The Last Riders - First Four Votes (23 page)

“You’re wrong if you think it’s over. That punk has a real problem. Make sure you stay out of it and let the family deal with him.” Winter’s jaw tightened. Viper stood in her living room, ordering her around and not listening, just like old times. She turned her back and went to the phone, dialing the sheriff’s office.

“Maggie, this is Winter Simmons. I have an intruder at my home.”

Viper’s eyebrows rose as he listened. His arms folded across his chest.

“Thank you.” Winter hung up the phone. “Now will you leave?”

“What, and have the red lights chasing after me? No thanks.” Viper went to sit on the couch and came to a stop. Turning around in a circle, he noticed all the changes. Winter stood there silently.

She had completely redecorated her home. The stiff, formal living room furniture had been donated to charity and a large, overstuffed tan sofa had replaced it. All the flowery prints were gone; they were instead replaced by neutral colors with hints of coral and turquoise. The hard wood floors had been covered in thick, lush carpet and panels of white sheers fluttered in the early evening breeze.

Redecorating the house had given her something to occupy her mind and time over the last few months, but more importantly, it had allowed her to erase all the memories of Viper being in her home. The memories of them sitting on the couch or having dinner at the table had been wiped clean with the precision of a surgeon using a scalpel. Now he was back inside her house, wearing sexy leather pants and a Harley t-shirt, stamping his presence in her memory with her new things.

He had to leave because she could not afford to redecorate again.

“What in the hell did you do to your house?”

“I redecorated.”

Viper had not cared for the flowery furniture that Winter’s mother had obviously picked, however this was the complete opposite. Anything homey had been removed; all the personal touches, all the knick-knacks that she loved to collect—several of which he had bought her himself. It looked like it had come out of a decorating magazine. Anyone could live here; no personal photographs of her growing up with her parents, or even the picture of her at an award banquet with him.

That was when it hit him. She had cut anything that hurt her out of her life. She had made a sanctuary for herself. Viper felt his gut clench.

“I can fucking see that.” That wasn’t all he was seeing. He became aware that she was standing there in blue jean shorts that barely covered her curvy ass he hadn’t been aware she had, and a pink top that showed her midriff that was toned and flat.

“I can understand you trashing my picture, but Sue’s, also? Why?”

“Don’t you dare mention my mother. You are not allowed to have her name in your lying mouth.” Winter lost it. “Get out now.” She went to him and began shoving him toward the door. Viper didn’t move; instead, he took her arms and pulled her towards him. Her shrieks of anger were going to draw every nosy neighbor in the neighborhood.

Viper lowered his head and caught her mouth with his in an attempt to shut her up. . Her mouth was open and sweet tasting like the strawberries and cream gum she loved to chew; it was as if lightning struck his balls. He had made sure never to kiss her open-mouthed while they had been seeing each other, but he gave himself leeway now that she knew exactly who he was. He kissed her, no holds barred, as her struggles ceased, letting him kiss her as she lay limply against his chest.

Winter felt overwhelmed as Viper kissed her as she had fantasized him doing; passionately and without restraint. His tongue explored her mouth as he released her hands so his hand could grip her jaw, tilting her head to the side in order to deepen the kiss.

Winter tried to take a step back and break contact, but his other hand grabbed her ass, pulling her into his body. His fingers splayed out until they lay against the bottom flesh of her ass to hold her in place.

Fire raced through her as her bare belly came into contact with his cock behind his leather pants. He tightened his grip on her ass, fitting her snugly against him. Winter moaned into his mouth as she felt him swell…

“Humph….” The clearing throat had her tearing out of Viper’s arms.

Before she could make explanations, the Sheriff spoke, “I had a report of an intruder entering your home.”

“He was getting ready to enter something else,” the deputy at his side said crudely.

“That was uncalled for,” Winter snapped, angry enough at herself without some jackass of a deputy making her feel worse.

The Sheriff frowned at his deputy. “Yes it was, Deputy Moore. Apologize and wait in the car.” The Sheriff’s commanding tone left the deputy no choice other than to do what he was told.

The deputy apologized, leaving without another word when Viper glared at the smug bastard.

“Sorry, Winter, Viper. Mayor’s nephew. I’m stuck with him until I can get enough write ups to fire his ass; this incident will go into my file. Now, back to why I was called. What’s going on?”

“I told Viper not to come in and he forced his way in.”

The Sheriff’s brow rose. “That true, Viper?”

He shrugged. “Yes.”

“You want to press charges?” He turned back to Winter.

“Yes,” Winter answered.

“All right.” He pulled his notebook out of his pocket, beginning to write. “Of course, it will make the newspaper. You’ll have to go to court and testify. I will have to testify that I walked in and found you two being intimate.”

Winter’s mouth dropped open. “Is this the good ole boy system at work?”

The Sheriff’s eyes grew cold. “Actually, I was trying to save you some embarrassment.”

“How exactly is that, Sheriff? Your deputy comes in here, insults me to my face, gives a half-ass apology that he didn’t mean and didn’t care that I knew. To add insult to injury, you tell me that, even though Viper admitted to coming in without my permission, I will be the one made a fool of, which was probably why he grabbed and kissed me. Why don’t you both just leave? Can you at least accomplish that for me?” Winter demanded.

“Yes, I can. Let’s go, Viper.”

Viper stared intently at Winter, but went out the door with the waiting sheriff without an argument. Winter locked the door behind them before going into the kitchen to make a drink for herself. Pulling a soda out of the refrigerator, she went to the table and sat down, burying her face in her hands. Her mind kept replaying the kiss with Viper.

After several minutes, she straightened her shoulders and dragged her mind back to the present, opening her computer to bury herself in work. Keeping busy was the only way she had learned to drive Viper out of her mind.

V
iper slammed
the door to the clubhouse; the members were sitting around the living room relaxing. Some were talking and a few were sitting back, drinking a cold beer after being out in the hot sun of the picnic. He went to the bar, selected a glass and poured himself a glass of whiskey before taking the bottle and sitting on one of the stools.

“What’s got you so mad?” a seductive voice asked at his side. Viper lifted his glass, taking a long swallow. Bliss was on him constantly since she needed his vote to become a full member and so far, she had been patient.

She wanted to fuck him and he didn’t think it was about the vote. The woman was the picture of nubile sex on two gorgeous legs. The nickname of Bliss had been earned when several members had remarked her pussy was that good. The problem was, he couldn’t get a hard on for her. He kept remembering the way Winter described her before slamming that damn door in his face.

The weird thing was, before then, he had been anxious to sink his cock into that nubile body, yet that one little look had taken the life right out of it. He had fucked around on Winter for two years—guilt free—until she had found out the truth then the guilt had kicked in with a vengeance. He took another drink, smothering the conscious that was trying to rise once again.

“Nothing, Bliss. I just need a drink.” The pretty blond moved away to sit next to Knox on one of the large couches in the room.

He managed to throw back the rest of his drink before pouring himself another while studying the women in the room. Each had their own particular way of satisfying men. Natasha, if you wanted a quick fun time. Dawn, if you needed a good workout. Ember, if you wanted to go slow and play the seductive games she liked to play. Stori, if you didn’t mind the chatter. Jewell and Evie were the ones up for anything.

Not seeing Evie, he caught Jewell’s eye. She wandered over to him, sliding her arm around his neck, her breasts in the white tank visibly showing her rose tipped breasts. Jewell liked sex and lots of it. She made no apologies for it and The Last Riders gave her what she wanted on a regular basis.

“What do you need tonight, Viper?”

His hand went between her thighs and slid under her short skirt. His fingers found her already wet and ready. Jewell’s hand went to his zipper, pulling out his long, thick cock before she licked her lips and went down on him. Viper’s hand left her pussy to slide under her gaping top, playing with her breasts as she sucked hungrily at his cock. The thing with Jewell was, she loved to give blowjobs; they made her hotter than hell. That made the men even hotter because, when she would stare at their cocks, they knew exactly what she was thinking.

Finally, Viper felt his balls tighten in the beginning of his release. The fire that had started when his tongue had entered Winter’s mouth was about to be put out. As he came, Jewell moaned as his hand grabbed her hair, forcing more of his length inside her mouth. When she let his cock go, a shudder shook his body.

“You done for the night?” Jewell asked, her body in desperate need of relief.

“What do you think?” Viper moved his glass and bottle to the side, lifting Jewell onto the bar until her pussy was right where he wanted it. He jerked her skirt up around her waist, aware the whole room was watching. His cock was already hardening again and his conscious was easing.

This was what he had spared Winter from. The uptight woman would never have been able to give him what he needed sexually, and if he had fucked her while he was trying to find his brother’s killer, then he would have felt like an even bigger fraud. He had kept his distance from plenty of women, waiting to keep him satisfied the way he needed.

Pulling her nether lips apart, he found her namesake and went down. His mouth repaid her in kind as she lay back on the bar, giving everyone a clear view. Viper drove her into one peak after another. Finally, after another hard orgasm, he let her down from the bar. Her legs were too weak to hold her up, so Viper’s hand slid around her waist and lifted her into his arms.

“Aren’t you done?”

“We’re just getting started,” Viper replied.

Jewell moaned as he carried her upstairs to his bed, leaving the door open.

T
he school bus
rolled to a stop in front of Treepoint High School. Winter and her assistant principal, Jeff Morgan, rolled their eyes as the boisterous teens stormed off the bus.

“Another year begins,” Jeff groaned.

“Oh, come on; it’s not that bad.” Winter’s cheerful voice could barely be heard among the loud voices.

“Yes, it is,” he said, watching two football players pick on one of the band students.

Winter laughed at his glum attitude, her smile dying when she saw Carmen’s mother walking towards her from the parking lot.

“Why is Mrs. Jones here?”

“She has an appointment to see you first thing this morning,” Jeff spoke, looking at the schedule in his hand.

“I’ll talk to her then call the students to the gym for the ‘Welcome to the New Year’ speech.” Winter mentally reorganized the start to her day.

“Better you than me.” He hated dealing with parents, and Winter was more adept at dealing with the problems the students and parents would unload on the school.

“Ms. Simmons.”

“Mrs. Jones, I understand we have an appointment this morning. My office is this way.” The two women walked through the busy hallways to reach Winter’s office. Informing Emily to hold her calls, she escorted the woman inside.

“How are you today?” Winter asked, concerned because the woman looked so tired.

“Fine,” she said abruptly. “I will cut to the chase and tell you that Carmen will be leaving Treepoint High. Her father and I have decided that it is better that she live with my sister for her senior year. When we find a buyer for the house, we’ll be moving also.”

Winter had not seen Carmen since the picnic a month ago and was hoping things had improved.

“Has she ended her relationship with Jake?”

“Unfortunately not. They feel that we are trying to keep them apart, which truthfully, we are. Carmen snuck out of the house last week and did not return until the next day. She had a black eye, yet refuses to admit he is responsible. He frightens her father and me. After we told Carmen she was no longer allowed to see him, our tires were slashed and someone set our shed on fire. We called the sheriff, but there is little he can do until he can find proof or Carmen admits he hit her. My sister lives in New Jersey and doesn’t work, so she can keep an eye on her until we can join her.”

“Usually I would hate to lose a student of Carmen’s caliber, but in this case, I wholeheartedly agree with your decision.” She wasn’t about to talk the parents out of taking their daughter to another school when her safety was in question. Winter pushed the button for the intercom, requesting copies of Carmen’s records.

“I think it’s best if I just give you notarized copies of her records, that way there will be no trail for Jake to follow unless Carmen tells him.”

“We haven’t told her yet. We’re going to pack her things when I get home. We aren’t going to let her have a phone, so she won’t have the opportunity to call him.”

Emily entered, carrying the requested records. Taking the papers, Winter looked through them, making sure all the correct forms for entering a new school system were there and then imprinted them with her notary stamp. Placing the paperwork in a large envelope, she handed it to Mrs. Jones.

“I wish you all the best. Please keep me informed on how Carmen does in her new school,” Winter requested, truly concerned for Carmen’s safety.

“I will, and thank you, Ms. Simmons. If you hadn’t brought Carmen home after the picnic, it might have been too late for my daughter.”

Winter smiled, escorting the woman outside to her car. She was walking back towards the school when she saw Jake sitting in his black mustang in the lot, watching her. The hatred on his face was plain to see even from a distance. She pulled the phone from her pocket and called school security.

“Tom, this is Ms. Simmons. There is a black mustang on the south lot. The young man inside is no longer a student. Will you see that he leaves the school property?”

“Yes, Ms. Simmons. I will be right there.”

“Make sure you bring someone with you. I don’t want you confronting him on your own. Notify the sheriff’s office also that you will be asking a trespasser to leave the property.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She entered the school and stood there until Tom and another male security guard approached the car. When they were within a few feet, he spun out of the lot. Relieved he had left without a confrontation, Winter went to her office to call for the assembly to greet the new students and give encouragement for the year ahead.

T
he parking lot
was dark as she locked the doors to the front of the school. She was angry with herself for staying so late. She knew better, however the paperwork had been piled up with it being the end of the first week. She had wanted to sort what needed to be done and take the rest home to work on leisurely over the weekend. Thankfully, her car was parked nearby. Placing her briefcase on the hood of the car, she bent to unlock the door.

Suddenly, a rough hand grabbed her hair, pulling her backwards and almost off her feet before slinging her forward, smashing her face into the driver’s side window. Winter didn’t know how she didn’t lose consciousness; the pain was that horrendous. She crumbled to the asphalt by her car, crying softly.

She knew there was no one around to hear if she screamed since the school property was isolated on the edge of town. Pain and fear filled her body as a boot kicked her in the ribs while she lay helpless on the ground. Winter had never known real terror in her lifetime, but she felt it when she realized he was not done with her.

Forcing herself to move, she tried to get to her feet. The agonizing pain in her ribs stopped her upward movement then a fist to her jaw flung her backwards. Blood from the cuts on her forehead ran into her eyes, blurring her vision. The parking lot light above her head obscured any vision she had left. Winter rolled onto her belly, trying to crawl away from the person attacking her. Her nails, that she had polished and buffed just that morning, broke as she used them to claw herself from the source of her agony. She knew whoever was hurting her was intent on killing her, but she had to try. The final agony came when the booted foot slammed down on her spine releasing her from consciousness.

T
he cell phone
ringing on the table next to the bed woke Cash from a deep sleep. Rolling over, he snagged the phone and raised it to his ear.

Viper came out of the bathroom, leaving Evie to finish her shower alone, and saw that Cash was sitting on his bed talking on his cell phone with Bliss lying naked by his side. The club’s usual Friday night gathering had ended up with the four of them in his room. Now he just wanted them all to leave so that he could get dressed and go downstairs for breakfast. Ignoring the others in the room, he went to his chest and pulled out his jeans and shirt. By the look on Cash’s face whatever news he was receiving was bad.

Evie waved on her way out the door, giving Bliss a look that couldn’t be mistaken. Taking the hint, Bliss climbed out of his bed. Coming to stand in front of him, she reached up to place a kiss on his lips. He wanted to turn away, but didn’t, letting her have her moment.

“Thanks, Viper.”

“Thank you, Bliss.” Giving a cheeky grin, the woman left. He was sure she was in a hurry to gather the women together to make a run to town to get the tattoo proclaiming her a full-fledged membership.

“Viper.”

Viper sat down on the bed, putting his boots on. He turned to see Cash getting dressed. “What’s up?”

“Don’t know how to tell you this, so I am just going to tell you like it is. That was the sheriff’s office. They need me to track a suspect into the mountains that almost beat a woman to death last night. They didn’t find her until this morning when security got there to open the school for basketball practice.”

Viper sat there in the chair, knowing whom Cash was talking about. He had warned Winter a hundred times about staying at school so late.

“How bad?” Cash tugged on his boots while grabbing his bike keys off the nightstand. He hurried to the bedroom door, pausing just long enough to tell him what information he had been given.

“Bad. He almost beat her to death and then she lay in the parking lot, exposed to the elements all fucking night. The sheriff doesn’t think she is going to make it. Sorry, man, but I have to go. They are waiting for me.”

“Go.” Cash didn’t have to be told twice.

As Viper was walking out, he could hear the sound of Cash’s bike as he throttled it down the mountain road. His hand reached out to grab the handlebar of his bike, but he couldn’t climb on. He was too busy vomiting.

P
ain
. That was all she knew for the longest time. At first, when she would try to wake up, the pain would drive her back into unconsciousness. When she was able, after the longest time, to open her swollen eyes, her screams of pain could be heard down the hallways and the nurses would rush to inject her with more pain medication.

Winter learned eventually to wake slowly with as little movement as possible until the pain medication could take effect. Lying still was a torture in itself to someone as active as she had been. Completely at the mercy of various nurses, they cared for all her basic needs, taking away what little pride she had left. Her mind would drift away when they would impersonally clean her, changing the pads and sheets underneath her broken body.

The worst was when the doctor considered her lucid enough to give her details of her condition. The medical terms were hard to understand with the pain medication clouding her mind. The nurse, understanding her confusion, waited until the doctor left to explain that she had a vertebral fracture, which they had to operate on in order to stabilize. The brace she was in would be on for several weeks and she was going to require therapy to return to normal.

The concussion must have come from having her head slammed into the car window that had left a large gash across her forehead, requiring sutures that would undoubtedly leave a scar. Her jaw had been fractured, and two of her ribs were cracked. When she was finished answering Winter’s questions she reassured her that she would heal, given time.

The gossipmongers that came by to see her were never given admittance to her room. The first words Winter spoke were to keep visitors out. She had no family left and the few friends she wanted to see were put on a list. A security guard was placed outside her door when Viper tried repeatedly to gain admittance. She didn’t want his sympathy and she certainly didn’t want him to see her looking like a prizefighter after twelve rounds.

Viper would sit in the waiting area, which luckily for him, was a few feet away from her door. He became a master at reading the nurses’ and doctor’s expressions as they left her room on whether she was having a good day, or one in which even medication didn’t help. He knew what the doctors were going to tell her before she did. He had bribed the nurses on duty to see her doctor’s notes and to make sure she was taken care of the way he wanted.

He was watching her door when he saw the sheriff coming down the hallway. Their eyes met before he entered Winter’s room. He also knew that she was about to find out who was responsible for putting her in the hospital; the man that Viper had every intention of killing.