Hell's Viper (Hell's March MC Book 1), page 4
The Highway Knights are known for trafficking women, some of them barely of age, but I haven’t witnessed it since I’ve been here. They’ve been laying low, struggling to find their footing after their leader was killed in battle.
Thanks to my best friend’s knife in his throat.
I block her face from my mind, refusing to sink into memories, memories that hold feelings, feelings that obstruct my vision. Shifting a bit on the asphalt, I watch through the scope as the doors are thrown open and my breath gets lodged in my throat.
The Beast.
He’s back and he’s looking triumphant as he shoves a woman out onto the gravel, her knees hitting the unforgiving rocks, the impact making me whistle softly. Her scream is muffled by the bandana tied around her mouth, but even I wince when she’s lifted off the ground and her shredded knees are on display just under the hem of her pinstripe skirt.
She looks like a businesswoman in her mid to late twenties, a little old for their tastes. Her thick, brown hair is falling from the bun she has on the back of her head and her mascara is decorating her cheeks in streaks of black. She doesn’t look familiar to me but I make a vow as I watch The Beast grab her hair and drag her into the compound.
I will save her from his sick clutches before I pull the skin from his bones.
My heart has been somewhere in the pit of my stomach since we found Delia’s car abandoned and ransacked at the gas station. Her belongings were scattered all over the car, the windows busted in, and the tires slashed.
Still, as bad as it all looks, I know my girl and that was most likely the plan all along. Leaving her car there in that neighborhood was like a beacon for anyone looking to steal things worth selling. It’s a wonder the car itself was still there when we arrived, although it did look like it was being used for pay-by-the-hour services.
My hands hit my waist as the hot Arizona sun beats down on my head. We managed to tow the car back to the compound, but I know we won’t find a damn thing. If we’re going to find her, we need to track down the Highway Knights. I have Jones on it right now, and I’ll be riding out with or without the team Jaeger put together as soon as I have the coordinates.
“Tell me what you found,” Diego demands as he comes to stand beside me. “Was she taken?”
“You and I both know she wouldn’t let herself be taken if that’s not what she wanted,” I reply, my head dropping between my shoulders. “I have her phone.”
“Have you gone through it? I can get Jones to unlock it.” His voice rises as he begins to get excited.
“I know the passcode,” I reveal as he takes a deep breath, reminding me of the calm before the storm.
“Of course you do. What else do you know about my little sister, Ajani?” There’s a bite in his tone but no heat. He’s already begun to piece together the crumbs Delia and I have been dropping over the last year.
“I know that I love your sister and I should’ve told you months ago,” I confess as I lift my head to look him in the eyes. The same damn eyes as his sister. I refuse to avoid his wrath, it wouldn’t be fair.
“Why did you hide that from me?” His arms drop to his sides as he exhales another breath. He’s not mad, he’s fucking hurt, and that somehow makes this worse.
“She didn’t want you to be mad at her. I tried to persuade her but she begged me not to.” I break eye contact with him and stare into her car, agony blooming inside my chest. “Maybe she didn’t want anyone to know because she was planning to end it.” I raise my hand and press it against my chest, hoping to alleviate the pain that’s been sitting there since she left. Since she left me.
His hand lands on my shoulder and he gives it a squeeze, the gesture making my throat seal with emotion. “No. You may think you know everything about my sister but you don’t if that’s what you think.” He squeezes me again and drops his hand as I turn back to look at him. His eyes are filled with sadness as he shakes his head. “Delia is convinced everyone will leave her. It’s why her attachments are always held an arm’s length away. Me, you, Genni, all of us will never truly see all of her until she’s convinced we won’t leave.”
“How do we convince her?” My voice cracks as my eyes begin to burn. I’ve done everything to show her how much I care and still, she ran from me as though I was nothing. No warning and no goodbye.
“We can’t,” he breathes out, the air catching on the last syllable. “Our parents’ deaths changed her and she became hateful, not able to trust that anyone would stick around. And now, after finding out about how they truly died, she’s on a mission to forgive herself.”
“Forgive herself for what?” My brows come together in confusion as turmoil saturates Diego’s features.
“For hating our parents.” He scrubs a hand over his face and draws in a deep breath. “Delia found our mother after her apparent suicide and read the note meant for our father. She’s never been the same after that. It’s the reason she became The Viper to begin with.”
“I knew she became The Viper after your parents’ death, but she never said she found her,” I tell him as he begins to pace. “I could see how angry she was and I knew her Viper activities would release the pain inside of her. This time feels different and I’m fucking scared. We need to find her, Diego.”
“When Genni gave me the name of The Beast, I began researching him but it’s been crickets. Either Tazo made him up or he’s a fucking ghost.” He stops pacing to look at me, his eyes shining with fear. “If he has the power to cover up his trail, then I’m scared that I may never see my sister again.”
“Don’t say that.” I stride over to him and wrap my arm around his neck. “Don’t even utter those words. He may be The Beast, but your sister is a fucking Viper. A monster in her own right.” I lead us back to the clubhouse and haul open the door. “Let’s go through her phone and see what we can find.” It’s a long shot because if she left her phone behind, I would assume it’s because there’s nothing on there. She doesn’t want to be tracked and she doesn’t want to be found.
“There won’t be anything there,” he huffs as we step inside. “We both know that.”
We head to the bar to find Rockz restocking the shelves, his arms flexing with the exertion. For an older brother, he’s still fit. “Anything?” he asks over his shoulder as we sit on the stools.
“We found her car and her cell phone,” I supply as Diego raps his knuckles on the bar, completely lost in thought.
“Was it a struggle?” Rockz turns around to face us, worry lining his features.
“Nah, I don’t think so.” He places two glasses on the counter and grabs a bottle of tequila, knowing the vile liquid is Diego’s preference. “I think she meant to leave it all there.”
“To throw you guys off her trail.” He chuckles as he pours our drinks. “She’s always been a smart cookie.”
“And a pain in my ass,” Diego growls as he grabs the glass and knocks back the drink in one swallow. Rockz refills it as Diego runs a hand through his hair. “I wish I could go after her but Genni’s right, it would do no good. She won’t come home unless her mission is complete and she’d never forgive me if I force her.”
“Has the mole Genni sent to the Highway Knights gotten back to you?” I lift my glass as Rockz leans on the bar, his eyes watching Diego for answers.
“Yeah. They accepted him as a prospect pretty easily.” He grins, his eyes flaring with humor. “Those fuckers are desperate and didn’t vet shit.”
“Who’d she send in?” I ask as I take another sip of the poison in my cup.
“Robby.” Diego lifts his brow, and I laugh loudly, the noise traveling around the club.
“Payback, huh?” Robby and Genni have a history, one in which he’s to blame for her driving off in our supply van and getting taken by a Dragon. Long story, but it looks like he’s doing some penance.
“He was more than willing to go, and since he was freshly sworn in with us, his face isn’t recognizable as a March.” Diego tips back his second glass and pushes to stand from the stool. “I should head back to the house before Genni makes her way over here. I’ll let her know what we found. Make sure you let me know what you find on that phone.” He claps my shoulder and heads to the door, his gait missing the usual pep.
“His sister is all the family he’s got left,” Rockz states as we watch Diego leave.
“Yeah,” I mutter as I drink the rest of the shit in a glass and wipe my hand along my mouth. “He’s trying his best to leave it to us, but I can sense he’s on the edge of saying fuck it and going after her himself.”
“That’s what big brothers do,” Rockz says as he straightens up and grabs the empty glasses from the bar. “They protect their little siblings from danger. How’d he take you boning his little sister?” The gleam of mischief in his eyes hauls a surprised chuckle from my mouth.
“Who didn’t know?” I roll my eyes.
“He didn’t.” Rockz thumbs over his shoulder. “Maybe he had an inkling but didn’t want to believe it.”
“He took it well, I guess. We didn’t really get into it. He just wants Delia back safe right now.” There will be a conversation between us when Delia is home, I can feel it. Maybe I’ll have to take a hit or two to the face and that’s fine. I deserve it.
“We’ll get her back,” Rockz assures me with a smile.
“I’m sure we’ll get a version of her back,” I murmur and look down at the bar.
I circle Delia’s car, letting the memories of teaching her how to drive a stick flood my mind. She never did give this car up and it worries me that she left it in a place where it had a high chance of being stolen. Her father gave her this car on her sixteenth birthday, a few months before her mother was found dead in the bathtub and then a few days later, her father followed suit. Those few weeks after her birthday, it was me sitting in the passenger seat of this car while Delia jerked us up and down the street, stalling every few minutes.
A smile tugs at my mouth as the memory of her slamming her fists into the steering wheel comes to mind, the loud honking startling a scream from her throat. That was the old Delia, easily scared and clingy as fuck. She followed me everywhere.
“There’s blood back here!” Cruz calls out from the back seat, hauling me out of my thoughts.
Just then, Diego comes walking out of the club, his Dragon cut swaying from his shoulders. It’s weird that he’s no longer Hell’s March and it makes me wonder if one day we’ll all eventually become Steel Dragons. The thought has me wondering what it would feel like to have a dragon on my back, and an involuntary shudder courses through me. It’ll take some time to get used to us being allies and not enemies.
“Blood?” His eyes widen as he rushes over, his body blocking the open door. I round the back of the car and pause, noticing another streak of blood on the trunk.
“Back here too,” I tell them as Cruz gets out of the back. “It’s probably not hers. Whoever broke the windows could’ve gotten injured, and who knows what was really happening in that back seat over the past few weeks.” It could very well be Delia’s blood, but I’m hoping with how much she’s trained and how many people she’s taken out over the years, that this isn’t hers.
“That’s true,” Cruz agrees as Diego pops his head back out of the car and comes to examine the blood on the trunk.
“It’s only a small amount. Davis is probably right.” He nods at Cruz and drags his hand through his hair. He looks stressed and it’s another reason to want to throttle Delia. She only ever thinks of herself.
“Any word yet from the Dientes?” I ask him as he lets loose a long breath, his mouth dropping into a frown.
“Nothing.” He shakes his head and drops his hand to his waist. “Delia can hide well when she doesn’t want to be found.”
Don’t I know it.
“We’ll find her. Ajani wants to head out to Nevada tomorrow. We’ll stake out the Highway Knights for a few days,” I assure Diego as he turns his cold eyes on me, struggling to keep my face straight from his scrutiny. Diego has always had a way of seeing deep inside a person and dragging out the truth with a barrage of questions.
“Why aren’t you speaking to your sister?” His eyes narrow on me as I swallow down a groan. I knew it would be just a matter of time until he began to question me.
“I’ve been busy.” I shrug and avert my gaze back to the car. “She’s busy too.”
“She’s never too busy for you, Davis. She’s giving you space but don’t think she’ll continue to do that for long. If you keep avoiding her, she’ll force you to talk to her and that could get messy.” It’s a warning I know I should heed, but I won’t. We share blood and if she’s anything like me, she’s nothing less than ruthless. It would be a trait shared through the maternal line, and facing that thought and my sister is just too hard right now. I’m not ready.
For a brief moment, just a second, I let Diego see the torture I’m feeling through my eyes, trying to relay to him what my words are failing to do. “I can’t.”
His face softens as his shoulders relax and he takes a deep breath. “I’ll buy you some time, but, Davis? When you get back and you have my sister with you, there’s no stopping Genevieve from being here. She’ll be here to welcome home her best friend.” His hand lands on my shoulder. “And she’ll be here to see you.”
“I know.” It was never my plan to stay away from her forever, just until I could get a grip on the guilt overwhelming me and the anger I’ve been feeding off for weeks. “I know,” I repeat.
The sun sets just as Diego nods, the oranges and reds of the sky reflecting on his dark olive skin. “I’m glad you’re going with Ajani. I believe, between the two of you, you’ll find a way to bring her back.” He doesn’t just mean bring her back to Arizona, he means bringing back the girl she was while she fights her internal darkness.
With one jerk of my chin, he drops his hand and runs it over his cut. “How does it feel to be a Dragon?” I ask, my head tipping to the side so I can see the Dragon on his back.
“Weird,” he admits with a grin. “I think my father may be rolling in his grave.” I chuckle as he shakes his head and shrugs. “I’m proud of Genni and I’m proud of both clubs. I’ll gladly wear a dragon or the horns.” He points to the ram skull on my back as I mull over his words. “We’re no longer two separate clubs. We’re one now.”
“Yeah,” I agree as I adjust my cut on my shoulders. “Don’t think I could sport a dragon though.” His head tips back on a genuine laugh and it pulls one from my own mouth, the feeling foreign as I abruptly close my mouth. It’s been so long since I’ve laughed.
Cruz flicks his cigarette to the ground between us, cutting into the moment. “Are we sisters now, ladies?” He smirks and leans against Delia’s car. “Should I buy us sparkling nail polish and some champagne for our sleepover?”
“Yeah,” I retort. “Make sure you invite Malik, he likes having his nails painted.”
Diego laughs again as Cruz chuckles. “He can pull it off though. We’d look ridiculous.”
I grin as I imagine the three of us with pink nail polish. “We’d be cute.” I shrug.
The door to the compound opens and Ajani pokes his head out. “Good, you’re still here,” he says to Diego. “There’s movement at the Knights’ compound.”
All of us rush inside as my heart jams into my throat. If she’s somehow got herself caught by those fucking psychos, I will kill her myself.
After most of the Knights have scurried inside the club, I keep my scope focused on the main gate. Two prospects are manning it, a common job given to the newcomers of any MC faction. It’s the first point of contact, and if they can’t handle keeping it safe, they sure as fuck can’t handle the lifestyle.
I’ve been digging into the club and trying to sift through information to find the true identity of The Beast, but I’ve come up empty. There’s nothing about him, he’s a fucking ghost, which means he has an in with people of power. No one can be this clean in a motorcycle club. No one. Especially not a man with sadistic tendencies and a happy trigger finger. There’s no way a man like him would have a completely clean record and no mention of him anywhere.
That’s why the answers I seek can only be ripped from between his own lips. A job I’ve been panting over.
My eye follows the prospects as they walk the length of the gate and my breath gets lodged in my throat as I zero in on one of them.
Robby.
What the fuck is Robby doing here?
My heart begins to pound inside my chest as I quickly go over the possibilities. He wouldn’t abandon The March, he was saved off the streets and given a home because of them. He wasn’t taken and forced the Knight cut because he’s a true March brother, he’d die before he’d let that happen.
Which only leaves one possibility: Robby has been placed inside as a mole. My lips curl upward as my stomach ripples with excitement. My best friend is a genius and she just gave me my in.
My brother trained every one of the Hell’s March members to memorize his chirp, a signal to let them know he’s in place and his eye is on them. It’s a sound that comes from a long line of Montez men who were hunters before they became snipers for an MC. Robby would know it too, the sound unique but at the same time discernible to the people who don’t know it. The Northern Mockingbird is a common bird in both Arizona and Nevada, so this works perfectly.
The sun is just starting to set when I press my tongue to my teeth and curve my hand around my mouth. Three long chirps sound across the space between us and then a series of short chirps end the call. I’ll give it to Robby, he doesn’t react, his feet still moving in a straight line across the gate, but it’s the straightening of his shoulders that tells me he knows a Montez is here. Most likely my brother, but that works in my favor too.
I pack my rifle away and tuck it behind an AC unit on the roof next to a small bag of water and snacks, knowing it can’t come with me inside the compound. My hands skim the knives at my side and the two guns with the snakeskin handles to match. Pulling the hood of my trench over my head, I drag my skull bandana up over my mouth and take a deep breath. My mission is to save the girl and then come back to keep a close eye on The Beast. There’s no way I’ll be able to torture him inside his own club, but now I can at least have Robby in contact to tell me his movements in and out of the compound.
