Gunnin' for You (Rolling Thunder series Book 4) (17 page)

“Where’s my nephew?”

Ashley giggled. “He and his daddy are taking a nap. It’s been a long day.”

“Okay. I’ll wait. How was Ron’s mother?”

Ashley let out a deep breath. “She was her usual.”

“Hmm.” Emma’s lips tightened and her eyes sought Ashley’s.

“Where’s mister three orgasms?” Ashley smirked.

Emma burst out laughing before slapping a hand over her mouth.

“He’s with his parents taking care of some family stuff.”

“And you aren’t there with him?”

“Nah. I’m taking care of my own family stuff here with you.”

“Tell me about the orgasms.”

Connor filtered through the pictures, picking up each one just as the others had and turned them over. He held them up to the light and examined each corner. Jeremiah watched him and his brows drew together.

“What are you looking for Connor?”

Connor tossed the last of the photos into the box. His nose wrinkled and he shoved the box further away from him.

“I can’t tell you much.”

At hearing the grumbles begin in the room, he looked directly at Gunnar.

“I can’t because I don’t know much. But I can tell you Keith was mixed up with some bad fellas. He tried to keep me from it as much as he could, and eventually, we only saw each other sporadically. He was making money doing things he shouldn’t have been doing.” Digging into the box once more, he pulled a picture out and held it up. “I think it was with these guys. I don’t know who they are, but I did see the tall guy talking to Keith outside in his garage when I was there one time.”

Gunnar raked his hands through his hair one more time. “Like. What? Running drugs or something?”

Connor shrugged. “I don’t know. All I know is he would get envelopes delivered to secret locations or sometimes delivered by these kooky looking guys, dressed like gangsters and wearing Fedoras. Craziest thing. He would deliver the information in the envelope at a designated location and receive money. Sometimes he would make deliveries for their trucking company. He stayed low, didn’t make any trouble and only worked here and there.”

“Fuck me.” Gunnar looked at Keith, his brows drawing a “v” in his forehead. “Did he always do this shit?”

Connor, feeling a bit uneasy, drew his lips into a fine line. He looked up at Joci, sadness in his eyes.

“I’m afraid he did.”

Joci sank back into the straight-backed kitchen chair she sat in, the breath leaving her lungs in a whoosh. As she regained her thoughts, she looked first at Jeremiah, then at Connor.

“Did. Even when...” She looked at Gunnar and reached over to grab his hand. “Even when he was with me. When Gunnar was born?”

Connor’s sad eyes looked between Joci and Gunnar. He steepled his fingers together lowered his head and rested his forehead on them.

“I honestly believe so, yes. Though I was careful not to ask too many questions and he was careful not to say too much.”

Jeremiah scooted his chair closer to Joci and she rested her head on his shoulder. “So, what are you looking for in those pictures? A code? A message?”

Connor’s lips tilted at the corners, only slightly. “I’m really not sure. I don’t know what was in the envelopes and I don’t know how the information was disseminated. I just wondered if it was written on the pictures somehow.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Putting the finishing touches on her makeup before work, Emma swiped at her lips with her gloss wand, slid it back into the container and twisted it closed. The berry scent wafted up to her nose and she smiled slightly. One last glance in the mirror and she opened the bathroom door. Gunnar was dressed, sitting on the stool by the door pulling his boots on.

“Long day today?” She asked, taking in the handsome male before her, his hair slicked back into his ponytail, the Rolling Thunder t-shirt stretched tight across his shoulders and chest and he smelled fresh-from-the-shower clean. Yum.

He sat up and his eyes raked down her body, stopping briefly at her breasts and again lower before traveling back up to her eyes. She cocked her head to the side and placed a hand on her hip.

“No. You?”

“No. Are we going to have dinner together tonight?” She walked toward him as he stood to his full height. He slid his hand into her hair at the nape and grabbed a fistful of hair pulling her toward him. He kissed her possessively, grabbing her ass and pulling her tight to him. Already his body was responding to her.

“Yes, we’re going to have dinner tonight. Do you want me to grill something?”

She looked up and smiled. “Yeah. That would be nice. I’ll make a salad and a vegetable. You bring the meat.” She slapped his ass as she scooted past him.

“Oh, I’ll bring the meat, all right.”

As they poured their coffee and pulled yogurt, cereal, and bananas out of their respective cupboards, Emma turned to Gunnar and said. “That man was at the office yesterday. The one who took my picture and followed us to Door County.”

Gunnar froze in the act of pulling bowls down from the cupboard. “Did he talk to you?”

“No. It creeped me out. He was there to talk to Chery.”

Gunnar’s hands shook slightly and he quickly set the bowls on the counter. Running his hands down his face and hooking them at the back of his neck, he closed his eyes. When he opened them, Emma was watching him.

“Do you know what he was there to talk to her about?”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes. Do you know what he was there to talk to her about?”

Emma plopped a hand on her hip and narrowed her eyes at Gunnar.

“What’s going on?”

Gunnar grabbed the bowls from the counter and brushed past Emma. Sitting in a chair at the table, he poured some of the grain and granola cereal into his bowl and began busying himself.

“Morning,” JT said as he sauntered into the kitchen.

“Morning,” Emma said, her eyes never leaving Gunnar.

She walked to the table and stood in front of him. “What’s going on, Gunnar?”

JT turned and watched them while Emma stared Gunnar down.

“Nothing. I just don’t want that bastard anywhere near you. It’s weird, isn't it? Him showing up at the very office you work at?”

“I thought so, too. I’m going to do some snooping today to see what the appointment was about. Chery went right to her office and closed the door without saying a word to me yesterday. It’s not that unusual I guess, but still, it’s weird.”

“Who are you guys talking about anyway?” JT plopped down into a chair and began making his breakfast.

Pulling into the parking lot at work, Emma took a deep breath and let it whoosh out of her before opening the car door. She was dying to know who that guy was. Gunnar acted unusual about him today and that set her nerves on edge and she was starting to get a bit pissed.

Walking into her office, she noticed Chery’s office door was closed and she could hear her in there talking. Shaking her head and twisting her lips in a grimace, Emma flipped on her light and put her purse into her bottom drawer, booted up her computer, and stretched her neck as the tension had begun to creep in.

“Emma, I need you to run some documents to a client’s house. She’s not able to come into the office and we need these Estate Planning documents signed and brought back here. You can take the office car, since it’s office business.”

Emma looked up at Chery. Lost in her own thoughts, she hadn’t even heard her walk in. Looking at the envelope Chery was handing her, she responded. “Okay. Do I need to make an appointment?”

“No. You can go over right now, then come right back here with these. Don’t open the envelope.” Chery laid a set of keys on the desktop as her eyes shrunk, it seemed anyway, and reminded Emma of a beady-eyed rat. And then talking to her as if she couldn’t be trusted. Pfft.

“No problem. I think I can manage.” Snark was apparent in Emma’s tone.

With a huff, Chery turned and stalked out of the office, walked across the hall and closed her door.

“Whatever,” Emma muttered. The sooner she left here, the better.
Note to self: resumes need to be sent out tonight.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Gunnar walked up the sidewalk of the house his biological father had lived in for about a year and most likely died in. Keith had moved away when Gunnar was younger and only came back when he had gotten sick. Gunnar didn’t even know where his father and half-siblings had lived. But what he did know was, he had to stop this bullshit before things went too far. When Emma told him Kevin had been at the office yesterday, after Gunnar told him to stay away from her, he almost lost his shit.

He firmly rapped on the door two times and waited for someone to open it. Checking that all of his gear was where he wanted it, he resumed what he hoped was a menacing stance. A younger version of his sister Molly opened the door and stood stock still staring at him. Long dark hair, the same color as Molly’s, flowed over her shoulder, and blue eyes that matched hers stared back at him. She was tiny, only about five foot one and thin, almost too thin. He held her gaze as he took in his youngest sister. Well, that he knew of, anyway. His father wasn’t known for his fidelity.

Clearing his throat, he said, “I’m Gunnar.”

The girl flung the door open and threw herself in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight. At a loss for what to do, Gunnar wrapped his arms gingerly around her and hugged her back. His body began shaking, his emotions scrambled like eggs.

She whispered in his ear, “I’m so glad to meet you. Mom said you’d help us. Thank you.”

Snapping to attention, Gunnar pulled her away from him and set her on the ground. He cleared his throat again and said, “I need to speak to your mom and brother.”

“I’m Kelly, by the way. I’m the youngest. Come on in.” She took Gunnar’s hand and walked into the house towing Gunnar behind her. As they entered the living room, things looked just as they had yesterday. Kelly pointed to the chair that Gunnar had previously perched on and said, “I’ll go and get Mom.” She smiled brightly and walked into the kitchen.

Gunnar stood where he was. He had no intention of getting cozy with these people. He just wanted them to leave him and his family alone.

“Gunnar, thank you for coming back so soon. Kevin will be out of the shower shortly. Can I get you something to drink?”

“No.” Gunnar tilted his head from side to side to ease the tension as he crossed his arms over his chest. Kelly smiled from ear to ear and stared at Gunnar from the sofa. Dianna stammered a bit, then finally said, “Would you at least sit down?”

“No. I’m not here to visit. I’m here to make sure you people understand that when I told you to stay away from Emma, I meant it.” Taking a breath to gain a bit more control, he continued. “Kevin showed up at her office yesterday afternoon.”

Dianna’s eyes grew large and she began shaking her head.

“What of it? I had business there.”

Gunnar whipped around to see Kevin, fresh from the shower, though still looking dumpy and disgusting, standing in the door to the living room. He mimicked Gunnar’s stance by crossing his flabby arms, trying to look tough. He only succeeded in looking…laughable.

“I told you to stay away from her.”

Kevin laughed. “You afraid she’s going to dump you for a better man?”

Gunnar sneered, “Hardly. First of all, when she knows you torched her sister’s house, you’ll do well to not be anywhere near her.”

Kelly sucked in a deep breath. “Kevin. You didn’t.”

“Shut up, shithead. Stay out of this,” Kevin growled.

“Kevin. That’s enough. Stop talking to her like that.” Dianna raised her voice.

“Quit babying her. She’s fucking twenty-one years old. Christ, Ma.”

“Language!” Dianna yelled.

“Fuck. This sucks.” Kevin looked at his mom and sister then turned a scowl at Gunnar. “I’ll tell you how this works, pretty boy. You bring that box of pictures back here and no one gets hurt. Simple. End of story. You want me gone?” Raising his voice to a yell he said, “Bring the fucking pictures!” emphasizing every word with a pointing finger.

Losing his patience with this piece of crap, Gunnar took two giant steps to Kevin, reared back, and landed a right punch on his jaw. The crack sounded throughout the room and almost as if in slow motion, Kevin flew back against the wall and then slid down. His eyes were dazed, a trickle of blood began running down his lip, and his head bounced off the wall a couple of times. Gunnar watched him slump over. Kelly began wailing.

Dianna yelled. “Gunnar, stop!”

Gunnar turned his head to see Dianna coming toward him, her hands out. He stepped back quickly and she stopped.

Softly she said, “We just need the pictures back. That’s all.” Tears formed in her eyes and then began running in streaks down her cheeks.

“Why?” Gunnar’s voice was tight.

“I can’t.” Dianna swallowed.

“It’s the only way I’ll turn them over. I want to know why they’re so fucking important. You gave them to me in the first place. Now you want them back. Why?”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Sitting in the car, torn between hurt and anger, Emma watched as a pretty woman flung herself at Gunnar and how he hugged her. Taking his hand, she led him into her home. Mysterious phone calls, weird behavior, he was his father’s son. What were the friggin odds that she’d have to deliver documents to Gunnar’s mistress’s house? Even bigger odds were that they would be here at the same time. The universe must be looking out for her to put them in the same place at the same time. Again. The first two times had seemed magical. This time was a horror.

Sucking in a deep breath and holding it in for a few beats, she slowly let the air deflate her lungs.

“Time to get this over with,” she said into thin air.

She grabbed the envelope with the documents she needed to get signed and set her spine so rigid as she walked the house-length to the driveway which she followed to the front door. Another deep breath and she knocked on the door. Not sure who would open the door and bracing herself for seeing Gunnar with his mistress. Or was Emma the mistress? Well, it didn’t matter. What mattered was facing this bullshit and moving on. Again.