Gunner - Silverback Redemption 1 Read online

  “This should help with the pain.” He gave her a shot. “It’ll take a couple of minutes to work. But we really need to get you to the hospital for a CT scan.”

  “I’ll be okay.” Sadie swung her legs around into the vehicle and leaned back, taking deep breaths as she tried to fight off a wave of nausea that was building into a tsunami.

  “Do you want to tell me about the backpack?” Gunner slid in beside her. Kit shut her door and climbed into the front passenger seat alongside Jason.

  “No.” She glanced at him sideways and then wished she hadn’t, her stomach lurched. “You already looked.”

  “I did. We needed to ID you.” Gunner buckled up his seatbelt as the truck began moving smoothly toward the road. “You’re in trouble.”

  “I am.” Sadie gave a weak smile. “Which is why I don’t want to talk about the backpack and its contents.”

  “We can help you with whatever it is you are mixed up in.” Gunner’s confidence was almost too much.

  “A man is dead because of what is in that backpack and they nearly killed me,” she said softly. “I can’t put anyone else in danger.”

  “What if you don’t have a choice?” Gunner asked.

  Her eyes widened and she turned to face him. The stabbing pain in her head subsided as the pain meds took effect, giving her a floaty feeling. As if she were floating on cloud nine with Gunner lying by her side. “There are always choices. You and your friends are really good guys.” She waggled her finger at Gunner. “And the dragon.” She giggled, feeling lightheaded. “At least if I die tomorrow, I’ve seen a dragon.”

  Gunner’s hand rested on her shoulder. “You are not going to die tomorrow. You are not going to die anytime soon if I have my way.”

  His touch electrified her, it dragged her back from under the warm safe blanket the pain meds drew over her. “You don’t know that. And you shouldn’t hang on to me or feel obliged to save me.”

  Her harsh words conflicted with her inner emotions, which were in turmoil. The loss of Professor Augustine was too raw and the thought of anyone else becoming entangled in the conspiracy surrounding his death was unthinkable. Yet, she longed to open up to someone, to have another person on her side so that she didn’t feel so lost and alone.

  “You’re wrong,” Gunner replied harshly. “I am obliged to save you.”

  “Why? Because you found me on the mountain and rescued...” Her hands flew to her mouth. “The dragon.” Her eyes widened. “The bear.”

  “The bear was me, yes. I’m a shifter. And the thing about shifters is they wait their whole lives for one person who makes them whole. And for me, you are that person, so if anything happens to you, then I will never be whole again.”

  Her head jerked back, and she immediately regretted the action. The meds were good, but not a miracle. Her hand went to the back of her head and the lump. “You need to pick someone else.”

  “I don’t get to pick, fate does.” He took a ragged breath. “And fate chose you. For me. And me for you.”

  “Fate was wrong,” she told him bluntly.

  “No.” He looked her up and down, taking in her messy hair and mud-stained clothes. “I think fate got it just right.”

  “You have no idea what you are getting yourself involved in.” Sadie needed to turn him away from the path he wanted to take. She needed to save him.

  “Nope. I don’t,” he admitted. “But then you have no idea who I am and what I am capable of.”

  Sadie looked into his soft brown eyes, but the softness had gone, altered. A flint hardness replaced it, and she had no doubt Gunner would do whatever it took to protect her. Even if it meant laying down his own life. “Stubborn, too. Just my luck.”

  He cracked a grin. “You’ll get used to it. And I prefer tenacious. Stubborn makes me sound like a mule.”

  “And you are not a mule.” She was too tired to argue with him over whether he was going to help her. “So, a shifter?”

  “A shifter, yes.” His expression lightened. “I can change at will from a man to a bear. And no, I don’t need a full moon.”

  “How did you know I was going to ask?” Sadie relaxed her neck and turned her head sideways so she could lean back on the headrest without putting pressure on her sore head.

  “I figured you’d have watched movies with werewolves and such.”

  “I don’t watch movies.” She arched an eyebrow at his surprised expression. “My work has consumed me for so long. It’s what I eat, sleep and breathe.”

  Her voice caught in her throat. Her life as she knew it was over. Her work was over. The men who killed the professor and attacked Sadie worked for the same company as she did. She had no idea how high up this went. But she suspected she would never see the inside of her office again.

  “That’s not healthy.” Gunner’s statement jerked her back to the truck and away from the traumatic events that had ended Professor Augustine’s life.

  “No, it’s not. But it’s the way I lived.” She smoothed her hands over her muddy pants as the sun rose higher in the sky and illuminated the world around them. And what a world it was. The mountains which were to her right stood like silent sentinels over a small town to her left. She could see the buildings nestled together and the people of the town slowly waking up as lights came on in the windows of homes and businesses. If only she could slap the back of Jason’s seat and tell him to stop and pull over. If only she could get out of the truck and insert herself seamlessly into the same ordinary lives other people led.

  “Lived. Past tense.” Gunner was staring at her as if trying to read her innermost thoughts.

  “Lived. Past tense.” She turned away from the town and the people. “That life is over.”

  “So we’re about revenge.” Gunner’s eyes flashed. He knew about revenge. Perhaps fate had brought them together for a reason.

  “I have to avenge a friend. I have to put things right. For him.” Sadie’s energy ebbed and her shoulders slumped forward. She could just walk away and make a new life. She could just become one of those people who got up in the morning and went to work in an office or a local store.

  “Is that what he’d have wanted?” Gunner asked. It was a question she had no answer for.

  “It’s what I want.” She gave a short, humorless laugh. “Funny, we never discussed what I should do if ever he got stabbed in the chest and left to bleed out on the floor.”

  “Life is often full of surprises.” He leaned a little closer to her, or maybe he was countering the motion of the truck as it went around a bend in the road. “But my advice to you is to figure out what he would have wanted you to do. And then follow your heart.”

  “My heart says if I don’t do something, if I don’t take a stand against these people, then what happened to my friend will happen to someone else. They have to be stopped.” They drove past the road sign that said they were entering Bear Bluff. “I also know if I don’t stop them, they will stop me.”

  “You could just let me stop them.” The menace in his voice inferred Gunner’s solution would be violence. But Sadie’s solution was much more subtle. And much more satisfying.

  Chapter Five – Gunner

  Gunner could understand her need to avenge the death of her friend only too well. He’d been down that dark road before.

  “We’re here.” Kit turned around in his seat and studied Sadie for a moment. “We’re going to need to check in with a name and preferably some ID.”

  “You can’t just take me around the back and in through a side door?” Sadie asked hopefully.

  “I can take you through a side door, but I can’t just hijack the CT scanner even at this time of the morning.” Kit chewed the inside of his lip thoughtfully. “If we take you in as a Jane Doe, then I need to alert the authorities.”

  Jason threaded the steering wheel through his hands as he drove into the hospital parking lot. “We should alert Sheriff Brad anyway.”

  “No police.” Sadie put her hand up as if to end the conversation.

  “Brad is one of the good guys. If he knows what’s going on, he’ll run with it,” Gunner assured his mate. “Believe me, we’ve been in some bad situations and Brad has totally come through for us.”

  Sadie’s brow creased before she winced and relaxed. “What exactly do you guys do?” The frown returned. “Nothing illegal, I hope.”

  “They help people,” Kit butted in quickly before Gunner could answer. “They like to play it down, but they help a lot of people around here.”

  “We do what we can,” Gunner grumbled. “Nothing special.”

  “Yeah, tell that to Tod. You saved him.” Kit turned around in his seat. “And last night, during his own birthday party, Gunner was out fixing a car for Jodie so she can drive to Bear Bluff Hospital each day.”

  Jason laughed. “That might be more because Gunner hates parties, even if they are for him.”

  Sadie raised her eyes to Gunner’s. And what pretty eyes they were. Cobalt blue, with crackles of green like a rare gem. “You’re one of the good guys.”

  “No.” He raised his hand to brush off the comment.

  “You should go inside,” Jason cut in as he picked up his cell phone. He was covering Gunner’s ass as always. Gunner hated compliments and Jason knew it. They both had pasts. They both had stuff they needed to make up for. This wasn’t the time for his mate to become acquainted with Gunner’s need for redemption. “It might be best if everyone thinks Sadie is still unconscious. You can log her in as a Jane Doe and I’ll call Brad to explain things.”

  “Okay.” Sadie looked at the hospital warily. “What if they are here? What if they are waiting inside?”

  “If we knew who they were, that might be helpful,” Kit told her gently.

  “They work for the same company as I do.” Sadie’s jaw tightened and she put her hand to her forehead. “Why they killed the professor and attacked me, I don’t know. The professor never got the chance to tell me.”

  “But they want what is on the floppy disk?” Gunner asked, his hand covering the backpack which he still held on to.

  “Yes. At least that would be my guess.” She hesitated. Sadie was holding something back, but he didn’t want to press her any further. She’d already revealed enough for them to know who and what they were dealing with.

  “We can keep you safe. But Brad needs to know about this, too.” Jason held up his cell phone and tapped the screen. “You all go inside, and I’ll talk to our local sheriff.”

  Kit nodded. “Come on, let’s go. I should be able to get you in for a CT scan before they open up for routine appointments. The sooner we get in and out of the hospital, the better.”

  “Kit, I don’t want you putting yourself at risk over this,” Sadie said as she slid out of the truck and set her feet down. Her knees buckled and she grabbed hold of the truck door as she regained her balance.

  “It’s okay. My patients always come first.” He glanced up at Gunner. “If Gunner carries you to the hospital, I can grab a gurney and then we can wheel you through to the emergency room. I’ll talk to the receptionist. I need you to keep your eyes closed and stay still, no matter what.”

  “I understand.” Sadie nodded and then turned to look at Gunner. “If that’s okay with you, Mr. Bear.”

  She arched an eyebrow and he smiled down at her. “Anytime.”

  “After the hospital, will you tell me more about shifters?” she asked in his ear. Her warm breath caressed his skin and he shivered as she awoke his arousal. Now was not the time to have those kinds of thoughts about his mate...

  Of course, it’s the time, his bear scoffed. Any time is the time when she’s so close.

  “I can tell you everything you want to know and more.” Gunner gritted his teeth and lifted Sadie into his arms. She fit perfectly against his chest and the temptation to simply turn around and run as fast as his legs would carry them both into the mountains and find a cave to hole up in while this all blew over was almost too much.

  “I’d like that. Especially the part about why you have this need to help me even though we’ve only just met.” Sadie closed her eyes and let her body go limp as they neared the hospital.

  “I can answer that part for you.” Kit led them toward a side door that led into the hospital. He tapped a code into the keypad and pulled open the door. “We should avoid the main entrance just in case anyone is watching.”

  “Thanks, Kit.” Gunner shouldered the door open as he carried Sadie through.

  “You were going to tell me about shifters,” Sadie said quietly as they walked down an empty corridor.

  “I was.” Kit took a left and the smell of the hospital overwhelmed Gunner’s senses. The smell of cleaning fluids brought back memories he’d tried hard to forget. Memories linked to the reason he sought redemption in everything he did.

  “So?” Sadie pushed for more information.

  “So, as Gunner told you, we wait for life for the one person who means the world to us...” Kit walked in front of them, guiding them to the right.

  “Wait, you are a shifter, too?” Sadie kept her face hidden and her voice so low only the two men could hear.

  “I am. I was lucky, I met my mate a couple of years back. Gunner has waited half a lifetime for you.” Kit glanced at Gunner, who stared right back, not sure where the doctor was taking this conversation.

  “I’m still not sure why he would wait for me,” Sadie said self-effacingly. “All I’ve done is bring trouble into his life.”

  Kit stopped, his hand resting on the handle of the door that led into a corridor from where Gunner could hear people talking. “The thing is, he has been waiting for you. Which means you have to let down whatever barriers you have in place to keep people out. And Gunner has to do the same. Then you have to work together to figure out how to deal with the situation you are in...together. That’s how this works and the sooner you accept it and work with it rather than against it, the sooner things get fixed and you get to move on.”

  “That’s quite a speech, Kit.” Gunner knew where Kit was coming from. But would Sadie see it the same way or would she still try to keep Gunner out and only tell him half the story?

  “Tell me,” Sadie began, “if we are mates, Gunner would do whatever it took to keep me out of danger, right?”

  Gunner could see where this was leading. But he still answered truthfully. “Yes, I would.”

  “Why doesn’t it work the other way around?” Sadie asked. “I want to protect him. I want to protect you all.”

  “One thing I have learned, in the short time I’ve had a mate, but also in the time I’ve been a doctor, is that you can’t protect those you love all the time. You have to expose them to danger and heartbreak. It’s a fact of life.” He pushed the handle down. “You two are stronger together. Mates are stronger together.”

  As Kit pushed the door open, Gunner considered that his speech about mates had been as much for Gunner’s ears as it had been for Sadie’s. As the doctor led them out of the quiet corridor and toward the ER, Gunner contemplated Kit’s words. He was right. There was as much danger in being overprotective as there was in being reckless.

  “Through here.” Kit led the way and Gunner followed, with Sadie in his arms. Out in the busy corridor, she stopped asking questions and lay still as if she were unconscious.

  As he looked down at her beautiful face, so calm, so serene as if she were asleep, he knew there was no place he would rather be.

  “I’ll grab the gurney. Gunner, lay Sadie down on it,” Kit instructed as he pulled a gurney away from the wall where it had been parked. “Now, we are going to keep this simple. Sadie had a car accident and you found her on the road and brought her in. Jason then towed the car back to The Happy Bear Club and stowed it in the shed, that way no one will go looking for it.”

  Gunner nodded. “Keep it simple.”

  “And let me do all the talking.” Kit nodded, turned on his heel and made his way toward the receptionist who was shuffling through some paperwork while simultaneously watching the hands of the clock. “Good morning, Rita.”

  “Morning, Kit.” She glanced at Sadie, who lay limp on the gurney. “What do you have?”

  Kit spoke quietly to Rita, his eyes occasionally darting toward the gurney, where Sadie lay. Rita tapped her keyboard and filled in the details Kit gave her. A few minutes later, the young doctor came back to them and inclined his head toward the elevator. “Let’s go.”

  Gunner wheeled the gurney after the doctor. As they walked, the sound of hurried footsteps reached him. On the gurney Sadie tensed, her hands curling into fists. “Relax, it’s only Jason.”

  “That was fast.” Jason caught up with them as they stood waiting for the elevator.

  “Rita is due to end her shift in ten minutes and she wants everything cleared up and off her desk before it ends so she isn’t delayed.” Kit glanced toward Rita. “She has a new mate. He is waiting at home for her. She might be a little distracted.”

  “So, we got lucky,” Gunner said.

  “Yes, she was pleased when I told her we’d already alerted Sheriff Brad.” Kit pressed the button to take the elevator up to the second floor.

  “So she isn’t going to check up on us. Jason didn’t need to have called Brad. We could have kept this all quiet?” Gunner asked.

  “No. Rita might be in love, but she still does her job with the utmost professionalism. She’ll be calling Brad right about now to check up on me.” Kit grinned. “I know, it’s shocking, but my boyish good looks don’t work on female shifters at all, particularly when they have their mate. Rita has eyes for no one other than her man.”

  Sadie chuckled but then smoothed out her breathing and lay very still. Gunner could not wait until the day Sadie only had eyes for him. Although, he understood it would take longer for her to accept him as the only man in her life.