Page 36 of Quadruplets for the Vipers (Never Just One #3)

Rider

T he rain continues to hammer down, droplets hitting my face like icy needles.

The road is pitch black and slick as my tires struggle to maintain their grip.

I’ve got some added stability due to the sidecar fixed to my bike—we weren’t sure if Leah would be in a condition to ride pillion—but the extra weight kills my ability to corner tight.

We push the pace anyway, too fast for these conditions.

We’re already late for the rendezvous thanks to the weather.

I can barely see my hand in front of my face.

It’s the worst possible weather we could have had, most bikers wouldn’t dream of going out in this.

I curse myself for not suggesting we leave earlier, I’m sure the others feel the same.

I know Leah will be fine at the safehouse, but I don’t want her to worry, to think we aren’t coming.

Ever since we discovered the truth about the babies all we’ve wanted to do is rush in, guns blazing, and rescue her.

As always, Axel was the voice of reason.

He suggested we use Ashley to our advantage to get Leah out of there without a fight.

If we attacked, the risk of her getting hurt was too great.

After finding out that Leah had been lied to and was being held captive by her ex and the head of the most prominent crime family in the city, Axel knew the time for being passive was over.

He finally stepped up and took his place as the Prez of the Steel Vipers.

Those who objected were invited to leave or fight him for it.

A few left, no one wanted to go toe-to-toe with the infamous brawler and seasoned vet who once took down an entire enemy squad single-handedly.

With his position secured, Axel set to work.

It’s time we take down the Hellhounds for good.

The entirety of the Steel Vipers club is out on missions tonight.

The majority are paying a visit to the Hellhounds clubhouse to return the favor of their little gift to us.

Me, Axel, Knox, Jace, Wolf, Fastman, Chuck, and Chug are riding together tonight to meet the women at the safehouse.

The four of us would be more than enough normally, but Axel isn’t taking any chances tonight.

He decided we needed backup just in case Ashley went rogue on us, or Tony somehow found out.

Maybe it’s just the rain, or maybe it’s some sixth sense I have, most likely it’s my usual overcautious paranoia. But for some reason, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and I get the overwhelming feeling that something bad is about to happen.

I scan the dark abyss all around us as we drive down the deserted highway.

There’s nothing there. I have a sense of deja vu from the day Zeus was killed.

Sirens are going off in my brain, telling me that there’s an ambush coming.

But I can’t see any sign of one. The road ahead is empty.

Any enemy bikes would be seen or heard from a mile away, even with the poor visibility, and no one is insane enough to drive in this weather without their lights on, are they?

There’s a screech of wheels and Fastman’s bike suddenly skids out of control, and he veers off the road.

He desperately tries to regain control but it’s impossible and he crashes into the guardrail.

Inevitably, both rider and bike come apart in a crunch of metal and he’s tossed like a ragdoll.

The crash is bad. Possibly fatal. Wolf brakes suddenly, causing Chuck and Chug to do so too.

Chug is riding too fast, he’s going to collide with them, so he chooses to abruptly steer his bike to the right, causing him to lose control and crash, too.

As quickly and safely as we can, the rest of us all slow and turn around, heading back to the crash site. Chuck has pulled up and is rushing over to Chug’s side while Wolf is tending to Fastman by the time we stop.

“Jesus Christ, is everyone okay?” Jace yells over the sound of the storm.

“I’m okay, Chug’s hurt pretty bad,” Chuck calls.

“Go help them, me and Rider will help Wolf and Fastman,” Axel says to the others.

He starts to stride over to where Wolf is crouched over Fastman’s prone body. His back is to us, so we can’t see what he’s doing properly but it looks like he’s giving CPR. I hold out my arm, blocking Axel across his chest.

“Wolf did it,” I say in his ear quietly, my back to Wolf so if he happens to look up, he won’t see.

Immediately on alert, Axel asks. “How do you know? You saw it?”

“No. Not all. But enough. I think he did it deliberately. He was close to Fastman when it happened, too close. Then all of a sudden, he braked hard, the others almost crashed into him. He knows better than that.”

“What are you saying?”

“I thought it was strange that Wolf didn’t leave when you took over—or even object.

He was one of the biggest, most outspoken supporters of us operating more like the Hellhounds and allying with them.

Then, all of a sudden, he’s your biggest fan?

Why did he volunteer to help tonight and not at the clubhouse? ”

“He didn’t. I asked him to come. I wanted to keep him close. I didn’t trust him over there.”

“We shouldn’t have trusted him here either,” I mutter, eyes narrowed as we continue to approach him, hands on our guns.

“Is he okay?” Axel asks Wolf.

Wolf shakes his head, standing before turning to us. “He’s dead. Some gnarly crash… did you see what happened? He was right behind me.”

He’s gauging to see if anyone saw what he did .

In just moments, our numbers have gone from eight to six and we’re now stationary targets on a deserted stretch of highway. We’re sitting ducks.

This is an ambush.