Chapter 20

The vibration of my phone on the nightstand wakes me. Not wanting it to wake Gwyneth, I reach out, snatch it up, and crack an eye open in order to see who the hell's calling.

Seeing Hammer's name on the screen, I answer and put the phone to my ear.

"Yeah, Prez?"

"Get Gwyneth back here ASAP," he orders.

"Why? What's happened?" I ask, jolting out of the bed.

"Someone found Simon. Don't know how, but he's dead."

"Fuck," I snarl, waking Gwyneth up.

"Bruiser?" Her voice sleep-filled, and her expression is one of concern.

"Hang on, baby," I tell her, focusing on the conversation with Hammer. "How'd it happen?"

"Decapitation."

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

"You need to get her back here where we can lock her down. If they found him, who wasn't supposed to be able to be found, they can get to her," Hammer states, sounding pissed. Far more than I've heard him sound in a while. Even when we went up against Avery's siblings, who wanted him out of the way to get to her. "And Bruiser . . ."

"Yeah?"

"They left a message behind. Saying the men protecting her were next."

"I'll let the others know and break it to her," I tell him and disconnect, my mind racing with this news. It seems Johnathan has gone and lost it. I drop my phone to the floor, grab my jeans from the floor, and yank them on. "Get up, Princess. I need you dressed and ready to go in the next few minutes."

"What's happening?" she asks, a slight tremble in her voice.

Slowly taking a breath, I release it and move to her side of the bed. Sitting down, I pull her into my arms. "I've got something to share with you, Princess, and it's not good. I want to be able to give you time to process it when I do, but I can't. We've got to get on the road. Okay?"

"Okay." She nods, her voice no more than a breath. "Just tell me."

Giving her a squeeze, I press a kiss to her forehead. "That was Hammer on the phone. He called to let me know . . ." Sucking in a harsh breath, I lay the news on her. "Gwyneth, someone found Simon. He's dead, baby."

Gwyneth draws in a sharp breath, eyes filling with tears. "How?"

"Princess, you don't want to know," I murmur, palming the side of her face and stroking her cheek with my thumb. "Trust me, it's not something you want to know. Now, I really need for you to get ready, we're heading out. Taking bikes out of here, and I've got to tell the others."

Gwyneth allows a single tear to fall, and she nods. I wish I could give her time to grieve, but it'll have to come later.

I kiss her forehead and finish dressing quickly, while she also gets her stuff together. We're on the back of my bike, but she didn't overpack. I'll be able to put the small duffel in one of the saddle bags.

Needing reassurance she's gonna be okay, I pull her in my arms, wrapping them tightly around her, and press a kiss to her forehead. "You gonna be okay?"

Gwyneth nods in answer, her breath hitching.

I press another kiss to her forehead, step back, and drop my hands from around her waist. "I'll be right back, Princess."

"Okay," she whispers, the tears she's holding back could be heard in her voice.

One last look in her direction, I go bang on Dagger's door. "We gotta roll," I shout for him to hear me. I don't wait for him to open his door before going in search of the other two. I find Colt on the back deck and Carbine in the kitchen. "Get your shit. We're heading out. Hammer called we gotta get back to the clubhouse. Taking the bikes."

"What's happened?" Dagger asks, coming in, eyes alert, hair disheveled.

"Gwyneth's brother was found, killed, and a message was left behind," I tell ‘em. "We got to get back to the clubhouse. We need to get there without someone seeing or catching us before we arrive."

"How the fuck did they find him?" Carbine demands, nostrils flaring.

"What message did they leave?" Colt asks, his voice that of steel.

I glance toward the stairs, making sure Gwyneth isn't in hearing distance before answering. "That we're next."

"Fuckin' hell," Dagger snarls and rakes a hand through his hair. "I'll get my shit."

"We leave in five," I tell him.

"I'll meet you at the bikes." Dagger nods and darts off back to his room.

"We'll go unload yours and Dagger's bikes from the trailer," Colt announces.

"Appreciate it," I grunt and head back to my room to find Gwyneth coming out, face paler than I've ever seen it.

Without even thinking, I move to her and pull her in my arms, where she burrows her face in my chest. "If I could change what happened, I would in a heartbeat, Princess."

"I know you would, Bruiser," she says, her words muffled.

Cupping the back of her head, holding her to me, I give her the support she needs from me. I know it's not enough, but for now, it'll have to do.

"We've got to get on the road," I tell her.

"Yeah." Nodding, she takes a step back, drawing from my arms. "I'm ready when you are. You can leave my bag here if we need to."

"Grab it, baby, we'll stow it in my saddlebag. You don't have anything at the clubhouse, so it'll give you something until we can get you more." I don't know how long she's going to be locked down, but until this shit is handled, I'm not taking any chances. We get her in the club, then I'll find the motherfucker who's responsible for not only the bounty but also the death of Gwyneth's brother. Then I'm gonna make sure he screams before I take his head the way Gwyneth's brother lost his.

"We got anything new?" I ask Hammer the moment we step into the clubhouse. My hand tight around Gwyneth's, keeping her close. She's been damn good about all this since finding out about her brother, but I know at some point she's gonna break. When she does, I want to be there for her, however, she needs me.

"Savage and Gunner are on their way back. They didn't report much over the phone," Hammer informs me and looks at my woman, eyes filling with compassion. "Gwyneth, I'm sorry about your brother."

"It's okay," she whispers, and from the tears in her eyes, I know it's not.

"Babe, it's not okay," Hammer mutters and shakes his head. "None of this is okay. Your brother shouldn't have been killed. You shouldn't be targeted. Unfortunately, we live in a world that's unfair and pretty fucked-up. I lost my brother and his wife to this life. Not the MC but the dark side of our lives. A satanic cult killed them, left my nephew in their blood, and took my niece. So, I know what you're feeling, even if it's a different type of feeling. Losing a sibling isn't like a parent. They grow up with you. They're your best friend even when they're not. You lose a part of yourself when you lose them, but darlin' you gotta remember something . . ." He pauses, a look of tormented grief on his face. "You gotta remember, no matter what, they're still with you every day. You got the memories to keep ‘em alive. No one can take those from you."

"Thank you, Hammer." Tears stream down Gwyneth's face, and I don't think she's even aware of them.

"Not a problem, Gwenny." Hammer gives a curt nod and looks at me. "Soon as Savage and Gunner get here, we'll converge in church and discuss what's going on and what the plan is."

"Got it, Prez." Taking that as my cue, I guide Gwyneth farther into the clubhouse, taking her to a table. "I'm gonna get you a cup of coffee, Princess."

"Okay."

She doesn't look up at me as she takes a seat. Her eyes seem haunted and focused on something not in front of her.

Leaning down, I press a kiss to the top of her forehead. I keep her in my peripheral while I head to where the coffee sits ready behind the bar. Dagger, Colt, and Carbine all have mugs in hand as they move away to give me room.

"She's gonna be okay," Dagger states. "I sent Hammer a text at the last stop while we were filling the bikes up asking if he minded if I made a call. He didn't, so I did once we got here. They should be here any minute."

I know precisely who he's talking about and nod my gratitude.

No sooner than I take my seat next to Gwyneth, the door is thrown open, and not only do both Grady men and Angie come rushing in, but a woman who looks so much like Angie, I knew it was her mother. The four of them set their sights on Gwyneth. The men's expressions were stormy, the women's filled with concern.

Gwyneth gets to her feet, and I follow suit, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, holding her, and giving her the warmth and strength she needs.

"Oh, my sweet girl," the older woman rushes Gwyneth, pulling her out of my arms.

I take a step back as the others surround her. Seeing the way, they'd taken her into their family hits a part of me, and I know she deserves every bit of what they're giving her. The love of a family that should have always been, rather than the one she grew up with. Losing Simon, her only blood relation hit her hard, and I know it.

"It's gonna be okay, sweetheart," Grady murmurs, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, his gaze coming to mine.

I give him a curt nod, giving them some space, but not taking her away from them.

After a few moments, Gwyneth steps back, and I'm there to wrap an arm around her. I'll do what I can to give to her right now. Later on, I'll take care of her in other ways, but for now, this'll have to do until after I meet with my brothers and find out what the game plan is going to be.

My thought . . . go to the damn source of it all. Confront the woman who allowed all of this to happen in the first damn place. I wonder if Gwyneth's parents even know about the death of their son. Hell, I wonder if the father even knows any of this.

The way Gwyneth and Simon made it seem is that he's oblivious to it all. Materialistic, just as the mother.

Maybe it's time to give him a visit on top of dealing with his wife in the process.