Page 4 of Viper

“Alright. You sure you don’t need me there?”

Shadow’s been harping at me to let him or one of my brothers go with me to court today as support, and while I appreciate their support, I want to do this on my own. Maggie will probably see them and take it as an opportunity to drag them through the mud and we’ve all been through enough. “I’m good,” I assure him. “But thanks. I’ll let you know if that changes.” Shadow nods and thankfully drops it.

“You think you’ll be back in time for interviews?” Shadow asks after a moment, changing the subject.

We finally have some good candidates for the administrative position we’ve been trying to fill for months. The first round was a shit show of people that either wanted to be nosy and see what we were doing, or they were so underqualified we had to start over again. At least this time we have some candidates that look promising. And a lot of that is thanks to Quinn and her connections with social workers that have put some vets looking for work in touch with us. So we’ll see what happens, but I have a feeling it’ll turn out alright after today.

“Should be,” I tell him. “But if I’m not, get started without me and let me know if you have any favorites.”

Shadow nods. “Out of the four we have, two look promising. The other two I’m not sure.”

I agree with him. I already called some references, and the two that we’re not sure on don’t have a great track record of showing up and working. They just come and go as they please, and we can’t have that. Not with the state of this job. Still, people change, and I’m a big one on giving people a chance. Unless they turn out to be utter shit, then nope, I’m happy to send them packing.

I glance at my watch. I’ve only got a couple hours before I have to head to the courthouse. Maggie is bringing Archer today, and then we’ll see who he goes home with. Though if I have anything to say, he’ll be leaving with me. Still, I best not borrow trouble before I get there. “I better get some work done if I want to be productive today,” I say to Shadow as I get to my feet.

Shadow nods. “Let me know if you change your mind on me going with you,” he tells me, and while I nod, we both know I’m not going to. I head for the door but he stops me by asking, “Oh, did you ever find anything on that Eden girl?”

Now there’s a subject to put me in a mood. Though today, with other things on my mind, it’s not my top priority and I just shake my head. “I’m done trying to find her. She left, and that’s that. There are other women.” Shadow arches a brow, and nods, but thankfully lets the subject drop.

I head back to my office, which is right next door to his, and sit down, booting up my computer. But now that Shadow’s brought her up, my mind starts to wander. Damn, that woman was hot as hell, and I’ve been trying to find her for the past month with no success. Only having her first name to go off of isn’t all that helpful since there are hundreds of Eden in this city. I did go back to the bar a few times, but I never saw her there again. I could ask Cryos to search for her, but something’s held me back. I don’t like the idea of stalking her, but at the same time finding her has been a goal for me over the past weeks.

When I woke up to find her gone, I was pissed, and disappointed, but then resigned. I mean, it’s not like we promised forever or anything, but damn, I thought we had had a great time. Hell, it was the best sex of my life, and there is something about her that has me craving more of her. Not just sex, but I want to know more about who she is and find out what about her makes that way. Because, damn, that woman is pure fire, and she’s got everything that I like in a woman. Still, I haven’t been able to find her, and clearly she doesn’t want to be found, so I guess I’ll just have to chalk it up to an opportunity lost and move forward.

Then again, this whole custody thing for Archer needs to be my top priority, along with what’s going on with the club. There are far too many loose ends to be dealt with when it comes to the Russians, and I have a feeling in my gut that Vlad isn’t going to let go of the whole thing with Syn. His right-hand man is dead and now we’re just waiting to see what his next plan of action is.

Not to mention, we’re still trying to figure out what Misha was up to with the Yakuza assholes. After all, we didn’t know they were even interested in our area or anywhere in the States for that matter. It just means that we’re going to possibly have a larger fight on our hands, and I need to get my personal shit figured out so that I can give it my full attention.

I glance at my watch again. Damn, I need to get to work if I want to get anything done before I have to leave. So pushing all other thoughts from my mind, I get down to it.

By the time my alarm goes off, letting me know I need to get my ass in gear and get to the courthouse, I’ve at least made some progress. I quickly change into a suit and tie, though I hate the damn thing. I only keep one for these kinds of occasions. I call out to Shadow as I grab my things letting him know that I’m heading out. The ride isn’t long, but it’s enough to settle my nerves. I leave my cut on over my suit for now.

I love being on my bike. I always had one and when I got out of the SEALs, it was one of the first things I pulled out of storage, needing that feeling of ease and freedom. And when things got bad with Maggie in the beginning, it became my way of coping. When I joined the Devil’s Soldiers, it was the perfect fit, and it meant I got to ride my bike all the time. Archer has already asked for his own when he’s older, and I’ve been saving up to buy him one to surprise him with the moment he gets his license.

I’ll always make sure to give my boy whatever he asks for if it’s within reason. And the idea of riding with my son certainly is something I’m looking forward to.

When I reach the courthouse, I’m not surprised to see Maggie and her new boyfriend, Tony, are already there and heading in as well. Tony sneers at me and keeps on walking, while Maggie glares at me, but stops because Archer comes running down the steps toward me. “Dad!” he says excitedly as soon as he reaches me. He leans forward to hug me, and I smile. I figured he would be too old for this, but thankfully, he still enjoys seeing me. I’m sure it will change soon enough, so I’m going to take every one I can get from him

“Hey, kiddo,” I say as I let him go, climb off my bike, and take off my cut to put in my saddle bag. I hate being without it, but I got permission from Bullet to take it off for these specific circumstances since they frown on it in court. “How’s things?” I ask Archer.

Archer looks up at me and shrugs. “They’re fine. At least I get to miss school,” he adds with a smirk. Then he frowns. “But I was supposed to have class with Arya today, so I have to miss her.”

I snicker. My son has had a crush on Arya Morgan the last couple years, and considering she is the little sister of Nix Morgan, my tattoo artist, and friend of the club’s, well, that only makes things more interesting… and amusing. I love to point out the fact that Arya keeps my boy on his toes to her brother, who doesn’t quite have the balls to punch me over it. I’m sure things will change as they get older, but I find it hilarious Archer already has a crush and isn’t afraid to show it or say it. Lord help me when he hits high school. “I’m sure you’ll have other opportunities to hang out with her, son,” I tell him with an encouraging smile. “Come on, let’s get inside, huh?”

“Okay,” Archer replies agreeably. We turn and head for the steps, and I nod at Maggie, who continues to glare at me, arms now crossed over her chest.

I take her in, and fight to keep my face neutral. She’s thinner than ever, and for the first time in a long time, I see she’s wearing a long sleeved shirt instead of the tank-tops and crop tops she normally wears. Alarm bells are going off in my head, but I keep my mouth shut. Instead, when I reach her I say, “Hey, Maggie. How are you?” There, polite and cordial.

“You know exactly how I am,” she snaps at me. “You really think I want to be here? You’re not fit to take care of Archie and?—”

“That’s enough,” I interrupt quickly and firmly, shutting her down. “We’ll talk about this in the courtroom, Maggie.” I glance down at Archer pointedly, who looks resigned as to how the day is going to play out. I put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly and he gives me a nod of understanding. I also don’t make a stink about her calling him Archie. He hates being called that, and has asked her multiple times to call him by his full name, but clearly Maggie doesn’t give a damn and wants to call him by the stupid nickname she gave him as a baby.

Maggie hisses at me before turning and stalking inside, not even looking back at our son to be sure he’s following. Archer and I slowly follow behind her, and I try not to let any of my annoyance show. We have to go through the metal detectors, and then we head up to the assigned courtroom. Maggie waits with her man on a bench and they both send glares my way, while I sit on the one opposite with Archer, talking to him about school, figuring it’s a safe topic. I learned early on that any conversations with my son will play out in front of the judge, and Maggie’s lawyer loves to use every word against me. So when I’m in these walls, I watch every damn word.

When Hunter arrives, he gives me a reassuring smile, and says a quick hello to Archer. Of course, that’s the moment Maggie’s lawyer also arrives, and she makes a big production of ordering Archer to stand with his mother. Archer opens his mouth to argue, but I shake my head at him. Archer scowls, but nods, and goes to stand morosely with his mother. Maggie gives me a triumphant smile, which I ignore and turn away to talk to Hunter.

“We got Judge Brown,” Hunter says with a satisfied smile. “Guy is no nonsense, and we lucked out with him. He and Gail have gone head to head before, and she never wins, but we’ll still play this carefully. I know I don’t need to tell you this, but I’m going to anyway. Make sure you keep your cool no matter what, got it?”

I nod at him. I refuse to let myself get my hopes up, but knowing that information, I let myself relax slightly. We still have a ways to go, but we’ll get there.

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