Page 22 of Knot So Sweet (Leather and Lace #1)

Chapter 21

Viper

" Y ou think you can just bark orders, pretend you’ve got this all figured out?" His voice was a harsh whisper. "Look around, Viper. This club isn’t your playground. It’s bleeding out right in front of you."

His words struck something raw, but I kept my face neutral. The walls I’d built over the years didn’t allow cracks, especially not now. Gears needed to see strength. The others needed to see a leader, not someone who’d buckle under pressure.

"I see it," I said, my voice low, a lethal edge to every syllable. "And I’ll handle it."

"How?" He practically spat the question, and I could see the veins in his neck pulsing as he gritted his teeth. "Another failed run. The Hounds are laughing at us. The antidote’s gone, Viper. If Heat gets into the wrong hands—"

"I fucking know what’s at stake!" I roared, my voice echoing through the room like a thunderclap. Everyone fell silent again, and I could feel all their eyes on me, waiting for my next move.

"You think I don’t know Heat is already in the wrong hands? You think I’m not bleeding with every single one of my club? Honor. Protection. Loyalty. That’s what we stand for as Serpents, and that antidote was our leg up in this fucked-up war for power. So don’t you dare stand there and tell me I don’t know what’s at risk."

For a moment, Gears looked like he was going to say something, his lips parting, but he swallowed it down. The weight of my words hung between us, heavy, dark, and full of unspoken truths.

I wasn’t just their president; I was one of them. One of the many suffering from the same losses, the same betrayal, the same goddamn heartbreak that came with this life.

"You’re pissed. I get it," I said, lowering my voice, but keeping the steel in my tone. "But lashing out? Calling me weak? That’s not gonna solve shit. We need to find the mole, lock down our assets, and strike back. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Now. Before the Hounds think we’re just rolling over."

Gears stared at me for a long beat, the war in his head playing out in the set of his jaw and the flicker of his eyes. He wanted to challenge me, to push harder. But even he knew this wasn’t the time for it. Not when our entire operation was hanging by a thread.

Not when this very conversation could be reported back to our enemy.

Finally, he stepped back, his shoulders sagging just a fraction. He didn’t apologize—he never would—but the rage had dimmed enough to let some semblance of rational thought through.

"What’s the plan, then?" His voice was gruff, like it had taken every ounce of control to ask that without adding more fire to the flames.

I took a deep breath, my gaze sweeping over the room. All eyes were still on me. The pressure to lead, to make the right call, was a heavy weight I carried every day, but this moment felt different. It felt like everything hinged on what came next.

"We go after the mole first," I said, scanning the faces of the men who had been with me through every fight, every blood-soaked night. "Whoever betrayed us, we will make an example out of them. They’ll pay. No one does this to us and walks away clean."

A murmur of agreement rippled through the room.

"And then," I continued, my voice darkening with the promise of retribution. "We hit the Hounds where it hurts. They took Chaos from us, and we’re gonna make them pay. With interest. They think we’re weak, but we’re just getting started. We go on the offensive. We remind them why the Steel Serpents are a name that makes even the most fearless alpha think twice. And we take out their king."

The shift was almost palpable. The anger that had filled the room moments ago began to redirect itself, turning into something colder, sharper—revenge.

Gears nodded once, his eyes still burning, but less wild now. "Fine. But if we don’t get the mole soon—"

"We will," I cut in, my gaze hardening. "Because if we don’t, I’ll tear this club apart myself until I find them."

There was no hesitation in my words, no doubt. I meant every syllable.

"Prez?" Lenny’s voice pulled my gaze back to him, the young beta bartender standing at the edge of the chaos. With a practiced flick of his wrist, he slid a tray of shots my way. Hands from all corners of the room reached out, grabbing the glasses, the clinking sound rising like a battle cry.

As one, we lifted our shots high, the camaraderie and fury intertwining, a promise of vengeance echoing through our voices. "Justice for Chaos," I declared, and my brothers echoed me.

"Viper!" A high-pitched voice cut through the bar’s noise, sharp and grating. My teeth clenched as I grit my jaw, fighting the urge to growl. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with Tiffany or her little crew of omega bunnies.

She’d warmed my bed a time or two, but now? The mere thought of anyone touching me, that wasn’t Candice, made my skin crawl. Before I could shut her down, she latched onto my bicep, pressing her body against mine, her citrus scent too sharp, too artificial. I grunted, shrugging her off.

"I’m not in the mood, Tiff. Go find someone else."

Tiffany tossed her curly blonde hair over her shoulder with a dramatic pout, trying to milk what little patience I had left. "I missed you. Didn’t you miss me?" Her shrill voice was giving me a migraine.

Gears chuckled, clearly enjoying the show. "Don’t take it personal, bunny. Viper might not be interested… But you can suck me off if you ask nicely."

"Ugh, no thanks." Tiffany’s eyes narrowed, her nails digging into my arm as she shot Gears a venomous glare. He grabbed his cock through his jeans with a smirk.

"Fuck you, Gears," she snapped, clearly not in the mood for his shit either. But Gears just laughed harder, shaking his head like the cocky bastard he was.

Tiffany’s grip tightened, her body shifting as she tried to wedge herself closer, but I pried her off with a growl that warned her I wasn’t playing around.

"Go find someone else’s cock to warm. I’m. Not. Interested," I bit out, each word clipped, rough. My patience was running on fumes.

She huffed, glaring at me like she might actually argue, but the look in my eyes must’ve shut her down. With a final pout, she flounced away, muttering something under her breath about an alphahole .

I rubbed a tired hand over my face, and Gears snorted, taking a swig of his beer, as he watched Tiffany's ass sway, while she headed over to the booth where some of our mechanics usually hung out. I knew this wouldn't be the last time I saw Tiffany.

She had been trying to become my mate, my old lady, for years, and for a bit, I almost agreed. I was lonely, and just having someone warm my bed, eased the depression that built under the pressure of being the Steel Serpents’ President.

But now, with Candice in the picture, I was so damn glad I never solidified that bond with Tiff. The idea of breaking a bond bite—a tie to someone—was devastating. Even if I didn't want her as my own omega, I didn't think she deserved to be dropped just because I found my scent match.

Thank God it never came to that.

"Why turn down perfectly good pussy?" Gears asked, his tone dripping with mockery. "Holding out for that omega slut? She already has you by the balls Vipe. Admit it."

My jaw went rigid as I turned to glare at my VP. The roar of Ghost's bike saved him from my wrath. "Saved by the bell," I growled, pushing up from the barstool and storming out of the clubhouse to greet him.