Page 20 of Viper's Claim

I wasn’t going to argue. Instead, I sat down at the kitchen table.

“How was your weekend?” I asked a normal question as if my appearance was acceptable.

“Alright. Reaper threw a party for Brad. He got out of hospital earlier this week. Hannah is glued to him. Eve is struggling with something but she won’t fucking open up. She’s like a closed safe to us.” He flipped the eggs. “You aren’t allergic to dairy?”

“No.” I leaned fully on the table and didn’t hide my rope or badly bruised arms.

He put the toast in and shrugged his cut off. Putting it on the back of a table but didn’t look at me. Standing in his wife-beater. He then went back to cooking.

“You know you are dripping sex appeal right now?” I questioned.

He smirked, turned, and gave me a cocky grin over his shoulder. “Only for you babe.” He then winked at me, making me smile.

“Please,” I put my elbows on the table. “You’d have every club girl drooling over you. In fact, I’ve seen them drooling over you.”

The toast popped. And he shot me a look. “You know that from one visit to the club.”

I smirked. “From my sources.”

“Pixie, ey?” He served up my plate. “You got eyes watching me babe?”

Babe. Why did that make my stomach tighten?

“No,” I paused. “Yes…sort of. I just asked her how you were.”

He pulled up a seat across from me. “And what did she say?” His eyes were so intense. As if he was testing me if I would lie or not.

I broke off a piece of toast “She said you were distant. Normal. Fine.” My smile dipped. “Told me the club girls were having a competition on who would break your drought.”

He chewed his food. His eyes were on me. Again. So intense.

“So who won?” I asked, knowing he wouldn’t have gone without sex. I don’t even know why I was asking, maybe to hurt myself further. After all, I was wearing bruises all over me. Might as well break my heart as well.

“Does it matter?” he replied.

I looked at him. “No.” I then cut up my eggs and toast.

“So how have you been?” he asked, and it was a loaded question.

I gave him a dry look. “Ashley, Aiden, and Andrew paid me a visit. Reminded me of who was in charge.” I gave him a real answer.

“You aren’t running on their territory.”

“Satan’s Sons are. The same club I protected. They thought hurting me would hurt your club.” I added a scoff. “They should know me better.”

“Know you better?”

“I don’t commit to anyone or anything,” I replied, pausing before eating a piece of toast. “The only person I can trust is myself.”

“That’s not true.”

I rolled my eyes and looked at him. “You had a golden upbringing Tyson. I saw how much your family loves you and you love them. Do you want to know what my father gave me to sleep?” I felt anger consume me. “Straight bourbon. I was an alcoholic before I was thirteen. I ended up drinking myself into a coma after Ashley started raping me. My father was the one who offered me the needle as a present for my seventeen birthday and you know what I did?” I pushed myself from the table. “I injected it. Little did I know Kaylee loaded it, and I overdosed. I got myself clean after that. I got myself out of that lifestyle. I got free.” I pushed the chair back and stood up. “When it comes to life Tyson, I don’t trust anyone but myself because I’m the one cleaning up my life after every bastard uses me. Now if you came here for a heart to heart. That’s all you are getting.”

I turned my back to him.

“Don’t walk away from me.”

His words stopped me. Well, it was more his tone. I turned and looked back. I faced him and I thought I couldn’t sob any further but I felt like I was going to.

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