Page 88 of Baby for the Bikers

The monitor at the far end of the room shows a face I’d hoped never to see again after our last meeting.

“Gentlemen,” he greets us, no warmth in his voice. “Wish we were meeting under better circumstances.”

“Cut the formalities,” I say, taking a seat across from the screen. “What’s going on?”

Matthews sighs. “We have a situation. Your old friend Cypher has escalated his vendetta against you. He sent us this video yesterday.” The screen splits to show a different feed.

The image is dark at first, then brightens to reveal a warehouse interior. In the center, tied to a chair, is a man I don’t recognize—bloody, beaten, barely conscious. Behind him stands Cypher, president of the Vipers MC. Even through the grainy video, his presence commands attention—tall, broad, with a snake tattoo curling up his neck.

“I know you’re watching,” Cypher says directly to the camera, his voice colder than I remember. “You Kane brothers think you’reuntouchable because you’ve got Cerberus protecting you? Think again.”

He circles the chair slowly, like a predator toying with wounded prey. “You’ve been interfering with my business for weeks now. Taking out my suppliers. Intercepting my shipments. Turning my people. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

I exchange confused glances with my brothers. We haven’t touched Cypher’s operation since we left Cerberus.

“So here’s my message,” Cypher continues, pulling a gun from his waistband. “Back the fuck off, or the next head I deliver will belong to someone you care about.”

He presses the gun to the back of the captive’s head and pulls the trigger without hesitation. Blood spatters the concrete as the body slumps forward.

“Your move,” Cypher says to the camera, and the video ends.

The room is silent for a long moment, each of us processing what we’ve just witnessed.

“What the fuck is he talking about?” Maddox finally breaks the silence. “We haven’t gone near his operation since we got out.”

“That’s where things get interesting,” Matthews says, his image reappearing on the screen. “Since Cerberus has been systematically dismantling the Vipers’ network for the past few weeks, taking out key players, seizing shipments, turning informants.”

“And he thinks it’s us,” I realize, the pieces clicking into place.

Matthews nods. “Precisely. Our intel suggests he believes you’re still working for us, carrying out these operations on our behalf.”

“Well, tell him we’re not!” Maddox exclaims, frustration evident in his tone. “Clear our names before he comes after us!”

“It’s not that simple,” Matthews says, his expression calculating. “We’ve been trying to get close to Cypher for years. Now, he’s fixated on you three, which means he’s making mistakes and leaving himself vulnerable.”

The implication is clear, and it makes my stomach turn. “You’re using us as bait when you asked us to step back and let you take care of this!”

“Think of it as an opportunity,” Matthews counters smoothly. “Cypher’s distraction gives us a chance to take him down permanently. Which benefits everyone—including you three.”

“Easy for you to say,” Ryder speaks up, his voice tight with anger.

Matthews leans closer to the camera, his voice dropping. “We have reason to believe Cypher is planning something big in your area within the next two weeks. We’re doing everything we can to neutralize the threat before then, but you need to stay vigilant.”

“What about protection?” I demand. “If he’s coming after us, we need more than just ‘stay vigilant.’”

“Teller’s team will provide additional security,” Matthews assures us. “And we have operatives in place tracking Cypher’s movements. Trust me, taking him down is our top priority.”

Trust him. The phrase makes me want to laugh. Trusting Cerberus is what got us into this mess in the first place.

“One more thing,” Matthews adds, his tone shifting slightly. “Our intelligence suggests Cypher is looking for more than justyou three. He has a secondary objective in Wolf Pike, something he considers extremely valuable.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Maddox asks.

“We’re still piecing that together,” Matthews replies, but something in his expression makes me think he knows more than he’s saying. “Stay alert. We’ll be in touch.”

The screen goes black, leaving us sitting in stunned silence.

“Fuck,” Maddox says finally, dragging a hand down his face. “Just when I thought we were out…”

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