Stephanie Tyler - Vipers Run

I didn’t say anything. Eli came up next to me and I swore I heard a mini Cage-like growl. The woman froze, stared at him.

“Can I just pay?” I asked.

“Fine,” she said. When I handed her a twenty, she said, “I’ve gotta grab change in the back.”

“Are you okay?” Eli asked.

“Fine.” And I was. I was also tired and stressed and still very worried about him and Cage and waiting for the other shoe to drop but . . .

She stormed out of the back and punched the register keys. She handed me change and shoved the food into a bag and Eli took it for me.

I didn’t know what she was so angry about. I was the one who should be angry, since she was talking about a revolving door with the Vipers and their women. But that was in the past . . .

“She didn’t come back with change.”

“What?” Eli asked.

“She said she had to go to the back to get change. But she came back and used the register.” My last words were drowned out by the roar of motorcycles. Eli pushed me behind him and Rocco was coming toward us as a big guy got out of a van.

He had a Heathen patch—and a gun trained on me—and with his free hand, he pointed between Eli and the van, saying, “Come with us and no one gets hurt, Eli.”

“Eli, don’t you dare go with him!” I called, but it was too late. Eli was at the door of the van and the gun was no longer pointed in my direction.

“He’s the president of the founding Heathen chapter,” Rocco told me, holding my shoulder like he was worried I’d try to run and grab Eli.

The president looked at Eli, then at Rocco. “Tell Cage to call me. The kid’ll be fine until then.”

Of course, it couldn’t be over as easily as cutting his father and oldest brother out of his life forever. Eli was still at risk, because even though the feds and ATF were all over that particular Heathens chapter, there were still others to answer to, including the main chapter. The original.

Cage took Tals with him to the bank where the box was being kept. They took it to a different bank, used a different code to lock it up tight.

“That takes care of Calla’s involvement at least,” Cage said.

“You’re not that naive,” Tals told him. And no, Cage wasn’t. But they all knew that having anyone they loved in their lives made them vulnerable.

He was willing to take that chance, if she was.

“What? Rocco, slow the fuck down,” Tals was saying into his phone. Then he paled. “Okay. Got it.”

He hung up and said, “Cory’s got Eli. Took him and said you need to call him.”

Two hours later, we sat in front of Cory, the president of the original Heathens chapter, who told Cage, “You sold out your family. And Eli’s still a probie, which means he’s still Heathen property and you’re no longer a Heathen.”

“My family patched Eli in. He’s fifteen. They tattooed him. He’s not just a goddamned probie,” Cage growled. “You think that shit’s cool, maybe you deserve to be taken down too.”

“Way to stay cool, Cage,” Tals said through clenched teeth. “We’re going to die if you’re not careful.”

“Your friend’s the smart one,” Cory said.

“First time anyone’s ever accused him of brains,” Cage said. “And I wouldn’t count on us being the ones to die.”

Tals put his head in his hands and groaned. “We have RICO evidence against all of you. We’ll leave it alone if you give us Eli and leave Vipers the fuck alone.”

“I never agreed to that,” Cage said.

“But you’re agreeing to get us dead,” Tals shot back.

Cory studied us carefully. Tals slid the key to the safety-deposit box across the table. “Only copy of the key and the tapes.”

“You could’ve used these against all of us—been rid of us once and for all.”

“I’d like to believe one bad bunch didn’t spoil all of you.”

“Been watching this war for years, son.” Cory was pushing sixty. “Tough choice.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Cage told him.

“Get Eli’s tattoo covered.” Cory took the key and stood, knocked on the door. Eli came in, looking nervous but none the worse for wear.

Cage and Tals guided Eli out of the building where Cory held the meeting—a neutral place, except it included a ring of Heathens. But none of them were familiar faces, which made Cage breathe a sigh of relief.

Once they’d driven far enough away to consider themselves safe, Cage growled to Tals, “I can’t believe you did that—just handed over the tapes.”

“You wanted to.”

“I was about to, but you wouldn’t shut up.”

“Can’t believe I made a copy of the tapes either,” Tals told him.

“When?” Cage demanded, and when Tals shrugged, Cage sighed. “You got the numbers from Calla.”

“She didn’t think you should ever give up all your evidence. But the fact that you were willing to, for family? That says it all.”

“We can remove it, but it’ll hurt. It’ll never be completely gone,” Cage told Eli honestly. “Or you can cover it with another tattoo.”

“Either way, there’s always going to be a reminder,” Eli said. “But maybe some things you shouldn’t forget, if they bring you to better things.”

“So fucking smart for fifteen. So much smarter than me.”

“I . . . ah, speaking of smart,” Calla started. “My dad and I might’ve done something. See, there’s this school for artists in Manhattan . . .”

Eli’s eyes lit up.

“And we showed them your drawings,” she continued. “It’s midsemester, but they’ll make an exception.”

“Wait a minute—is the only reason I got in because of your dad?”

“It didn’t hurt, but, Eli, they wouldn’t take you if you didn’t have the talent.” She turned to Cage. “I don’t want him to leave here—but he doesn’t want this life.”

Cage stared between Eli and Calla. “Calla, your dad can keep an eye on him?”

“He’s already got his guest suite set up. For you and your mom,” she said to Eli.

“I see no reason the kid shouldn’t get a shot,” Cage said, putting his arm around Calla.

“Wait till I tell Mom!” Eli said. He gave Calla a hug, then Cage, then went to make the call.

“I can’t believe you did that.”

“Are you mad?”

“No. Not at all. Jesus, Calla . . .”

Cage was staring at me, his eyes dark with lust when he said my name.

“I’m here, Cage. You’re not getting rid of me.”

“And here I thought you were getting ready to run,” he admitted. “And I couldn’t blame you. You’ve gone through hell. And while this part’s over . . . there’s still a dangerous world out there for us. You could go to your dad’s. Start over.”

“I did start over. Especially once I realized that you really wanted me here. That we belonged together.”

“I sense a ‘but . ’”

And there was. I didn’t want to sound ungrateful but . . . “You have your thing, Cage. I don’t have mine.”

“I’m your thing.”

“You know what I mean. I can’t sit around all day waiting for you. Helping out at the tattoo shop and the bar here and there is fine and all, but . . .”

“Why rush it?”

I waved my arms. “You were born with this.”

“Sometimes you’re born with it. Sometimes you stumble into it.”

“Supposed I never find it?”

“Suppose you do?” he countered. “Being with me won’t stop that, will it?”

“No, it won’t. But I have a plan.”

He smiled. “Bet you do.”

“Amelia said Preacher promised to find her someone to manage the bar, that her role was just temporary.”