C8 Gunner: The Truth

I smile at Ethan. He doesn’t give in, not at all. I sit back on the chair with the dagger in my hand. I throw it and watch as it lodges into his leg.

“All I want you to answer is why. None of this she asked, or because you needed money. It was a foolish move, even for money. Do you like her?” I pick up the other dagger and twirl it around my fingers. He keeps going back to the same reason. For the money, yet his eyes tell a different story, and he has money already. I raise my hand.

“Okay. Fine, I will tell you.” I smile and stand. Walking towards him, I hold the blade against his chest.

“The truth or I will carve my name into your chest.” I smile, pushing the blade against him.

“I have known her for years. The bar she usually hangs out in. I worked there for a while. I saw her for years, years of wanting to have fun and everyone stopping her. I watched as she was slowly drowning beneath the restrictions. I saw the pain and hurt in her eyes when no one would sit with her and drink.” He shakes his head.

“The club tonight, that wasn’t Emmi. That was her releasing herself. Someone said they were calling Jamie, and she flipped, she started beating a guy, and of course, others tried stopping her. She threw a knife, and it stabbed a guy. She had them believe it was the plan, she stayed calm, but I had got so used to her. I saw the pure terror in her eyes, realising what she had done. She wanted freedom, and briefly, she got it. Yet her eyes were a pool of sorrow. She has never lived in her life, not really. Never had a chance to gamble in a place, to drink past the limit unless she was home in her room hiding. She has restrictions on how much she can drink. I felt sorry for her. She looked lost. The 10k was purely to hide that fact because I couldn’t make myself look weak in the city and doing it for free would do that.”

I stand looking at him. His statements are true. I can tell that.

“You like her.”

His eyes widen and he shakes his head. “No, as I said, I saw her for years. She’s a friend at a distance because men weren’t allowed near her. Everyone has their freedom, Gunner, and she had nothing. She wanted to live, and I wanted to try to give it to her because who the hell wouldn’t when you see the tears in her eyes and know she is hurting?”

Well, he doesn’t like her, which is good to know. So, while I want to keep going because he went against the rules and behind our backs, he was doing it for her.

“The arrangement is fucked up. She was brought up to know that she was to be given to your lot at any time after she turned eighteen. I considered how that would feel, growing up just waiting for the day you were taken for a deal.”

“The deal is void.” My words are quiet, and he looks up, confused.

“Then why the hell are you still doing it?”

“Our father tried stopping it. He had told her family it was a foolish deal to make. I guess them finally having Adelia, their own child, their daughter opened their eyes. Even after her death, they tried to pull out of the deal. The fact is her family don’t want her.”

He looks up at me, shocked. “No, they’ve been protecting her.” He seems so sure I am wrong.

“Protecting her or controlling her? You see, her parents wanted a boy. Just a boy and they got twins, one of each. To them, she is a burden. A boy can take care of their city, a girl can be hurt, pulled into traps. When we refused, they said if we didn’t keep the deal open and take her, they would just dump her in the city. My parents hated that. We were all adopted because they couldn’t have kids. When Adelia happened, it was a miracle, and they realised that even girls are valuable. Her family don’t see it that way. Her restrictions are not to keep her safe, but to try to stop the amount of work they would have if she had freedom.” My head falls at the thought of Adelia, our beautiful sister. Jamie made us aware they want it done now. Apparently, Emmi has become wilder, making it harder for them to protect her.

“Well, now you know the truth. You can stop torturing me and just end it.” Ethan looks at me, waiting for the final blow.

“I need to speak to Bear. Stay where you are.” I turn to the door.

He laughs. “Like I can get anywhere, Gunner, you have me chained up.” He is right.

Bear is outside the room with Emmi, her eyes full of tears. Why is she crying?

“Why are you crying, little lamb?” Bear asks, waiting, and I see pure pain in her eyes.

“Ethan doesn’t deserve to die. He doesn’t deserve any punishment you put on him. He was the only one to help me get some freedom. The only one to give me the freedom to live. Do you know how it feels?” She looks up at him, forcing more tears to roll down her cheeks and my eyes stay fixed on her face.

“How what feels?” Bear asks.

“To have lived for twenty-four years and never have fun? Never have a night out drinking and partying, never have the freedom to just walk in and out of shops, any shops you want? To be restricted so much that you only get to see around five places in your own city. To realise soon, you will be sent to another family expected to marry one of them while knowing that for your whole life, you have seen and experienced nothing?” Her words hurt me. We stayed out of it. We tried putting this off, over and over, but her mother refused. We keep out of the city’s business, especially when it comes to their lives. I can’t say I would have had I had known how strict they were with her, just to keep their work burden less.

“I don’t know, but what does that have to do with Ethan?” Bear asks.

“Because he is the one person who cared enough to risk his life to help me get that freedom. You may disagree, but he wanted to help me. He was giving me the freedom I wanted, and not even my family would give. He doesn’t deserve death because of me! I don’t want that guilt, not when he did nothing wrong and nothing to hurt me.” Her head falls forward.

“It is too late. He is with Gunner now.” Bear looks at her, and I move forward. I won’t kill him. She looks up, now noticing me, and I watch as pure hate fills her eyes. She screams, fighting against Bear to get to me. She screams insults at me as she cries and thrashes about in Bear’s grip.

“He is alive!” I shout at her, and she stops for a moment. “He is alive and will heal. I won’t kill him, for you, little kitten, I will spare him. I will spare him because he tried helping you when no one else did, but you won’t see him again.” She stays crying, Bear’s arms dropping from around her body as she calms. His eyes are on me, clearly telling me I am wrong. Maybe I am? Yet seeing her cry, I feel bad. I watch as she rushes to me. Here comes the smack. I get ready for it and feel her arms wrap around me instead. What the? I look down at her, confused, as she sobs against my chest. So not hitting me for hurting Ethan?

“Thank you. I’m sorry, I saw the blood and thought you had killed him.” She moves back and then walks off.

Bear stands staring at me. “You soft fucking fool.”

Maybe I am. “She was crying, plus his side matches hers. Ethan didn’t even want the money. He did it so no one would think that he was weak. He did it for her.” I can’t kill him for that.

“Make him aware he keeps quiet. He speaks nothing of her, this, everything. He stays away from her, Gunner. I don’t care. Tell him I will have someone else do his job. He stays out of this city.”

“Consider it done. I will finish up, then get some sleep.” I walk back down to the room and through the door; Ethan raises his head and looks at me like he is ready to die. He should be, but my little lamb just saved him.

“Here is the deal. You stay out of this city, Ethan. Bear will find someone else for that job you do. You will not speak to her again, and you will not mention the truth about the deal our families made.” I look at him as I pick up the dagger.

Pushing it against his side, I smile. “She saved you. Just now, her words saved you, so you owe her life. If I hear one word about you talking, Ethan, this won’t be the last time these daggers are used!” I push it forward, and he screams.

“No speaking, okay. Fine, I won’t fucking speak.” He looks at me. Then I see something click.

“What have you realised?” He looks at me now like he is debating telling me. Then, moving, I twist the knife causing him to scream, which just makes me smile.

“She was on a call. Some guy was bribing her. I think it was she gives him 40k, and he flies her out of her city and away from everywhere, so she was free.”

I turn the knife more. “Is that all?”

He nods, crying. “Yes, she was 5k away from doing it. She needed money for a place for herself and to start over. 5K and she would be going.”

“A name?” I need a name.

“She didn’t mention it. She called him from her phone, though. So, his number is on there.” Well, that will help me find this guy. I remove the chains and he falls to the floor. I throw him his clothes.

“I don’t care who it is. You do not mention her family and the deal. No good can come from her knowing her parents didn’t want her burden.” She doesn’t deserve that.

“I won’t,” he says, and I watch as he finishes getting dressed. Opening the door to the tunnel, I step out the way and place a stack of money on the side. He looks at me, confused.

“She made a deal with you, and she is our burden, so it is paid. Take the money and leave, pretend the deal went ahead. Anyone who was there knows not to speak.” He nods before taking the money and disappearing.

Walking to the door, I lock it before turning and walking back through the house. Tonight was calm, and I don’t understand why. Usually, I have some sort of crazy music on and the coloured lights flashing while I give out punishment, but I didn't because it was for my little kitten. It was all seriousness. I walk to my room, step into the shower, and watch as his blood runs free. She will never know. I won’t let her feel that pain of her parents not caring. Maybe it is Adelia? No woman has been in this house since her. We all failed her, all of us, including our father, for not seeing that snake in our lives. I close my eyes and see the rage, the blood, everything. I felt everything slip that night, I became Gunner, and there is no going back.

There is no going back for any of us. Which fucked us all over and fucked us all up. She will be one of the most protected women living here because there is no way I am risking it happening again. No one will survive if it happens again. Falling back onto the bed, I see her in my mind. She is so fierce. Even tonight, while crying, I saw pure fire in her eyes. She is a fighter and no doubt that is because she had to be, in her city. Breaking down would confirm her family’s worries that she is weak. She isn’t weak. She is stronger than Jamie, they just don’t see it. Or maybe they do see it but don’t want it known?

“You let him live?” I look at the door. Dante is stood there, staring at me. “Since when do let people fucking walk who weren’t meant to?” Oh, now he is angry over this?

“He did something for her that no one else could. Speak to her, Dante. She has no idea the truth behind this deal, or about her mum. She has had no life while we were here knowing her fate and did nothing to ensure she had a life before getting locked in this city.” I won’t argue over my choices. “If he turns up dead, it will kill her, so leave it. Now can I sleep, please?” I look at him, waiting. Not long after, he walks away.

She leaves tomorrow only to come back the day after. After finding her little escape friend, I think I will make sure her room is done nicely. I would say just like at her own home, but maybe she doesn’t like that if her parents choose everything for her? Maybe she wants to choose her own? I fall asleep with the thoughts in my mind of making her smile and be happy here, even if she refuses us all in the end.

When I wake, I walk out and sit with my brothers. We eat and talk. While Dante still refuses to accept that she will live here, we still have to make plans. I hear her movement and turn to see her walking into the room. She is different today. She has lost that fire, the edge. She looks defeated, and I don’t like seeing that look on any woman, but her? Somehow, it hurts more than seeing it on anyone else. She shouldn’t feel like that.