Page 11 of Viper's Salvation
Kelly helps me up, supporting me as we follow Evelyn back through the clubhouse. Men nod at us respectfully as we pass, their eyes curious but not threatening. It's weird to feel relatively safe in a place full of dangerous men, but after what we went through with the Vultures MC, these bikers seem almost tame in comparison.
Evelyn leads us to a room with a large wooden table, obviously where the club holds meetings. Reaper sits at the head, with Blade and Viper on either side. Other members fill the remaining seats.
"Ladies," Reaper nods as we come in. "Please, sit."
Kelly helps me into a chair, then takes the one beside me. I notice how she gravitates toward Blade, sitting closer to him than necessary. Viper watches me, his eyes tracking every movement.
"First," Reaper begins, his deep voice commanding the room, "you should know that the compound is gone. Nothing but ashes. The police will find burnt bodies, but nothing connecting them to you or to us."
Relief washes through me. No evidence means no questions, no statements, no having to relive our nightmare for skeptical cops.
"What about other Vultures MC?" Kelly asks. "Charles had connections. Will they come looking for us?"
Reaper shakes his head. "Charles's operation here was isolated. He didn't share territory or profits. That's why he set up in Pine Haven. Small enough to control, far enough from his competitors. With him gone, there's nothing worth fighting over."
"So what happens to us now?" I ask, the question that's been hanging over me since we escaped.
Reaper leans forward. "That's up to you. The club can provide new identities, set you up somewhere far from here with enough cash to start fresh. Or," he pauses, "you can stay in Pine Haven under our protection until you decide what you want."
I glance at Kelly, surprised to see her already shaking her head at the first option.
"I want to stay in Pine Haven," she says firmly, her hand finding Blade's on the table. "I'm not running anymore."
The certainty in her voice catches me off guard. My cautious, overthinking sister has somehow found clarity in all this chaos, while I'm still lost at sea. But seeing the way Blade looks at her, like she's the answer to a question he didn't know he was asking, I get it. Kelly has found something, someone, worth staying for.
"What about you, Amy?" Reaper asks, bringing my attention back.
"I..." I look around the table at these dangerous men who risked their lives to save us… Strangers who owe us nothing but are offering everything. My gaze stops on Viper, who watches me with those perceptive green eyes. "I don't know yet. I need time."
Reaper nods. "You've got it. The clubhouse is secure. Stay as long as you need while you figure things out."
"We have empty rooms in the east wing," Evelyn adds. "Private, with your own bathroom. You'll be comfortable."
"Why?" I ask, looking around the table. "Why help us? What do you get out of this? I was working with them, too. Am I not the enemy?"
The question silences the room. It's Viper who finally answers, his voice quiet but firm.
"You’re not them, and not everything has a price," he says simply. "Sometimes you do what's right because it's right."
His answer shouldn't satisfy me, but somehow it does. There's no bullshit in his words, no hidden agenda I can spot.
"Thank you," I say, meaning it. "All of you."
Reaper nods, apparently satisfied. "Good. Evelyn will show you to your room. Rest. Heal. Everything else can wait."
As the meeting breaks up, Kelly moves to Blade's side, their connection obvious in the way they lean toward each other. I'm happy for her, but there's a stab of something like loneliness watching how quickly she's found her footing while I'm still drifting.
Viper approaches me, and that feeling fades. Up close, I can see the exhaustion in his face, the weight of the day's violence on the set of his shoulders.
"You made the right choice," he says quietly. "Taking time to decide."
"Did I?" I search his face. "Or am I just putting off the inevitable?"
A faint smile touches his lips. "Smart to question everything. But nothing's written in stone here, Amy. Your path is yours to choose."
"And if I choose to stay? In Pine Haven?"
"Then you'd have our protection. Always."
