Page 5 of Daughters of Chaos

Laughter breaks out from one of the younger men. "I don't know about Red," he says, pointing to Nix, "but that one is definitely yours, Viper." His head bobs toward me as I roll my eyes.

I show him my favorite finger for good measure, which only makes him laugh harder. When I look away, I see the mountain of a doorman staring in my direction. He's wearing the same pissed-off look he seems to have permanently etched on his face.

"What the fuck are you looking at?" I say, glaring back at him.

He says nothing as his face twists into an even angrier sneer. To most people, I'm sure this guy would be terrifying.Everything about him fits the label of a cold-hearted killer,but instead of fear, I only feel anger when I look at him. I match his ire, refusing to let him win this stupid fucking staring contest we've started.

I hear the other guy laughing again as he tells Elias, "She's got your gall, too, Prez. Anyone brave enough to take on Reaper like that must have balls of steel."

His words are enough to shock me out of my anger-fueled trance. I snap my head in his direction. As I move my eyes from the lug he called "Reaper," I notice Elias smirk.

Bear leans down to tell him something, wiping the expression off his face. Moments later, the front door bursts open, revealing two men. One older with graying hair and years worth of scars scattered over various parts of his body. The other, about my age, has dark hair and tattoos covering nearly all his skin from the neck down. That one has a fat lip and bloody knuckles. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what these two were up to.

Taking care ofbusiness.

Because Elias West, my supposed father, is the president of a motorcycle gang—one, I'm sure, deals in less-than-savory transactions. The kind that requires muscle, force, and intimidation. A pit forms in my stomach. These men are dangerous, and we've landed ourselves right in the middle of a viper pit.

I look over at Phoenix, who seems to not care about any of the glaring danger signs. Her eyes are fixed on the younger man who walked in. Shit, I know that look. She's eating him up with her stare, taking everything in, from his fat lip to his tattoos. I bet she's wondering exactly how much of his skin is covered in them, not that I can blame her.

Under different circumstances, I'd think this guy was hot as fuck, but I can't ignore the danger we're in, and this guy is part of it. I hope my sister realizes that before it's too late.

When the newcomers notice us, the younger one's eyes pass over me appreciatively. Then, he sees Phoenix. The look he gave me was nothing compared to what he's giving her. He's taking her in like a starved dog who's been treated to meat for the first time in ages. I hear Nix's breath catch.

Yep, she's a goner.

The older man pulls him to where Elias and Bear are now standing. They whisper to each other, sending a few looks our way before finally wrapping things up. I have a feeling I'm not going to like what they have to say next. Before they confirm my suspicions, Phoenix whispers in my ear, "I think we could really like it here, Rae." She lets her gaze run up and down the tatted man again as he licks his lips.

I have a feeling my quiet little life is about to get much more complicated. And if I'm right about Elias's MC, Nix and I won't have a choice about sticking around or going home. Now that he knows we exist, we may be stuck here, whether we like it or not.

3

Phoenix

The guy with all the tattoos—Raptor, I heard someone call him—is talking with Elias and the other men. His eyes wander back to where Raven and I are sitting every once in a while. The look in his eyes is curious as he takes us in.

I hear the older man, called Hammer, ask who we are. Elias tells him, "Apparently, they're my kids."

Hammer's eyes shoot wide as they appraise Rae and me with undiluted shock. The grumpy older one, Bear, glares at us again, mumbling, "Allegedly."

Elias echoes Bear's words, looking back at my sister and me. There's something new in his gaze. Hope, maybe. It's like he wants it to be real as bad as I do. He's had this strange spark in his eyes ever since I told him our story. The big, scary biker man seemed to soften at the mention of Mom, giving me hope that things would work out.

Did he still love her after all this time?

My lip quirks at the thought.

Movement from where the men are standing catches my attention. When I look up, I find Raptor watching me with interest. The way his eyes wander makes me shudder with anticipation. I've never dated bad boys before. They always seemed too intimidating or uninterested in me. But Raptor? He has bad boy written all over him, and I can't seem to stop aching for more of his attention.

Before my mind can wander too far, I hear Bear's voice cut through the air. "It's gotta be a fuckin' scam, Viper. Somethin' don't sit right about this."

My head snaps toward him. Is this guy serious? We agreed to a paternity test, showed him our pictures with Mom, and showed him our birth certificates with Elias clearly marked as our father. What more does this guy want?

Raven mumbles obscenities under her breath next to me as she glares daggers at Bear. I'm surprised she's keeping herself so calm. Normally, she'd already be cursing out everyone and threatening them with violence. I'm impressed that she's holding herself in check. I know how much she hated the idea of coming here. I'm willing to bet she's only keeping herself cool because I want this.

She's trying not to ruin this for me.

When the grumpy Bear finally shuts up, Elias turns to us, introducing us to the newcomers. He does the same for the guys in the room, finally putting a name to each of the faces. The friendly bartender from earlier, Jesse, is the kindest of all. He smiles widely when Elias tells us his name, which is more than the others offer.

As the introductions finish, a loud commotion by the door grabs everyone's attention. I turn to see two scantily-clad women stumble in with glassy eyes. They're clearly tweaking onsomething as they clumsily make their way inside. One of them stops dead in her tracks when she notices Rae and me.

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