beast in the fifth grade play,” he answered.

Her mouth dropped open. “You played Beast? Aw! That’s so cute!”

The look he gave her made her giggle.

“So did you have to kiss Belle at the end?”

“Fuck no. Katrina Ryles was a snotty little thing. I told our music teacher no way in hell was I gonna kiss her.” He snorted.

She grinned. “So what’d you do?”

“Shook her hand.”

At that she burst out laughing. “Oh, my God. That’s the sweetest thing ever. Please say your mom has pictures.”

“She does. I’ll show ‘em to you sometime. Just be careful, though.” She looked up at him, puzzled. “I was a good looking kid. Might be too much for you to handle.”

She snorted as she smacked him on the arm. “Behave,” she uttered as the lights flashed that the play was about to begin.

“You were amazing!” Quinn told her sister for the hundredth time after the play. Jodi had given her backstage passes so she and Gunner could come back and talk with her afterward.

“Thanks! Supposedly, there was a Hollywood casting director in the audience tonight!” Jodi squealed.

“Oh, my God! That’s awesome! You think they’ll give you a call?”

Jodi shrugged and rolled her eyes. “I have no idea. You know how all that goes. Ninety-nine percent luck and the other one-percent is, well, luck.” She laughed.

“I’m so proud of you, though! This play is nothing to sneeze at but you make it even better!”

Jodi gave her a quick hug. “Thank you. That means a lot. I called Mom and Dad. They said they’ll try to make it down to see a show soon.”

“Good! They need to. I’ll call them and tell them how amazing you are, maybe get them down here sooner.”

“Then I can introduce them to Sebastian!”

Quinn smiled, not wanting to say anything to hurt Jodi’s feelings. She’d met Sebastian two times before and he’d come off as an arrogant asshole both times, talking to her as if she was clueless. She’d tried to keep their conversation engaged by asking him questions about his job but he’d presented himself as bored so she’d let it go.

“Speaking of, where is Sebastian?” Quinn asked.

Jodi shrugged. “Oh, he had to run over to another theater and help with something.”

“Gotcha. So what do you think of Gunner?”

“He’s fucking hot!” her little sister gushed.

They both looked to where Gunner was talking to one of the stagehands who was showing him how the curtains worked.

Quinn got giddy with her sister and raved along with her. “I know! Look at him!”

“I’m happy for you, sis.”

Quinn smiled. “Thanks, honey. So you and Sebastian are doing okay then?”

Jodi smiled back. “Good. Really good. I know you didn’t like him at first, but he’s a good guy, Quinn. Trust me, okay?”

“I do trust you. Just looking out for you is all.”

“I know. But everything’s been going great. I think I’m in love.”

Shocked, Quinn responded, “But you’re just a baby!”

Jodi huffed. “I’m twenty-three, Quinn.”

“Like I said! A baby!”

Jodi rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Just be happy for me.”

Quinn looked at her sister amazed at how grown up she’d gotten. “I am. Just be… just make sure he treats you right.”