Page 66 of Viper

It’s another two hours before they finally emerge, and the Detective looks irritated. Clearly, he hasn’t found anything he can use against us. Hunter showed up an hour and a half ago, and he’s been reviewing the warrant the entire time, making calls and muttering to himself. There’s no doubt in my mind that Detective Wagner is on Vlad’s payroll, which means we need to be careful. Hell, most of the cops here are probably on it too. And I'm sure he’s behind this bogus search. Detective Wagner makes his way over toward us, but his gaze is zeroed in on me. When he reaches me, he holds up my spare gun in an evidence bag for me to see. I hold his gaze steady and wait patiently for him to tell me what he wants to know. “What’s this?” he demands.

“That would be my second weapon,” I reply easily. “I have the permit in my wallet. And before you start giving me any shit about it, remember that I know it was in a secured gun case, with a lock on it, and there is no ammunition with it.”

His lips thin. “Get out the permit or I’m taking you in for illegal possession of a handgun,” he bites out. I calmly do as he asks, pulling it out and handing it to him. When I got Eden’s message, I made sure to pull it out to have it on me. His eyes scan it, anger making his eyes hard and intense. He hands it back to me. “Fine, but I’m still taking it and running it,” he warns me.

I shrug. “Go ahead. I haven’t used it in well over a year.”

“Seems awfully odd you’re carrying the paperwork for it,” he remarks.

I give him a bland look. “Detective, myself and one of my other brothers run a security company. We need to have our paperwork on us at all times, even if we don’t have the gun with us.” My tone lets him know that I think he’s an idiot for even asking me.

“You have a son, don’t you?” he suddenly asks, changing the subject.

Thank God for years of training so I don’t react. “I do. Archer. Who’s at school right now before you even ask.”

He narrows his eyes. “I looked into you, MacKenzie. You and your ex-wife are in the middle of a custody battle, and you think it’s appropriate to expose your son to this?” He sneers the final word, while sweeping his hand wide at the clubhouse.

“If by this you mean a family that welcomes him and supports him, then yes, I do. Not to mention, the President’s Old Lady used to babysit him often if I was working on the weekends I had him.”

Detective Wagner doesn’t look convinced, but he lets it go. “I suggest you watch yourself, Mr. MacKenzie, if you want your son to continue staying with you.” Then he nods at another officer and adds, “I also have been asked to issue your drug test now, so you’ll come with me.”

“Hold on a minute, Detective,” Hunter immediately breaks in, and I see the displeasure on the Detective’s face before he turns to face our lawyer. “You won’t be doing anything without me present, and you also will not be taking the sample, I will, as his court appointed counsel and as stated in the Judge’s order.”

That’s news to me, but damn, am I glad. I don’t need that shit in this asshole’s hands. “Fine,” the detective bites out. Then he jerks his head toward the clubhouse.

Before I can step forward, Hunter stops me and asks him, “And the others? They are free to enter the clubhouse?”

“Yes,” Detective Wagner replies.

“Excellent.” He nods at the rest of the brothers and Rose.

“Oh good, I can finish my baking,” Rose says brightly. “And you make sure to tell your officers to grab a cookie before they go. Can’t have them going away hungry. They’re obviously working so hard. They deserve a reward, don’t you think?”

The Detective ignores her and I bite back a laugh as I follow Hunter and the Detective inside. I head for the only bathroom on the lower level. Since it’s a small bathroom, the door has to remain open as they both stand outside. Detective Wagner glares at me and tells me to hurry up. “What, you don’t want to come in and hold it for me?” I ask him as I unbutton my jeans. “Detective, if you’re worried about someone realizing you enjoy staring at dicks, don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”

Hunter snorts, while Detective Wagner glares at me and shoves a cup at me that someone brings him. “Just piss in the damn cup,” he orders.

I shrug. I had to do random tests in the Navy, so nothing fazes me as I fill the cup then close it and put it in the bag that Hunter gives to me. He makes a face and says, “I’m charging you extra for this.”

“Just send me the bill,” I smirk as I zip myself back up.

Detective Wagner says nothing as we walk back into the common room, where, unsurprisingly, Rose is charming each officer there, encouraging them to take the cookies. When she spots us, she waves us over and offers the final cookie to Detective Wagner. “Go ahead and have that. I’m sure you’re hungry, and from the time, probably a full day in too.”

Detective Wagner looks like he wants to refuse, but I give him a scowl and he must think better of it. “Thank you,” he grits out, taking it and devouring it in two bites. “Let’s go,” he yells to the rest of the officers, who all follow him out. I hear Rose snicker softly, and when I look over at her curiously, she gives me an innocent look, but her eyes are full of mischievous glee. Oh, now I want to know what she’s so happy about, but I bite it back and walk Hunter out. He nods at Bullet, and then shakes his head at me when he heads to his car, a grimace on his mouth as he holds the bag out at arms length. I can’t help but laugh.

Kaleb heads down the driveway to make sure that every last one of them leaves, and to make sure none try to circle back. Once we’re sure they’re gone, Bullet looks at Cryos and orders, “Send out the call for everyone to meet for Church as soon as the work day is finished. If we need to shut down the bar to make it happen, do it. I want every last brother here. And I want this place swept for anything that doesn’t belong,” he adds to me with a pointed look. I nod, getting the message loud and clear that we need to check the place for bugs that any of those cops might have tried to leave behind.

“Done,” Cryos says with a nod and then hurries off to his computer area.

“Alright, woman, what the hell did you do?” Bullet demands of Rose, arms crossed over his massive chest as he stares at her.

Rose’s lips spread in a wide grin as she pulls the bandana from her hair, letting it spill free, and then reaches around to untie her apron before she replies. “What makes you think that I did anything?” she asks innocently, hands on her hips.

Bullet stares at her. “Because I know you. And don’t think I didn’t hear you laughing when they were all leaving. That shit is usually you doing something you shouldn’t or when you’re up to no good. So get talking, woman, because I need to know where to hide you if they come screaming back in here to arrest your ass.”

“And I’m not using the bail fund,” Shadow calls out.

“Good thing I have an ace in the hole with Eden then,” she tosses back. Then a smug look covers her face as she looks back at Bullet. “Well, see, I happened to remember that I not so accidentally grabbed a certain kind of chocolate bar for a joke at the grocery store the other day. I was looking to save it for a day you or one of the other hard heads around here pissed me off, but this seemed a bit more appropriate. So I shaved some extra chocolate on a couple of the cookies, and in about twenty minutes, a couple of them will probably be down for the count for the rest of the day. I’m not sure which ones, since I only did it on two or three so that it’s not a specific target, of course. Most they’ll think is they got a bad one or it was cooked a bit too under for them. No harm done.”

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