Viper's Kiss

by London Casey

When they hit the streets, the motorcycles were like rolling thunder. Plenty of people in town weren’t sure about the MC but everyone deep down inside knew that Frelen was safer with the MC there.

  The wind ripped at Blaine’s face and he thought about Ethan. The new chief was going to be a big pain in the ass. There was no way they could just kill the guy either. It would bring too much heat on the MC. So they’d have to deal with Ethan. Keep their noses clean or maybe Ethan would see the pressure from the other crews and towns. Hell, all Miller had to do was pull back and let the shit bleed into town. Ethan wouldn’t be able to keep up and he’d be begging for the MC’s help.

  They all rode to the east side of Frelen. A little bit of a rundown part of the town, it was famous for drugs, violence, and plenty of domestic calls. Not to mention it was like a cesspool for other crews to sneak in, make a few bucks, and get the hell out.

  That wasn’t happening today though.

  There was a woman standing with messy hair, a long t-shirt with holes in it. She had a cigarette in her hand and she sucked on it like it was an inhaler keeping her alive. There were two kids clutched to the woman’s legs. One boy, one girl.

  As Miller stopped, a man came out of a ground floor apartment building. His face was bleeding. He hurried and took out a gun, causing both kids to scream. That made everyone in the MC draw their weapons. Blaine jumped off his ride and rushed to the guy.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Blaine asked. “They’re going to light you up.”

  “I don’t give a fuck,” the guy said. “They fucking roll in and fucking shoot at my fucking family. They fucking hit me, take my money, give me nothing good.”

  “Whoa, whoa,” Blaine said. “That wasn’t us, brother. We got a call to come down and help. They were a different crew.”

  “Reggie! Put the damn gun away.” The woman yelled. “You're scaring the kids.”

  “They ain’t mine. You need to shut your fucking legs, woman.”

  “Holy shit,” Blaine said. He put a hand to Reggie’s chest. “Go clean yourself up. You come out here again and I’m going to shoot you.”

  Blaine then went to the woman. “What happened?”

  “You heard it,” she said. “Two came in and they beat up Reggie. He was just trying to buy stuff. He had good money. He had my fucking money.”

  “Okay,” Blaine said.

  He touched the woman’s shoulder. She was boney everywhere but her belly. Her shirt went down past her knees. She had no shoes on. The kids clinging to her looked tired and terrified.

  “So what are you going to do?” she asked.

  “We’re going to find who did that and make sure it never happens again,” Blaine said. “I need you to work with me, beautiful. Okay?”

  “I ain’t beautiful. Don’t butter me up, asshole.”

  Blaine stepped back. Miller and Gaige came forward. Nate, Jace, and Landon stood with their guns out, eyeing the rest of the rundown apartment building.

  Blaine crouched and looked at the kids. “You kids like magic?”

  The girl nodded. She had greasy hair stuck to her face.

  “Don’t talk to strangers,” the boy said.

  “That’s good thinking,” Blaine said. “So you don’t have to talk to me. But I’m going to show you a magic trick. I can make a quarter appear behind your ear.”

  “No you can’t,” the boy said.

  “Devin,” the girl said. “Stranger.”

  “He ain’t no stranger. He’s going to kill us.”

  “Whoa,” Blaine said. “I’m not going to kill you. I’m just… wait a second…” Blaine reached out and flicked the kid’s ear. “Ah, look.”

  He opened his hand and there was a quarter.

  “Wow,” the little girl said.

  “Can you do that fucking trick with the rent money?” their mother asked.

  Blaine closed his hand. He shook his hand and let the quarter slide away. When he opened his hand again, the quarter was gone.

  “Ah, man,” Devin said. “A quarter…”

  “You kids do good in school?” Blaine asked.

  “She does,” Devin said. “I don’t give a damn.”

  Blaine touched the young boy’s shoulder. “You should give a damn. The greatest thing about life, my man, is that you can change anything at any time. Remember that.” Blaine reached into his pocket. He took out some cash. “I want you each to take this and get yourself something nice. Okay?”

  Blaine stood up.

  “What the fuck was that for?” the woman asked.

  “How much did they take?”

  “Fifty,” she said.

  “Here,” Blaine said. “There’s sixty. Don’t give it to Reggie.”

  Blaine walked back to his ride.

  “What the hell was that, brother?” Shay asked. “You thinking about hitting mama over there?”

  “I have no boundaries,” Blaine said. “Nothing wrong when it’s dirty. Kind of does the work for you.”

  “Aye,” Shay said. “You’re really fucked up.”

  “Hungry kids,” Blaine said. “It ain’t right.”

  A few seconds later Miller and Gaige came back.

  “We’re riding,” Gaige said. “Two pricks are heading east. They were alone. A little scam run, that’s all.”

  “For fifty bucks?” Nate asked.

  “It’s never about money,” Miller said.

  “They want us to attack,” Blaine said. “My advice? Call a prospect and bring a vehicle up here. I’m out for blood today, men.”

  “Blood and pussy,” Gaige said, “his two favorite things.”

  Blaine winked and climbed on his motorcycle.

  Time to ride. Time to kill.

  ***

  It was an ambush.

  Blaine saw it happening a second before it did. There were six motorcycles, six men, all weapons drawn. They started to fire the second they saw Back Down Devil MC. Blaine cut to the right and went off the road. He turned and dropped his ride, letting dirt and dust kick up. The cloud gave the MC a shield for a few seconds. Enough so that they could all stop and build a wall of their own motorcycles for protection.

  “Motherfuckers!” Blaine yelled.

  He stood up and had a gun in each hand.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” Shay yelled. “Get down, brother!”

  “No,” Blaine said. “I’m going in. You guys make the kill.”

  Blaine then stepped over the motorcycles. The dust settled and he was the lone guy standing there. An easy target.

  The Eight Under crew hesitated for a split second. Blaine opened his arms and pulled the triggers on the guns. Two shots, two bullets, and two guys hit. That’s when Blaine dropped as the bullets started to fly again. He crouched and walked, looking ridiculous as he did so.

  Back Down Devil rose up and entered the gunfight, pushing Eight Under back on their rides and desperate to escape. The move didn’t make sense though. Why they had set all this up only to fail so fast and so miserable. Then again, it was Eight Under. They acted fast, usually without using their brains.

  The Eight Under crew hurried to get away.

  There was a guy on the back of a motorcycle and that was Blaine’s target. He shot once, hitting the guy in the shoulder. The guy then fell to the left and off the motorcycle. The guy controlling the motorcycle didn’t even look back. He just kept going. Blaine ran to the guy and grabbed his leg. He pulled, turned him over, and then punched him in the mouth.

  “What the fuck are you doing out here?” Blaine yelled. “Tell me right now.”

  “Just business, asshole,” the guy said.

  Blaine punched him again. “Who sent you?”

  The guy smiled, blood leaking from his mouth. “You’re fucked this time. You have no idea what you’re against.”

  “Why the ambush?”

  “Just to see… just to see…”

  Blaine threw his head forward and smashed it against the guy’s face. The guy’s head hit the roa
d with a hard thud.

  “Blaine!” Miller bellowed. “Get him up and out of here.”

  Blaine stood up and looked around.

  Something didn’t feel right.

  Why would they feel so cocky to do this? Why would they just mess around like this? They had no muscle… unless someone new was in the crew…

  A gunshot broke Blaine’s stare, along with the splatter of blood against his face.

  He looked and saw Gaige holding a gun. Jace had been holding the guy up when Gaige shot.

  “What the hell?” Blaine asked. “Now I’m covered in his shit.”

  “Leave him here,” Miller said. “Call the prospect and tell him to head back to the lot. This is a message for those goddamn pricks.”

  “But why?” Gaige asked. “Why this?”

  “They’re sending a message to us,” Blaine said. “Something is going on with the club. Maybe they got some backing or something.”

  “Yeah?” Miller said. “Well, they all just dug their goddamn graves. This is done. They think they can rebuild and flex muscle at us?”

  “Or they know about Ethan,” Gaige said. “They know we have a new hand of the law in town. They know we’re up against it and we’ll be battling.”

  “I’ll keep Ethan under control,” Blaine said. “Let him focus on me.”

  “Why you?” Gaige asked.

  “Let’s ride,” Miller said. “This asshole’s rotten body is going to start to stink soon.”

  The club got back on their motorcycles and left the scene. It felt like a very long ride back to the lot, one filled with muddled thoughts. Blaine hated that feeling. The purpose of riding was to feel free. It was the ultimate sense of freedom. The road, the horizon, and anything that could happen or exist.

  Two prospects opened the gates for the MC and they barreled into the lot, right back home.

  When Blaine climbed off his ride, Trev came out of the clubhouse and pointed to him.

  “What did I do now?” Blaine asked.

  “Nothing,” Trev said. “There’s a woman here looking for you.”

  “Me? Shit. She naked?”

  “No.”

  “She a stripper?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “She have a gun?”

  “Blaine…”

  “Oh, fuck,” Blaine said. “Does she have two different color eyes? I told that one that it wouldn’t hurt when I used three fingers in…”

  “Just go the fuck inside,” Trev said. “She seems terrified and keeps asking for you.”

  Blaine rushed to the door and ripped it open.

  Who the fuck would be here for me?

  When Blaine saw the figure turn around on a barstool, his jaw hit the floor. It wasn’t just a blast from the past, it was a blast right back to the most tragic moment of Blaine’s life.

  six.

  Of course he has blood on him.

  That was the first thing that went through Jessa’s mind when she saw Blaine standing in the doorway. Bad enough she had been escorted into the MC clubhouse by some really big, tough looking guy who insisted she sit down and keep her mouth shut. Sadly, she felt safer in the clubhouse than she did outside with Vin running around.

  Part of Jessa had always wondered what Blaine would end up like. Hell, she didn’t think he’d make it a year alive, but here he was, alive and well. Standing tall with wide and curved shoulders, his muscles pulling at the sleeves of his t-shirt. He was rough looking, worse than before, but his eyes were the same intensity.

  Blaine had always been captivating. But he had been taken. He had played the role of a loyal man, a stepfather, and did all he could to be the best cop possible. That put him in hot water all the time and when the hot water finally boiled, it didn’t burn Blaine’s skin, it burned right at his heart.

  Jessa stood up.

  Blaine put a hand out. “Tell me I’m fucking seeing things.”

  “You’re not,” Jessa said. “I’m here.”

  Blaine turned his head for a second and took a breath. Behind him two men appeared.

  “Everything okay?” one asked.

  “Yeah, brother,” Blaine said. “Just a little trip down memory lane.”

  “Her? She looks too normal for you.”

  “Fuck off, Gaige,” Blaine said. Blaine took a step at Jessa. “Sit back down.”

  Jessa said. “I have to talk to you. I tried calling that number…”

  “Jesus Christ, you still have that?”

  “Yes. Just in case.” Jessa reached for the bar and put a hand to her bag.

  “What the hell is going on?” Blaine asked.

  “We need to talk.”

  “Try me. Because my mind is spinning right now looking at you. I never thought I would see you again.”

  “You say that like it’s bad.”

  “Because the last time we saw each other was on such a fucking high note,” Blaine said. “You realize where you are right now? You’re in my home. This is my home now. Anything you know about me, forget it. Anything you think you might know now, you’re wrong.”

  “So you traded in your badge for a motorcycle?”

  “My life was taken from me,” Blaine said. “You fucking know that, Jessa.”

  When he said her name, Jessa shuddered. She felt a heat rush to her cheeks. This wasn’t the same Blaine as before. This guy now was hardened, evil, and obviously capable of violence. The blood on his face and shirt proved that.

  “What do you want?” Blaine asked. “A place to stay? You couldn’t handle it here. There’s rules. You stay… and I’m going to fuck you six ways from Sunday.”

  Jessa gasped. “I came to tell you that he’s out.”

  “Who?”

  “Vin.”

  Blaine’s face dropped. Anger and guilt flashed across his face like lightening on a dark night. His left hand grabbed for Jessa’s arm. His strength was wildly intense. One small pull and Jessa was inches from him. She could smell him. Man, sweat, blood, women. Whatever it was, it was raw.

  Blaine’s right hand shot out and he grabbed someone by the shirt behind the bar.

  “Remember what happened before, kid?” Blaine asked.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Give me the fucking bottle.”

  The guy gave Blaine a bottle of whiskey.

  “You know for sure?” Blaine asked Jessa.

  “He came to see me,” Jessa said. “I know for sure.”

  “Fuck. Fuck… fuck…”

  “Blaine, you okay?” Gaige asked.

  Blaine let Jessa go and spun around. He grabbed Gaige. “I’m not available right now. I have personal business, brother. You can proxy my vote on anything. I vote yes to whatever comes up. I say we attack and destroy them all. Okay? Anything.”

  “Are you sure you’re good?” Gaige asked. “Who is this…”

  Blaine turned and grabbed at Jessa’s hand. He squeezed it and then grabbed her bag. “Come on.”

  They went around the corner of the bar and down a hallway. With each step with Blaine, Jessa felt safer. It was crazy to be walking next to him again. After everything they’d gone through together. Strange as it was, there had been a piece of Jessa that never understood why they didn’t stay in touch after everything happened. They were the ones closest to it. They could have helped each other.

  “Blaine…”

  “No talking,” Blaine said.

  He stared straight ahead, his lips moving.

  He made another left, then a right. They were walking from hall to hall.

  When Blaine finally stopped, he pulled Jessa so that her body collided with his.

  “You better not be fucking with me.”

  “I wouldn’t do that,” Jessa said. “I don’t even want to be here. I have a good life on my own. You took off on me after everything happened. You were a ghost. You hurt me.”

  “Deal with it,” Blaine said. “I hurt everyone.”

  Now Jessa felt that old anger rise up in her body. Her hatre
d for Blaine. Of course they didn’t talk after everything had happened. Blaine tossed her a phone number and then took off. He never called, checked on her, did nothing to offer support.

  It wasn’t his job. You were never his. You never came close…

  Blaine opened the door to his room.

  “Ah, shit,” he said.

  Jessa let out a gasp when she saw the room.

  There was a woman on the bed, naked. She was on her back, one leg hanging off the bed. Jessa couldn’t help but stare at everything. It was a fully nude woman on the bed!

  Blaine walked to the bed and kicked it. “Hey. Wake up.”

  “What?” another voice yelled.

  A second woman popped up from the other side of the bed. She stood up and was wearing nothing but a thin pair of panties.

  “Oh… my…,” Jessa said.

  Blaine grabbed the first woman by the arms and pulled her up.

  “Hey, Blaine… you want…”

  “No, beautiful,” Blaine said. “You have to go now. I have other business.”

  The woman looked at Jessa. “This slut?”

  “Slut?” Jessa said. “I’m wearing clothes. You’re not.”

  “She has a point, beautiful,” Blaine said to the naked woman. “Come on. Get out. Both of you. Don’t piss me off here.”

  The two women walked by Blaine and left the room.

  Blaine, shut the door. “Sorry about that. A little leftover from a midnight snack.”

  “They were… where were their clothes?”

  “Who the fuck do I look like?” Blaine asked. “A laundromat? They came that way. Shit, they came every way possible.”

  “Ew,” Jessa said. “You’re a pig. Is that who you are now?”

  “Don’t even go there,” Blaine said. “You have no idea…”

  “Oh, I don’t?” Jessa asked. “How about the truth? I saw what I saw and Vin walked away on it. He never got so much as a slap on the wrist for what he did. I lost everything because of it. I couldn’t go to medical school because of it. I couldn’t imagine seeing something like that again. And if I did, all I would picture is them. Meghan reaching for Janey…”

  “Stop, stop, stop,” Blaine said. “No. Just stop.”

  “No,” Jessa said. “That’s what I saw. I looked Vin in the eyes. I knew the truth. He killed them, Blaine. He purposely set that entire thing up.”