“Nah.” Dax laughed. “That’s called having a family. Anything to do with the kids and the old ladies go fucking ballistic and start thinkin’ they’re gonna handle things themselves. A man’s gotta know how to deal with them. I always keep a set of cuffs in the house.”
“Listen to the big talker shootin’ off his mouth like Sandy doesn’t have him by the balls.” Cade snorted. “You got those cuffs ’cause you’re a kinky bastard.”
“Guess we’re all kinky bastards ’cause I heard you cuffed Dawn to the bathroom sink when she found out some bully hit one of your little twin girls.”
“My girls. My responsibility.” Cade puffed out his chest. “That nine-year-old bully’s not gonna be saying dick to anyone on that playground ever again. And after I got home and uncuffed Dawn I made sure she understand how things were gonna be with me and the girls.”
“Wasn’t that the day you showed up with a black eye?” Gunner pushed himself to his feet and grabbed a branch for balance. His old injury from the night the Jacks burned down the Sinner clubhouse still bothered him, but he would never admit to suffering any pain.
“You want a fucking black eye now?”
“Like I said.” Jagger looked over at Zane and grinned. “That’s the end of that relationship.”
“No, like I said.” Dax laughed. “It’s called having a family. Sinner style.”
TWENTY-SIX
If you use the right tools, take your time, and follow the manual, the risk of disaster is quite low.
—SINNER’S TRIBE MOTORCYCLE REPAIR MANUAL
Viper’s bodyguard gestured for Evie to follow him through the spacious, chalet-style cabin, set into the side of the mountain and surrounded by dense forest. Evie breathed in the fresh scent of pine and cedar as they emerged into an open-plan living room with vaulted ceilings and giant picture windows boasting views over the valley below. Across the room she could see a honey oak kitchen, separated from the living space with a granite-topped counter and four tall stools. Bright rugs covered the polished teak floors, and large, comfortable sofas and chairs surrounded an open Victorian fireplace.
“Not what you expected?” Sprawled on the couch, his arms across the burnt amber cushions, legs parted wide, Viper gestured for her to sit. “Doreen did the decorating. Or maybe it was Shelly. I go through old ladies so fast, it’s hard to keep track.”
Evie wasn’t interested in pleasantries. Or sitting. “Where’s Ty?”
Viper cocked his head to the side. “Is that anyway to greet your man?”
“You’re not my man. I thought I made that clear.” Her heart drummed in her chest when he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
“And I thought I made it clear that you are mine. Apparently you didn’t get the memo. I hear you’ve been spreading your legs for the Sinners. If I’d known you were such a little slut, I’d have taken you that first day I saw you in your shop. I would have tied you to the bench and fucked you till you screamed.”
“Who I fuck is none of your business.” Unable to stay still, she walked over to the window. Construction materials littered the lawn. Four workers were busy erecting, of all things, a white picket fence, while a few bored Black Jacks looked on.
“It is if the man you’re fucking is supposed to be me.” His voice was soft and all the more threatening for it. Evie shivered and her hand strayed to the phone hidden in her jacket, a backup in case Viper or his bodyguards took her purse. Arianne had also given her a gun, but Evie couldn’t even think about using it.
She turned and sat on the windowsill, the position giving her some courage because the workers could see in, and she could easily escape to the balcony if necessary. “I don’t understand how you think. Yes, I enjoyed your company. You are interesting, well read, articulate, and very savvy about the world. But you also killed Bill and T-Rex, threatened me, burned down my shop, and kidnapped my child. Pick one, and it’s a deal killer. Put them together and there isn’t a chance in hell I would ever want to spend another minute with you.”
His lips quirked, amused. “And yet you want to be with the Sinner VP, who I can assure you has committed crimes no less heinous than the list you just spat out?”
“The difference is in the choices you make.” Her fingers tightened on her purse. “You liked me. You wanted me. And when it didn’t work out, you chose violence to get me. Zane wanted me, too. So he chose to sacrifice himself, to give up the life to keep me safe. He protected me. I don’t think there is anything in this world that I would ask that he wouldn’t do for me. And I would do the same for him. I’m not about to judge him when he does what he does to protect the people he cares about.”
Viper’s face tightened. “As do I.”
“I want to see Ty,” she snapped, her patience at an end.
“And I want the pleasure of your company, Evangeline. I’ll let you see Ty and then we’ll have dinner together. That is why you got all dressed up, isn’t it?”