Viper (Sons of Sangue)

by Patricia A. Rasey

  The night Ion had been burned at the stake, Kaleb had gone to the Rave to tell Suzi the news. The cold-hearted bitch hadn’t even shed a tear. She had squared her shoulders and looked him straight in the eye, thanked him for the news, and walked out of the club. Kaleb had only seen her in passing since … until now. And he had his brother to thank for that.

  Kaleb wanted to crawl on the back of his Ironhead chopper and head for the hills. If Kane hadn’t needed his help catching this son of a bitch trying to frame him and destroy the Sons, he might just do exactly that. Instead, his duty to his brother kept his feet deeply rooted. That didn’t mean he needed to share a roof with the one woman who made his gut burn with twin fires of hatred and desire.

  One look at her moments ago made him want to throw her over his shoulder, take her back to his bed that she had just crawled out of and fuck her from his thoughts.

  Damn her for showing back up in his life.

  Damn her for making him desire her like no other.

  Damn himself for allowing her to be his weakness.

  And damn Ion for loving her.

  Placing fists on his hips, he tilted his face skyward and roared loud enough to wake the dead. The door to the clubhouse opened and shut as footfalls sounded across the gravel. At first he thought maybe Kane had followed him into the parking lot to see just what the hell Kaleb’s problem was. But the sound of the crunching gravel was far too light for someone of Kane’s size.

  Suzi’s appealing scent wafted to his nostrils, just before she stopped short of touching him. He could have easily picked her pheromones from a crowd of donors. No one made him lose control the way she did, one minute wanting to strangle her, the next wanting to bury himself to the balls. Kaleb wasn’t sure which side would win out.

  “What the hell do you want, Suzi?”

  “I thought I’d see if you were okay.”

  He turned on his heel so quickly she jumped back with a yelp. Good, she needed to keep up her guard around him.

  “You don’t have a caring bone in your body. You proved that when my nephew died, the one who loved you. Why the hell would you care about someone who loathes you?”

  Suzi shrugged, unaffected by his harsh set-down, proving his belief that ice ran through her veins.

  “You don’t know anything about my relationship with Ion.”

  Kaleb laughed, though he felt no humor. “You’re right. All I know is that your heart is made of stone. I lost my nephew and you lost a lover. I would have thought you would’ve shown an ounce of compassion.”

  Her jaw tightened, a muscle ticking in her cheek. “Regardless of what you think, I don’t want to be here anymore than you want me to be. I thought we might be able to co-exist under the same roof and not see one another.”

  Jesus! There was no way they could both live under the same roof. “You seriously think that could work?”

  “I’ll show up at night when you’re at the Rave. You spend the night in whatever bed you choose and I’ll be gone before daybreak.”

  “And sleep in my bed? Why not sleep with Cara?”

  Suzi sighed and crossed her arms over her breasts, drawing his gaze downward. “Because Kane forbid it.”

  The admission shouldn’t have surprised him, but it did nonetheless. Kane played with fire. If he kept on the same path, he’d expose them all. His brother was a fool. Kaleb knew he had fucked the detective and had drunk from her as well. Kaleb would lay odds Gypsy hadn’t been fooled by Kane’s pretense either.

  Cara wasn’t a donor and never would be, due to her profession. She’d be deemed untrustworthy. Even if Kane decided to mate with Cara, should he be given the right to take a second mate, he’d never get a unanimous vote from the MC required to turn her. Kaleb would be the first ‘nay’.

  His twin needed his head examined.

  Kaleb gritted his teeth and returned his thoughts to the tiny brunette before him. “So naturally you chose my bed over Gypsy’s.”

  Her brow furrowed. “Get over yourself, Hawk. I was told to sleep in your bed.”

  “Since when do you do what you’re told?”

  “You really are impossible. I came out here to see if you were all right. Now? I’m sorry I even bothered. Go fuck yourself, Hawk.”

  “I’d rather be fucking you.”

  Suzi sucked in air. Good. His admission had shocked her.

  “That will never happen again.”

  Without thought of repercussions, Kaleb grasped the hair at her nape and growled, “I am always up for the challenge, sweetheart.” And then he kissed her.

  Chapter 20

  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me?” Cara said as she entered her office.

  Talk about an instant migraine. Christ, she wanted to run back to the clubhouse. Suddenly spending time with Kane seemed like a day at Disney World. Had she known her day was about to get a lot worse, she would have called in sick and taken her chances with the biker vamp. Much more appealing than spending an hour with someone who never learned the word no.

  Cara tossed her handbag to the desktop with a thud. Her partner’s gaze swung to her in surprise, no doubt wondering about her off-color greeting. Of course, he had no idea of the history she shared with the State Police Officer now standing by her desk, a smug smile inching up one corner of his lips. Her life had just gone from bad to worse. Cara wanted to turn tail and run like hell, but she wasn’t about to give the bastard the satisfaction.

  Upon leaving the clubhouse, Cara had discovered Suzi had taken her Neon and left Cara without a ride. She couldn’t help wonder what had happened. Both Suzi and Kaleb had disappeared without a word. Swallowing what pride she had left, she about-faced and asked Kane for a lift to her vehicle. A ride across town on the back of his Harley and about an hour later, she finally made it to the office thirty minutes late. Thankfully, Sheriff Ducat wasn’t a stickler about time clocks, not when she had been putting in so much overtime.

  Robbie Melchor.

  Wonderful.

  The last person on earth she wanted to encounter. Couldn’t she call the Criminal Investigations Captain and request he put someone else in charge of her case? Cara grumbled beneath her breath, having a very bad feeling that her day was about to get a lot worse, and no phone call from her to the State Police would make a difference. At least not without some kind of explanation … not one she would willingly give. Suddenly, the idea of spending the day in Kane’s company didn’t seem like a bad idea after all. Maybe feigning being sick could still work, except that tomorrow Robbie would still be here.

  “Nice to see you could join us, Brahnam,” Joe greeted, eyeing her wearily.

  Cara ignored her partner’s jibe and inquisitive stare, and focused on the sorry excuse for a man gracing her office. One, she might add, she had hoped never to see again.

  “Robbie.”

  His smile widened. “Nice to see you as well, Detective Brahnam.”

  “I don’t believe I said anything about it being nice to see you. What the hell are you doing here?”

  Cara walked past the man and his outstretched hand to grab her coffee mug from the shelf. Stopping by the Mr. Coffee, she poured herself a steaming mug of the black liquid. She couldn’t stomach the thought of touching him, even if three years had passed since she last laid eyes on him. A lifetime wouldn’t have been enough time.

  “Captain Melchor came—”

  “What?” Cara gasped, coffee sloshing over the side of the cup in her surprise.

  She shook the scalding liquid from her hand, not really feeling the pain. She supposed a phone call to the very guy who stood before her would have done her little good to have him removed. Just her fucking luck. Robbie had been promoted since the last time they had seen one another.

  “You made captain?”

  “Why should that surprise you?” Robbie asked. “And careful how you answer that,” he added with a wink, but she knew it for the warning it was and not the jest he tried to brush it off as.

  Cara
had no intention of sharing their past with her partner. Gritting her teeth, she turned, set the coffee cup on the desk for fear of spilling it again, due her now trembling fingers. The lech made her skin crawl. She took her seat, putting the desk between them, hoping to ward off any close encounter. Hernandez looked queerly between them, no doubt curious at her strange reaction to the Criminal Investigations Captain.

  Sheriff Ducat took that moment to enter her small office. The room seemed to close in on her. Much more, and she’d be running outside, gulping air and praying to ward off an oncoming panic attack, something she hadn’t had since returning to Pleasant.

  “I heard you’d arrived,” he said, shaking the captain’s hand.

  “Sheriff,” Robbie acknowledged. “I’ve been sent to go over the files of your last three murders. It seems CEO Perkins has some concerns about how the investigation is progressing. He contacted Superintendent Wilkes, asked that the State take a look into the case.”

  He aimed his condescending smile in her direction. “I can’t say as I blame him. So, until this case is solved, I’m at your service. I will be personally overseeing these open cases.”

  “Whatever you need, Captain Melchor, Detective Brahnam and Detective Hernandez will be happy to assist you. We want nothing more than to catch the son of a bitch and rid ourselves of this monster.”

  Cara wouldn’t be happy to do anything where Robbie was concerned but kept from saying as much aloud. The last thing she wanted was her fellow officers privy to her past in Eugene. Robbie made her want to go home and shower … just by the way he looked at her. He made her feel dirty. The captain was worse than a criminal; he was a criminal who wore a badge. But she’d be damned before she ever allowed anyone to see her fear of him, nor would she give Robbie the satisfaction of seeing it.

  Instead, for the good of the case, she’d square her shoulders and try hard to act as if his presence didn’t bother her. The sooner the case got solved, the sooner he’d leave Pleasant.

  “Very well, Captain Melchor. I do have some paperwork I need to finish. If you need anything, please let me know. I’m sure my detectives will be of help to you and the Criminal Investigations Division.”

  “Thank you, Sheriff. I’ll be sure to let you know,” Robbie said, shoving his hands into his pants pockets and rocking back on his heels as the sheriff turned and quit the room.

  “So, how’s Eugene?”

  Robbie glanced back at Cara and smiled. She shivered.

  “I no longer reside in Eugene, Cara. Surely, you know the CID is in Salem. Feel free to move back to Eugene any time you wish.”

  “I’ll remain here. I have some very bad memories of my time there. Surely, you remember.”

  He pursed his lips. “Mmmm, no. Don’t believe I do.”

  Cara glared at him, no longer caring if Joe saw the animosity in her gaze. “I’m here to help you solve these murders, Captain. I’m not about to reminisce with you.”

  Robbie cocked one brow. “Have it your way. I’m sure there will be time for that as we’ll be spending a lot of time together.”

  “Not if I can help it,” she mumbled.

  “I’m sorry?”

  “You will be if you ever bring up the past again. Now, can we please get to work.” Cara turned to Joe. “Mind filling me in on what you’ve shared with Captain Melchor so far?”

  “Uh…” His gaze went from Cara to Robbie’s, then back. “Sure. I was just showing the captain Kane’s photo and the file we have on him.”

  “Which isn’t much,” Robbie interrupted. “I think I’d like to question him myself. Can you see to it he comes in later this afternoon for a little Q & A?

  * * *

  “What the fuck is this?” Kane all but growled, his boots thudding against the tiled flooring as he entered the interrogation room that the young punk of a dispatch had escorted him to upon arrival.

  He had been formally invited in for a Q & A. But the question was why Cara hadn’t had the balls to call him personally. Undoubtedly because she knew damn well he hadn’t committed these crimes and knew he’d be good and pissed. No doubt she was getting pressure from somewhere or someone to solve them. Tab’s father wasn’t likely sitting tight while the Sheriff’s Office chased their tails. But Sheriff Ducat wouldn’t dare jeopardize their agreement where his club was concerned, especially if there was no evidence at all to point in their direction.

  Kane’s gaze landed on an unknown man gracing the back of the room, the only person in attendance he didn’t know. The smug look on his face told Kane exactly who was responsible for his presence. He wore an expensive cut of black pants that sat arrogantly low on his hips, a grey, button-down shirt tucked into them, and a pair of black, Steve Madden shoes on his feet. Kane got the impression the man was full of himself. He bet if he had the notion to grab his silk, striped tie and pull the man within an inch of his nose, he’d have the pencil pusher pissing himself. His kind rarely had any balls.

  “Mister Tepes,” Cara greeted.

  The sound of his proper name rolling off her lips grated his last nerve. Though he knew she strived for formality in front of this unknown fuck, he’d make her pay for it later. Preferably her calling his name in the throes of ecstasy. The mere thought of her pretty lips wrapped around his cock brought a smile to his lips and an ache to his groin. Her cheeks glowed pleasantly pink. Good, at least she had the decency to be embarrassed for treating him as though they had no knowledge of each other. Kane wondered what this man would think if he knew the detective assigned to the case had wrapped her legs around him while he rode her up the wall of his bathroom just two nights back.

  Next time, he’d fuck her in his bed.

  “What can I do for you, Detective?” Kane asked, his eyes boring into her.

  Cara knew damn well what she could do for him. He planned on collecting later at the clubhouse. He’d make sure Kaleb, Grayson and Suzi all had better plans.

  “Have a seat, Mister Tepes,” the pencil-pusher directed.

  Kane resisted the urge to wrap his large hand around the man’s thin throat and squeeze until his eyes bulged. He might have done just that if he knew Cara would walk away unscathed. Instead, he pulled out a chair, turned it backwards and straddled it, resting his arms across the back.

  “You got something you want to ask me, detective?”

  “Captain Melchor,” he corrected and stepped forward. “You mind telling me what you were doing last Thursday night?”

  “I’ve already been questioned about that evening. My answer hasn’t changed.” Kane’s forefinger indicated a manila file lying on the table. “It’s probably all in there. That is, unless you can’t read.”

  The smug shit pointed at a one way mirror. “For the purpose of the video. You don’t mind that we’re recording this interview, do you?”

  Kane shrugged. “I have nothing to hide.”

  “Good.” Melchor’s grin inched up on one side. “Let’s start with your name then.”

  “Kane Tepes.”

  “And your affiliation with the outlaw motorcycle club, Sons of San … you mind pronouncing that for me?”

  “Sangue. San has a short A sound like ah and gue sounds like way but with a g added before it.”

  “San-gue,” the captain pushed sounded out slowly. “You mind telling me what that means? I don’t believe that’s an English word.”

  “Blood. It’s Italian for blood.”

  “Sons of Blood. Doesn’t really give one a nice impression.”

  “It’s not meant to.”

  He nodded, though letting the subject of his motorcycle affiliation drop. “Back to my original question again. Where were you last Thursday? For the video of course.”

  “I was out for a ride … sightseeing. There is no crime in that last I checked.”

  “Mind telling me where you were?”

  “North Fork Road. Great night for a ride.”

  “As I recall, from your statement of course, it was foggy that night.” />
  Kane looked briefly at Cara. “I believe that was Detective Brahnam’s description. Not mine.”

  “So you’re saying it wasn’t foggy?”

  Kane grinned. “I didn’t say that either. You never asked.”

  Captain Melchor braced his hands on the table and leaned forward. “Was it foggy that evening, Mister Tepes.”

  “I do believe it was.”

  “You think it’s wise to be sightseeing, on a windy road, in thick fog? Surely visibility in these woods would have been slim at best.”

  “I didn’t have any problem with my vision that night, Captain. Any other questions?”

  Kane could tell the captain didn’t believe he could see a foot in front of his face that night, let alone navigate the turns. He didn’t give a damn what the pencil-pusher thought.

  “You anywhere near Bender Landing County Park?”

  “I was out that way.”

  “You stop? Get off your motorcycle?”

  “No. Next question?”

  “You alone?”

  “No. I was with my brother Kaleb. We frequently ride together.”

  “And neither of you stopped near the hiking trail leading into the woods there.”

  “No. And unless you have proof otherwise, I suggest you move on to the next question. I already answered that one.”

  “You know Tabitha Perkins?”

  “I knew her.”

  “So then you know she was murdered.”

  “Detective Brahnam and Hernandez informed me. Too bad. Nice girl.”

  Melchor stood and began pacing the floor, hands locked behind his back. As if he could put the fear of god into Kane. Laughable is what he was. He stopped and turned his attention back to Kane, narrowing his gaze.