Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

"You're fucking joking, right?"

This wasn't who he was, but apparently it was who he turned into when Dani re-entered his life. Suddenly he was a man who yelled and lost his temper at the drop of a hat. He forced Dani to spill everything as soon as they walked into Black’s house. They didn’t even make it past the entryway before he demanded answers from her.

"Pretty sure I already apologized for not being perfect like you!" Dani screamed back at him. "Yes, I made poor choices. Yes, I got in with the wrong crowd. Yes, it took up until that night to realize I was fucking up my life. Sue me. But just so we're clear, I did straighten myself out. My life was going great until yesterday."

Every sentence she threw at him was punctuated with a finger to the chest. And damn it if the motion didn't turn him on. Her fire was one of the things he loved about her.

Had loved. One of the things he had loved about her. He no longer had feelings toward her. She made sure of that when she threw their relationship away like last week's trash.

"You were involved with the Hell Raisers MC? That's not the wrong crowd. That's as bad as it fucking gets."

Gage pulled his beard through his fingers over and over again. Usually the gesture calmed him or at least made him feel less stabby. So far it wasn't working.

Dani threw her hands up in the air. "My bad! It wasn't like I hadn't spent every weekend on the back of a motorcycle since I was fifteen. Excuse me that I sought comfort in the one thing I knew so damn well."

Her sarcasm wasn't appreciated, even if the words she spoke were true.

"There's a big difference between casual riding and an outlaw MC. I thought you knew that. What we did together isn't even close to the same thing."

"I eventually realized that. Again, poor life choices. I'm not denying I made them. But I straightened myself out. I got out."

No, she wasn't denying them, but it killed him to know that she never would've made those choices if she’d followed the original plan they made together.

"There has to be something you're not telling me. The Hell Raisers aren't going to send someone out after a patch bunny who got into a bar fight and disappeared. They don’t give a shit about pussy unless it affects the club."

He wanted to take the words back as soon as they left his mouth. Gage wasn't normally so harsh. He didn't purposely say things to make a person feel bad. Yet with Dani, every word he spoke came out malicious, and he didn't know how to stop it.

"I don't know anything. I don't even remember who the woman was. All I remember from that night was getting pushed from behind while playing pool. I swung around with the pool stick in my hand and it connected with a woman's cheek. Everything after that is fuzzy."

"I'm going to go call my co-worker and see what I can find out about the Hell Raisers and what happened that night. Make yourself comfortable, I'm sure there are plenty of bedrooms."

Dani didn’t wait long to follow his directions. She took off upstairs, giving him his first break from her since she walked out of the jail.

A much-needed break, for sure.

The house was two stories with a kitchen, living room, dining room, bathroom, and laundry room on the first floor. Just based on the size, Gage was pretty sure the upstairs contained at least three bedrooms, and since the downstairs was furnished, there was no reason for him to believe the upstairs wasn't as well.

He didn't know why Black had the house or who usually used it, but right now he was grateful to have someplace safe. The security was top of the line, just like all their properties in New Mexico. Black didn’t skimp when it came to the safety of those in his life.

Gage pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and called the one person who would be able to get him the information he needed.

"Well, if it isn't Mr. Captain Obvious. To what do I owe the pleasure of this call? I mean it's not like you just up and left one day without telling me where you were going."

Bree, a.k.a. Maddox, was their technical analyst and a computer prodigy. She was also a smart-ass whose life mission was to keep her teammates on their toes. The Captain Obvious remark had to do with their first meeting when he blurted out that she was a woman despite their team thinking they were hiring a man. It wasn't one of his proudest moments. That seemed to be the story of his life though lately. Being rude to the women who were unfortunate enough to cross paths with him.

"I'm not Chance. I don't owe you an explanation whenever I go someplace."

Chance was her fiancé and one of his teammates. The two of them were like oil and water. Yet somehow they made things work. Probably because they fucked like rabbits.

"Au contraire, my dear Gage. How can I be of service if I don't know where you are or what you're doing?"

Gage scoffed. "Don't bullshit me. I bet you knew within an hour where I was going and why. Just like you already know where I'm staying."

He didn't need to stroke her ego. She was that damn good. Plus, he was using the cell phone his company gave him. It didn't take Bree more than a few keystrokes to know exactly where he was and he wasn’t dumb enough to think she wouldn’t track him down just for the fun of it.

"Okay fine. Yes, I know your current location and maybe I accessed your cell records to see who called you right before you took off. And I might have even cracked the county jail’s firewalls to figure out what inmate had a history with you. So what? You’re family and I take care of my family."

Family.

That was a foreign word to him. He watched how his teammates interacted with one another and he could see why Bree would think that. But he wasn't like them. He kept himself distant for a reason. Family had never worked out for him before and he didn't want to keep trying.

"When you hacked into the jail's files, did you happen to see what the charges were for?"

Gage could hear Bree typing on the other end. "One Danielle Aubrey Tomlinson. There was a warrant out for her arrest for aggravated assault. She got into a bar fight at a known Hell Raisers’ bar. Not a great group of friends, by the way, but from what I can see she’s kept herself clean ever since. She was pulled over during a routine traffic stop where they ran her name and the warrant popped up. A damn shame that a padiddle is what got her in the end. A rookie mistake if you ask me. Always check your vehicle is up to code if you’re running from the law. It’s the first rule of being on the run."

He didn't ask, nor did he particularly care why Bree thought that way. He was more interested in what happened during the initial incident that led to there being a warrant in the first place and why the Hell Raisers would care so much after a few years.

"I need you to find out more about the bar fight and what was going on with the Hell Raisers at the time. We were followed after we left the prison. White Honda Accord. Older model. Tapped my back bumper on the highway and then drove off. Then a motorcycle came out of nowhere and shot at us. They weren't wearing a cut from what I could see but my instincts are telling me this has to do with the fight."

"You were shot at?"

Gage had to pull the phone away from his ear so that Bree's screeching didn't bust his eardrum.

"Why the hell didn't you start with that?!"

He sighed. He didn't have time for her dramatics. It wasn't like she didn't know what their job entailed, and he told her as much.

"It's not the first time I've been shot at. At least this time it didn't hit me. And it probably won't be the last time. I don't know why you're making such a big deal about it."

" A big deal? " Bree's voice was a few octaves too high. "You can't understand why getting shot at is a big deal ?" Oh boy. Bree had crossed into hysterical mode and he was pretty sure her next words were going to slay him. "I can't possibly imagine why I would care that someone I consider family was shot at today and he's blowing it off like it's no big deal. You're a real jerk, Gage, and I'm not talking to you again until you pull your head out of your damn asshole."

The call ended. Probably not the satisfying kind like in the nineties where a person could actually slam the phone down on the receiver but that was exactly what he pictured Bree doing when she hung up.

Well, that didn't go as planned. He immediately regretted using the words big deal. Bree would be throwing that in his face for months, if not years, to come.

It would appear today was the day to see how many women he could piss off. When his phone rang again a few moments later, he knew he was in big trouble.

"Hey, Emma."

"What the fuck did you do, Gage?"

He scrubbed his hand over his face.

"I take it Bree is cursing me out to the group."

Emma laughed. "More like stomping around the place grumbling about pigheaded men who don't have a lick of sense. Since I know for sure Chance didn't do anything, and I saw your name pop up on her screen, I figured her sudden change in behavior was your fault."

"You know I'm not like the rest of you. I'm used to doing things alone. I did it for years in the Army and I never really gave that up. Even when Daniel recruited me. So I’m not sure why my behavior comes as such a shock to everyone."

He didn't need to see Emma's face to know she was frowning. It was evident in her tone. "As much as you like to think you're alone, you really aren't. Any one of us would be there for you in a heartbeat, just like you would be for us. You might think you're a loner, but I see the truth. You're lonely, and if you let us, we could help change that."

That was where Emma was wrong. He didn't want to be changed. He liked who he was. It kept him from getting hurt.

Emma sighed. "You're not listening to me and I didn't think you would. One of these days you're going to open up and explain who hurt you."

Gage looked across the room at the staircase leading to the second floor. The person who hurt him was a lot closer than Emma realized. And he doubted the problems that started when he was seventeen would go away anytime soon.

"Tell Chance I'm sorry for pissing off Bree. I'm sure he’ll be able to fix it though."

That made his teammate laugh. "We all know how he’ll fix it but I'll pass along the message."

Before he could hang up, Emma spoke his name.

"Hey, Gage?"

"Yeah?"

He had a feeling he wasn't going to like what she had to say next.

"Sometimes you need to forgive someone in your past in order to move on with your future."

With that, Emma hung up and it took all his effort not to crush the phone in his hand. He wasn't sure it was possible to forgive Dani. Not after everything that happened between them.