Chapter Four
Viper hadn’t plannedon trouble that morning.He’d spent half the night staring at the ceiling of the cheap motel room, waiting for sleep that never came.The air reeked of old cigarettes and mildew, but that wasn’t what kept him awake.
It was the same damn thing that always did.The noise in his head that never really stopped.The ghosts.The faces.The echoes of places he’d rather forget.
So when he finally stepped out into the early light, he just wanted coffee and quiet.Nothing more.He didn’t get either.The first thing he saw was the girl, back stiff and her eyes wide.
He recognized that look instantly.The kind of fear that came from knowing you were trapped and outnumbered.Two men flanked her, both wearing patches he knew too well.The Blood Vultures MC.
Viper’s gut tightened.
He hadn’t had to deal with those bastards in a while, but their reputation preceded them.Bullies, traffickers, snakes hiding behind colors they didn’t deserve.Right now, they were cornering a girl who couldn’t have been more than her early twenties.
He took a step closer, scanning the situation like muscle memory.The first guy was stocky, in his late thirties, with a busted nose that hadn’t healed right.He was talking loud, throwing his weight around.The other hung back a bit, bigger, meaner-looking, but quieter.Watching and waiting.
The girl’s shoulders were shaking, but her chin was lifted like she was daring them to make the next move.Brave, but terrified.
Then she spun and ran straight into him.
She hit his chest hard enough that he caught her without thinking, steadying her before she could stumble.She smelled like soap and rain and something faintly sweet beneath the fear.For half a second, she looked up at him, and everything around them went still.
Christ.
He didn’t know her.Had never seen her before in his life.However, the flash of panic on her face, and the defiance in her gorgeous blue eyes hit him harder than he expected.
Then one of the bikers shouted, telling Viper she was coming with them.
Viper turned slowly, his grip loosening but not disappearing.His voice was calm, measured.The tone he used before bullets started flying.
“Didn’t look like she wanted to.”
The bigger of the two snorted.“Ain’t your concern, brother.”
“I’m not your brother,” Viper said.“And she don’t look like she agrees.”
That earned him a sneer.“The hell do you care?Devil’s Crown ain’t got nothin’ to do with this.”
Viper didn’t answer.He didn’t need to.He saw the way the girl flinched when the men stepped closer, how her hand twitched toward her pocket like she might be carrying something for defense but didn’t dare use it.That was enough.
He moved before he even realized he was doing it.
Jax reached for her first, a hand snapping around her wrist.“Don’t make this harder, sweetheart.”
That was as far as he got.Viper grabbed the biker’s wrist and twisted hard.There was a crack, a muffled curse, and the man dropped fast.The other one lunged forward with a growl, a flash of silver in his hand.A knife.
Viper shoved the young woman behind him.
“Stay down.”The words were more command than request.
The biker with the knife swung wide, the move sloppy.Viper sidestepped easily, the blade whistling past his ribs.
