Chapter 16

"Someone needs to answer for this."

I glance up from my coffee to find Dagger prowling in the kitchen, looking far more pissed than I've ever seen him.

"What's going on?" Gwyneth asks before I get the chance, plopping down next to me with her cup of coffee.

It's been a week of her going on and off shift, but she'd yet to go back to the gym to teach herself defense class. She hasn't said much about her brother being put into a safe house or the situation in general. Any time I ask her about it, she shrugs and says, ‘What could she do besides let me and Dagger keep her safe?'. Her thinking on it isn't wrong but at the same time, I don't like it.

Gwyneth is a feisty, take-charge, on-top-of-the-world type of person, and for her to not want to be a part of her own safety means something's going on in her head. In the time since I first met her, she's not been one to back down, so I'm finding it a bit hard not to question her about it. I just hadn't pushed the issue yet. I'm still learning things about her, and I've got a feeling that I could do that for the rest of my life and still not know her down to the core. There are so many layers to her, all of which I like and look forward to seeing more of. Everything from that sarcastic mouth to the parts of her that are most vulnerable.

"What's going on?" Dagger growls, throwing himself into one of the kitchen chairs. They'd come off shift last night. "I'll tell you what's going on." The flash of his teeth is a telling sign for my brother, and it's not a good one. He's pissed.

"Well, tell us," Gwyneth urges, cupping her coffee between both hands and readjusting in the chair with her feet in it.

Dagger glares at her and looks ready to strangle her if given the chance. He points his finger in Gwyneth's direction. "Get that friend of yours under control. Next time she tries one on with me . . ." he trails off, sneering. "Just get your friend in check.

"What did Angie do?" I ask, cocking a brow. No one has ever riled Dagger up like this.

"What didn't she do is more like it?" Dagger sneers, "Bitch called me?—"

"Hey, don't go calling my best friend a bitch," Gwyneth snaps.

Dagger glowers. "Sorry, Gwenny," he mutters, calling her the name those who are friends of hers use.

For me, that's not the name I use. I like calling her Princess. It's a name only I use.

"It's okay, Dagger, now, what did Angie do?" Gwyneth sighs. "I know she can sometimes be a lot to handle."

It's all I can do to keep from snorting coffee out my nose at her choice of words. Angie is more than a lot. She's wacky and a bit out there. Pretty much, she's like Gwyneth but more open with what she blurts out.

"Damn woman called me in the middle of the night asking for a ride home ‘cause she was drunk off her ass and didn't want to hear it from Ross," Dagger says, shaking his head. "I get to the bar she's at, and she's at a pool table with a bunch of other dudes hanging around takin' their money and pissin' ‘em off at the same time. Anyway, when she sees me, she all but jumps me talking about how she wants to fuck me."

"And that's a bad thing?" I laugh.

"Stop it, Bruiser," Gwyneth says, giggling and swats at me, eyes focused on Dagger. "Well, did you? Fuck her, that is?"

Oh shit, she did not just ask that.

I look at the ceiling. I don't need her to know these details. Then again, she'd probably be hearing about it from Angie anyway.

"Fuck no, I didn't," Dagger all but shouts. "I carried her ass to her apartment, locked her inside, and put a prospect on her to make sure she didn't leave again."

"Okay, so I don't see what you need fixed." Gwyneth sets her coffee down and twirls her fingers in a circle. "What exactly do you need fixing?"

"Get back here ready to crash and find a text from her. It's a damn picture of her naked," he exclaims and points a finger at Gwyneth. "She's your friend. Got mad respect for you, and she's damn cool people, but that shit ain't gonna fly. Fix it before I end up fixing it and hurting a damn good woman." With that said, my brother gets up and stomps through the apartment. "I'm gonna go take a shower. We going to the clubhouse today?"

"Yeah, brother, in just a little while. We've got church, and then I think Avery and Willow were doing some dinner thing," I answer, getting to my feet to get a refill.

"Right, let me know when y'all are ready." With that, he goes in the bathroom and closes the door behind him.

I turn my attention back to my woman to find her looking ready to laugh her ass off, but she is containing it so as not to piss off my already pissed brother.

"You gonna talk to her?" I ask, though I'm sure I already know the answer.

"Nope." Shaking her head, she smiles. "I'm not getting involved. If he doesn't want her in any way." Gwyneth pauses with a shrug. "It's his choice to make. I know my best friend, she wouldn't take kindly to me butting in. I get how she is and that she can come on strong. Especially if she's been drinking. She's ballsy and doesn't mind going for what she wants. Even when that person doesn't want the same. Way I see it, if he wanted her at all, he screwed up by not going there because she'll move on, and he will be a thing of the past."

"Weird way of letting a guy know she wants him." I don't get why women play games.

"How so? Guys pick up women they find attractive, why can't a woman?" She's got me there. "Angie's the type of woman that knows herself and what she likes in bed and out."

"I'll stop you right there," I tell her, holding my hand up. "I don't need to hear what your best friend likes and doesn't like in the sack."

"Well, you asked, I was giving you an answer." Gwyneth smirks, gets up, and goes to the sink. I watch as she rinses her mug and sets it in the dishwasher. "Anyway, since we're going to the clubhouse, I'm going to go take my own shower."

She goes to walk by, but I pull her to me, "Want some company?" I ask, leaning in to brush my lips against hers. The thought of getting in that shower with her already has my dick throbbing.

"I highly doubt you have time."

Her breath hitches, and she presses deeper into me.

"Always have time for you, Princess. You want me to fuck you, I'll fuck you. Right here or in the shower."

"Hmm, I do like the idea," she murmurs and wraps her arms around my neck. "Why don't you join me in the shower and show me how you can use that giant monster of yours quickly."

Fucking hell. This woman was meant for me.

"Oh, baby, don't you worry. I'll show you what me and this giant monster can do to you, but it definitely won't be quick," I inform her, swooping her into my arms.I intend to make her scream, taking me deep inside her. I want her to be able to feel me the rest of the damn day, or at least until I can get back inside her.

"We've got a problem," Cy states no sooner than Hammer slams the gavel down.

"What kind of problem?" Malice asks, looking pissed already. His little girl hadn't wanted to let him go. She's a daddy's girl through and through. It didn't help that she'd been crying for him, and he'd had to put her off. That's something my VP doesn't like to do. His kids mean the world to him, just as Willow does. He nearly lost them all when he fucked up with Willow, but now he'd kill for them. Hell, we'd all kill to protect his kids, same with all of the other kids around here.

"Been watching for any signs of Johnathan Bryant showing himself. Not that I think it'll actually be him. From what I've found, and we all know already, he uses other people to do his dirty work," Cy states while sliding a file in my direction. "Late last night, Johnathan resurfaced. He did this by putting a reward out for the ‘return of his property' on a site that's used to put hits out on people."

I open the file and scan over what exactly he's talking about, and my blood goes cold in my veins. "You've got to be joking. He's now focusing solely on Gwyneth."

"According to what I've been able to find, he's washing his hands of Willow and Honor. They no long interest him at this time. At least that's what I've been told."

"By who?" Malice growls.

Cy sighs and shakes his head, glances around the table, pausing on Rogue for a moment, and then looks back to Malice and Hammer. "Rebel's receptionist. She reached out via an email address that was supposed to be anonymous, but she's not as sneaky as she thinks she is."

"The fuck is Alanna doing being your source?" Malice snarls, nostrils flaring.

I don't know Alanna that well, but she'd be around every once in a while with Willow. A while back, Malice and Hammer, with Willow's urging, got Alanna the job working for Rebel. I do know she's got her little sister she's raising and needed the job, but what I don't get is why the fuck she'd put herself in danger for something like this.

"Don't worry, VP, I made sure she didn't have anything trailing her through any back doors online," Cy states firmly. "But what she was able to send over is quite extensive. Johnathan doesn't want Willow now because she's protected far too well with the club and her grandfather's men."

"What about Honor?" Savage asks.

"She's got not just us but Glacier's club." Cy shrugs. "I don't want to say this is all a good thing, he could end up still going after them, but as it stands right now, the bounty is out on Gwyneth. To make it all the sweeter," he spits out, curling his lip. "The amount is five mil with an order of kill to get to her."

Muffled curses can be heard around the table. This isn't good.

There'll be plenty of people out to claim the bounty.

"We're gonna have to take her to a safe house," I grunt, knowing it's the last thing she'll want.

"Agreed. Dagger and you'll move her out. Take her to one in Avon," Hammer orders.

"You want us to take her to the beach?" Not that I have a problem with it, but it's farther away from my brothers than I would like.

"Yeah, Twister's club won't be but a couple hours away. I'll call ‘em and let them know what's going on."

I nod and look around the table. "That'll work, Prez, but any way Carbine and Colt can join us?"

"Yeah, that'll be good. A couple more eyes on her won't hurt, but y'all are going to have to leave tonight. The faster she disappears, the sooner we can have this taken care of." Hammer slams the gavel down, ending church, and the pit of my stomach feels like acid is building within it.

There's more to this than what we've found out. This bastard is up to something. Something big. Whatever that is will bring on a reckoning none of us will be ready for, I'm sure of it. If something were to happen to Gwyneth, I know in my gut that I'll destroy anyone who gets in my way of those who dare touch her. She's mine, and I didn't even realize I could want a woman like her. That is until I laid eyes on her and got the reality check of a lifetime.