Wayward Soul (11 page)

Chapter Nineteen

It's been six months since I last saw Gunner and I am still as miserable as the day I walked away from him for the second time. I can't get him out of my mind, but I still won't let myself call or text him. I try to remind myself that his life is dangerous and unsafe, but I miss him so damn much.

To top things off, I miss my best friend, too. Hell, Anslie and I barely talk anymore. I hate that she married Charlie. I shouldn't have pushed her to hang out with him in the first place. I should have known better. He purposely keeps us away from each other. I've barely even been able to see the boys.

I still remember the day I found out Anslie gave birth. That motherfucker didn't even show up! He supposedly cares about her, but he couldn't even be there for her. I have this nagging feeling there is more than meets the eye with them, but I don't say anything because I want to be able to see Anslie and the boys.

I have been trying to get in touch with her all night, but she hasn't even responded. I know she is home all day since he doesn't let her work, so I try texting her again.

Me:
Ans, call me.

I wait a few hours, but I still get no response.

The next morning, I get ready for work and leave early enough to stop by Anslie's to get in some time with my favorite little boys.

I pull up to her house and knock a few times, then finally ring the doorbell, not worrying if I wake anyone up. Something is wrong. I can feel it. She always answers when I knock. When she finally answers the door, I smile and say, "Hey, whore!"

She gives me her best fake smile. "Hey, Case."

I look over her features and see that she looks worn down, and then I see it. She has a bruise forming on her jaw and a few cuts on her face. Oh, my god. I can feel the tears well up in my eyes. She turns her head so that I can't see the bruises anymore. "What the hell happened to your face? Did that asshole do this to you?" I'm fuming and sad at the same time. That bastard is
not
going to get away with this. As much as I don't want to, I have to go see Gunner when I leave here. He's the only person I know who will be able to help me.

"Where the fuck is he, Ans? Did he do this in front of the boys?" She nods and turns to walk inside. I walk in behind her and shut the door. Pulling her into my arms, I tell myself I am going to do everything I can to take this bastard down!

When Anslie goes to wipe her tears, I hear the boys yell, "Antie Caswee!"

I pick them up and plaster their faces with kisses. I've missed these cuties. I still can't believe how much they look like their dad. When they get older, Anslie will be beating the girls off of them with a stick.

"Come wook, Antie!" Sev yells, dragging me to his room. He pulls me through the door and runs to grab something off his bed. "Wook! Wook!" he says, shoving a photo at me. I grab it and see the picture of Anslie and Brantley that I took while we were still in high school. I hear Anslie and Remy come into the room after us, but I can't stop my mind from wandering back to the day I took the photo of them. They were so happy. I don't remember what they were laughing at, but I could see the love they had even back then.
Sev breaks me out of my wandering mind when he says, "Me daddy!"

My mouth drops open. I look over at Anslie and she has tears in her eyes. "They know their daddy?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "They only know the picture of him."

Remy pipes in, "Poppa no like daddy! We no say him."

I look down at his sad expression. They don't understand this, but they will one day. I pick Remy up and give him a big hug.

I spend the rest of the morning with the boys playing tag and trucks. I don't have to work until four today, so I insist on watching them while Anslie gets some rest. She looks like she is running herself ragged.

Leaving Anslie and the boys at the house just about kills me. I can't believe that bastard is hurting her and she hasn't said anything to me. We are like sisters. I would do anything for her and the twins.

Before my shift at the diner, I make my way to Black. I hit the back door buzzer to get someone to let me in. One of the bartenders comes to the door. "What can I do for you?
”

“
I need to speak with Gunner. It
’
s an emergency.
”

Looking me up and down, he shrugs and lets me in. I follow him back towards Gunner
’
s office. He leaves me in the hallway by myself, contemplating if this is a smart decision or not. My nerves are going crazy. I still remember the last time I was in here. He thought I was pregnant. I take a deep breath and make my way to his office door.

I knock and I hear him yell to come in. I feel his eyes on me as soon as I walk through the door. I get wet just thinking about what I still want to do to this beautiful man.

"Hi, beautiful.
”
he says looking me up and down.
“
What can I do for you?"

I smirk. He thinks I'm here for him. "I need to get in touch with your cousin and Dominic."

The smile falls from his beautiful face. "What do you want with them, Case?" he demands.

“
Anslie
’
s in trouble and I know Brant would want to know. Regardless of his attitude towards her the last few years, I know he
’
s still in love with her."

He stares at me with his mouth open, then I watch his face change as he grabs his phone off the desk and dials. "Hey, man. I got Casey here. She says your girl is in trouble
…
Yeah. Hold up.
”
He hands the phone over to me.

"Hello?
”
I say hesitantly.

"Casey, what's going on?" I can hear the anger dripping in his voice.

My voice quivers. "Anslie's in trouble. He's hurting her and I think it's been happening for a while." I hear his rough breathing over the phone. "This morning, I stopped by after she didn't text me back last night. She had a cut on her cheek and a bruise along her jaw that she tried to cover up with makeup. We both know she doesn
’
t ever wear it.
”

I hear him take a deep breath. "Fuck!"

I can hear a girl whining at him to pay attention to her. "Brant, I know you love her, and I know you don't want her to get hurt. Please, help me get her out of there," I plead.

I feel Gunner come up behind me. He wraps his arms around me, and I start to cry harder. He pulls me back into him and I melt into his embrace. He sits us both down in his chair. I haven't felt this safe since the last time I was in his arms. I hear Brantley call out for Dominic. He tells him Anslie is in trouble and they need to go.
“
Case, we're on our way," he grounds out. "She still at the apartment?
”

"No," I reply quietly. I can hear him grinding his teeth. "She lives with him. Meet me at the apartment and I'll take you over there." I sigh and sink further into Gunner
’
s body. Brantley hangs up without another word.

Gunner takes the phone from my trembling hand and sets it on the desk. He turns me around in his lap so that I'm straddling him. He wipes the tears from my eyes and gently kisses my forehead. His phone beeps and I jump out of his lap.

Brantley:
Keep an eye on them.

Gunner:
Will do, brother. Let me know if you need me in the meantime.

"Is Charlie working tomorrow?" I ask quietly.

Gunner
’
s face instantly changes. "Is he the fucker hurting her?" He starts to get up from the chair.

"Please don't do anything!" I beg. "I don't want him knowing that we know. I want to get her away from him first. Please.
”

I can feel the tension radiating from his body. He nods and grabs my hand, raising it to his mouth. He kisses my knuckles and I melt. I
’
ve missed his touch, but I know he
’
s not relationship material.

"I have to go. I have to work today and tomorrow. I get off at two a.m. Call me if they get here earlier and I
’
ll do what I can to get off before that.
”

"Okay,
”
he rasps, kissing my head. I walk out the door, praying that nothing happens to her or the boys tonight. I hope Charlie stays gone until we can get her out of that house.

Chapter Twenty

Fuck! When Casey walked into my office earlier, I thought maybe she was ready to work on us. How the fuck did I miss that Anslie was in trouble? Brant is going to be mad as hell that I missed this. I can't believe I didn't suspect something sooner. That little motherfucker works for me! I watch him go home with women every fucking night, but I never would have thought the bastard was hurting her. He can
’
t hold his own at the club.

As much as Brant loves her, I can't believe he would drop everything for her, especially one with kids who aren't even his. My cousin is so fucking whipped, it's not even funny.

I spend the rest of the night taking care of the paperwork for the club. At around ten-thirty, I can't sit still any more. I want nothing more than to be between Casey's legs. Seeing her was like finally being able to breathe again. I didn't think I could miss anyone as much as I missed that girl.

I
’
m contemplating texting her when my phone dings. Grabbing it, I see a number on it that I haven't seen in years.

Unknown:
You still owe me, motherfucker.

Me:
Dream the fuck on

Unknown:
I
’
ve seen that pretty little redhead leave your club. You want her to get in our crosshairs?

Me:
Don't know who you're talking about.

I sit back in my chair and think about Casey. I can't let her get involved in my problems. It's a good thing she and I aren't together. I can't let him know she's important to me, though.

Unknown:
Don
’
t bullshit me. I see the way you look at her.

Shit. He's been watching me. I need to keep her safe. It would destroy me if someone hurt her. My phone beeps again and I see the name I programmed into my phone for Casey.

Beauty:
Hey, Gunner. Thank you. I know things didn't end well with us, but I am thankful for you helping.

Me:
I
’
ll always have your back, beauty. I should have paid more attention. Maybe then Anslie wouldn
’
t be in this mess.

Her response is almost immediate.

Beauty:
Gunner, this isn't your fault! This is Charlie's fault. I just don't want her or the boys to get hurt.

Me:
Case, you know I won't let him hurt her again. I'll keep him working late or something until B and Dom get here.

Beauty:
Thank you, Gun. You
’
re amazing!

God, she has no idea what she does to me. I want nothing more than to make love to her all night long. I don't reply because I can't. There's too much I want to say and I'm still not sure how to say it. She has no idea about my past and what is about to happen. I need to keep my distance for her sake
…
and my sanity.

When Brantley finally gets into town, he calls me. I start to speak before he can even say anything, "Hey, brother. Casey's on her way home now." I
’
m watching Charlie hit on some bitch over by the bar. Brant doesn't know she's married and I really don't want to be the one to tell him. When I hear him say Casey's already there, I say, "Let me talk to her for a sec."

"Yeah. Hold up."

When I hear her voice on the phone, I relax. "Hey, Gunner."

"Hey, beauty. He
’
s still here, but he's getting ready to walk out the door with some bitch."

I hear her take a deep breath. "You sure?"

I smile. "Yeah, baby girl. I'll keep an eye on him. Let me know when you
’
re leaving and I'll meet you guys." I can hear the guys in the background, talking to each other.

"Okay. I'll talk to you later." She sounds relieved.

"Later, beauty." I hang up and continue watching Charlie. When they leave, I follow them to what looks like a penthouse. This must be where he brings all of his whores when he's not at home with his wife and kids. I sit outside of his place, waiting. I want to make sure I give them a heads-up in case he heads home tonight.

A quarter to four, my phone buzzes with a text message.

Beauty:
We are getting ready to leave and go to the clubhouse.

Me:
K. I'll meet you there.

I crank my bike and take off.

Pulling into the driveway, I don't see Brant or Dom. After parking my bike, I go straight to the bar inside. Pinky comes sauntering towards me, her top already off. I'm not a big fan of the girl, but she means well.

She runs her fingers down my chest and shakes her small, perky tits at me. I smile and take a sip of the beer that was placed in front of me when I sat down.

"Yo, Gunner. It looks like your cousin just showed up,
”
one of the prospects shouts.

I stand up and give Pinky a wink, then make my way out to the lot. When I get outside, Casey and Anslie are looking around with wide eyes. She's never really been here before and I can tell she's out of her comfort zone. From what Brant told me, she and Anslie weren't allowed at the house when they were younger. Thank fuck for that. Otherwise, she probably would have been shacked up with one of the brothers.

When I first walk outside, I see all my brothers eyeing the girls. I make my way to Casey and pull her into my arms. She screeches as I press my lips to hers. Translation: Hands off. I see Brant doing the same thing with Anslie.

I won
’
t give her another chance to say no to us. We are going to be together. I will keep her naked and in my bed if I have to just to make sure she understands she is the only girl I want. Even with the threat that is looming, I need her to know how I really feel about her once and for all. For her protection, I'll send her home with my cousin, but when everything is taken care of, I'm bringing my girl home where she belongs.

"Gunner,
”
she says breathlessly.

"Beauty,
”
I groan. Fuck, I'm already hard. Casey nervously looks around and wraps her arms around my waist. "Don't worry, baby. They won't touch you, unless they want to start something with me."

I feel her breath quicken. She looks up with an expression I can't figure out. "Are you claiming me, Gunner?" she asks with a mischievous smile.

So she knows what I
’
m doing. I
’
m impressed. I nod my head and kiss her lips roughly. I can hear the cat calls and I just flip them off behind her back.

I watch my cousin walk over to me holding two children who are the spitting image of him. Holy fuck. I thought these were Charlie's kids, not my cousin
’
s. "Gun, these are my boys, Remington and Severye."

I look over at Anslie, then back at the boys. "What? I thought you had Charlie's kids?" Anslie just shakes her head.

“
Gun, I need you to send someone over to Charlie
’
s to clean up before he gets back.
”
I nod and motion to a few of the prospects. When they come up to me, I tell them what I need done and give them the address.

Turning my attention back to Casey, I try to block out the drama going on behind us. I'm trying to stay out of their business, but it seems that my prez doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut about Anslie. Everyone who knows Brant knows never to say anything about Anslie without being prepared for a war. Brant and my prez have never gotten along and I can see this might get ugly. When Brant punches Prez, I run over, wrapping my arms around him to keep him from going after him again.
“
Chill, cousin,
”
I say in his ear.

I watch him back away and he walks to Dom, taking one of the boys from him.
“
Don't ever say another thing about my girl again. Gunner, can we stay at your place until we leave? We need to get the boys in bed.
”

I walk over to him and hand him my keys.
“
All yours, brother,
”
I say, shaking his hand. I walk over to Casey and whisper in her ear. "You going with them?" She nods and I run my nose along her neck. I lightly nip and suck on her soft skin, hearing her let out a small moan. "I'll meet you there. You are staying in my bed tonight." I suck her neck once more, leaving a mark. I release her and she walks to the car on wobbly legs. She turns and looks at me one more time, a sexy smile on her face.

Tonight, I
’
m making her mine.