Gunnar
(Kiss of Death MC)
by Marteeka Karland
Motorcycle Club Romance, Suspense, Age Gap
Date Published: March 28, 2025
Pippa is the unexpected twist in my life, a complication I never saw
coming.
Pippa -- My life has been shaped by some kind of underworld scheming I
don’t really understand. Or maybe I don’t want to know. But now
I’m living in darkness and violence, unable to break free but
unwilling to succumb to the drug induced stupor my captives force on me.
Then Gunnar, a fierce man with a dark relentlessness, charges to my rescue
like a black knight, taking vengeance on those who have hurt me. Our first
meeting isn’t a rescue out of a fairy tale -- it’s pure chaos.
Gunnar may be an ex-con, but he protects me with a ferocity I never knew
existed.
Gunnar – Pippa’s quiet resilience clashes with the violent life
I know. With just a look, the woman claims my heart and life takes on a
brand new meaning. I’ve done time -- fifteen long years behind bars,
to protect my sister. Now I’ll protect Pippa with a ruthlessness she
can’t even imagine.
My past is dark, my future uncertain, and every moment with Pippa makes me
realize the lengths I’ll go to keep her. Fate has brought me to the
one woman I know I can’t live without.
WARNING: Gunnar includes scenes of graphic violence and adult situations
including potential triggers for some readers. There’s also a
protective hero, an intelligent, insightful heroine, and eventual happy
ending. No cheating, as always.
EXCERPT
“This the day?”
I glanced at my cellmate and now a close friend. I was packing up my
personals in our cell, getting ready to leave prison after serving fifteen
years of a twenty-year sentence. “Yep.”
“Thought you had a few more years left.”
I shrugged. “I did.”
“Interesting.” Knuckles leaned against the end of the bunk. I
paused in my packing to find him watching me intently.
“Yeah,” I drawled slowly. “Thought so
myself.”
“You think it was your old man?” Knuckles knew about Cain and
ExFil and Bones. He knew my dad had some pull and was likely thinking
I’d held out on him.
“If you’re implyin’ I’ve been down-playin’
people I know, I haven’t been. This is as much a surprise for me as it
is you.”
“I know.”
OK, now I stopped what I was doing altogether and took a step toward
Knuckles. “What’s goin’ on?” Clearly, I’d
missed something important.
“You’re a solid guy, Gunnar. I had an…
opportunity.”
“What kind of opportunity?” I was preparing myself for a fight,
but I had no idea who’d I’d be fighting. Knuckles didn’t
usually play politics inside, but one thing I’d learned while in USP
Terre Haute was that there wasn’t much men wouldn’t do for a few
amenities.
“The kind where I had to make a choice.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Are we gettin’ ready to try to kill
each other, Knuckles?”
“Depends on your answer.”
I held my arms out from my side slightly so he could see I wasn’t
armed. “Gotta know the question first, man.”
“I was told there was a one-time opportunity for me to get myself or
one person of my choosing out early. Call it a favor from someone in the
position to make this happen.”
“What’s that got to do with me?”
“If you agree to do something for me, you get to go back to your life
a couple years early.”
“I suppose it depends on what it is you want. There are things I
won’t do. Even for my freedom. I take it me getting this early parole
wasn’t my father’s doing.”
“Even for the man who kept you alive when you first got to the real
prison outta Camp Hilton?”
There was nothing easy about the camp and the bastard knew it. He also knew
I’d agree with him I was alive now because of him. “Yeah,
Knuckles. Even for you. But I hope you know I’d never deny you
something without a fuckin’ good reason.”
Knuckles studied me for several seconds before nodding his head slowly.
“Yeah. I do know. It’s why I went ahead and pushed the order
through. You’re a good man, Gunnar. Of all the people here, I believe
you are the one man who has never been a danger to society. Anyone who fucks
with your family isn’t considered society and is asking for whatever
you dish out.” He snorted out a laugh. “You’re leaving
whether you agree to help me or not.”
“What’s the ask, Knuckles?”
“My daughter,” he said. “She’s been taken. One of
my enemies found out who she was and used her to get revenge on me.”
Knuckles handed me a few photos of a young woman bound and gagged with an
expression of abject terror on her face. The thing striking me most about
her were her bright green eyes. They shimmered with tears, but there was
something about them. A quiet acceptance of what was about to happen, maybe?
Not in a sense she’d given up, but like she’d accepted the
experience wasn’t going to be pleasant, but was determined to make it
through so the task was complete.
“Pippa?” Knuckles had told me of her often enough. He was so
proud of his baby girl. He’d managed a fling with one of the nurses in
the prison before I got here and the woman had kept in touch over the years,
even going so far as to let the girl meet Knuckles. The visit had gone well,
but Knuckles had come back to the cell angry and agitated, afraid his
enemies might use her to get revenge. That had been about five years ago. I
knew there was nothing in the Goddamned world Knuckles wouldn’t do for
Pippa, whether it be killing or dying for her.
“Yeah. I’ve had some stuff sent to the Bones MC clubhouse for
you. I can’t rescue Pippa on my own and I have no idea if my own club
would back me after what happened. The fallout of killin’ those
bastards put Kiss of Death in a pretty bad position.”
OK, the name of his club got my attention. “Kiss of Death? Motorcycle
Club in Nashville?”
Knuckles nodded. “You know of us, then?”
“Yeah. You could say that.” I had to be careful here. I had no
idea how I had managed to form a strong friendship with this man over the
course of fifteen years and not realized he’d had ties to Kiss of
Death.
“I was vice president before I got put in here. After I went away,
things went to shit. Ain’t even sure at this point if they’ll
still accept my patch. Damned sure ain’t vice president anymore. So my
chances of gettin’ her back on my own are pretty Goddamned
slim.”
“You think I have a better shot?”
“Know you do. The new prez of Kiss of Death came from Bones. Vice
president too. I can tell by the look on your face you know
this.”
“Yeah. What I don’t know is why you kept your ties to them a
secret from me.”
“There’s a reason I hadn’t called in that favor before
now, Gunnar. I set this in motion the day I found out Torpedo had taken over
Kiss of Death. It took a few months for my guy to pull it off so I used that
time to gather as much information on the fuckers who took her.”
“I assume the information is in the package you sent back to
Bones?”
“Yeah. Let whoever you need see it. Do whatever you have to. But get
Pippa away from those bastards.”
I didn’t hesitate but stuck out my hand to Knuckles and he took it.
“On my life, brother. I’ll bring Pippa home.”
“No,” he snapped. “You take her back to Bones or Kiss of
Death if Torpedo and Bohannon are men you trust. But get her behind locked
doors and do not let her out of your sight. If that means you take her as
your old lady, then you do it. That’s the ask, Gunnar.”
It took a moment to comprehend what I’d just heard. “Me? You
want me to make your daughter my old lady?”
About the Author
Marteeka Karland is an international bestselling author who leads a double
life as an erotic romance author by evening and a semi-domesticated
housewife by day. Known for her down and dirty MC romances, Marteeka takes
pleasure in spinning tales of tenacious, protective heroes and spirited,
vulnerable heroines. She staunchly advocates that every character deserves a
blissful ending, even, sometimes, the villains in her narratives. Her
writings are speckled with intense, raw elements resulting in page-turning
delight entwined with seductive escapades leading up to gratifying
conclusions that elicit a sigh from her readers.
Away from the pen, Marteeka finds joy in baking and supporting her husband
with their gardening activities. The late summer season is set aside for
preserving the delightful harvest that springs from their combined efforts
(which is mostly his efforts, but you can count it). To stay updated with
Marteeka's latest adventures and forthcoming books, make sure to visit her
website. Don't forget to register for her newsletter which will pepper you
with a potpourri of Teeka's beloved recipes, book suggestions, autograph
events, and a plethora of interesting tidbits.
Author Contact Links
Author on Instagram & TikTok: @marteekakarland
Author on Facebook
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@changelingpress
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