Page 12 of Quadruplets for the Vipers (Never Just One #3)

Leah

I t’s been decided that we will keep my pregnancy a secret from the rest of the club for the time being.

The guys are concerned that there could be a traitor among their ranks—how else would the Hellhounds have known to ambush us there?

Therefore, lies or evasive answers are given when we’re questioned by our own.

In the week since Zeus and Donna were gunned down in cold blood, the atmosphere in the clubhouse has been tense.

Despite the guys spending most of their days hunting down those responsible and waging war with the Hellhounds, we’re no closer to finding the people responsible for the murders or why they did it.

The Hellhounds have been lying low, or perhaps they’re waiting for the club to collapse without its leader.

There’s a definite disconnect within the ranks, a new president will need to be elected soon.

As expected, the police came to interview the club members in the days following the attack.

They’re no closer to punishing the perpetrators than we are.

My interview was brief. I played dumb, pretending to be just another waitress.

We all agreed it wouldn’t help to admit I was there.

Most of the members are cagy and uncooperative, they’d rather dish out their own vigilante vengeance.

The police seem unsurprised, if not a little frustrated, by the lack of help.

With the evidence gathered and autopsies carried out, we can finally bury our friends at a funeral befitting the president of the Steel Vipers.

The sheer number of bikes in the procession is staggering.

People from all over who knew, and respected Zeus have come out for the funeral.

Not just from the club but from neighboring counties and states.

The funeral itself is a somber affair. The church is packed with mourners.

The only clear difference between this and any other funeral is the attire of the guests.

While they’re all wearing black, instead of suits, it’s leather jackets and vests with the club emblems emblazoned on.

The Steel Vipers are in their full regalia, members showing off their loyalty to the club with pride.

I’m sitting between Axel and Jace in a pew near the front, with Knox next to us. Rider stands off to one side, surveying the crowd. When I asked why he wasn’t sitting with us, Axel simply said, “Rider doesn’t like to feel trapped.”

Since the day Zeus and Donna died, the guys haven’t let me out of their sight, working in constant rotation to keep an eye on me while the others are out working.

For the most part, I’ve kept busy helping out at the club, so I haven’t had much time to speak with any of them beyond superficial small talk.

Knox keeps his distance when it’s his turn to babysit me; he no doubt still blames me for Donna and Zeus’ deaths.

Knox gets up to address the room, he looks tired with dark circles under his eyes.

He pauses for a moment, composing himself before he speaks.

“Thank you, everyone, for coming. I know Zeus and Donna would be proud to know they’d touched this many lives,” he says, clearing his throat. “For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Donna and Zeus’ adopted son.”

He pauses before continuing.

“My biological parents were addicts, we spent most of my early years living between crack dens and the streets, and for me, occasionally, foster care. I knew Donna and Zeus through their son, Levi. Levi and I first met at the park when we were young, around eight or so. For those of you who knew Levi, you know how quickly he made friends, especially with an underdog. He took me under his wing and invited me around for dinner, no doubt noticing how malnourished I was. Believe it or not, I was a scrawny little kid back in the day,” he says with a small smile.

“Our playdates became a regular occurrence and Levi’s home, a sanctuary, in no small part due to the kindness of Zeus and Donna.

When Zeus and Donna realized how bad my home life was, I more or less permanently moved in with them.

My parents didn’t seem to know or care where I was.

They tried to clean up their act when I was a teen and forced me to come home; it turned out that it was just that they wanted me to help them score and provide for them.

The judge took away their custody rights, and Zeus and Donna formally petitioned to adopt me,” he explains without a trace of bitterness, simply acceptance.

“It’s safe to say I owe Zeus and Donna my life. Without them, who knows where I’d be today? They were taken from us too soon, and the world is a darker place without them,” he finishes, taking one last look at their coffins before walking back to the pews and sitting next to us.

I feel the urge to reach out to comfort him, but I don’t know how that would be received, so I hold my hands tightly in my lap.

I study Knox’s face, noting how he’s trying to hold back tears and be strong.

My heart breaks for him, for the little boy he was.

Without thinking, my hand goes to my stomach, thinking of the life inside.

Knox notices me watching him, and his gaze falls to my stomach as if he’s echoing my thoughts, wondering what the future holds for this child.

I realize that I’m crying when Axel squeezes my hand and wordlessly hands me a handkerchief.

I smile at him gratefully, he nods before getting up to give his speech.

His strong, commanding voice booms out as he speaks clearly and powerfully.

His message both honors the dead and boosts the morale of the club.

He reassures the crowd that all is not lost. They might be leaderless, but they are not alone.

It’s exactly what people needed to hear. To me, at that moment, it’s evident who Zeus’ successor should be.

Back at the Steel Vipers clubhouse, the wake is a lively affair with people drowning their sorrows and celebrating the lives of our friends.

The other waitresses and I are rushed off our feet, trying to keep up with the orders that keep pouring in.

As people become more intoxicated, it’s clear to me that the night is going to descend into chaos.

Across the room, a fight starts, and I notice Axel and Rider quickly and expertly break it up, kicking the men out in a seamless interaction that barely interrupts the flow of the evening.

Knox has been well and truly drowning his sorrows, and when he calls me over and orders yet more shots, I feel the need to say something.

“Don’t you think you’ve had enough?” I say gently.

He narrows his eyes at me. “No,” he replies, downing the glass of whiskey in front of him without a wince.

“Knox…”

“Leah, what makes you think you have the authority to tell me what the fuck I should be doing?” Knox snaps back.

“Fine… drink yourself into a stupor. See if I care,” I reply, storming off to get his drinks.

I slam them on the table in front of him and stomp off without looking at him, which elicits whoops and hollers from the men drinking at his table with him. My back is turned as I bus a table nearby, but I can hear them talking about me.

“Stuck up little bitch, isn’t she?” one of the men says.

“I dunno, I reckon she just needs a good fucking,” another jeers.

“Knock it off,” Knox slurs.

“Ooh got a soft spot for the frigid cunt? I’ll give her the seeing to she needs,” one man boldly declares.

Before I know what’s happening, the man is behind me. The stale stench of sweat and cigarettes overpowers my senses as he comes far too close, grabbing my waist firmly and pressing his dick against my backside. I yelp and try to pull away, but he holds me firm.

“Ah come on, I know you want it, bitch,” he hisses in my ear, and I try not to gag at the smell of his breath.

All of a sudden, he’s ripped away from me, and I hear a scuffle. As I turn around, I see Knox has knocked him to the floor and is proceeding to pummel his fists into the other man’s face, channeling all of his fury and emotions from the day into the beating.

The man’s nose breaks in a sickening crunch as I watch, frozen in shock and horror. The man’s friends jump in, and the room erupts in chaos. Axel, Rider, and Jace run in, breaking up the fight and holding Knox back.

“Alright, brother, you got him… that’s enough…” Jace says as Knox struggles against him.

Axel stands between Knox and the man who’s on the floor, groaning in pain, acting as a physical barrier. “Leah, get out of here,” he orders, but I stay put. “What did he do?” he asks Knox. I appreciate that Axel seems to trust that his friend wouldn’t attack someone unprovoked.

“He put his hands on Leah,” Knox snarls, breathing heavily, his eyes still clouded with rage.

“It’s true, he was pressing himself against me and making lewd comments. Knox was just defending me,” I confirm, pushing my way in.

Axel flashes me a look of frustration, he doesn’t want me here. He nods. “Alright, Rider and I will get him out of here and calm things down. Jace, take Knox to bed—he’s had enough. Get Leah out of here, too.”

Axel says this strongly and firmly, a clear sign that there’s no room for disagreement. Knox doesn’t seem inclined to argue. He hangs his head in submission and allows himself to be led away without a fight.

Although I don’t like being ordered around, I follow them.

I want to make sure Knox is okay and see if there’s anything I can do to help.

Jace easily helps Knox walk the short distance to their house with his arm slung over his shoulder as he half-carries his friend home.

I hover uncertainly in the doorway as they go inside.

“Come on in, Leah,” Jace calls over his shoulder as they struggle up the stairs to Knox’s bedroom.

I follow behind, taking in the typical bachelor’s den. All four of the guys live here, and it shows. There’s not a feminine touch in sight, but it is surprisingly neat and tidy.

Upstairs, Jace drops Knox onto his bed, face down, still fully clothed. “I ain’t undressing you, brother. You can sleep it off.”

“Not drunk,” Knox mumbles, slurring his words into the pillow.

“Do you mind if I speak to him for a moment?” I ask.

Jace shrugs, looking as though he doubts how much talking I’m going to get out of Knox in his current state of inebriation, but not bothering to argue with me. “Sure. Want me to wait for you outside?”

“No, I’ll be fine, thanks.”

Jace nods his approval and leaves, he clearly knows I am safe here.

“Thank you for that, Knox. I know you’re not my biggest fan, but I appreciate you protecting me.”

He might not remember me saying this, but I feel the need to thank him, nevertheless. For a moment, I think he’s not going to say anything, so I turn to leave.

“I’m sorry, Leah, for what I said before… on the day that… on the day Donna and Zeus died. I was hurt, but I know it’s not your fault,” Knox mumbles, surprisingly coherent all of a sudden.

“Thank you, I appreciate you saying that, but you were right. If I weren’t around, or if we’d stayed to help, they might have survived.”

He shakes his head vehemently, attempting to sit up before flopping back down onto the bed.

“No. I was wrong. Chances are, I’d have lost two of my best friends, too, and the baby.

You did the right thing. The baby is all that matters now.

I promise you, I might be a fuck up, but I won’t let anything bad happen to you or this child. Your family now.”

“I appreciate that, Knox.”

“Leah…”

I wait for a moment, wondering what else he’s going to reveal, but then I hear his deep breathing, and I realize he’s fallen asleep. In sleep, he seems peaceful, more innocent somehow. It’s clear there are sides to Knox I’ve yet to see, that for all his bravado and wildness, he’s a good man.

It feels good to know he’s fighting in my corner. He called me family.

A foreign and strange concept. Do I want to be part of this crazy, fucked up family?

I think I do.