“Landon brainwashed you,” Avery said now.
“You think that all of this is Landon’s fault,” he started. “You want to believe that I’m a victim, dragged in against my will. But that’s only a partial truth. That only applies to this last time, when I went back to Landon to save you and the others.”
“So tell me.”
“And risk having you never look at me the same way again.”
“That could never happen, Gunner. I know who you are. In here.” She pressed a hand to his heart. “And here.” A hand to the side of his head. “Whatever you did that you think was bad, you’ve more than made up for it.”
“Never.” His voice sounded hollow. “I liked working for Landon. Especially at first. He was better than Powell. And I was able to justify what I was doing because we were giving criminals a new life, letting them escape justice. I didn’t see their victims. And I got to blow the shit out of human traffickers. I got to save women and children. I was the good guy, and I told myself that the end justified the means.”
“I think it probably does,” she told him. “That’s why I feel like such shit for not being able to see a damned line of numbers. I went through all that torture for nothing. If I’d been able to get those numbers . . . it would’ve been worth it.”
He knew exactly what she was saying. Didn’t agree, but understood. He didn’t want to tell her, didn’t even want to think about it. But he had to. Talking about it, remembering it was the only way to make sure he wasn’t doomed to repeat the same mistakes.
He’d been so damned young that first time he’d taken down a trafficker. For two years, he’d roamed the goddamned globe, pulling off smaller jobs, helping Landon’s merc for hire, Declan Moore. Dec was a good mentor, was in it for the money and the explosions.
“You’re taking down bad men,” he’d told Gunner.
“And leading others across the border.”
Declan shrugged. “Karma. Give a little, take a little.”
Declan was killed the week before the transfer. Gunner swore to Landon that he was ready, that he wouldn’t fuck anything up.
But he’d fucked up big-time. Gotten the client arrested and nearly gotten himself killed in the process. By the time he’d made it back to Landon’s three weeks later, after hiding out in random safe houses, his name was mud and Landon was furious.
“But he called you back,” she said. “Is that when you tattooed him?”
He went cold. “I never tattooed him.”
“Good.”
“Why’d you think that?”
“I needed something to focus on. He had the tribal sun on his shoulder . . .”
Gunner stood, took two steps back as if someone had physically pushed him. “Was it a new tattoo?”
“No. It was actually faded. Looked like it needed a touch-up. Gunner, you’re so pale—what’s wrong?”
“Landon doesn’t have any tattoos.”
As soon as Avery told him about the sun tattoo, Gunner was up, grabbing for his laptop, pulling up a picture of Landon. “Was this him?”
“Yes, it was him. The guy from that picture’s the guy who hurt me. I’m sure of it,” Avery insisted.
“I believe you.” He got up and called into the living room for Jem, keeping his voice low. He wasn’t ready to let the others in on anything. Not until the three of them dealt with this new information.
“Dude, what’s up?” Jem asked, his voice rough from sleep.
“Come in here.”
Jem did and Gunner motioned for him to close the door. Since he held the small surveillance camera in his hand, he did so. Placed it where they could all see it but remained standing.
“Landon’s brother—any way he could be a twin? Identical twin?” Gunner asked, and Jem froze.
“Fuck me,” he said finally, and Avery covered her mouth with her hand. “You think he’s pretending to be Landon?”
“I think he’s been around, watching me for a lot longer than I realized,” Gunner said grimly. “Drew Landon’s a bastard, but he’s not a liar.”
“The question is, if Donal’s pretending to be Drew . . . where is Drew?” Jem asked.
“Last I saw him was right before you grabbed me in Bali,” Gunner told him. “I saw him hours before. No tattoo. He was heading back to his island.”
“So wait, did Donal order the beating?” Avery asked. “Because . . . would Drew’s guards take orders from Donal?”
“No, they wouldn’t have,” Gunner said, looked slightly sheepish. “I might’ve mouthed off.”
“To four men with weapons? And they say I’m the crazy one,” Jem muttered.
“None of them really talked to me,” Gunner said. “I was the favorite. They all resented the shit out of me, mainly because I could beat the shit out of them.”
“And Donal got kicked off the island when you arrived,” Jem reminded him. “That’s a damned good reason to resent you. You cost him the family fortune.”
“How do you know he didn’t have money of his own? A business of his own?” Gunner asked. And then he froze in place.
“Gun? Shit, Gunner, what the hell?” Jem shook him and Avery was grabbing his hand as he nearly fell over as the memories hit him.
“The sun,” he whispered. “It was him. It was Donal the whole fucking time.”
Jem and Avery just sat next to him patiently as the slices of memory crowded his brain like a fast-moving slide show, all the pieces falling into place like so many clicks.
“He . . . When I found her . . . Shit . . .” He rubbed his forearm. “It was carved into her arm. The tribal sun. I didn’t even . . . Fuck. I guess I assumed maybe she’d been tattooing herself or . . .”
“Or there was so much going on that night, you didn’t even give it a second thought,” Avery told him firmly. “Donal had to have gone back working for Drew. Got pissed that Drew gave you a second chance and made sure Josie paid for it.”
“He also fucked the job up so badly,” Gunner said slowly.
“Ensuring Landon’s being pissed at you. He figured you’d stay away from Drew because of Josie and because of the fuckup,” Jem finished.
“Strange fucking bedfellows,” Jem muttered.
“So we find Drew or Donal or both. And they both go down,” Avery said decisively.
Gunner nodded. “It’s time to bring this to the group.”
Chapter Twenty-three
They’d been circling one another for the week, not wanting to rile anything up. Gunner refused to leave Avery’s side and, for her sake, peace was kept. That was mainly thanks to Grace, who kept Dare as calm as possible.
“We keep this about Avery for now,” Jem told all of them quietly that first night. Gunner and Dare shook on that.
