Page 21 of Devious Lies

Silent.

Deadly.

Fast.

The layout of the Vipers’ Den is nothing like other bars or clubs I’ve worked at. From the outside, it’s unassuming.

Just your average hole in the wall bar you expect to find in any city. Another of the many brick buildings lining the streets.

But inside, it really is a den.

There are hallways hidden in plain sight. Sort of like tunnels running through the entire building.

It’s a multilevel space, though the upstairs is VIP, and belowground are the Vipers’ quarters.

The real deal.

Not the wannabes.

We get plenty of those. The Vipers’ Den is the kind of place that draws certain elements.

Dangerous elements.

Hot shots come in occasionally. People who want to rub elbows with the criminal underworld.

Those guys are just playing dress up, though. The Vipers are real. Every bit as tough as the Sanchez cartel. And the Den is the perfect example of their power.

What other not so lawful organization has their headquarters so publicly known?

And why shouldn’t they? Who the fuck is going to take them on headfirst?

The Vipers are everywhere. They’re reach is far.

I know because I researched them. It’s why I came here with my heart full of secrets and my mouth full of lies.

They don’t know who I am or what trouble is stalking me.

The Den is roughly masculine.

Edgy and raw.

The ceilings have been ripped open. Everything is steel, cement, glass.

The ambient lighting is trendy. The bar is backlit, and we change the color depending on whatever.

There’s an energy inside the Den.

It’s like danger meets sex appeal.

It’s the same energy I feel when I’m around Luc.

Whatever plans I had when I first came there to check out the king of the Vipers, they’re all so far out of my head now.

Luc opens the door for me and ushers me inside his office. I go willingly.

His office holds richly masculine furniture. There’s an enormous waterfall desk with an epoxy river running through it and my mouth drops open.

I’m constantly watching reels and videos online with people making these things, and I am fascinated by the whole process.

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