At first, the car drove over her purse sailing over the edge like a dune buggy in the desert. She reduced the speed and the back wheels whined as they spun against the carpet. Evie backed the car up and tried again, this time hitting the purse at just the right angle, and with enough speed to make it move. Sweat trickled between her breasts as the purse inched closer and closer until, finally, it was close enough to touch.
Score! Ty would have been proud. All those years hanging around with Zane and Jagger had come in useful, and not just for video game skills.
She called Connie first, telling her to come with something strong enough to break handcuffs. Although Deputy Benson was outside, she suspected he wouldn’t give her the key for fear of what Zane might do to him if he found out Benson let her go.
Connie arrived twenty minutes later with a pair of bolt cutters, borrowed from a neighbor, and twenty dollars for the swear jar so she could fully express her disdain for Zane without restraint or inhibition. The moment the cuffs slipped off her wrist, Evie raced to the bathroom, a minor detail Zane seemed to have forgotten in his haste to keep her away from Viper.
“Glad you were able to hold it,” Connie shouted through the bathroom door. “I wouldn’t have come over here as fast if I thought you’d pissed yourself, too.”
“Nice. Very nice.” Evie glared as she walked out of the bathroom a few minutes later. “I’m glad to know the limits of our friendship.”
“Piss is definitely one of them.” Connie looked Evie up and down and her smile faded. “So you’re still going through with it? You’re gonna go see Viper?”
“I don’t have a choice. The police aren’t going to be able to get to Ty, and I’m not leaving his life in the hands of a gang of outlaw bikers who live by a code that puts their club first, or a man who asked me to trust him, then showed his love by handcuffing me to the radiator. Ty needs someone who is there for him and only him, and the only person who can do that is me.”
“You can’t go in alone.” Connie reached into her purse and pulled out a .22. “I’ll go with you. I’ve even got a gun. Tank made me buy it. He said if I was hanging out with bikers, then I needed to be armed. He even taught me a few things about shooting.”
And get herself shot in the meantime. Evie placed a gentle hand on Connie’s arm. “I can’t let you come with me. Viper took Ty to get to me and not, as Zane seems to think, to get back at the club. I have to deal with him on my own.”
“Babe, you gotta have backup. We’ve watched enough movies together so you know what happens when someone decides to face the bad guy alone.” Connie shook Evie gently by the shoulders. “They never come out alive. And then you’re left wondering who the new main character’s gonna be.”
“He’s not going to kill me.”
“You don’t know that,” Connie said. “You think you know Viper. You think maybe he can be tamed. But really, he’s still a wild animal—the elephant who runs off into the jungle with tourists on his back, or the lion who bites off his trainer’s head after they’ve been together for twenty years. It’s like that story I read to Ty the other night … the one about the frog who carried the scorpion across the water because the scorpion promised not to sting him, and then they both died because the scorpion stung him anyway because it was in his nature.”
“I never knew about that morbid streak of yours,” Evie said, but Connie’s words gave her pause. Viper had seemed like a normal guy when he first came into her shop. They’d talked, laughed, discussed her art … Even when they’d gone for dinner he’d behaved like a regular guy. And then he’d killed Bill and burned down her shop and acted like nothing had happened. Like Connie said, violence was in his nature. Okay. She couldn’t go in without backup, or at least some kind of leverage. And she had to do it the biker way.
But who should she call?
Of course. Arianne.
* * *
“I can’t fucking believe it.” Cade handed the binoculars to Zane. “Is Viper that fucking arrogant? He’s only got six guards down there.”
Zane flattened himself on the rise above Viper’s cabin hideaway, still struggling to believe he wasn’t here alone. But as he’d strapped on his weapons at the clubhouse, ready to do battle with Viper and rescue his son, he thought about T-Rex’s funeral and how the brothers were all there for each other, and how together they had made it through the most difficult times. He had steeled himself to ask for help, but when he went down the stairs, they were all armed and waiting. His brothers. His friends.
“He probably thinks no one will find him,” Jagger said. “My place is pretty isolated. Unless someone ratted me out, I’d be surprised if a bunch of Jacks showed up.”
“How did we find him?” Sparky unzipped his pack and pulled out a box of ammo.
Zane focused his binoculars on the house. “I had Hacker put a GPS tracker in Ty’s Batman watch last time he was at the clubhouse playing vids. It worked so well tracking down Cade after Benson locked him in the slammer, I figured it was good idea. I also had Hacker put trackers in Evie’s new vehicle and a bug in her phone.”
Sparky let out a long low whistle. “I’m guessing she doesn’t know.”
“We all do it,” Cade said. “And none of the old ladies know. But we gotta keep them safe. Make sure we know where they are at all times…”
“Cade’s still worried Dawn’s got a thing for Benson,” Jagger said, smirking. “After all, she almost went into witness protection with him.”
Cade slammed a magazine into his gun. “Benson knows if he even looks at Dawn I’ll rip off his fucking arms.”
“I don’t think those are the guards.” Dax handed the binoculars to Sparky. “They’re busy like little ants. I think they’re doing some kind of construction. The guards are the ones standing around looking bored.”
Zane lay down and looked over the rise. “What the fuck do you know about ants? Did you torture them for fun when you were a kid?”
“Yeah, I did. Burned them with a magnifying glass. Just got an ant farm for my oldest. But I told him not to do what I did ’cause it’s cruel.”
Cade snorted. “Says the club torturer.”
Dax gave an indignant sniff. “I don’t hurt indiscriminately. Only the bastards you bring me. And only until they give me the information I want.” He hesitated and then shrugged. “Okay. And afterward, maybe a bit for fun.”
Sparky snapped open the tripod on his Barnett M98B sniper rifle. “So what’s the plan? I take them all out by myself while you losers yap like a bunch of old ladies?”
“I prefer the stealth approach.” Zane rolled over and pulled out his knife. “No noise. No gunshots to warn everyone we’re coming.”
“Ah. Ah. Ah … I think slicing a Black Jack’s throat might be a breach of your bail conditions.” Cade chuckled. “And I think some of us are felons. Someone call the fucking cops and haul this fucker’s ass back to jail.”
“Anyone need a weapon?” Tank came up behind them with the duffel bag he and Gunner had hauled up the hill. “Evie and Connie dug up the weapons Big Bill stole from the Jacks last week. He had them stashed in his father’s grave. Gun and I bought them for the club, although I think we might have overpaid. They drove a pretty hard bargain.”
Jesus Fucking Christ. What the hell was going on? Why was Evie selling stolen weapons, and why the fuck hadn’t she told him about them? How could they trust each other if she was going to go behind his back and put herself in danger? Of course, he had handcuffed her to the radiator, but still … that was a trust issue. Dealing in stolen weapons had to do with safety.
“You wanna call Evie?” Jagger gave Zane a nudge. “Tell her we’ve found him and we’re going in so she doesn’t worry?”
“She won’t be able to get to the phone.” He felt a stab of remorse, but then he thought about what she’d intended to do and his resolve hardened. Damn woman had no idea of the danger she was in, or the risk to Ty if she followed the course of action she intended to take.
> Jagger lifted an eyebrow. “Do I want to know?”
“You may want to send a coupla brothers over there with this key.” He pulled the key out of his pocket and handed it to Jagger. “She was gonna go to Viper and bargain herself for Ty so I handcuffed her to the radiator. Whoever goes to get her should be armed and wearing a padded safety suit, maybe a helmet and a face mask. I got Benson checking on her through the window every half hour or so.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Jagger tucked the key into the pocket of his cut. “Well, that’s the end of that relationship.”
“Nah.” Dax laughed. “That’s called having a family. Anything to do with the kids and the old ladies go fucking ballistic and start thinkin’ they’re gonna handle things themselves. A man’s gotta know how to deal with them. I always keep a set of cuffs in the house.”
“Listen to the big talker shootin’ off his mouth like Sandy doesn’t have him by the balls.” Cade snorted. “You got those cuffs ’cause you’re a kinky bastard.”
“Guess we’re all kinky bastards ’cause I heard you cuffed Dawn to the bathroom sink when she found out some bully hit one of your little twin girls.”
“My girls. My responsibility.” Cade puffed out his chest. “That nine-year-old bully’s not gonna be saying dick to anyone on that playground ever again. And after I got home and uncuffed Dawn I made sure she understand how things were gonna be with me and the girls.”
“Wasn’t that the day you showed up with a black eye?” Gunner pushed himself to his feet and grabbed a branch for balance. His old injury from the night the Jacks burned down the Sinner clubhouse still bothered him, but he would never admit to suffering any pain.
“You want a fucking black eye now?”
“Like I said.” Jagger looked over at Zane and grinned. “That’s the end of that relationship.”
“No, like I said.” Dax laughed. “It’s called having a family. Sinner style.”
TWENTY-SIX
If you use the right tools, take your time, and follow the manual, the risk of disaster is quite low.
—SINNER’S TRIBE MOTORCYCLE REPAIR MANUAL
Viper’s bodyguard gestured for Evie to follow him through the spacious, chalet-style cabin, set into the side of the mountain and surrounded by dense forest. Evie breathed in the fresh scent of pine and cedar as they emerged into an open-plan living room with vaulted ceilings and giant picture windows boasting views over the valley below. Across the room she could see a honey oak kitchen, separated from the living space with a granite-topped counter and four tall stools. Bright rugs covered the polished teak floors, and large, comfortable sofas and chairs surrounded an open Victorian fireplace.
“Not what you expected?” Sprawled on the couch, his arms across the burnt amber cushions, legs parted wide, Viper gestured for her to sit. “Doreen did the decorating. Or maybe it was Shelly. I go through old ladies so fast, it’s hard to keep track.”
Evie wasn’t interested in pleasantries. Or sitting. “Where’s Ty?”
Viper cocked his head to the side. “Is that anyway to greet your man?”
“You’re not my man. I thought I made that clear.” Her heart drummed in her chest when he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
“And I thought I made it clear that you are mine. Apparently you didn’t get the memo. I hear you’ve been spreading your legs for the Sinners. If I’d known you were such a little slut, I’d have taken you that first day I saw you in your shop. I would have tied you to the bench and fucked you till you screamed.”
“Who I fuck is none of your business.” Unable to stay still, she walked over to the window. Construction materials littered the lawn. Four workers were busy erecting, of all things, a white picket fence, while a few bored Black Jacks looked on.
“It is if the man you’re fucking is supposed to be me.” His voice was soft and all the more threatening for it. Evie shivered and her hand strayed to the phone hidden in her jacket, a backup in case Viper or his bodyguards took her purse. Arianne had also given her a gun, but Evie couldn’t even think about using it.
She turned and sat on the windowsill, the position giving her some courage because the workers could see in, and she could easily escape to the balcony if necessary. “I don’t understand how you think. Yes, I enjoyed your company. You are interesting, well read, articulate, and very savvy about the world. But you also killed Bill and T-Rex, threatened me, burned down my shop, and kidnapped my child. Pick one, and it’s a deal killer. Put them together and there isn’t a chance in hell I would ever want to spend another minute with you.”
His lips quirked, amused. “And yet you want to be with the Sinner VP, who I can assure you has committed crimes no less heinous than the list you just spat out?”
“The difference is in the choices you make.” Her fingers tightened on her purse. “You liked me. You wanted me. And when it didn’t work out, you chose violence to get me. Zane wanted me, too. So he chose to sacrifice himself, to give up the life to keep me safe. He protected me. I don’t think there is anything in this world that I would ask that he wouldn’t do for me. And I would do the same for him. I’m not about to judge him when he does what he does to protect the people he cares about.”
Viper’s face tightened. “As do I.”
“I want to see Ty,” she snapped, her patience at an end.
“And I want the pleasure of your company, Evangeline. I’ll let you see Ty and then we’ll have dinner together. That is why you got all dressed up, isn’t it?”
“I dressed up because you made it a condition for seeing Ty,” she said. “I didn’t dress up for you.”
“Shame.” Viper turned on the television and she saw Ty in a bedroom sitting on a red race-car bed playing a video game. The shelves around him were filled with toys. Her heart ached when she saw his tear-streaked face, but at least he didn’t appear to be harmed.
“I want to see him in person.”
“You will, but not yet,” Viper said. “But just to ease your anxiety, he’s upstairs. When I moved here I had them bring Jeff’s old things from my house. My son, Jeff, was spoiled so Ty will be well entertained.”
Hope flared in her chest. She had made a big assumption that Viper wanted her because she wasn’t part of the biker world, and that he wouldn’t be violent unless she forced his hand. But the main premise of her rescue attempt was that Viper would care about his now motherless son, and that he would fear for his safety if he knew the Sinners had him. The hostage trade hadn’t worked before because he clearly had no feelings for Doreen. But if he’d brought Jeff’s old toys to his new house, maybe there was hope for her plan after all.
Arianne had told her that although Viper had been a hard and cruel father, deep down he had feelings for Jeff and he had been devastated when his son died. From the conversations she’d had with Viper, Evie thought he also cared deeply about Arianne, even admired her for defying him and becoming Jagger’s old lady. Arianne didn’t believe Evie, however; she had been more than happy to go to Ennis to visit her new stepbrother.
Since meeting Zane, Evie had realized that people weren’t black and white, monsters or men. Everyone had a little bit of both inside them; it was their choices that made the difference.
Viper turned off the television and stood, holding out his hand. “Come. My chef has dinner waiting. And since you’re here because you want to be here, I’m looking forward to our meal together.”
She accepted his outstretched hand, grimacing when he squeezed it just a little too hard, and followed him to the kitchen where Viper introduced her to Mario, a short, nervous, slightly balding man wearing a white apron.
“Mario came to me looking for work after the Sinners burned down his restaurant.” Viper pulled out Evie’s chair and she took her seat. “Saved me from hunting him down. He was paying off his debt to us by keeping my boys fed. Now he cooks just for me, and we’re gonna rebuild his restaurant after we repair the clubhouse. The Sinners broke an unspok
en rule when they took out a civilian building.”
“There seems to be a lot of that going around.”
“Don’t get nasty, kitten, he snapped. “It doesn’t become you.”
Mario placed a dish of antipasto in front of them: cured meats, olives, mushrooms, anchovies, artichoke hearts, various cheeses, and vegetables in oil. He removed the napkin from beside Evie’s fork and placed it over her lap, then did the same for Viper. Bizarre didn’t even begin to describe the absurdity of eating a fancy meal, prepared by a chef in a well-appointed kitchen, across the table from a rough, grizzled outlaw biker, while her son was a prisoner somewhere upstairs. And if Arianne didn’t hurry up and call to let Evie know she had Doreen’s son in a secure location, she’d actually have to try to choke the food down.
“I thought you were smart enough to know I would never give up.” Viper tasted the wine and nodded for Mario to fill his glass. The rich, red liquid reminded Evie of blood and her stomach curdled.
“You’ve been around bikers long enough to understand what it means when we make a claim,” he continued.
Evie covered her glass when Mario approached with the wine. “No, thank you.”
“I insist.” Viper gently knocked her hand away. “It’s an Amarone and goes perfectly with the pasta. And it will help you relax. You seem a bit tense.”
Tense? Was he crazy? Maybe that was it. He was crazy. How else could he possibly think she would want to be with him after what he’d done? Or was he so far gone that he was unable to see that what he was doing was wrong? If Arianne hadn’t texted earlier to say that Doreen’s mother was even less fit to be a parent than Viper—and that was saying something—Evie might have reconsidered her plan to let Viper know he had a son.
Evie scrunched the napkin in her fist under the table as Mario poured the wine. Goddamn it. Why hadn’t Arianne called? She couldn’t pull off this charade for much longer, and it was all she could do not to grab her knife, stab Viper and race upstairs to …
The Sinner’s Tribe Motorcycle Club, Books 1-3 Page 96