Page 17 of Viper

Once Archer is asleep, I go into my bedroom to grab some clothes. I need a shower and some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. Namely because of one certain green-eyed vixen that is never far from my mind.

I probably shouldn’t have gone to the courthouse today, but I couldn’t help myself. I needed to see her again. Fuck, I’m so screwed where she’s concerned, but I don’t care. I don’t think I’ve had a woman in my life that’s made me feel the way Eden does. Even from only a couple of encounters, she’s left a permanent imprint on me. And seeing her today only made it deeper.

I don’t know where this whole Daddy thing is coming from with me to her, because I’ve never had this kind of thing before with any woman. Hell, I’m really not that kinky, even though everyone thinks I am. I’m not strictly vanilla but I’m not too wild when it comes to sex. But with Eden, that’s gone completely out the window. Hell, who knew that I would like a woman calling me Daddy?

Do I like my women hot and wild? Hell yes, and I want one that can go toe to toe with me. One who doesn’t need me to stand in front of her and play hero. I don’t want a weak woman in my life, and I don’t want my son to learn that a man always has to be strong and in charge. It’s okay to be on equal footing, and it’s fine to let a woman take the reins now and then. And if a woman is going to be around him for any length of time, then I need to make sure she fits well into that.

Eden is definitely a woman that fits the bill. She didn’t need my help with that pushy college kid, and even today she didn’t pull her punches. She told me how it was, and I like that she did. And as much as she wants to say that she doesn’t want or need a man in her life right now, I think I can change her mind.

How I’m going to do that, I’m not sure, but when it comes to her, I’m sure I’ll think of something. The only thing that gives me some hesitation at the moment is what’s going on with the club. After all the shit that’s gone down against the women, maybe I shouldn’t pursue anything until it gets handled. But the idea of letting her slip away doesn’t sit right.

I turn on the shower, stripping down, before climbing inside. It took me a while to find an apartment with a shower big enough to accommodate my large size, but damn, it is worth the extra money I pay every month. It’s also more than big enough for two, and damn if I don’t want to have Eden in here with me, back against the shower wall as I pound inside her.

My cock hardens at the imagery, and I look down at it in bemusement. Clearly he’s in agreement she should be in here with me, but unfortunately, that’s going to have to wait. First I need to convince her that giving me a shot is a good idea, and once she does, I need to make sure she stays off Vlad’s radar.

Something tells me though, that neither of those things are going to be easy. Good thing I’m good at adapting. Soon enough, I’m going to have Eden right where I want her.

SEVEN

VLAD

I’m getting close to making the next move and those bikers better be ready for war.

“Misha hid his tracks well,” my new right hand man, Sasha, informs me as I sit at my desk and listen to his report. Fury burns through me at his words, but I keep my expression neutral, letting him finish. It took me time, but I brought Sasha over from Russia after things calmed down with Misha’s betrayal and death were announced. Something the Pakan was very displeased about. It took some time and smooth talking from me, but finally, he was able to see it was not my doing, and approved the transfer.

Sasha Agapov, is the son of one of the Pakhan’s top soldiers and well known for being meticulous. Which is why his inability to find anything on Misha’s betrayal and communications is so disappointing. Though even I realize that Misha was clever and he would have thought of every possible outcome, including his death. He would have made it difficult for most to find out what he was doing, but still, my hopes were far higher than they should have been apparently that Sasha would find the information quickly.

“However,” Sasha continues, bringing me out of my thoughts, “I was able to find a few things in his room. A burner phone, but one that he never deactivated, and an old computer that was disassembled and the pieces put around the room in random places. The men are working on getting it reassembled. I’ve given them a deadline of tomorrow evening to get it figured out and then we will hopefully have answers.”

Well, perhaps I was a bit too rash in my assumptions. It seems Sasha might be useful after all. “Good,” I reply, and then wait for him to continue. Thankfully he doesn’t disappoint.

“I also have our men working on moving our product to unknown locations. So far, the MC hasn’t been able to find any of them, which means they’re still chasing their asses like the idiots they are,” Sasha adds, looking smug at that little piece of news.

“Do not underestimate them,” I warn him, making his smug look drop and his dark eyes sharpen. He’s got the look of a youth, being only mid-thirties, with thick dark hair, and the sharp features of his heritage, but he still has the cocky attitude that I would have hoped would have aged out of him. Still, he has potential, and I know that the Pakhan is hopeful he will be able to replace his father’s position in the organization. Time will tell if he can manage. “They have constantly surprised us, and I refuse to discount them.” I learned that the hard way, and as much as it pisses me off, I have to remember that they have been here longer than I, and they also took down Dmitri, and that couldn’t have been an easy feat, despite his inexperience.

“You think they are showing us a front?” Sasha questions, clearly not onboard with that thought.

“I think they have surprised us before, and they’ll do it again. But not for much longer.” Sasha nods in understanding. “Find out that information and report back,” I order, done with this conversation. I have another conversation that needs to be had and I don’t want Sasha listening in. I don’t need another Misha incident, and I’m far from as trusting as Sasha thinks.

Sasha leaves without a word, and as soon as the door closes behind him, I engage the lock under my desk, keeping him and anyone else out, while also jamming any listening devices or cameras that may have been hidden in here. Something else that Misha managed to do when he was living. After I found out about his death and started looking around my office, I found bugs in places only Misha would have been or touched. So now, I take no chances.

Once I know the room and my conversation is safe, I pull out my burner phone and dial the number at the top of the contacts. It rings once, twice, and then I hear the deep voice on the other end. “You are calling for information on the woman?” he asks in a low voice, a voice sounding more American than Russian, but he can thank his American mother for that. Thankfully, his father found him when he was a teenager and killed the stupid bitch for stealing his son away from him and raising him here instead of the home country.

“You have found her?” I ask. Namely, the whore Misha was screwing. She has been alluding us. Someone let her know what happened to Misha and sent her running. I’m still trying to track down who let her get away, but I’m closing in.

“She went home,” he answers after a moment, “but I’ll be with her in a few short hours. I have her location, and I have another one secure for me to interrogate her.”

“Where is home?”

“Russia,” he replies.

A surprise considering my men should have been able to see her going through customs long before now. “And how did she get there?”

“She had help from a friend. I’ve already dispatched men to pick up the friend. A woman that seems to be married to one of the Makarov bastards.”

The Makarovs are another family that like to think they are their own version of the mafia back home, but they are nothing but a scourge. More often than not, the Pakhan takes them down before they can get too far. Apparently, he needs to deal with them again. Clearly they are trying to interfere in operations here, and I bet my ass that woman of Misha’s was a plant and reporting back. Now the question is, did Misha know, or was he as clueless as I? And I don’t like to appear clueless. Hell, I have half a mind to get on a flight and deal with the bitch myself.

“Do what you need to do, but I want every last ounce of information before she dies. I want to know what that bastard did every second, down to when he took a shit. Even the smallest detail could be important.”

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