Storm jerked his attention towards his men and gestured towards the gear scattered about. “Let’s help them pack up,” he said. “They’ve got a lot to pack and an hour to get it done.”
Men from both MCs stepped forward and started packing up the gear.
When Viper dropped down on a wooden crate at his makeshift desk, his expression was unreadable. But the more I looked at him, the more I realized there was something dark lurking just beneath the surface, something that sent a chill up my spine.
Storm and the other man stood in front of his desk. From what I could see, Storm was a capable leader for his club. He knew when to speak and saw this as his moment.
“We said we’d make good on the bid,” Storm said. His voice carried easily in the tight space. “We just need more time to come up with the money. It’s Friday night and banks don’t open until Monday morning. We need time to transfer funds and see how much of that hundred grand we can scratch together.”
Viper didn’t answer right away. He sat back in his chair, and thought it over before he spoke, “Vulture doesn’t think you can pull that kind of money out of your ass in any kind of timely fashion. Why should I trust you? He had the cash on him.”
“Well, we didn’t come here expecting to spend a hundred grand, much less on a woman. So cut us some slack here.”
“Was this all some kind of show of power for you?” he asked. His tone was calm and almost conversational. I wanted to tell them to watch out, to pay attention to all the things he wasn’t saying, but I didn’t have the nerve to speak up.
“You just rolled into my auction, threw around a huge life changing bid, made everyone think your club had money, status, and power. Your boy Fuse was impressive, and you had your moment in the fuckin’ spotlight.” His gaze jumped from Fuse to Storm and back again. “Now you come crawling to me asking for more time.”
Fuse, so that was his name. I glanced up at the other Dark Slayer briefly. He was scowling and I could feel the frustration coming off him in waves.
Suddenly, our eyes met. But rather than lust or whatever else I would have expected to see in the eyes of the man who bought me, I saw pity. He quickly shut that down, but it made me wonder. What did they want with me? Was I about to meet my fate, or were they actually trying to save me?
The Slayers didn’t respond right away. The two of them stood in the middle of the tent staring at Viper. I realized their little hamster wheels were turning, trying to figure out how to spin the conversation in their favor.
“If you want your money, you’ll give us a reasonable amount of time to come up with it,” Storm responded. Storm was clearly used to wheeling and dealing and had a knack for keeping it short and unoffensive, unlike Viper.
Viper put both hands on his desk and rose to his feet. He was looking all kinds of confident. Keeping his attention fixed squarely on Storm, he spoke again, catching us all off guard.
“What if I don’t want your damn money?” Viper asked.
I was as confused as everyone else looked. Viper had been foaming at the mouth over the money he was going to get forauctioning me off. It was all he could talk about for days, ever since he’d taken me from my dad.
Storm’s back straightened as he crossed his arms stubbornly. “If not money,” he said, “then what? What is it that a man like you wants more than a hundred thousand dollars?”
Viper linked his fingers together and rested them on his makeshift desk. Even from across the room, I could see his split knuckles were streaked with blood.
“What just happened outside changed my priorities,” he explained, pulling a cigarette from one pocket and a lighter from the other.
After lighting up and taking a long drag off his cancer stick, he continued, “An hour ago, I was interested in making a quick buck. But I ain’t gonna be talked to like I’m some dumb kid playing at being a fucking biker. Now, I want revenge and you’re gonna help me get it.”
Storm leaned on the front of Viper’s desk with both hands and said, “The hell we are. Ain’t no woman in the fuckin’ world worth turning on allied clubs over. You need to get that through your fuckin’ head right goddamn now.”
Well, so much for Storm being the levelheaded one. Viper apparently found the right switch to flip to get a rise out of him. A cold smile curved up the corners of his mouth.
“Oh, I think you will. Tonight has made something clear to me,” Viper said, steepling his fingers together. “Money is not nearly as valuable or hard to come by as simple respect. And without respect, there can be no trust, dignity, or power. I ain’t looking to kill Slim or even Vulture, but I do mean to demand respect from them.”
Storm pulled his hands off Viper’s desk and fisted them at his side, insisting, “Respect is earned.”
Viper replied coldly, “Slim was carrying a grudge over the auction. He was looking for a reason to disrespect me. That oldbastard made sure everyone saw him throw me out. And Vulture made sure everyone saw him challenge me. They wanted a show and they got one. It’s only fair that I get my own show. I want to remind everyone that disrespecting me and my club comes with consequences.”
Storm heard Viper out. His face shifted into an inscrutable blank expression. However, he understood exactly what Viper was saying. We all did. I couldn’t really get my head around why all these grown men were obsessed with respect until Viper spelled it out just now. Respect was part of biker culture and meant they were disciplined. It made sense in a roundabout way.
“That all sounds good when you say it out loud. The thing is, doling out consequences has a way of triggering other situations that can spiral out of control on you if you’re not real careful,” Storm warned. “Are you sure you want to start that pendulum swingin’ back and forth?”
The slight smile that had settled on Viper’s face didn’t fade. It also didn’t reach his eyes either. “If it blows back on me, I guess that’ll be another lesson for me to learn. Ain’t that how good leaders are made?”
Storm took a step back and answered, “That’s one way. If that’s your path it ain’t my job to dissuade you. The only question I’m concerned about is this deal where you want our help instead of money.”
Viper’s eyes glanced in my direction and back to Storm. “You want the girl,” he said flatly. “Remember, that’s what got you into this whole mess.”
