Page 64 of Ache
“You know the funny thing about the past, Gunner?” Tage plants his hands on the tabletop and leans over. “It has a shitty way of coming back to haunt you.”
Gunner’s eyes sharpen. “Don’t get too close, groundhog. I still bite.”
“So do I,” Tage hisses.
“Stop.” Everly slams her palms on the table. “Please just fucking stop.” Everyone’s attention lands on her. She looks up at Tage, nearly ready to crack. “He almost killed you once.”
“Almostbeing the operative word. He can’t do shit now.” Tage has balls of steel. I’m forming a new kind of respect for him.
“Can’t I?” Gunner grunts.
“You threatening me in the presence of a high-powered lawyer and a room full of officers?”
“I’m not threatening shit. Just protecting my ego.” Gunner stays calm, but we all know how much malice is behind his words.
“Gunner,” Everly huffs. “I heard you and my mom fighting over some key. I think she’s after it now. Where is it, and what’s it for?” Everly’s done playing. She wants answers, and she wants to get the hell out of here. I stealthily place my hand on her thigh for support. No one but Tage can see.
Gunner’s black eyes narrow. He’s a scary motherfucker. I will not lie. His buzzed head, tattoos, sharp cheekbones, and gold crowned tooth scream street king.
“I don’t recall ever fighting about a key. Got no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You’re lying,” I call him out. I can read the signs even if they’re all subtle. Gunner is an expert liar, but I still catch the twitch of his finger, the heavy bob of his Adam’s apple, and tick of his jaw. Reading people is what I do. What I’m paid to do, and I do it real fucking well.
“I can’t help you, pretty.” Gunner never takes his eyes off me as he addresses Ever. “Got no clue. Your mama is a wild one. Devil only knows what’s happening in that drug sick head of hers.”
“What a fucking waste.” Everly shoots out of her chair, sending it flying backwards to the floor “You ruined my life. You stole everything from me.Why?What for?What was I worth?”
I think those questions have been festering for years. Even if we don’t find out what Vicki is after, confronting Gunner might be a type of closure Everly needs.
“I loved you like a daughter.”
“You are incapable of love,” she spits. All the men in the room crowd her, including myself.
“You deserve death. You and my mother.” For a split second, I think Gunner is actually hurt. Maybe on some warped, twisted level he did care for her.
Tage and I begin to drag Everly out of the room. She’s had enough. She’s upset and agitated and fighting like hell not to cry. She wants to be strong. She doesn’t want Gunner to see her tears. I realize in the heat of the moment that she has been suffering for so long. More than I can even comprehend.
“Destiny,” Gunner calls, and she cringes at her birth name. “You’re worth as much as a single fingerprint.”
We all look at Gunner like he’s crazy. What in the hell is that supposed to mean?
“I know what a single fingerprint is worth.Nothing.” Everly storms out of the room.
Well, that was a total fucking waste of time and energy.
“He was a fucking kook then, and he’s a fucking kook now.” She stomps down the hallway. “Always talking in riddles that make no damn sense.”
I glance over at Tage inquisitively, keeping pace with Everly.
“I don’t know.” He shakes his head. “Gunner always came out with weird shit like that. He loved to play head games,” Tage explains.
Wonderful. Someone could have warned me we were going to see the Riddler.
“Why did you think this was a good idea, Tage?” Everly spins on her heel once we’re back outside. She’s clearly upset and unravelling at the seams. “We should have known he wouldn't give us answers.”
“Who said he didn’t give us answers?” Tage argues, and she looks at him like he’s looney. We both do. “Gunner is one of the smartest criminals I have ever encountered. He left us a clue.”
“About fingerprints, and how much they’re fucking worth?”
