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Next to me, Rex and Zeke are frozen in place, waiting for me to speak.
“I’ve decided that I want to stay,” I breathe.
Zeke and Rex jump to their feet, hooting and hollering, and even Gunner throws up his fists, overjoyed.
“Goldie,” Zeke cries, pulling me to my feet and wrapping his arms around me. “Really?”
He’s squeezing me so tight that I can only nod my head yes, and then Zeke’s lips are pressing down on mine. He kisses me until I’m dizzy and then passes me to Rex. Rex plants one on me, wrapping one arm around my waist while his other hand cups my ass. Finally, I’m handed off to Gunner. He lifts me off the ground as if I weigh nothing and holds me against his chest as we kiss.
“I’m so fucking glad, Goldie,” Gunner whispers when we finally pull away. He gently places me back down on the sofa.
I glance around at my men, feeling exhilarated but not without some trepidation.
“Are you sure it’s going to be okay?” I ask, searching each of their faces nervously. “With my dad, I mean.”
Gunner’s eyes never waver from mine. “Goldie, we’re the Grim Riders. This is no problem at all for us.”
I nod, but when I catch the guys exchanging glances, I become uneasy.
“What is it?” I demand, shifting in my seat.
“Goldie, there’s something you should know,” Rex’s voice lowers, and he tilts down his chin. “About your father.”
Zeke reaches over to grab onto one of my hands.
“We didn’t want to tell you, unless you stayed,” Zeke says, smiling apologetically. “If you would have gone back, knowing would have made your life harder.”
I feel almost numb. “What is it?”
The sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach has returned. I knew that there had to be something. There had to be a reason that three Grim Riders showed up for church service on a Wednesday night.
“Your father,” Rex says carefully. “Isn’t the upstanding citizen you think he is.”
I lift an eyebrow, silently beckoning for Rex to continue. I’ve known that my father was a hypocrite and completely overcome with greed, but was he doing somethingcriminal?
“He was buying guns from us,” Rex explains bluntly. “The Reverend wanted to establish a partnership. With his connections, the business could span the entire United States.”
“What?” I gasp and my mouth drops open.
Rex nods grimly. “But there’s more.”
I feel nauseous, but I lean forward to listen.
“The Reverend got the last batch on credit,” Gunner says, his raspy voice eerily calm. “He still owes us.”
“So, that why y’all kidnapped me?” I ask, finally putting all the pieces together. “To get your money back?”
The guys all look chagrined, and Zeke squeezes my hand.
“And it was the best thing I ever did,” Zeke grins, and it feels like the sun is shining down on me. I bask for a moment in his glow until Gunner clears his throat.
“Does this change anything, Goldie?” Gunner asks.
“No,” I answer. If anything, it affirms my decision.
“We didn’t want to tell you until you made up your mind,” Rex says.
“I just want to be with you guys even more,” I confess.
