Page 12 of Viper (The Dark Angel’s MC #4)

Viper

I grunt as I swing my fist against the bag as hard as I can, not giving a shit that it’s hurting my wrist before I hit it again with my other, trying to focus on the pain it gives me.

Left, right, left, right.

I continue the momentum, not slowing down, refusing to think about what I did two nights ago in my office, which I’m now having redecorated for when I return —if I return.

I’ve made my mind up, I will be going nomad, even if it means going against the club.

Blade hasn’t called church about it yet and I’m not stupid, I know he’s stalling but it’s just a waste of time. After what I did, I need to leave, to get my head right, to see if being with Lake is something I want in the future.

She never mentioned her friends' names, only that she made a few before we got together with the help of a woman who basically raised her – Anna, Blade’s mama – again without mentioning names. She never mentioned her mother's name either, only that she didn’t want her.

I know in my heart that it’s all innocent. I can feel that it is, but in my head, all I see is a patch chaser because of my past.

I step back and swing my body to the right, bringing my leg up and kicking the bag before punching it repeatedly.

“Brother,” I hear when I hit the bag, once, twice, three times, but I don’t look, knowing it’s Blade.

“You here to tell me that you’ve called church?” I grunt as I hit the bag again.

He replies, “Uh, no, actually, Kitty tried to press charges against you, claiming sexual assault.”

I snort, “Shocker,” as I hit the bag again, not surprised at all that she tried that shit.

“It hasn’t stuck. Venom sent the feds the video footage of her willingly walking into your office and undressing before you kicked her out after we got a heads up,” he explains, but I don’t react.

I keep giving the bag quick jabs, ignoring the sweat dripping down my brow, and I try to breathe through them.

“Brother, can you stop for a moment, please?” Blade says gently, and I sigh, grabbing the bag so it doesn’t swing back and hit me in my face, and turn to him, crossing my arms over my bare chest, raising a brow at him.

His eyes go to my side, noticing ‘Lake’ tattooed large across my right ribcage before we lock eyes, concern etching in his.

You don’t tat a woman’s name on a brother's skin unless they see her as her forever.

“You’re not going nomad,” he cuts to the point and I tense, my jaw ticking. He admits, “We held a club meeting an hour ago. I thought it would be best if you weren’t there.”

I chuckle darkly and confirm, “You thought, leaving out your Sergeant at Arms was for the best?”

He nods, not backing down, and confirms, “I do because it was about my Sergeant at Arms leaving the club for god knows how long, and we all agreed if we let you leave, you won’t come back, so your request for going nomad was declined, a full vote against it.”

“I wasn’t asking for permission to leave, Leo. If I want to go, I will go,” I state, and this time his jaw ticks, knowing he won’t be able to stop me.

Staying here is no longer an option. I’m beginning to snap, and he knows it.

Instead of starting an argument we both know is about to break out, he changes tactics and admits, “Randy had a word with me this morning.”

I sigh, really not wanting to do this, and begin to fade him out until he’s gone, but he ignores my reaction and continues, “He’s worried about Lake.”

That gets my attention, though, because if he’s worried, then we all have a reason to be concerned.

“What do you mean he’s worried?” I demand as I take a step forward, uncrossing my arms from my chest and fisting my hands at my side.

“She mentioned quitting med school,” he admits, and my mouth parts in shock.

What the fuck?

I choke, “Med school? She’s in med school?”

He sighs, “Apparently so, and clearly you didn’t know.”

I scoff, “Another thing she omitted, huh?”

I can’t help the anger in my voice. She kept it from me, along with the fact that Cherri was her mother and she was friends with Ivy and Skylar. She fucking kept so much from me, proving she never truly trusted me.

We can’t come back from all this, can we?

He winces then admits, “Randy mentioned she told him as she was walking out the door, so he couldn’t talk to her about it last night.

He’s really worried, brother. She’s not eating right and has lost weight.

She’s faking her smiles, faking being happy that he can see right through, something I’m guessing you could as well.

Brother, she’s not who she used to be, and Randy mentioned that if we help her, he’ll stay at the garage. ”

So many emotions run through me as he speaks.

Fear.

Concern.

Sorrow.

Heartbreak.

But it’s the last one my body focuses on, anger, and I can’t even stop myself as I snap, “Oh, by giving her my patch?!”

“Fuck’s sake,” Blade snaps, “that is not what he meant, and you know it, Jaylen! She fucking hates the club, has since way before you two met, and deep in your heart, you know this. She had a label put on her the day she was fucking born, and if Randy had known about said label, he would have left years ago.”

I swallow hard and look away.

“She’s not a fucking patch chaser, and the sooner you get your head around that, the sooner you two may be able to come back from this, and I get my brother back again!” he finishes, but I just ignore him.

This is why I need to leave.

I instantly took the anger route and accused her yet again of wanting my cut.

I need to try to clear my head.

My childhood has shaped me into who I am, and trying to change from that, it isn’t easy.

The brotherhood is something I’ve always put first, loyalty always to them, but I’m also fucked up in the head where women are concerned because of them, all my generation are. I never fucked a clubwhore because they want a cut badly, trying to trap a brother.

How can I ignore years of being told not to trust women? That Cherri’s daughter will be exactly like them?

Fuck, she got Viking killed!

Brick didn’t just take his cut, he killed him from something she said.

“She needs you right now, Jaylen, that is why Randy came to me. She needs you, otherwise she’ll drown and fuck, Ivy spoke to me before I left to come here,” Blade states, and I lock eyes with him as he admits, “The little girl she tried to save… Her mama is suing her for three hundred thousand dollars.”

My eyes widen, and I snap, “What the fuck?!”

He nods, “Yeah, and she didn’t even tell Ivy, Callum did, her partner. She’s cutting everyone out of her life, and she’s slowly drowning without you.”

I shake my head and turn around, trying to breathe as my chest tightens and I admit, “She called a lot after she lost the little girl… I ignored every call.”

Guilt builds inside me.

Ignoring the calls was the right thing to do, I know this. Our relationship has turned toxic. Every time we’re in each other’s presence, nothing but burning anger settles between us, and we end up arguing, saying nasty shit, but it doesn’t stop the guilt.

“Do you love her, brother? Because how you’re reacting, it doesn’t seem like it, if anything, it seems like you don’t,” he tries to taunt to get a rise outta me, but it doesn’t work. Instead, I walk over to my bag and root through it before I find my phone, ignoring Blade.

I wake my phone, ignoring the photos of Lake, I bring up Venom’s number, hoping he’s not causing shit with Raya and answers as I press on his name and put the phone to my ear. Breathing heavy, pissed that a woman would go after someone who tried to save their child.

We may no longer be together, I may believe she’s using me for my cut because my head's fucked up, but she’s still the love of my fucking life who was doing her job.

“Already found the information you need, brother,” Venom answers instantly, “She got herself into debt with the Hyenas before her child was hit and thought suing your girl would get her what she needs, so she doesn’t share a grave site with her daughter.”

Mother fucker.

“What’s her address?” I demand as I pick up my shirt and bag before storming past a grinning Blade, whom I flip off, his laughter following me out of the gym while Venom rattles off the bitches address.

***

Twenty minutes later, I lean against the hood of my car outside of a small pale green house.

Vanessa Chillis, forty-two, is a single mother who has been arrested five times and nearly had her kids taken from her several times for child endangerment.

The woman who is suing my girl.

I know we’re done. I know we’ll most likely never be together again, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t mine. She is, and that'll never change. That's also why I need to leave, to get my head straight over that concept.

The door to the house slowly opens before a woman with blond hair pops her head between the gap.

“C-Can I help you?” she stutters, and I smirk.

She thinks I’m a Hyena, but unfortunately for her, I’m worse than one of them.

Their group is a menace. There are only roughly eight of them, Hayden being the leader, whom Ivy nearly married for her mama while pregnant with Hudson.

They believe they’re the scariest of them all, killing their clients and everyone they love when they don’t pay back double the amount they borrowed by a deadline, yet, they’re shit scared of my club.

This woman needs to understand that.

“Yeah, you can explain why you’re suing a woman who tried to save your daughter, claiming she would have survived if the EMT’s wouldn’t have intervened that we both know is bullshit and so do the lawyers.

” I state and her face pales. Chuckling darkly I say, “If you think owing money to the Hyenas is bad, try suing a family member of the Dark Angel’s and let’s see where that gets you. ”

Her body visibly trembles as her eyes widen in shock, and I threaten, “You have two days to drop the lawsuit and to send an apology letter, thanking Lake for trying to save your little girl, a little girl that she has cried over. Otherwise, you will be sharing a grave site.”

That said, I push off my car and round the hood to the driver's side before climbing inside, then speeding away without looking back, knowing she’s still watching me with fear.

I turn and head towards the strip club where I’ve been sleeping lately and pick up speed. I need to plan my routes and begin training someone to take my role within the club and at Dark Angel’s Girls.

I also need to ride for a while to see if I can shift this anger.