27. Gunner

27

Gunner

I jolt at the sound of a crash, and when I sit up, I see I’m in my bed in my room, but Montana’s not here. My eyes go to the bathroom, and when I see the door open with the lights off, I flick on my lamp quickly, needing to know where the hell she is.

When I turn to my bedside table, there’s a note with scribble on it.

Please forgive me for leaving without saying goodbye. I’m sorry for the pain I’ve caused you, and I can’t cause you to suffer anymore.

-Montana

Is she serious? I get up quickly, grabbing my aching head before I slide into underwear and a pair of pants, getting ready to see what the commotion downstairs is about .

I hear a gunshot from the kitchen, and I grab my shotgun propped against the wall, bolting down the stairs.

Some guy is in my kitchen wrestling Montana, and she groans against his hand while he reaches for his gun that’s across the room.

The glass pane in my front door is broken. This bastard broke in here. I don’t care what the fuck he’s here for, but he won’t be getting it. I point my gun at his head and fire, causing blood to get all over Montana’s face and clothes. His limp body collapses on the wood floors, and Montana sits on her heels, crying.

It’s just past four a.m. and I already feel like I need a beer. My horses immediately come to mind, and I’m crippled when I realize that what I saw a few hours ago wasn’t a horrible nightmare. But I don’t have time to mourn my girls anymore. They’re gone, and I’ll never see them again. And right now, I have to take care of my girl who’s still in front of me.

I do a quick perimeter check and take a look around outside to make sure there’s no one else lurking around. The car this idiot drove here is on my property, and I’ll take a look around in it before I have Dallas dump it.

As soon as I’m back inside, I pull Montana up off the ground and shake her delicate body. “What the hell were you thinking? ”

Her body trembles, and she sniffles. “What?”

I grip her arms tighter than I should. “You were just going to leave me, Montana.” Out of the corner of my eye, I see her suitcase up against the wall. “You were just going to walk out of here in the middle of the night to nowhere without even telling me. To get yourself kidnapped again, raped, or killed. You were going to leave me.” Desperation leaks from my words, but I don’t care. I’m shocked, and I’m hurt.

Her voice cracks, and she shakes her head. “I don’t want to leave you, Gunner.”

Even though she’s right here in front of me, I feel abandoned like a little kid. “Then why the fuck were you going to?”

She huffs while blood drips from her face. “I can’t stay with you. I’m just going to hurt you and cause you more pain. I’m the reason Charlotte’s dead, and I’m responsible for the deaths of everyone else who was at that party. And I’m the reason your horses are dead too.”

I drag her to the kitchen sink, furious that she just said what she did. I can’t believe she thinks that’s true.

I grab a dish towel, coat it with water, and start wiping her off. “Montana, that’s bullshit. All of it. The only person responsible for those things is that man. That man who we are going to stop referring to as your father because he’s not. That man is not a father. He isn’t anything. Just garbage.”

I pul off her bloody tee, leaving her in a black lace bra and underwear. “Don’t you ever leave me, Montana. I’m serious. At least, not for the reasons you just listed. If you’re going to leave me, leave me because you hate me. Because you can’t stand me, and the very sight of me makes you sick. Leave me because I’m a bastard you want nothing to do with. But if you leave me just because you think you’re hurting me by staying, my mind, body, and soul will be paralyzed, Montana. I’ll be an empty and desolate shell of a man, unable to move forward ever again.”

Montana brushes her hair out of her face and wipes her eyes. I place a hand on her back, guiding her toward the stairs. “And no more. No more apologizing for anything that’s happened to me. I won’t accept your apologies, and I’m done hearing them. Now get your ass upstairs, get changed, and get whatever the hell you need from our room because we’re getting out of here.”

Montana turns around when she gets to the second step leaning forward, and I press my lips to hers before pulling away.

I’ve been back home a few hours, and I’m already leaving again. However, I’m not as distraught about packing up as I was last time as this home no longer feels like a home. My horses were murdered here. I imprisoned my girl here. And this house was supposed to be for me and Margaret. Montana deserves to live somewhere without so many horrible memories attached, and I’m looking forward to finding out where that’s gonna be.

I go over to the dead body while she gets ready upstairs, attempting to figure out who the hell this guy is. If Montana weren’t here, I’d guess he was just a drifter, but given everything that’s occurred recently, my gut tells me this man was sent by Mason.

I flip over his body and check his pockets for any information. There’s no wallet or ID, but he has a phone that’s almost dead. No passcode either. Fucking amateur. A message from a number without a name is at the top of his texts.

Call me when it's done.

I don’t need a name to recognize that number. It’s one I have saved in my own phone. I call him back from the intruder’s device.

He picks up on the first ring. “If she’s dead, burn her body, if she’s alive, bring her to me now.”

Literal walking garbage. I don’t bother masking my rage. “You’re fucking dead. Do you hear me, you useless piece of shit? Dead. ”

Mason pauses and laughs loudly. “Oh, Blackheart. You’re the one who’s fucking dead. Or maybe I should call you Gunner.”

I stop in my tracks when he lowers his tone. “Cat got your tongue, Gunner? Oh yeah—I looked you up and did some digging. Piece of shit daddy killed your girlfriend and your baby. Then your psychotic friend Dallas burned down her house, and cut your daddy into a million tiny pieces before scattering him about across several farms. Your momma’s dead. Your sister’s dead. You just kill everyone you fucking meet. Funny how you couldn’t kill my daughter though.”

I step outside, not wanting Montana to walk in on me. He takes my silence as an invitation to keep going. “Guess you couldn’t kill her because you were too busy using her as a cum dump. I honestly didn’t give a shit what you did to her as long as you killed her by the date we’d agreed upon, but you failed big time, buddy.”

“I’m gonna gut you alive, Mason. Tear your stomach open while you’re still breathing, just like my horses. Let you spill out and rot until you fade away.”

“I’d love to watch you try, you fucking idiot. I heard you cried like a goddamn baby at Margaret’s memorial after they gave up searching for her. You don’t have the balls, pal. You shouldn’t be called Blackheart. You should be called the Motherfucker with No Balls.”

Any ounce of sadness I still had in me turns into a pit of revenge. “Hell will treat you better than I’m going to, Mason. Your suffering will last for days on end. And not a damn person on this planet will be left to save you.”

His laughter ceases, and he growls. “Come fucking find me.”

I drive down the road in Colt’s Camero to Dallas’ house. He lives thirty minutes away, so we won’t be too far but will have a helping hand nearby if we need it. I wanted to go further away, but Montana insisted we stay closer so we can feed Violet in the morning. I want to let her starve, but my girl won’t have that, and I won’t have her upset.

I put Montana’s hand on my knee then grip the wheel. “Here’s the plan. When we get inside, we’ll sleep until eight, and then we’ll go to your father’s house.”

Seeing as it’ll be five a.m. when we get to Dallas’ house, Montana and I won’t hardly get any sleep, but three hours will hopefully give us enough energy to push through today .

She grits her teeth. “I don’t want to go there, Gunner.”

I knew Montana wouldn’t be excited about going to her childhood home she ran away from, but we need to. “Montana, I have to kill him.”

She squeezes my leg. “He’s not even going to be there!”

“He might. He seemed to be there last night. And even if he’s not, we can probably find out where he’s gone. We either go to him, or he’ll come back to us. But someone has to win this, Montana. He’s gotta go.”

She lets out a shuddery breath. “I can’t go back there, Gunner. I can’t.”

I place my hand over hers, giving it a squeeze while I pull up to Dallas’ driveway. “Then stay here with Dallas and Cali until I get back.”

Her fingers tighten around mine, and her voice sharpens. “No. You’re not leaving me, Gunner. We stick together. Do you hear me?”

I smile, both surprised and happy at this bossy side of my little fox. “I hear you. We stick together.”

I park and help her out of the car that’s still filled with cash and lead her up to the front door. Dallas opens it before I can knock, and he runs a hand over his cropped brown hair. “You guys can stay as long as you need. Just keep it down when you get settled tonight or Cali will have a fit. ”

Montana steps in the house first, and Dallas locks the door behind us. “Spare room on the second floor is made up and ready.”

I give him a quick nod of thanks and walk beside Montana to our room. Once I get the door closed, I help Montana out of her shoes, leaving her oversized T-shirt on while I help her into bed. My body is vibrating, and I doubt I’ll get any sleep, but I climb in beside her fully clothed wanting to give it a try. At the very least, I’ll be next to the only person keeping me sane right now.

Montana snuggles right up to me immediately, and I hold her body close to mine. “Try and get some sleep.”

She groans and presses her lips to my neck. “I can’t sleep.”

“Me neither.”

Her voice lowers. “Do you want to talk?”

I kiss her hair, sinking my fingers into it. “What about?”

“Anything.”

I smell her hair that still smells like Colt’s hair products. “What’s that hat called that you wear when you go to bed?”

Montana bursts into laughter, and I cover her mouth briefly so she doesn’t wake up Dallas’ angry wife.

“It’s a bonnet. We could get you one if you want. ”

A bonnet. That’s so cute. “Thank you. I’ll pass, but I like when you wear it.”

She laces her left hand through my right, brushing her fingers over my knuckles. “What’s this ring for?”

My smile drops. The only people who know what this ring is for are Colt and Dallas. I never take it off, and Montana’s seen me wear it since we met. I never thought she’d ask me about it. I guess now’s a good time to tell her. “I’ll tell you, but it might bring you down some more.” I want to give her a way out in case she doesn’t want to be more depressed than she currently is.

Her soft hand cups my cheek, and she rubs her nose against mine. “I want to know.”

I put my hand on her hip, rubbing my thumb against the soft material of her shirt to ease my anxiety. “The day Margaret died was a really bad day for me in a lot of ways.” It feels strange bringing up Margaret to Montana and in Dallas’ house of all places. I’m so used to Montana mentioning her, but I have to talk about her for this story to make sense.

Just like any other time her name leaves my lips, Montana doesn’t turn her nose up or get irritated, but gives me her standard empathetic and reassuring look, letting me know it’s okay to keep going .

“My father killed her, and I found her body. It was brutal, Montana. He stabbed her twice, once in the neck, the other in her stomach. She was gone, but so was our unborn baby.”

Montana covers her mouth with her hand, but I pull it off, squeezing it in mine to relax her.

“My father used to be a sheriff, and Dallas and I covered up his murder to avoid more trouble from him and to keep his mother from finding out the truth. If she discovered what had happened, my father would have killed her too. So I buried her outside of the house I found her in. We were supposed to live there together. She inherited it from her grandmother who had recently died.

“Violet was there too. That’s the reason I hate her so much, Montana. I know it’s irrational and silly, but I blame her, blamed her for so long for Margaret’s death. I was furious that she hadn’t been able to save her. It wasn’t her job to, but I hated her just the same. I almost shot her like I almost did today.

“But I took her with me. I brought her home. The home you know as mine, I bought for Margaret and me. For our family. But she never got to see it or know about it because I was going to surprise her.”

Montana starts to cry, but I wipe away her tears which helps me keep mine in. “After I got Violet home, I picked up my other horse, Faye.” I sniffle at the same time Montana does. I can’t believe I just introduced her to Faye. These horses were snatched away from her just like they were me. “Anyway, I got Faye secured with Violet, and I didn’t know what to do with myself, Montana.

“I was overcome with so much sadness and anger, and everything became too much. My mother was gone, my sister, and Margaret. I just—I just didn’t want to be here anymore. I felt completely hopeless and alone. I had Dallas, but he was just as broken up about everything as I was.

“I didn’t want the house. The horses. I just wanted what little happiness I had left back. But there was no undoing the damage that had been done. So I did the only thing I felt capable of doing.”

Her soft hand sinks into my hair, and I press my head up against hers. “It’s funny because what happened is so similar to what happened the day I met you, Montana. It’s how I knew I was meant to help you. When I pointed the barrel of my shotgun in my mouth and tried to fire, it locked up. I tried to kill myself, and I failed. I couldn’t stop crying, and I didn’t know why.

“And when I tried to kill you, the goddamn idiot I was, I failed. And in my heart I knew that I was fated to meet you and to save you, Montana. I’d been given a second chance to make things right. That you were meant to go on, just like me.”

She wraps her fingers around my ring, and that’s when I realize I almost forgot to answer her question. “I got this ring one year on the day after Margaret died. The day I tried to kill myself. This ring was a gift to myself as a promise to never try and take my life again.”

Montana rubs my lips with her thumb. “Well, I’m so glad you’re here, Gunner. I’m so happy I got to meet you. That I get to know you.”

I don’t even realize my tears have started to spill until she’s wiping them away. I grab her fingers, kissing the tips. “I want you to stay with me, Montana. I don’t want to know another woman besides you. I want you in my bed when I get up in the mornings. I want to hold you while I fall asleep. I need to start over. And I want to start over with you.”

I wake up naturally at seven a.m. Montana’s still asleep in our guest bedroom at Dallas’. I want to stay beside her until she gets up, but my mind is racing, and I need to walk around .

I get out of the bed slowly, bundling the blanket tighter around her so she doesn’t get cold. After I shut the door closed behind me, I head downstairs and see Dallas in the kitchen having coffee.

He looks up with bags under his eyes, still exhausted from the events last night. “Where’s your girlfriend?”

I go up to the fresh pot of brown liquid and pour myself a cup. “She’s not my girlfriend.”

Dallas sips his drink slowly. “Well, what the hell is she then?”

“She’s a woman who I’m seeing I guess. A woman who has agreed to move in with me.”

His lips pause on the rim of his cup, and he sets it down in front of him. “So she’s more than your girlfriend.”

I take a glance upstairs, making sure my little fox isn’t eavesdropping over the banister. “I don’t know what the hell she is, man.”

He leans back in his chair, grinning like an idiot. “But you like her.”

I’ve never felt this bashful before. “It’s clear that I do.”

One of his brown eyebrows dips. “I know. So why are you so damn awkward about it?”

Glancing into my friend’s green eyes, I get a flash of Margaret. “It’s just strange for me. To say I’m dating someone when . . . it’s just something I’m getting used to. ”

He sighs and takes another sip of his drink. “It’s okay to talk to me about Montana.”

I sip my liquid, softening my voice. “Isn’t it awkward when you miss her?”

Dallas looks past me as if he’s lost in a memory. “I’m always gonna miss my baby sister, man. But that doesn’t mean I want to stay stuck in the tragedy she ended up in. She wouldn’t want me to. She wouldn’t want you to.

“And I like Montana. She’s sassy and witty. She reminds me of her. And she’s good for you. When I saw the horses I thought—man I thought you’d do something terrible to yourself. I was dreading it. Crying mainly for the loss of you instead of them. I think the only reason I didn’t lose you last night is because of Montana.

“You’ve been cold and callous for so many years, Gunner. For a long time, the only thing I saw in your eyes was death.” He smiles. “But when I showed up to your house and saw your hand wrapped around that girl’s neck, there was no death. Only fire. I knew then you’d been brought back to life.”

I think about all of the moments I’ve shared with Montana, and it’s true. She has brought me back from the dead. I finish up my drink and let my shoulders relax. “It just doesn’t seem right for me to have her. After all I’ve done. To others and to her. ”

Dallas rolls his eyes. “Enough of all this martyr bullshit, Gunner. What’s not right is that the bastard who abused her, the same bastard who slaughtered your horses, is still out there walking. That’s what the fuck is not right. I want to kill him.”

I roll my eyes. “Join the fucking club. We’re going to his house in a little bit.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

I stand up, stretching my legs while I get another cup. “I don’t know. But after he sent someone to break into my house last night, I got the urge to break into his.”

He stands up, tucking his hands in his pockets. “You want some company?”

I love how Dallas always has my back. If I call, he’ll come running. His loyalty is priceless. But this feels like something I have to do without him. “It might be best if I go with her alone. If you could check on Violet, that would be great. I know Montana would appreciate that.” I wince as soon as I mention my girl, remembering that Violet was Margaret’s horse.

Dallas smiles, nodding his head. “You bet. Margaret would be glad Violet chose Montana.”

“I know. I need to keep that damn horse alive for the both of ‘em.”

I take a look around, realizing the house is extremely quiet. “Where’s Cali?”

Dallas runs his hand down his face. “Fuck if I know. Said something about a tennis class. I swear, if I find out she’s fucking around on me, I will kill her slowly.”

I laugh to myself, surprised that Dallas and Cali are still together. They got married a week after they met each other, and I knew the moment he introduced me to her that they weren’t going to work out. “You should just divorce her.”

He leans against the counter, looking in deep thought. “Hmm. Should I divorce her, or should I kill her?”

I shake my head, knowing that he’s genuinely considering both. “I don’t know. But whatever you decide, I want no part of it.”

His laughter rings through my ears as I turn to head back upstairs.