“Anything else?” Gunner asks
“He stinks,” my words have his eyebrows raising in question. “You know, when someone smokes a lot, and everything smells like cigarettes.” I try to explain what I mean, “I could smell it when he had me over his shoulder, and then at the back of his van it also smelled like that.” Gunner nods turning his head to look at Frost.
“That’s more than we have ever had.” He states
“Do you know who it is?” I ask, hopeful that they will catch that madman and make him pay.
“No, but it will narrow it down.” Gunner confirms, I am surprised when he comes to stand before me again. Placing his hand against my cheek he looks deeply into my eyes. “You are going to make me old before my years, aren’t you?” his question surprises me, does that mean that he is thinking of keeping me?
GUNNER 9
Leaning back in my chair I look at the others as they talk among themselves as we wait for King. It has been a long week; we have been out at every opportunity trying to find a man that meets Dawn’s specifications. We have a list of possible candidates but no real positives. We all suspect that the fucker that was in our property is the killer, the thought that Dawn managed to get away from such a sick fuck still has my fury blooming.
Since bringing Dawn back a week ago that I have been out looking for the son of a bitch, I have combed every inch of Town and nothing. I have hardly slept and when I did it was under a bridge or tree somewhere. I can’t face my mate yet; I can’t go before her a failure. That motherfucker shouldn’t have been able to capture her, I should have been able to keep her safe.
When I brought her back and realized that she had in fact bruised ribs, a fractured elbow and bruises throughout her body I lost my shit. If it wasn’t for Goliath knocking me out, I would have done something crazy. I was about to turn when he knocked me out which left me incapacitated for a whole day as that is our most vulnerable time.
I know that the others just think that I am out there every day because my rage dictates it, but the truth is that I can’t be near Dawn. Taking in a deep breath I look around at everyone, my eyes clashing with Hawks. He raises a brow in question, silently asking me how I am, I know that if I had to open up and rant about the anger that is coursing through my body because of the fact that I wasn’t able to defend my own mate, everyone will say that I am crazy as she was the one that left the cottage after being told that she shouldn’t, but even after such a short time I should have known that she wasn’t the listening type.
The door opens to let King in, Fang besides him. Looking at him no one would say the deep sadness that he carries with him. We can see the rage, even a slight sadness in his eyes, but his daily mask covers the soul that is torn inside.
When King took me to see his mate, I had hope that maybe I could overcome this constant anger that guides me, and initially every time Dawn was close, I was as near to normal as I think I will ever be. Unfortunately, fate has a way of showing us that when we think that we have finally resolved something, she throws us with a curve ball to defeat our purposes.
I don’t think anyone else at the club knows about King, I won’t be the one to tell anyone as I suspect that if he wanted us to know he would tell everyone. Now when I look at the paintings in his office and the one, he has in his bedroom, I understand the deep tragedy, the sadness that he must feel when he looks at those paintings.
It is a reminder of what he did, I know that he keeps them there to remind himself of what he says he is responsible for. Well, I don’t need a painting, it is engraved in my mind when I saw Dawn’s back in the light and how the bruises were already manifesting themselves. The rage I hold against the motherfucker that did that to her is as intense as the hate I hold for myself for letting that happen.
“Any news?” King asks as he takes a seat at the head of the table. His eyes gazing around until they reach me.
“We have investigated everyone on that list, so far there is no evidence that any one of them could be our killer.”
“We need to be certain.” Goliath says as he leans forward, placing his elbows on the table.
“How do you propose we do that?” I ask knowing what is coming and already preparing myself for the explosion.
“Dawn said that she heard his voice, she knows his scent.” Goliath explains, my body tensing at the thought of drawing Dawn through the nightmare of living everything again.
“No!” I state looking at Goliath
“She said that she wanted to do it.” Goliath’s words have my fist hitting the table.
“You have spoken to her about it?” I am out of my chair before the words are out of my mouth.
“No, she approached us.” King’s words have my head snaping around so that I am looking at him.
“She will be reliving everything again.” I snap, “the damn woman doesn’t know what the hell she wants.”
“You know, getting to know her a little this week I would say that helping us catch this fucker will help her immensely as she’s the type that needs to feel useful.” The fact that Dixon is getting to know my woman has me slitting my eyes in rage, I know that Dixon wouldn’t make a move on another man’s mate but knowing that another man is enjoying what I so much want is like a stab in the heart.
“Sit down Gunner,” King orders inclining his head towards the chair, “I don’t want to bring a woman into this anymore than you do, but if that is the only way of capturing that sick motherfucker and stopping another killing then I will do it.” I know that King is right, but if Dawn is going to do this then I am going to be right there besides her.
“I think that we should look in the surrounding towns, he might have targeted our Town because of us but actually lives somewhere else.” Hawk suggests
“There is a whole force looking for this asshole, have we checked if anyone has suddenly gone missing?” Blue asks from where he’s rocking in his chair.
“I have been asking around, but so far there is nothing.” Dash updates
“Have we thought that whoever this guy is Sam knew him, therefore he would be in our circle.” Hunter says, the mention of Sam’s name has most of us tensing. Sam was one of our girls, a few months ago we found out that she was helping the killer. Unfortunately, before we could find out the identity of the killer, she committed suicide.