Page 6 of Gunner

“Yeah.” Her words were slurring as she closed an eye to try and focus. This evening was coming to an end, and he didn’t want it to.

“Think perhaps we should get you back to your room?” He stood and made his way around the table to Lacey, who was wavering back and forth in her chair. He hooked her under her arms, and she leaned on him; her breast brushed his arm, and he tried not to groan out loud.

“I think that is a good idea, Viking.” Gunner chuckled which wasn’t something he’d anticipated on this trip at all.

He got her to the lift, and once inside, she curled into him, her head in his neck, her lips resting against his pulse. He wasn’t a dick, but he was a human, and she was testing every ounce of control he had with her sweet mouth on him. Just the thought of those lips around his cock had him having to adjust his jeans so he didn’t end up with permanent teeth marks from the zipper.

Lacey was the one woman he hadn’t been able to get out of his head, and yet they’d barely shared a kiss. He didn’t know what it was about her, but she’d burrowed into his soul and made a place for herself there. Had life been different, he would’ve followed up after her attack, made sure she was safe, that she was recovering and maybe even asked her out on a date.

Yet that wasn’t his path now, the choices he’d made had steered him in a direction he couldn’t come back from. Up until a few hours ago, he didn’t even care if he came out of this alive. His only focus to end the threat to his former team and his family, and if he died doing it, he was okay with that.

He looked down at the woman who was snuggled against his side as he walked her to her door and wished things were different, that he was a better man. Her scent played havoc with his control as she struggled to find her key card in her bag. Gently he took it from her fingers and unlocked her door for her, pushing the door open wide.

As he did, his instincts kicked in as he saw the destruction inside. A gasp of dismay had him pulling Lacey behind him at the same time he pulled his weapon.

“Stay here. I need to check and make sure nobody is still in there.”

Lacey nodded, all signs of her drunken state seeming to have fled to be replaced by fear.

Gunner cleared each room silently and efficiently, stepping over her clothes strewn about the bedroom, the mattress that had been slashed, and the tv smashed on the floor. Whoever had done this had been frenzied, but they were gone now. Quickly he made his way back to Lacey, who was standing exactly where he’d left her by the door. Her skin was paler than usual, her eyes bright with fear instead of the joy and desire of moments ago, and for that alone, Gunner wanted to rip whoever had done this to shreds.

Taking her arm, he led her out of the room and back towards the elevator, hitting the button for his floor. Lacey was quiet as if she was in shock, and he knew this would be bringing back unhappy memories for her. As the doors opened, she seemed to snap out of her fog.

“Where are we going?”

Gunner took her upper arm in his hand and directed her toward his room. “My room. We can call security from there.”

“Oh, okay.”

He didn’t like that placid acceptance from her, not because it wasn’t helpful but because her fire was integral to her personality. Not in the same way Pax or Evelyn had fire, hers was more subtle, refined.

Moving into the room, he checked his own security measures were in place, and happy his room hadn’t been breached, he took her inside and led her toward the couch. She sat with a shiver, and he crouched down and pulled a blanket from the back of the sofa over her shoulders.

“Thank you.”

Her voice was small, and he had to grit his teeth to bite back the growl in his throat. Leaning forward, he kissed her forehead, needing to touch her in some way, to reassure her she wasn’t alone. His brain was running scenarios as to who had done this. Was this to do with him or her previous boyfriend or merely a robbery?

Stepping to the fridge, he grabbed two bottles of water, figuring they’d probably had enough alcohol for tonight. He offered her one, and she took it with shaking hands and trepid smile.

“I need to make some calls. You okay for a minute?” Lacey nodded, and he was relieved to see some of the colour coming back into her cheeks. Gunner moved to the other side of the room and took out his phone. He had a choice to make now. Did he call Bás or Jack? It wasn’t much of a choice he realised as he dialled the number and waited.

“Yes?”

“Jack, it’s Gunner.”

Gunner could practically hear his former boss sit up straighter. “What’s wrong?” One of Jack’s many talents was being able to read people’s voices and now was no different.

“I’m in Düsseldorf at the Sheraton. My flight got cancelled.”

“And this concerns me because?”

“I ran into Lacey Cannon and we had a drink. When I walked her back to her room. We found it had been trashed. All her things slashed, mattress slashed, the whole works.”

“Is she okay?”

“Yeah, a little shaken up but she’s fine. I’m going to call security as soon as we hang up.” Gunner sighed and rubbed his temples where a headache was forming. “I know I have no right to ask favours from you, but could you get in touch with Nate and see if Fortis can look into her ex and see if he’s still in prison?”

“I can do that. Anything else?”

“Make sure Nate meets her at the airport. I can keep an eye on her here, but if this is somehow connected to me, I don’t want her left alone.”

“You think it is?”

“Not really, but enough people have gotten hurt because of me. I won’t let her become another victim.”

“Consider it done.”

Jack hung up, and Gunner felt the knot of tension in his belly ease. Now he had to get Lacey safely into the hands of Nate and Fortis, and she’d be fine. Like Eidolon, Fortis Security consisted of former Special Forces that were more like family than anything else. He knew Zack and his team would make sure the woman who was looking at him like he had all the answers safe. Gunner scoffed silently as he called the front desk. He didn’t have answers, and the truth was, he’d made such a fuck up of his life he could hardly find his face in the mirror these days.

But by God, he’d keep her safe if it killed him.