He smiled. “Yeah, mixing it up with them was fun.” Then his eyes narrowed on me. “We came for you, not them.”
“Well, it looks like you found me,” I stammered, scared out of my mind.
His eyes trailed up and down my body. “You’re looking like a woman almost worth keeping. You took to club life pretty damn fast. Fuse even made you his old lady. I didn’t think you had it in you to survive in a one percent club.”
Something about the way he was looking at me set me off. I grabbed a bottle of vodka, slammed it against the counter and threw the jagged bottle right at his head. I don’t even know where that came from, probably the mere thought of him putting his hands on me.
He batted it away with one arm with an annoyed look on his face. “When we get to the clubhouse, I’m gonna have to tag you back for that.”
I thought about the basement and the women down there. Rosie’s hand was probably still on the latch, waiting to welcome me back. I guess hiding out with them wasn’t going to happen after all. I kept my eyes on Viper.
“The Dark Slayers are going to come back and find their clubhouse torn apart,” I told him, snatching up the last of my courage. “You understand what’s going to happen after that,right? They are going to track you down and put you six feet under.”
“That’s what I’m counting on,” he shot back. “So far, I’ve been a couple of steps in front of them every step of the way.”
“You are reaching too far, Viper. Playing a risky game with dangerous men.”
He reached out and grabbed my arm. “Time to go,” he said to Reo. “Grab her and shut her up if you have to.”
Desperate to get away, I lifted my hand and tried to hit Viper in the face. Unfortunately, he was faster and caught my wrist in a firm grip, stopping the blow from landing.
“You might want to save your energy, sweetheart. We’ve got a bumpy ride ahead of us.”
He tossed me to Reo and stalked towards the door. He was a big man, and I was no match for him. We followed Viper outside, him mostly dragging me.
The carnage I saw along the way would stay with me for a long time. Seeing prospects laid out in the lot bleeding while Viper’s men kicked them mercilessly was hard to take.
Viper jumped onto his bike.
I grabbed the handlebar to keep Reo from wrestling me onto the back of his bike. “Why are you doing this? I thought you had a deal.”
Dark glee lit up his face. “You know why, or at least you should. The Dark Slayers decided to get cute. I’m not about to let a bunch of Boy Scouts double cross me. Those assholes don’t have a working brain between them.”
“You’re underestimating them.”
He jerked his chin at Reo. “Put her on the back.”
Reo picked me up and slammed me into place behind Viper, all while grinning like a crazy man. They forced my arms around Viper’s waist, and he tied my wrists with a red bandana.I kept flexing my hands hoping to get a loose fit so I could wiggle free at some point.
Viper said gruffly, “If you do anything to make me crash, I’ll break every fuckin’ bone in your body. Understood?”
Yes,” I replied, my voice trembling. Under his bold threat, all my former bravado evaporated.
As we rode out, the broken gate, shattered windows of the clubhouse, and the condition of the yard gave the whole area a very dystopian feel.
There was an explosion and when I turned one last time, I could see that they’d thrown something against the front of the clubhouse, setting the porch area on fire. The prospects started trying to get to their feet and run towards the clubhouse. I closed my eyes, praying they got it put out before it spread to the women who’d locked themselves down below.
I couldn’t believe Viper had managed to outsmart the Dark Slayers. That didn’t even make rational sense. Storm and his crew covered all their bases, everyone said I was safe at the Slayers’ clubhouse. And then Viper had burst right in there like he knew all their weaknesses. But how could he?
Chapter 16
Fuse
As we stood there getting more and more amped up, Storm’s phone rang. He pulled it out and had it to his ear within two seconds flat. His expression froze as he listened to what the other person was saying. I saw his jaw lock and the hand holding the phone tighten.
When he spoke, his voice was low and tight and dead serious. “Are you sure it was Viper?” Then he asked, “How many were there?” Finally, he told whoever he was speaking to, “Lock it down. Nobody gets in or out. Block the gate with the vans if you have to. Put someone on the roof with a rifle. We’re twenty minutes out.”
When he ended the call and Storm looked at me, I just knew. I said, “Viper attacked the clubhouse, right?”
