Page 83 of Viper

I walk over to the now curled up Maggie on the floor and crouch down, letting her see the large kitchen knife in my hands. Her eyes widen in fear, but I warn, “Ah ah, no screaming,” as I hold it up in front of her. She immediately shuts her mouth tight. “Good. Now, we both know you’re lying. That Russian bastard outed you, and the fact that you sold your own son for selfish gain, well, it’s unforgivable. If I was the murderous sort, I’d happily slit your throat and leave you here to bleed out on the floor.” Her face goes ashen at my threat. “But since that’s not something he is going to let happen,” I continue with a nod at a stone faced Sniper, “that means I just get to rough you up a bit. Well, more than we already have. Because you fucked with the wrong person, Maggie. You fucked with my man, and you fucked with your own son, a boy who is innocent in all of this, but is now in danger because of you. And that’s unforgivable.” I yank her head back, pressing the knife to her throat. “A boy that loves his worthless mother, and is utterly devastated because he now knows you never loved him. You’ve damaged him forever with that, and I want to kill you for that alone. Which is why, you are going to call your attorney before we leave and tell her to draw up custody papers that gives full custody to Viper, and you are also going to relinquish your rights.

“Because you don’t deserve to be a mother to that perfect child. You deserve to know that for the rest of your worthless life, you let go of the only thing that matters. And eventually, when I marry that man, I’m going to adopt that boy, and I’m going to be the mother he should have had all along. The one that will see all the important milestones in his life.” I push the knife a little tighter to her throat, and tears streak down her face as she swallows hard, trying not to move. “Understood?”

“Who are you?” she whispers out.

“You don’t need to worry about that. All you need to know is that when you see me, you cross the street or turn the other way. Because if you come within twenty feet of me, Viper, or Archer again, I’ll kill you where you stand. Now, are we clear? Or would you like another reminder?” I hold her stare.

“You’re insane,” she gasps out.

I shrug. “Not normally, but when it comes to those that are important to me, damn right I am. And I’m losing patience with this. So you can either agree and call your lawyer, or I’ll let the girls pound on you again, before I take my turn and I start cutting. And then I’ll also start flushing your stash, and I’ll tear this place apart to find every last ounce. Leave you with nothing.”

That gets a reaction. Fear at losing her addiction. It disgusts me, but I wait. Finally she gives a small nod and whispers, “Okay.”

“Smart choice.” I pull the knife away, and Izzy is instantly there, hauling her up with little effort. I guess being a mechanic gives her some wicked upper body strength. She shoves her roughly as I go into the kitchen, where Maggie stumbles to grab her phone. I stand back, listening as she makes the call. I can hear her lawyer shouting at her, but Maggie stays firm. Though that might be because Rose is standing so close to her, hand ready to grab her if she tries anything. But it’s done. When she hangs up, she lets her head roll forward, shoulders slumping. “Where is Archer’s room?” I bark at her.

She points down the hall, and Izzy shoves her forward, making her walk all the way down. When we get there, I walk in, and that’s when I see the needles on the floor and even a crack pipe in the middle of Archer’s bed. I hear a crunch and turn to see Izzy has punched Maggie in the nose. “You did drugs in your own son’s room?” she demands furiously. “You sick bitch.”

On that we can agree. I step in, careful not to get anywhere near the drug paraphernalia, and grab Archer’s photo of him and his father, a couple of odds and ends, and then turn to the other women. “Can one of you go and find a bag for me to put this stuff in? He’s not coming back here and I’m taking anything that he might want.”

Sage goes to find one, while Izzy and Rose start to help me grab things. Sniper stands sentry over a crying Maggie who is cupping her nose. “You broke my nose, bitch,” Maggie cries at Izzy.

“Be glad it wasn’t your head,” Izzy replies carelessly.

“And be glad it was her and not me,” Rose adds sharply. “Now shut the hell up or it will be me.” I share a smile with her and Sage comes back with a book bag that looks like it belongs to Archer.

“I checked it and it’s clean,” she adds.

We fill it up as much as we can and then I look at Maggie. “If Archer wants anything else, you’re going to make sure he gets it, right?” She looks at me and gives a nod before looking away. “Good. Let’s go,” I say to the other women, and Sniper, and we all trudge out of Archer’s room, leaving Maggie on the floor.

When we enter the living room, Tony seems to have woken, but Sniper just walks over to him and punches him in the face, and he slumps back down, out once more. We look at him in amusement and he says drily, “I was feeling left out of the punch fest.” We laugh, and then we leave the apartment.

When we get back to the car, Archer’s bag in the trunk, none of us say a word until we’re almost back to the clubhouse. And it’s Sniper. “I see why Shadow constantly says he should have stayed in the Forces,” he remarks in exasperation. But then he looks back at me in the rearview and says, “Your man is going to be pissed, but what you just did, that’s enough in my book. I just hope he knows what he’s getting in to with you, babe. You’re going to be trouble.”

“Then it’s a good thing she fits right in,” Rose says cheerfully. “And Shadow will be happy we didn’t need that bail fund tonight.”

“Yet,” Sniper corrects. “She could call the cops.”

“Did you see all the drugs and shit? She’s not calling them if she doesn’t want to land her ass in jail,” Sage snorts. “I think we’re good.”

On that we can agree.

“Welcome to the Coven, Eden,” Izzy laughs. “It’s not normally this crazy, but I think with you in here with us, it’s going to be a hell of a lot more fun.”

“That’s what we’re all afraid of,” Sniper mutters. “We’ve got dick breaker, dead eye, ringleader, and now you the knife wielder. We’re all screwed. Screw a bail fund. We need to build a damn jail to contain you all.”

We laugh at that. I’m perfectly fine with that reputation. But as we get closer to the clubhouse, some anxiety starts to filter in. I hope Viper isn’t about to crush me, but if he does, I’ll handle it. Archer is safe, and he’ll be with his dad full time, and that’s all I can ask for.

THIRTY-ONE

VIPER

My son is safe, and Eden is mine. That’s all I need to make a shit day one of the best in a long time.

I’m pacing as I wait for Sniper to get back with the women. Fucking hell, what the hell were they thinking? No, what was Eden thinking since according to Sniper she’s the ringleader in all this. Where did they go? Are they alright? Why did she leave? Is she just done with us? Has it been too much? My mind won’t stop swirling with questions, and my panic and anger are rising together and making it hard to calm down.

Archer is fast asleep in my bed upstairs, not even stirring when I put him there. And I doubt he’ll wake for a while, but I left the door open up there in case he needs me.

“Brother, you’re wearing a hole in the floor,” Timber jokes lightly. “Sniper said they’re on their way back, so there’s nothing to worry about. And Bullet sent out Shadow and Frost to meet them, so they’ll be safe.”

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