Viper's Kiss Page 9

  “Brother, we’re under attack. We’ve got heat on us again. And we got a tip about a deal going down late last night. We all took to it, wanting to make a fucking statement. We were ambushed again, Blaine. This time it was semi-auto’s.”

  “Shit.”

  “Erik and Landon took hits.”

  Blaine jumped up, sending the chair flying back. “They got shot?”

  “Landon is fine. Erik got hit bad. He might not make it. We got lucky though. Shay lost his ride. They blew it up. Lucky for us that was our break. We were able to get away while the motorcycle exploded into a ball of flames.”

  “Holy shit, brother.”

  “Miller wants a full table right now. We have a final vote. And other business to tend to.”

  “Jesus Christ. Erik is going to die?”

  “He might. You ready to come back and talk now?”

  “Yeah. I’ll be right there.”

  The call ended.

  Blaine walked to the sink and splashed cold water on his face. He then bent over and threw up, his stomach emptying of whatever the hell was leftover from the night before.

  The last time he was this much of a mess he lost his fiancee and his stepdaughter.

  He wiped his mouth and rushed to the door.

  He rode straight to the clubhouse, entering the lot. It was strange to ride back without a cut on his back. He looked at the line of motorcycles and saw the space where he was supposed to park. Blaine parked on the opposite side of the lot, where the visitors would park.

  At the door, the prospect he had punched opened it for him.

  “Clearing up, huh?” Blaine asked and touched the young man’s face.

  “Got a nasty infection. Almost lost my eye.”

  “Almost,” Blaine said. He slapped the guy’s face. “You have to learn to fight, man. Toughen up.”

  Blaine walked into the clubhouse and looked around. It was all familiar, just like home. This was home. His real home.

  The prospects behind the bar froze and stared.

  The guys at the pool tables held up.

  Jace, Nate, Trev, and Gaige.

  “Table,” Gaige said.

  Jace, Nate, and Trev all moved.

  They didn’t say a word to Blaine.

  Gaige pointed to the bar with his pool stick. “Get a beer.”

  Blaine reached into his pocket and pulled out money. He put it on the bar.

  The prospect gave him a beer and then pushed the money back. “No.”

  “Are you fucking insane?” Gaige asked as he threw the pool stick to the table. “You’re going to pay for a beer?”

  “I’m not wearing the cut, brother,” Blaine said.

  Gaige walked right to Blaine. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Okay. We voted. It’s time to talk.”

  Gaige led the way. When the door opened, Blaine saw a full table, including Landon and Erik.

  Erik?

  Erik stood and turned.

  “What the…”

  Erik grabbed Blaine by the throat. He pushed him back to the wall.

  “Easy,” Shay said. “Easy.”

  Blaine stared at Erik. His face was all messed up from a bomb that had gone off in the lot. He was a hardened soul, always ready to kill, but that didn’t mean Blaine was afraid of him.

  “You’re not almost dead,” Blaine said.

  “And you weren’t fucking there,” Erik said.

  He pushed away from Blaine.

  “Tell us the truth,” Shay said. “From your mouth, brother.”

  “You heard it,” Blaine said. “I was a detective. I tried working too many cases at once. The lines got blurred and I came out on the wrong end of it.”

  “Tell them everything,” Miller said.

  Blaine swallowed hard. “I had a fiancee. Meghan. Wild firecracker. Beautiful. She was… she wasn’t the one, but her daughter was. I loved Janey as my own. I told myself marrying Meghan was worth it for Janey. I was running a big drug and gun case. There was a guy named Vin who was all over me. We were shoulder to shoulder. He knew who I was. I knew who he was. It was the biggest sting of my career. By then, I was already seeing the other side of the fence. You know? Seeing how bad it was on the side of justice. So many wrongs all the time. I wanted to finish the job and pull out. My partner… he was sampling the drugs. He was asleep in a pile of cocaine. Our new chief in Frelen? Ethan? Yeah, he was on the task force. He was there. He was manipulative and never gave a shit about anyone. I was the loser in the situation because I had the most to lose. The deal went south and Vin knew about it. A gun fight broke out. I took cover. I called Petey and he wasn’t answering. I needed to get Meghan and Janey to safety. Meghan wasn’t answering. I couldn’t get away. The only person I was able to call was Jessa. The woman that was here? That was Meghan’s best friend. I had her go check on Meghan and Janey. By the time she arrived…” Blaine felt his throat close. He turned his head.

  “Aye, brother,” Shay said. “Spit it the fuck out.”

  Blaine growled and made fists. He brought them up to his face. He then took a few heavy breaths and punched himself in the face.

  It at least justified the tears. And got them out.

  “Jesus Christ,” Trev said.

  “Vin got there and killed them. He shot my Janey in the heart. Her… her little heart. You know? She was a girl. A little girl. She played with dolls. She thought boys were dirty. She would sing into her brush, you know? Listening to this terrible music… but he shot her in the heart. And he shot Meghan…” Blaine tapped his pointer and middle fingers to the middle of his head.

  The room was silent.

  “Keep going,” Gaige said. He pointed to Blaine’s leather cut on the table. “Leave it all on the table.”

  “He was never convicted for the murders. Evidence bullshit. He ended up in prison on a separate corruption charge and recently got out. That’s why Jessa came to see me. I made a call to an old friend and he told me that Vin got killed already.”

  “You have any affiliation with your old life?” Nate asked.

  “None,” Blaine said. “Not even Jessa. The second I found out Vin was dead, I sent her fine ass packing.”

  “After you hit it?” Shay asked.

  “I’m guilty… not dead,” Blaine said.

  “Fucking aye,” Shay said. He grinned and shook his head.

  “That’s why you threw your cut down?” Gaige asked.

  “Yeah,” Blaine said. “That’s my secret. I left everything behind and hit the road. I found freedom with a motorcycle between my legs… or a half decent looking woman. I fought for fun to hide the pain. Then fucked anything with a pulse to mask everything. Then I saved Miller’s ass one night and he invited me to meet you sorry assholes. The rest is history.”

  “Have you talked to anyone about this club?” Miller asked.

  “I would never do that,” Blaine said. “I love my cock as much as I love this club… but if someone was going to cut my cock off if I didn’t give up information on this club… then I’d have to squat to piss.”

  “Thanks for that visual,” Trev said.

  “Gaige, go ahead,” Miller said.

  Gaige walked to Blaine. He stared for a few seconds. “We took our vote. Three times. Each time was unanimous.”

  “What’s the verdict?”

  Gaige took out a gun. “Turn the fuck around.”

  Gaige put the gun to the back of Blaine’s head.

  fourteen.

  Jessa couldn’t believe it.

  Three minutes.

  She stood in the kitchen and stared at the tall glass of wine. It was dark, a deep crimson red, like blood. She licked her lips and wanted it. It made her think of Blaine. Big shocker. Everything made her think of him.

  It had been far too long to give a damn about him. But something lingered there. There was unfinished conversation. Not business, no. They had no business. Their business was a one time cave into tem
ptation and nothing more. Nothing else mattered either.

  Jessa reached for the glass, pinching the skinny bottom with two fingers.

  She pulled away.

  Behind her, the microwave was on a countdown. When the cheap appliance beeped, her life was going to change. Maybe. Maybe not. Probably not.

  “Definitely not,” she whispered.

  This was all in her mind.

  What she needed to do was drink the wine, refill the glass, finish the bottle, and call it a night. From there, she needed to make plans with Dr. Ashland and confess everything to her. About what really happened that night with Vin and what it led to with Blaine. The guilt was tearing her apart. Yes, Meghan wasn’t alive. Yes, that meant Blaine was single. Yes, Jessa was single. But it still felt wrong. Because the reaction her body had was coming from a place a long time ago, when Blaine wasn’t single.

  Jessa shut her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. She wished she could throw up.

  No, I can’t right now. It’s not right before lunchtime, remember?

  She had convinced herself of everything from stomach cancer to the lesser of an ulcer to the even lesser of acid reflux. She settled on stress and anxiety. That could be fixed with wine though, right?

  That was the plan until she looked at the freaking calendar.

  Jessa turned and put her back to the wine. The microwave was under a minute. The digital number changing with the seconds counting down. She glanced to the fridge. The calendar. Right there. Hanging from a magnet that looked like a giant, worn out clothespin. And on that calendar was a full month’s schedule of work. But on the second Friday there was a small red dot in the corner. Her mother taught her how to do that.

  To keep track.

  “Shit,” Jessa whispered.

  Just like the pills…

  She had only missed a couple. Maybe three. Maybe a week. That was only because…

  The microwave beeped.

  “Oh, shit,” she said.

  She then walked slowly toward the bathroom. Each footstep as though she’d never walk again. The creaks and moans of the floor of the apartment seemed so loud and clear. She pushed the bathroom door open with care, as though there were a chance someone was inside.

  Jessa was completely alone in her apartment.

  Well, maybe…

  Her hand fluttered across her stomach.

  She stepped into the bathroom.

  Her future waited right there on the edge of the bathroom sink.

  One step… two… three…

  She stood over the pregnancy test.

  There was always a chance the test could be wrong or defective.

  When she saw the positive result, she started to shake.

  It could be wrong… it could be very wrong…

  Then she looked to the trash.

  That’s where the other three positive tests were hidden.

  Jessa was pregnant. By Blaine.

  fifteen.

  Blaine pictured two women bent over, naked. One with a nice round ass and real beautiful, tender lips to her pussy. The kind that were perfectly pink, naturally pouty, meant for tasting for hours. The other woman had a tight, small ass. Her pussy matched the same, a tiny and tight slight. It made his middle finger twitch, wanting to touch.

  That’s how he wanted to go.

  Dreaming of pussy.

  Amazing pussy.

  “Blaine?” Gaige said. “Can you hear me?”

  “I’m ready, brother. Just know I love all you motherfuckers. You’re the only family I’ve ever really had. The only ones…”

  Blaine felt the gun move from his head. Then something touched his back.

  “Take the fucking cut and shut up,” Gaige said.

  Blaine opened his eyes and turned around. “What…”

  “We voted three times,” Miller said. “No hesitation, Blaine. You belong in this MC. No matter your past.”

  Blaine grabbed the leather cut and hugged it. He then threw it around his arms.

  “Jesus Christ,” Shay said.

  “You’re hard,” Nate said.

  Blaine looked down and saw the bulge in his jeans. “Oh, yeah. That. I was, uh, you know, having a last image there…”

  “Christ,” Miller said.

  “You guys have to know what this means,” Blaine said.

  “We can see,” Jace said and pointed.

  Everyone laughed.

  “Hey!” Miller bellowed. “Can we get down to business? We have guys getting shot at. The new chief breathing down our necks. We’re getting set up to lose. I don’t fucking lose. Ever.”

  “Blaine, what’s the intel on Ethan?” Gaige asked. “You know him.”

  “He’s a prick,” Blaine said. “He’ll ride our ass until he finds something. He’ll cross the line to get there.”

  “That’s a big problem,” Miller said.

  “Yeah,” Blaine said. “But let him focus on me. He wants to take me out because I took off. I broke their fucking code by running the other way. Plus, I have nothing to lose here. I have no commitments. He could take me in, toss me around, and this club could move forward.”

  “You’d do that for this table?” Trev asked.

  “Of course. All you assholes have pussy tying you down. Not me.”

  “Well, keep an eye on him,” Miller said. “Use your past to your advantage. Now, we have to deal with these attacks. Eight Under has completely rebuilt itself. They even have new leadership. A guy named Levi is the President. Then there’s Anderson as VP and Victor third in line. They’ve cleaned up and gotten tougher.”

  “Who’s financing this?” Blaine asked.

  “We don’t know,” Gaige said.

  “What’s their play?” Shay asked. “Money? Pussy? Territory?”

  “Us,” Miller said. “They want into Frelen. They’re going to use our disadvantage to the max. Meaning the new chief.”

  “You ever think you’d wish Jerry was still here?” Jace asked.

  “Never,” Miller said. “That son of a bitch is rotting in the ground where he belongs. We’ll work around Ethan.”

  “We got this,” Blaine said. “Nothing is going to stop this MC.”

  “It’s time to meet up,” Miller said. “That’s the other half of this meeting.”

  The room went silent again.

  Blaine adjusted his leather cut, really feeling at home. He slowly walked to his seat and grabbed it. The entire table was standing. They were all quiet.

  “They can destroy the dead parts of this town,” Miller said. “That doesn’t bother me. The PD can run through all our connections and give us a headache. We’ve made peace with the strip club. It took some serious cash…”

  “Nothing they wouldn’t have gotten from Blaine,” Gaige said.

  “God bless that,” Blaine said.

  “Listen,” Miller said. “Levi contacted me. He wants the ambushes and shootouts to stop.”

  “Then stop ambushing us,” Gaige said.

  “Face to face,” Miller said. “Club to club. Eye to eye. They want to call us out. We really decimated them before.”

  “We’ll do it again,” Blaine said.

  “What if they want a call for peace?” Shay asked. “They want to rebuild and stay where they belong?”

  “I know what the club has to protect and how to protect it,” Miller said. “That’s all I care about. I say we show up.”

  “Won’t two groups of bikers attract attention from Ethan?” Landon asked.

  “That’s where we test the balls of our prospects,” Miller said.

  “A diversion,” Blaine said with a grin. “Hey, let me do it.”

  “No,” Miller said. He put a hand to Blaine’s shoulder. “You’ve spent weeks away from this goddamn table. You’re with us today. This club, this table, we stand strong together.”

  Everyone made fists and hit them to the thunder.

  The sound was like thunder.

  Miller stuck his fingers into his mouth and w
histled.

  “I want to know who is financing this,” Miller said. “I want to know why. And I want him taken out.”

  “Peace talks, huh?” Shay said with a smile.

  “I have my version of peace,” Miller said. “Now… we vote…”

  As Miller lifted the gavel, Blaine grabbed his wrist. “No. We don’t vote. This is for our town. Nobody is going to take that away.”

  “Agreed,” Gaige said.

  “Aye,” Shay said.

  The rest of the guys nodded.

  They all then busted out of the meeting room and were in the clubhouse. It was full. The entire Frelen charter stood there. Patched in members. Prospects. Even some old-timers who weren’t serving but still wore their Back Down Devil MC tattoos like prized possessions on their skin.

  Blaine nodded.

  This is family.

  His other family was buried in the ground. He had no idea what would have happened with him and Meghan though. When it was hot, it was fucking hot. When it cold, it was ice cold. The only thing that kept them together was Janey.

  Blaine leaned against the bar.

  Gaige slapped him on the back. “You did good in there. I know that wasn’t easy. You know, putting down that asshole card for a minute.”

  Blaine nodded. “Yeah.”

  “I promise you this, brother. When we get back from this meeting I’ll have half a dozen women in your room. My treat. You take them all and just…”

  “You joining?” Blaine asked.

  “No.”

  “What about Emily? I’d love a run at her.”

  “That’s my woman, asshole. Don’t piss me off.”

  “What about Ella? And those tits. She’s still breastfeeding…”

  “Miller is going to kill you one of these days.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Blaine said.

  He needed those thoughts. Because when he buried the past in the back of his mind, Jessa came forward. He never thought he would regret sleeping with someone…

  “We’re riding!” Miller announced.

  He went to the door where a prospect held it open for the MC to get through. The prospects, other patched in members, and old-timers stayed behind.

  The ritual seemed very odd considering they were just going to meet another crew. Then again, anything that resembled a ritual in their life had purpose because each breath was another one stolen from the reaper waiting to take them all down.