Viper's Kiss (11 page)

“
Yeah,
keep talking,
”
Blaine said.
He thrust himself at Jessa.
“
Keep
running that mouth and I
’
ll
make your ass really sorry. You thought it hurt in your pussy
…”

“
Yeah,
do that,
”
Jessa said.
“
That
’
s what you want, right? Tough guy. So fucking
tough.
”

Blaine broke away from Jessa and
opened the door. He showed her the way out.
“
I
’
ll call a fucking prospect to
take you back.
”

He slammed the door and locked it.

He walked to the kitchen and
stopped at the table. He grabbed the table and threw it across the kitchen.
Charging back down the hall to get his main cell phone and his keys, he paused
when he got into the bedroom. He inched forward and grabbed the sheet that had been
against Jessa
’
s body.
Rolling it up tight, he brought it to his nose and took a deep breath.

It smelled like her. All of her.
Her sweet pussy. Her sweat. Her desire. Their crazy fucking sex.

But it was all wrong. It meant
nothing. And it didn
’
t fucking
matter.

Not with Vin dead.

There was no longer a connection.

Blaine called a prospect and
ordered him to pick up Jessa. He then put the sheet and the blanket and the
pillow case in the fireplace and lit it up. He watched it burn and then pissed
on the fire.

That was fucking that.

***

Blaine stood up at the full table
and looked around. He took off his leather cut and tossed it to the middle of
the table.

“
What
the hell are you doing, brother?
”
Gaige asked.

“
Oh
no,
”
Jace said.
“
Are you going to show us another
crazy skin rash or something?
”

“
If
he takes out his dick, I
’
ll
throw up,
”
Landon said.

“
Shut
up,
”
Blaine said.
“
All of you. Listen to me
carefully. That cut belongs on the table.
”

“
What?
”
Miller asked.

Blaine put a hand to Miller
’
s shoulder.
“
I
’
ve
been carrying something on my shoulders for a long time. About who I used to
be.
”

“
Let
me guess,
”
Erik said,
“
you were a good choir boy
…”

“
No,
”
Blaine said.
“
But I could tell you some
stories about what I
’
ve
done in churches that would make the devil himself blush.
”

Everyone chuckled.

“
I
was a cop,
”
Blaine said.

The room fell deathly silent.

Miller looked at Blaine and was
stone faced.

“
What?
”
Shay asked.

“
I
was a cop. I was a detective. I worked the streets. I was on the other side of
things. I had a life. I sort of had a family too. That part doesn
’
t matter. I was pushed away from
it all. I have a better understanding of this life than anyone at this table
because of what I saw on the other side. I would die for everyone at this
table. I would die for anyone in this clubhouse. Even the prospects. I don
’
t know why I
’
m telling you all this, but you
need to vote it now. It
’
s
against the club to have someone like me patched in. Maybe I want to feel the
pain I
’
ve been avoiding for
years. Maybe I want to go as one of the
Lost Men
. Or maybe I just want a
bullet in the back of my head. That
’
s
up to you to decide.
”

Blaine walked toward the door.

Somewhere in his heart he hoped the
entire table would call him. Embrace him right then and there as their brother.

But his head knew better. That
’
s not how the table worked. They
would have to vote it. Unanimous too. No seconding guessing. One decision. In.
Out. Dead. Whatever.

Blaine left the clubhouse without
his leather cut. To him, it was as good as being naked. It also sent a clear
message to any enemies lurking. He was an easy target now.

That part Blaine didn
’
t give a shit about.

Truthfully, he just wanted to
apologize to Jessa and make sure she was okay.

twelve.

Jessa held the trashcan a few
inches off the floor. Of all the things she had to deal with in her day job and
her life, she couldn
’
t
stand throwing up. That crushing feeling against her ribs like her body was
attacking itself. Which, in some ways, it was. The body getting rid of what it
believed to be potentially dangerous. Designed to survive at any and all costs.

There was nothing left to throw up.
It was just dry heaves by then.

She looked at the clock on her
desk. It was just before eleven.

The office door opened and Terri
froze in place.

“
You
okay?
”

“
I
’
m fine,
”
Jessa said. She put the trashcan down and slid it
under her desk with her foot. She grabbed a mint and popped it into her mouth.
“
What
’
s wrong?
”

“
I
heard a noise. I thought you were crying.
”

“
No.
Just
…
sitting here.
”

“
Okay.
You have company.
”

Jessa felt her heart drop.
“
Company?
”

It
’
s not him. It
’
s not Vin. Vin is dead, remember? And it
’
s not Blaine. He made his
position very clear. Plus, it
’
s
been weeks now. If he was coming back
…

“
Jessa?
”
Terri asked.

“
What?
”

“
Did
you hear me?
”

“
Yeah.
I have company. Sure. I
’
ll
be right there.
”

The rest of the day went by in a
blur.

All the days had been going by in a
blur.

The moment Jessa came back, she had
to meet with Dr. Ashland and local police to talk about what had happened with
the office. The story had been predetermined and Jessa with it.

A crazed man broke into the
office, seeking drugs. Yeah, some wackos did that. There were plenty of
medicines for animals that could have interesting effects on humans. The guy
was smart enough to tamper with the cameras so they had no footage. When the
guy couldn
’
t
find what he wanted, he broke into a cage and killed a cat.

It didn
’
t fit for what Terri had seen, but they kept her
out of it. The way the police talked, it was obvious they had been in Vin
’
s hand. Jessa wondered why they
were still doing this for him, even though he was dead. Then again, it was
probably their last stand with him. Nobody would ever have to deal with Vin
again.

The world would be a better place.

It didn
’
t feel that way though at all.

When Jessa got home from another
long yet mundane day of work she climbed into a hot bath with a tall glass of
wine. This had become the norm for her. She used to buy a bottle of wine, drink
a glass or two, and end up dumping the rest down the drain because it would go
bad before she could drink it. Now she was drinking four bottles a week. She
was at the point that she tried to hide her face a little when she loaded up.
What used to be a smile and an excuse -
Oh, I
’
m having a party this weekend with friends!
- became shameful eyes as she couldn
’
t
stop herself.

The water and bubbles soothed her.
She reached for her glass and brought it to her lips. She titled the glass
back. The wine touched her lips. Then she stopped.

She took the glass from her mouth
and stared at it.

She had been getting sick everyday
at work.

“
The
wine,
”
she whispered.

Christ
…
one night with Blaine and she was a borderline
alcoholic.

Jessa put the glass down and
grumbled.

She then slowly lifted her leg up
in the air. She splashed water at her inner thigh to wash away the bubbles. She
put her heel on the edge of the tub and stared down at herself. There was still
evidence of that night. Blaine had gone so hard at her that she had bruises on
her inner thighs. The bruises didn
’
t
hurt but there was still a faint yellow color where they had once been dark
purple.

Nobody had ever done that to her
before.

Her heart raced and ached at the
same time.

She shouldn
’
t have let the night get away like it did. All she
could think about was Meghan. Her best friend, murdered because she
’
d been engaged to Blaine. And
Janey
…

Jessa shut her eyes and started to
weep.

Everything was a mess because of
Blaine. Ever since that night with him, everything was just
…
her heart, her mind, her body.

He changed her with one night
together.

All Jessa could hope for was
that time would make him slip away.

thirteen.

The attacks were starting to get
worse. Eight Under was pushing into the shithole part of Frelen more and more.
They were dealing hardcore drugs, causing overdoses and violence. They were
overcharging, undercutting, and leaving a tornado of problems that the PD
couldn
’
t control. When the
MC stepped in, the PD was there to push back.

Ethan had been to the clubhouse
three times, questioning every member at least once, all pertaining to guns,
fights, and two deaths. Luckily, the guys that were killed didn
’
t happen to be from Back Down
Devil. They were also low life dealers who owed so much money to so many
people, they
’
d never find
out who did it.

But the club knew.

It was Eight Under MC.

They were fully reorganized and
ready to go for the throat.

Blaine sat around his house,
drinking and smoking. Every time Miller or Gaige called and said he needed to
come to the table, he told them it wasn
’
t
long enough. He wanted them to really consider it. He wasn
’
t looking for a fucking favor at
all. All Blaine wanted was the truth.

Women had been calling, sending
wild pictures, begging to help Blaine get out of his funk.

This wasn
’
t a funk.

This was the worst guilt he ever
felt.

All because one woman tried to
crack through his shell and managed to make it happen.

A phone was ringing and Blaine
waved his hand, swatting the sound away. He hit an empty bottle of whiskey and
it fell to the floor, shattering. He jumped up and realized he was sitting at
the kitchen table. His neck felt twisted and broken. He was sober, hungover,
and he hated it.

The phone kept ringing and ringing.

Blaine flipped it open.

“
What?
”
he growled.

“
Get
to the clubhouse,
”
Gaige
yelled.

“
Fuck
off. It
’
s too soon.
”

“
Blaine,
it
’
s been fucking weeks.
You
’
ve seen what
’
s been going on.
”

“
I
know. I
’
ve been doing my
part when I can.
”

Which was true. Blaine had taken to
the streets a handful of times to chase some of the Eight Under scum out of
town. Of course, without his cut and without his crew, his power wasn
’
t all that great. Luckily, a
bullet didn
’
t give a fuck
who you were loyal to. He managed to clip at least three of the guys that were poking
around town.

“
You
need to be at this table,
”
Gaige said.

“
No.
”

“
Blaine,
if we come get you, we
’
re
cutting the ink off your back and shoving it down your throat.
”

“
Better
than up my ass,
”
Blaine
said.

“
You
don
’
t want to know what we
’
re going to stick up your ass.
”

Blaine chuckled.
“
Try me, Gaige.
”

“
Brother,
we
’
re under attack. We
’
ve got heat on us again. And we
got a tip about a deal going down late last night. We all took to it, wanting
to make a fucking statement. We were ambushed again, Blaine. This time it was
semi-auto
’
s.
”

“
Shit.
”

“
Erik
and Landon took hits.
”

Blaine jumped up, sending the chair
flying back.
“
They got
shot?
”

“
Landon
is fine. Erik got hit bad. He might not make it. We got lucky though. Shay lost
his ride. They blew it up. Lucky for us that was our break. We were able to get
away while the motorcycle exploded into a ball of flames.
”

“
Holy
shit, brother.
”

“
Miller
wants a full table right now. We have a final vote. And other business to tend
to.
”

“
Jesus
Christ. Erik is going to die?
”

“
He
might. You ready to come back and talk now?
”

“
Yeah.
I
’
ll be right there.
”

The call ended.

Blaine walked to the sink and
splashed cold water on his face. He then bent over and threw up, his stomach
emptying of whatever the hell was leftover from the night before.

The last time he was this much of a
mess he lost his fiancee and his stepdaughter.

He wiped his mouth and rushed to
the door.

He rode straight to the clubhouse,
entering the lot. It was strange to ride back without a cut on his back. He
looked at the line of motorcycles and saw the space where he was supposed to
park. Blaine parked on the opposite side of the lot, where the visitors would
park.

At the door, the prospect he had
punched opened it for him.

“
Clearing
up, huh?
”
Blaine asked and
touched the young man
’
s
face.

“
Got
a nasty infection. Almost lost my eye.
”

“
Almost,
”
Blaine said. He slapped the guy
’
s face.
“
You have to learn to fight, man. Toughen up.
”

Blaine walked into the clubhouse
and looked around. It was all familiar, just like home. This was home. His real
home.

The prospects behind the bar froze
and stared.

The guys at the pool tables held
up.

Jace, Nate, Trev, and Gaige.

“
Table,
”
Gaige said.

Jace, Nate, and Trev all moved.

They didn
’
t say a word to Blaine.

Gaige pointed to the bar with his
pool stick.
“
Get a beer.
”

Blaine reached into his pocket and
pulled out money. He put it on the bar.

The prospect gave him a beer and
then pushed the money back.
“
No.
”

“
Are
you fucking insane?
”
Gaige
asked as he threw the pool stick to the table.
“
You
’
re going to pay for a beer?
”

“
I
’
m not wearing the cut, brother,
”
Blaine said.

Gaige walked right to Blaine.
“
What the fuck is wrong with you?
”

“
Nothing.
”

“
Okay.
We voted. It
’
s time to
talk.
”

Gaige led the way. When the door
opened, Blaine saw a full table, including Landon and Erik.

Erik?

Erik stood and turned.

“
What
the
…”

Erik grabbed Blaine by the throat.
He pushed him back to the wall.

“
Easy,
”
Shay said.
“
Easy.
”

Blaine stared at Erik. His face was
all messed up from a bomb that had gone off in the lot. He was a hardened soul,
always ready to kill, but that didn
’
t
mean Blaine was afraid of him.

“
You
’
re not almost dead,
”
Blaine said.

“
And
you weren
’
t fucking there,
”
Erik said.

He pushed away from Blaine.

“
Tell
us the truth,
”
Shay said.
“
From your mouth, brother.
”

“
You
heard it,
”
Blaine said.
“
I was a detective. I tried
working too many cases at once. The lines got blurred and I came out on the
wrong end of it.
”

“
Tell
them everything,
”
Miller
said.

Blaine swallowed hard.
“
I had a fiancee. Meghan. Wild
firecracker. Beautiful. She was
…
she wasn
’
t the one, but her
daughter was. I loved Janey as my own. I told myself marrying Meghan was worth
it for Janey. I was running a big drug and gun case. There was a guy named Vin
who was all over me. We were shoulder to shoulder. He knew who I was. I knew
who he was. It was the biggest sting of my career. By then, I was already
seeing the other side of the fence. You know? Seeing how bad it was on the side
of justice. So many wrongs all the time. I wanted to finish the job and pull
out. My partner
…
he was
sampling the drugs. He was asleep in a pile of cocaine. Our new chief in
Frelen? Ethan? Yeah, he was on the task force. He was there. He was
manipulative and never gave a shit about anyone. I was the loser in the
situation because I had the most to lose. The deal went south and Vin knew
about it. A gun fight broke out. I took cover. I called Petey and he wasn
’
t answering. I needed to get
Meghan and Janey to safety. Meghan wasn
’
t
answering. I couldn
’
t get
away. The only person I was able to call was Jessa. The woman that was here?
That was Meghan
’
s best
friend. I had her go check on Meghan and Janey. By the time she arrived
…”
Blaine felt his throat close.
He turned his head.

“
Aye,
brother,
”
Shay said.
“
Spit it the fuck out.
”

Blaine growled and made fists. He
brought them up to his face. He then took a few heavy breaths and punched
himself in the face.

It at least justified the tears.
And got them out.

“
Jesus
Christ,
”
Trev said.

“
Vin
got there and killed them. He shot my Janey in the heart. Her
…
her little heart. You know? She
was a girl. A little girl. She played with dolls. She thought boys were dirty.
She would sing into her brush, you know? Listening to this terrible music
…
but he shot her in the heart.
And he shot Meghan
…”
Blaine
tapped his pointer and middle fingers to the middle of his head.

The room was silent.

“
Keep
going,
”
Gaige said. He
pointed to Blaine
’
s leather
cut on the table.
“
Leave it
all on the table.
”

“
He
was never convicted for the murders. Evidence bullshit. He ended up in prison
on a separate corruption charge and recently got out. That
’
s why Jessa came to see me. I
made a call to an old friend and he told me that Vin got killed already.
”

“
You
have any affiliation with your old life?
”
Nate asked.

“
None,
”
Blaine said.
“
Not even Jessa. The second I
found out Vin was dead, I sent her fine ass packing.
”

“
After
you hit it?
”
Shay asked.

“
I
’
m guilty
…
not dead,
”
Blaine said.

“
Fucking
aye,
”
Shay said. He grinned
and shook his head.

“
That
’
s why you threw your cut down?
”
Gaige asked.

“
Yeah,
”
Blaine said.
“
That
’
s my secret. I left everything behind and hit the
road. I found freedom with a motorcycle between my legs
…
or a half decent looking woman. I fought for fun
to hide the pain. Then fucked anything with a pulse to mask everything. Then I
saved Miller
’
s ass one
night and he invited me to meet you sorry assholes. The rest is history.
”

“
Have
you talked to anyone about this club?
”
Miller asked.

“
I
would never do that,
”
Blaine said.
“
I love my
cock as much as I love this club
…
but if someone was going to cut my cock off if I didn
’
t give up information on this club
…
then I
’
d have to squat to piss.
”

“
Thanks
for that visual,
”
Trev
said.

“
Gaige,
go ahead,
”
Miller said.

Gaige walked to Blaine. He stared
for a few seconds.
“
We took
our vote. Three times. Each time was unanimous.
”

“
What
’
s the verdict?
”

Gaige took out a gun.
“
Turn the fuck around.
”

Gaige put the gun to the back of
Blaine
’
s head.