Silence falls over the common room. Every Iron Serpent present looks uncomfortable. Guilty.
Good. They should be.
But my focus is on the man in front of me.
I move Cami gently away from me. She looks up with those big eyes, knowing what I’m planning, but not stopping me.
Viper doesn't even flinch when I cross the space between us in two strides.
My fist connects with his jaw with every ounce of strength I possess. The crack echoes through the common room like a gunshot. Viper's head snaps back, and he stumbles into the wall behind him, hitting it hard enough to rattle picture frames.
Blood streams from his split lip, his jaw already swelling.
Several Iron Serpents surge forward, hands reaching for concealed weapons. Viper holds up a hand, stopping them mid-motion.
"Stand down." He works his jaw carefully, testing if it's broken. Spits blood onto the concrete floor. Then straightens. "I had that coming."
"You had a lot more than that coming." I flex my hand, knuckles already swelling and bruising. The pain feels good. Satisfying. “You ever come near her again, you even think her name too loud, and I'll make sure you get the rest. I'll make what you do to your enemies look like mercy."
"Understood." Viper wipes blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. "And accepted. For what it's worth, Wrath—I'm sorry. Genuinely fucking sorry for what we put you both through."
The apology sounds real. Feels real. Doesn't change what happened, but at least he's man enough to own it.
Viper addresses Steel, president to president. "I'll do whatever it takes to make this right between our clubs."
"Good." Steel glances at me, a silent question in his eyes. I nod once. "Because starting a war benefits no one. But there will be consequences."
"Name them."
"First—this never happens again. You hear even a whisper about one of our people, you come to us first. You ask questions before you take action."
"Agreed."
"Second—we revisit those trade negotiations we were working on. But the terms shift in our favor."
Viper's jaw tightens, but he nods. "Agreed."
Steel studies him for a long moment, then seems to come to a decision. "There's one more thing."
"Name it."
"We want the piece of shit who started this whole mess."
Viper's mouth curves into something that might be called a smile if it weren't so cold. "Already taken care of." He turns toward the door and nods at one of his club members.
Two Iron Serpents appear in the doorway, dragging a bound and gagged figure between them. They dump him on the floor with all the ceremony of tossing a trash bag.
Cami's father lands hard, muffled curses trying to escape around the gag. His eyes are wide with panic now, darting between the faces surrounding him.
"Consider it an apology gift," Viper says, his voice carrying grim satisfaction. "We'll have him delivered to your compound within the hour. Door-to-door service. We'll even gift wrap him if you prefer."
Steel nods his approval. "Generous of you."
Viper's eyes find mine. “It’s the least we can do."
Epilogue: Cami
The sound of tiny feet thundering across hardwood floors pulls me from my sketching. I barely have time to set down my pencil before two-year-old Mason crashes into my legs, his dark hair—so much like his father's—sticking up in every direction.
