Viper

by Atlas, Lilly

  “Cass…”

  Hand lifted, she waved his scolding away. “Yeah, I know I said I’d stay up there, but I heard Sarge’s voice so I knew it was safe.” She spoke to him, but her attention was firmly on Sarge. “You’re going to be the president?” she asked, stepping into the room.

  “Gee, Cassie, why don’t you say it with a little more disgust, huh?” Sarge asked a sneer forming. “What’s the matter? You hoping Viper was gonna go for the job?”

  Cassie jammed her hands on her hips as her eyebrows drew down. It wasn’t often Cassie unleashed any kind of anger, actually, he’d say she was one of the most easy-going women, people, he knew. But when she did let it fly, it flew damn high. Come to think of it, the only times he’d ever seen true anger from her were in defense of him.

  What could he say? The woman loved his biker ass.

  He strode over to her and slipped an arm around her waist as he kissed her cheek. “Cass, can you give us a minute? I’ll join you upstairs in a few.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him before turning back to Sarge. “No, Viper being president wasn’t even on my radar. I thought your prez would be around for years to come. I’m just surprised it’s gonna be you,” she said, not pulling punches. “You’ve only been in the club a few years, you don’t hold an exec position, and you’re nobody’s blood.” She shrugged. “It’s a stretch is all.”

  “Well, get used to the idea.” He capped the bottle of whiskey before walking toward them.

  “Did West say the club was thinking of voting you in? How do you know all this?”

  “I just know,” Sarge snapped. “I haven’t been one step away from sucking Cutter’s dick for the past five years for no goddammed reason. I’ve given fucking blood, sweat, and tears for this club. My lips have been permanently attached to Prez’s ass and I’ve put up with shit you can’t even imagine from Vito, all to make a fuckton of cash for this club. I didn’t do all that ’cuz it gives me warm fuzzies. I will be the next president of this club.”

  Viper didn’t even have a second to process the impassioned yet slightly over the top words from his brother because Cassie muttered, “Don’t hold your breath.”

  Oh fuck.

  He gave her waist a little warning squeeze, but it was too late.

  “The fuck did you just say?” Sarge asked, advancing on her.

  Viper held a hand out, stopping his brother. “Cass, go on upstairs. I’ll be right there. It’s the middle of the night and we’re all tired. Let’s just chill out.”

  Instead of taking his cue, she crossed her arms over her chest. “No. I’m not going to be shuffled off to bed like some child. He woke us up at three in the morning to tell us he’s going to be president of the club.” She lifted her hands in the air. “It’s crazy.”

  “Fucking hell, Viper, I don’t know how you can stand to live with this bitch,” Sarge said.

  “Excuse me?” Cassie stood there, mouth agape. Then she turned to Viper. “You’re not seriously going to let him stand in my kitchen and speak to me like that, are you?”

  “Cassie, go upstairs and I’ll be up in a minute. I’m just gonna finish up with Sarge.”

  “Viper, I’m not leaving. It’s time for him to go.” She added a foot tap to the folded arms and scowl.

  Under his breath, Sarge whispered, “She’s totally taken your balls.”

  “What the hell did you say now?” Cassie’s red hair seemed to go up in flame as the anger consumed her.

  The back and forth had Viper’s head spinning. It was the middle of the night, he was coming off an adrenalin surge from when he’d thought the damn house was being broken in to, and he’d just found out his club’s president died. Not to mention Sarge’s bomb about becoming the next president. And wanting to take Viper on the ride with him. He’d grown up knowing vice presidency then presidency was the path he’d be taking. After leaving Washington, and joining a new club, that plan changed. A top-level position hadn’t been on his radar. Would he want it? Being in charge changed a man. It did with his father. Or at least that’s what he’d told himself over the years to keep from thinking his father had just been born an evil man. His insides swirled with information overload and outside his body, the traded barbs only grated on his nerves.

  Silence. He needed silence and a moment to think.

  “Cassie, go the fuck upstairs!” Viper yelled. “I will deal with you later!”

  She froze for a moment, then her arms dropped to her sides and her posture sagged in utter defeat. The look of shock and betrayal in her eyes nearly slayed him. Never had he spoken to her in such a caustic tone and never had he ordered her around like she worked for him.

  Without a word, she turned on her heel and marched out of the room. Each stomp of her feet on the stairs felt like a punch to the gut.

  Fuck.

  “Damn, brother,” Sarge said, as he slapped Viper on the back. “That’s how it’s done. You let that woman walk all over you. Time to take back the power and show her who’s the fucking man.”

  “Shit, I gotta talk to her.” Viper rubbed at an ache in the center of his forehead. “Can I catch up with you tomorrow?”

  Sarge considered him for a moment then nodded. “Think about my offer, okay?”

  “Yeah, I will.” Viper led Sarge to the door then opened it for his brother.

  “Hey,” Sarge said, as he walked toward the open door. He cocked his thumb in the direction of the stairs. “Don’t stress over that shit, okay? It’s good for her.”

  Good for her? Thank God Cassie hadn’t heard Sarge spew that one or she might have castrated the man. He owed Cassie an apology and was eager to get upstairs, so he nodded. “Yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow, brother. You okay to drive?”

  “Cin’s napping in the truck. She can cart my ass home.”

  That marriage had failure written all over it, but he’d never say that to Sarge. It’d have to play out on its own. “All right. Get some sleep.”

  “Yup.” Sarge lifted a hand as he jogged toward his idling truck.

  After locking back up, Viper trudged up the stairs with a heavy heart and a muddled head. He found Cassie sitting on the edge of their bed, staring out the window.

  “Cass,” he started.

  His voice brought her head around. “Please tell me you’re not taking his offer seriously.”

  He’d expected her to lay into him over yelling at her so the question had him drawing to a stop. “What?”

  She stood, eyes spitting fire. “The offer to be his VP. Please tell me you aren’t considering this.”

  Christ, he’d barely had time to process his president’s death let alone Sarge’s offer. “I don’t know, babe, let’s talk about it in the morning. Okay?” He extended a hand toward her.

  Instead of taking it and joining him in bed, she stared at it as though it were a snake ready to strike.

  “Viper, he’s fucking crazy if he thinks he’s going to be the president. And if by some insane twist of fate he is, you should not be his VP.” She began pacing the room, each step making the T-shirt she wore ride up her creamy thighs.

  Why couldn’t they be in bed enjoying each other instead of discussing things they didn’t even know anything about?

  Wait…

  “Why don’t you want me to be his VP? You don’t think I’d do a good job?”

  “What? No. Because he’s fucking crazy. He barely treats Cindy better than a club whore—I have no idea why she married him—he’s volatile, unpredictable, and dangerous for the club.”

  “Cassie, don’t you think you’re being a little harsh?”

  “Uhh, do you remember the night in Marco’s bar?”

  Well, no one could deny that shit show. “That was years ago. He’s never done anything even close to that since then. You know this. He’s made the club a ton of money.”

  She grunted. “Because it makes him look good.”

  “Cassie, he’s my brother. You gotta stop talking shit about him.”

  �
�Oh yeah? Why? You gonna take his side over mine again? You gonna order me out of the room next time he comes over?”

  And now they were getting to the meat of the problem. She was pissed. Rightfully so, but now he was getting pissed as well. He’d had every intention of apologizing, but she’d taken this in so many directions he could barely keep up. “Look, you know how this works by now—”

  “You have never spoken to me like that before,” she continued as though he hadn’t spoken. “Is that what life would be like if you became his VP?”

  What? What was she even talking about?

  “Would I be the little woman who had to keep her mouth shut and leave the room when the men were present?”

  “Cassie, don’t be ridiculous.”

  “Because that’s not me, Viper. I may ride on the back of your bike, but I’m not riding behind you in life. I will not do that. Especially not in my own home. That is not what I signed on for. That’s not who we are.”

  What the fuck was her deal? “Then why the fuck are you here? You know who I am. You know how the club works. Why the fuck are you here if you don’t want to be a part of it?”

  She stopped moving and visibly swallowed. “I guess that’s a good question,” she said in a voice so small it made him feel like shit.

  “Cassie, I didn’t mean—”

  She held up a hand as she stormed past him into the closet. “Here, I’ll make it easy for you so you don’t have to worry about me overstepping with your precious club.” When she emerged from the closet, a black duffle bag hung from her shoulder. “I’m out,” she said as she yanked open drawers and stuffed random items in the duffle.

  His heart crashed through the floor. “What?”

  “Goodbye, Viper.” She rushed from the room and ran down the stairs before he knew what was happening.

  “Wait,” he said, once he got his ass in gear. “Cassie, stop!” He caught up to her outside, next to her car. “Don’t leave.”

  “I’m not sticking around to be yelled at and ordered around in my own house. I’ve had enough of that shit in my life.”

  With that, she slipped in the driver’s seat of her Camry and tore out the driveway.

  “Fine!” he screamed. “Fucking go!” Then in a lower tone. “See if I give a shit.” A light switched on in the house next door.

  Viper glanced down. Shit, he still wore nothing but boxers and his tats.

  As he walked back into the quiet house a sense of loss so consuming threatened to swallow him whole. His chest tightened and he couldn’t draw in air. Just inside his door, he fell to his knees, gasping and gagging. He threw up the little bit of liquor he’d drunk with Sarge before sagging back against the door. All energy drained from his body along with the motivation to move.

  Six hours later when the phone in the house rang, Viper still hadn’t moved a muscle. He sat slumped and exhausted with an aching back after spending the night staring at the darkness from his foyer floor. Even the crick in his neck and pins and needles in his foot weren’t enough to motivate him to move.

  Cassie left him.

  Nothing mattered anymore.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  1987 - TENNESSEE

  Fifty-six hours thirty-two minutes and eighteen seconds later, Cassie hadn’t heard so much as a peep from Viper. No phone call, no message, no impromptu visit. Granted, she hadn’t exactly told him where she was going when she fled the scene of the emotional massacre, but she’d been bunking at a friend’s house the past few days. An ol’ lady. With the way those men ran their mouths, Viper knew exactly where she was and probably had five minutes after she arrived.

  “You sure you don’t mind me leaving you alone this morning?” Marilyn, her absolute best friend asked. They’d connected the instant they met and had grown extremely close over the last few years. Marilyn was quite a few years older, but that hadn’t mattered in terms of their bond.

  “No, please, I’m fine. Go to work. One of us should try not to get fired.” They both worked at the local elementary school. Marilyn taught third grade and Cassie had been an aide in the special education classroom for the past three years. She loved her job to distraction, but called in sick today since her head just wasn’t in the game. First time she’d done so in the length of her employment.

  “Girl, you know they won’t fire you for calling out one day. You could kidnap a kid and they’d keep you. You’re the heart of that place.” Marilyn grabbed a banana and her travel coffee mug. As she hustled by Cassie, she kissed her cheek. “It’ll work out, honey, I promise.”

  Cassie blew out a breath. Work out. What did that even mean? “I don’t know, Mari. It’s been days since I’ve heard from him.”

  A self-proclaimed relationship expert, Marilyn tilted her head. “You realize he’s probably at home saying the same exact thing right now, don’t you?” Then she blew Cassie another kiss and darted out of the kitchen. “Phone works both ways, babe,” she yelled right before the front door slammed.

  “Phone works both ways, babe,” Cassie said in a mocking voice as she slumped back in her chair. She stared at the phone hanging on the wall. Yeah, she could call Viper but…

  Well she felt stupid, and guilty, and mad, and embarrassed all at the same time. And that was on top of the heartbreak. Sure, they’d squabbled plenty of times over the past five years they’d been together, but this fight crossed a line into territory they hadn’t visited before. They didn’t yell at each other. They didn’t drive away in the middle of the night. They didn’t toss threats around. And they always had each other’s backs. Always. That didn’t mean they wouldn’t call each other on their bullshit. But it sure as hell wasn’t done the way Viper did it the other night.

  Now that the dust had settled, at least in her mind, Cassie was insightful enough to realize and admit her part in the catastrophic fight. She’d completely overreacted to the news of Sarge’s potential club presidency. Then, in an epic display of childish behavior, she stormed out and drove away.

  In her defense, it was three in the morning and Sarge’s erratic behavior brought the dreaded night in Marco’s bar to the surface. She hadn’t handled the shock well and yes, she’d baited Sarge. Swallowing the idea of Sarge as a president would be a difficult task. She’d seen the worst of the man and though his behavior had mellowed as they’d all matured, the occasionally unpredictable and foul tempered man still lived in Sarge’s body. Maybe Viper as a VP would be perfect for the club. He had a way of reaching Sarge not many could claim. They’d been through so much shit together, Sarge trusted Viper above all else. Viper would work to keep Sarge rational, mellow, and help lead the club in the right direction.

  Ugh, she really owed Viper an apology. Cassie rose from the table and slogged toward the phone, dragging her feet. Just as she lifted it from the cradle, a flash of Viper shouting at her to go upstairs crossed her mind.

  “I may owe him an apology,” she said aloud as she slammed the phone back down. “But he was a total dick and owes me one too.”

  And that was the damn truth.

  Her empty stomach cramped, but the thought of eating so much as a bite had her wanting to hurl. Food, sleep, rational thinking, it’d all gone out the window the past few days. She just felt so rotten and hollow inside. If this little relationship hiatus had taught her anything, it was that she had no desire to live her life without Viper.

  But did he feel the same?

  Or was he relieved? Glad to be rid of the stone he’d had in his shoe for the past five years? Maybe Sarge’s words had wormed their way into Viper’s brain like a parasite and were feeding off his love for her. Destroying it one bite at a time.

  Oh, my God, could I be more melodramatic?

  She needed to stop obsessing and the only way for that to happen was to talk to Viper. Fear washed over her at the thought of being rejected by the man she loved, but this state of limbo was going to put her in a nut house.

  Her stomach cramped again.

  Or in the ER wit
h an ulcer.

  With a weighted sigh, Cassie grabbed her purse and started for the door. She yanked the front door open only to be propelled backward.

  Her back hit the wall with a thunk as callused hands framed her face. “Viper,” she whispered, letting her purse fall to the ground. It seemed he’d grown even more handsome in the few days since she’d seen him. The muscles she loved so much strained the fabric of the olive-green Henley under his cut and his beard looked so soft she wanted to rub her cheek against it. The physical ache of missing him grew tenfold.

  Could she touch him? Did he still want her? Or would he reject her, crushing her into dust.

  “I can’t stay away from you for another minute,” he ground out right before he kissed her. It was a quick but fierce meeting of lips. Then he did it again and again. Viper didn’t stop, kissing her over and over with these sharp but swift kisses. “Fuck, I love you, Cassie,” he said between kisses. He trailed his mouth from her lips to her ear, pausing to nip her jaw. “It’s been too long since I’ve touched you. Way too fucking long. I’m dying without you.”

  Yes.

  Cassie let out a whimper as her knees weakened along with her resolve. The relief at hearing he felt the same torment she did wrecked her. She could so happily spend the rest of her life right there against Marilyn’s wall, kissing Viper.

  But it solved nothing except her desire to be touched by the man. “Viper…”

  He blew out a breath as he rested his forehead against hers. “I know. We need to talk first.”

  He looked about as awful as she felt. Scruffy beard, circles under his eyes, rumpled white T-, uncombed hair, the works. Knowing he suffered as she did destroyed any prideful need to hear him apologize first.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered as tears filled her eyes. “I freaked. Then I baited him. And then I freaked some more. And then I acted like a total bitch.”

  “Shhh.” He placed a gentle hand over her mouth. “There’s only one asshole here who needs to apologize, and it’s not you, baby. There’s no excuse for the way I spoke to you and treated you. I’m so sorry, Cassie. I can tell you I was tired, overwhelmed, and freaking out a little myself, but none of that matters. I’m just so goddammed sorry and I’ve missed you every second you’ve been gone. I should have called. I was a prideful fucking idiot.”