His heated words were followed by the scrape of chairs and the pounding of feet. As the people seated around them moved to the far end of the bar, the bouncers approached, only to come up against a solid wall of Black Jack muscle.
“I’m not playing games with you,” Evie gritted out. “I’m not with Zane. I grew up with him. I hadn’t seen him for nine years until the night Axle came to bring your message. What Axle saw … I didn’t want that.”
Viper loosened his hold on her hair, and gripped her jaw, forcing her to meet his stony gaze. “You grew up with him?”
“In Stanton. But we lost touch after high school. I didn’t even know he was in Conundrum.”
His dark eyes bored into her as if searching for the truth. But she had nothing to hide. Well, except for Zane’s relationship to Ty. Still, she met his cold, hard stare full-on, although she trembled inside. Zane had been angry about Ty, but she knew in her heart he would never hurt her. She couldn’t say the same about Viper.
“You know why I like you, Evangeline?” His voice lost its edge, becoming smooth and sickly sweet like her mother’s bourbon.
“No.”
“Because you’re honest and you can’t lie for shit.” He released her arm, one hand snaking up her back to her hair, the other firm around her waist. “You aren’t like the deceitful, conniving bitches I got at my club. You aren’t jaded from living an outlaw life where every day is a struggle to survive. I believe you.”
Her body sagged with relief. “Then let me go because you’re scaring me.”
Viper laughed and tugged her head back. “You wouldn’t be out with me if you didn’t like it a little rough. You know how many women I’ve asked out? The key word there is asked?”
She shook her head, and he ran his thumb over her lips, parting them with gentle pressure.
“None. I don’t ask when it comes to women. When I want a woman to suck my dick, I push her to her knees. When I want to fuck her pussy, I spread her legs. The women in my club will do whatever I tell them to do because I own them. But Black Jack women are hard women and they’re always wantin’ something, and that makes ’em cold. You’re warm. You’re soft. You’re sweet. You’re real. You don’t want anything. Me being president of the Jacks doesn’t mean shit to you. Never had that before. Not willing to give it up.”
He leaned down and brushed his lips over her neck. “The fact I did nothing other than twist your arm after you tried to slap me says it all.” He bit down on the delicate skin between her neck and her shoulder blade, drawing it between his teeth. Evie gasped as a curious mix of pleasure and pain surged within her.
“What are you doing?”
“Thought I’d leave my mark.” Something sharp and feral flashed in his eyes, and then he kissed her, his lips firm and hard. Possessive. “Just in case your Sinner trash doesn’t get the message.”
“Zane? Why would he—?” Her voice caught as Viper turned her around, sliding one arm around her waist and pulling her into his chest in a gesture she didn’t understand until her gaze lifted to the door.
Zane.
“Because he wants what I have.” Viper nuzzled her neck and Zane’s dark eyes hardened.
“Looks like you have to make a choice, kitten,” he said softly. “Choose wisely.”
TEN
Repairing a bike is a long, arduous process. You will require patience, skill, and the proper tools. But mostly patience.
—SINNER’S TRIBE MOTORCYCLE REPAIR MANUAL
“I’m gonna kill him.”
“Hold back, brother.” Jagger put out an arm to stop Zane from drawing his weapon in the middle of the crowded bar. “She came here by choice. Nobody forced her.”
“Fuck, Jag. She just tried to slap him. You saw what he did to her.” He shook off Jagger’s arm and slid his hand into his cut.
“And then she kissed him,” Jagger said, his voice cold. “She’s not screaming for help, brother. Not like when we saved her from Derek the Dick.”
“You’re the one being a dick.” He had never spoken to Jagger that way before, and if they hadn’t been alone, he wouldn’t have dared. But goddamnit. This was Evie. Their Evie. No. His Evie. The mother of his son. And she was in danger.
“Maybe you suddenly got tired of living.” Jagger’s hand tightened on Zane’s arm. “Friend or not, you don’t speak to your president that way, and your president is saying we’re not taking Viper out tonight. Too many witnesses. And Benson texted to warn me the cops are on their way. Despite the disrespect, I’ve gotten used to having you around. You still got a warrant on your head. I don’t want to see you spending the rest of your life in jail.”
Zane’s blood pounded in his ears so loud he could barely hear. Of all the men Evie could have chosen … Or maybe it wasn’t a choice. Maybe Viper had forced her to go out with him. Maybe he was blackmailing her, or worse, threatening her life. There would be no other reason why she would want to be with that evil cockfucking piece of bastard slime who had to be twice her age.
As if he knew what Zane was thinking, Viper locked gazes with Zane over Evie’s head and brushed his lips over her ear. It was a challenge Zane couldn’t ignore.
“This is worse than the night with Derek the Dick.” He closed his hand around the smooth, cool steel of his weapon. He had never understood Evie’s interest in Derek, a high school dropout who fronted a heavy metal band in town. But when she’d blown him and Jagger off to go on a band road trip with Derek and his pals, he hadn’t hesitated to hunt Jagger down and convince him to go after them. They’d almost been too late, and it was the first time in his life he realized he could cross a line not many would cross. Only Evie’s intervention had saved Derek’s life, but he spent three months in the hospital and never played guitar again.
“You think she knows he’s using her as a shield?”
Viper stroked his thumb along the underside of Evie’s breast, and Zane slid the gun from its holster.
“She looks mighty pissed off,” Jagger said. “But I’m not sure if that’s ’cause we’ve caught them together or because he’s feeling her up in front of us.”
Tables emptied around them as the bar owner and his bouncers encouraged people to make use of the back exit so they didn’t get caught in the middle of a biker showdown. The band scurried off the stage. Over in the far corner, a few civilians, most likely off-duty law enforcement from their posture, fatigues, and disregard for the danger of the situation, watched with interest as Viper’s bodyguards fell into position behind him.
“How many brothers we got outside?”
“Five,” Jagger said. “And Tank didn’t see any other Jacks outside, so we’re evenly matched. Your choice, brother. If you want to fight, we got your back, but put the gun away.”
“You aren’t fighting in my bar.” A short, stocky man in a Riverside Bar T-shirt strode into the center of the bar as Zane tucked his gun into his holster. “I’ve already called the cops. Last time we had bikers here, I was shut down for three months. You want to have a shoot-out, take it outside.”
“Not here to fight,” Viper said. “Just here enjoying the music with my girl.”
Mine. In that moment the choice became no choice. Zane couldn’t stand by and watch Evie be manhandled by any man, much less Viper. He closed the distance between them in three quick strides and ripped Viper’s hand away.
Although braced for the intervention of Viper’s bodyguards, he wasn’t prepared when the biggest and ugliest brute lifted him as if he weighed nothing and tossed him across the bar.