Viper's Run (27 page)

Shade looked back and forth between the offending appliances.  Winter knew he was trying to figure out which one to start with.
 

“I would start with the oven.  Give your stomach time to settle, it’s a little early to clean something that smells so bad.”  Winter stood up to freshen her coffee and watched as he stood debating in front of the oven.
 

“Of course, I could help you with your problem.”  He turned to face her, his eyes narrowing in on her innocent expression.  
 

“I could clean the oven, fridge, and pantry for you.” His eyes went to the pantry door, but he made no move to see what condition it was in.  Everyone knew it was a close second to the seeds in punishments.
 

“What do you want?”  He said grimly.
 

“It’s going to take me at least a couple of hours to scrub that oven down.  In case you didn’t know, that’s cheese on the bottom.  The fridge is even worse, it smells like Armageddon, and the pantry has an ant infestation,” she said, taking another sip of coffee.
 

“What’s your price?” He repeated through clenched teeth.
 

Winter faced him squarely, looking him straight in the eyes and she told him exactly what she wanted.
 

“I want your vote.  Look at it this way, it’s going to take several hours of work to clean this mess up.  If we had sex, it would take ten minutes.  You’re getting a better deal, besides we both know that you’re not going to vote me in with sex anyway.”
 

Shade stared at her, before shrugging.  “It’s all yours.”
 

Winter frowned that he had given in too easily, but she wasn’t going to question her luck.  She started to go into the pantry to begin as Shade reached into the cabinet.
 

“I’ll have to tell Viper that he must be getting old if you think sex lasts ten minutes.”
 

Her poor choice of words was going to piss off Viper and the bastard knew it from his smug grin.
 

He poured himself a cup of coffee as he started to sit at the table.  Winter went to the refrigerator and opened the door.  He was out the door before she had finished the movement.  Reaching inside, she took out the leftover sauerkraut, placing it in the trash bag before carrying it outside the backdoor to the trashcan.  When she came in she lit a candle and opened a box of baking soda.  She was busy cleaning the fridge when the members started coming in for breakfast.
 

She was almost finished when Viper came in for breakfast.  He watched closely as she closed the door to the refrigerator.  “Why are you doing Shade’s punishment?”
 

“I decided to give him a helping hand.”  Viper fixed himself a bowl of cereal. Winter noticed him glancing at her in speculation a couple of times, but she ignored it and kept cleaning. That night in bed she was almost asleep when Viper brought up Shade.
 

“He told me he gave you his vote.”
 

“Yes.”  She curled closer to his side.
 

“I didn’t know we had an ant infestation.”
 

“We don’t,” Winter confessed.
 

“You’re a dangerous woman Winter Simmons.”
 

***
 

Winter knocked on Ton’s door.  It opened several minutes later to a bleary eyed Ton with a sour expression on his face.
 

“I brought your groceries.”  Winter gave him a bright smile.
 

“Beth never comes until after ten,” Ton grouched.
 

“I’m an early riser.”
 

“I bet Viper loves that,”  Ton said snidely.  Winter blushed at his remark.  Viper was not an early riser.  He worked hard, but he did like sleeping in the mornings. Unless he had a meeting, he never got out of bed before nine.
 

“The groceries are in the car,” Winter told Ton.  Beth had warned her he would take it as an insult if she packed the groceries inside.  
 

Winter hastily moved out of the way of the screen door.  Ton stomped to her car lifting out the box of groceries.  She followed him inside uncertainly.  Ton put the groceries on his table while she was wondering why Viper hadn’t just brought them himself.
 

“Do you need anything else while I’m here?”  Winter offered.
 

“No, since I’m up, do you want a cup of coffee?”
 

“I would love one.”  While the coffee was brewing, Ton moved around the kitchen putting up his groceries.  When the coffee was finished, Ton poured each of them a cup.
 

They carried their cups to the living room and sat on the couch.  Winter loved his cabin, it was rustic and homey.
 

“Beth told you she was going out of town today?”
 

“She mentioned it, told her she didn’t need to worry about the groceries,” Ton answered her question.
 

“Why didn’t Viper just bring them by?”  Ton looked at her with surprise.  
 

“I haven’t seen Viper since the day at the diner.  He’s pissed at me, and when Viper get’s mad it takes him a while to get over it.”
 

“I didn’t know,” Winter said, regretting her question.
 

“He’s right.  I let my anger get the better of me and I put their women in danger because I couldn’t control my temper,” Ton admitted.
 

Winter felt sorry for the man.  It couldn’t be easy for a man who had lived an active life in the military to suddenly find himself with nothing but time on his hands.  Losing a son and declining in health would only exacerbate the problem.  The man needed something to keep him occupied but Winter didn’t know what to suggest.  She would have to give it some thought.
 

“Perhaps I could talk to him?” She suggested.
 

“It won’t help, he’ll gradually come around.”  Ton shrugged.  Winter guessed it wasn’t the first time the father and son had butted heads and it wouldn’t be the last.  Not only did they share the same genes, but obviously the same temper.  
 

Winter rose to go.  She had made an appointment and didn’t want to be late.
 

“Beth won’t be back until Monday.  If you need anything, just call.”  Winter saw a paper and pencil by the phone and wrote her number down.
 

“I have been taking care of myself for a long time,” Ton grouched.
 

“I am sure you have,” Winter smiled.  “But I am at a loose end right now so it would give me something to do.”
 

Ton’s face turned red.  “Those stuck up townspeople take your job?”
 

“They are going to try,” Winter responded.
 

Ton nodded.  “Don’t let them push you around.  Stand up for yourself.”
 

“I plan to,” Winter said with determination.
 

Winter left Ton inside; she was about to get in her car when she noticed the garage door was partially ajar.  Ton had forgotten to turn out the light after storing some of the supplies that Beth had sent. Winter walked to turn off the lights for him. Opening the door wider to find the light switch, she curiously glanced around the large garage.  A large blue tarp that was covering a large mound had slipped to the side revealing a motorcycle wheel. It had obviously laid there for a while with dust and spider webs.
 

 Winter quietly walked over to the tarp and lifted a corner to reveal what was left of a motorcycle, or at least that was what she thought it was.  It looked like it had been in a crash; the frame was bent and it was torn to pieces.  Winter swallowed, imagining anyone on this bike when the damage occurred surely hadn’t been able to walk away alive, it was that bad.
 

“I thought you were leaving.”
 

“I saw that you had left on the light,” she answered.
 

She didn’t take her eyes off the bike.  “What happened?”
 

Ton didn’t answer and Winter turned to face him.  “Who’s bike is it, Ton?
 

“Viper’s.”
 

“He crashed his bike?  When?”  Winter swallowed tightly.  
 

“He didn’t crash. He did that himself.”
 

“But why?” Winter said shocked.
 

“Don’t know, you’ll have to ask him.  He just brought it here and told me to leave it alone.  I offered to help him rebuild it, but he said no.  He loved that bike, him and Gavin
picked it out together when they got out of the service.”  Winter saw another bike covered in the corner.
 

“That one Gavin’s?”  Winter pointed to the bike.
 

“Yes.”
 

Winter brought her attention back to the mess in front of her.  
 

“When?” Winter asked again.
 

“The best I can figure is the day after your attack,” Ton sighed.
 

Winter turned white. Turning on her heel, she didn’t say another word.  Getting in her car she pulled out and drove into town.  Impulsively, she drove to her home. Going inside, the quiet struck her.  At the clubhouse there was always someone moving around, music playing, talking, or fucking.  Winter walked from room to room.  Going back to the living room she took out her phone and called to reschedule her appointment, not even paying attention to when it was rescheduled.
 

Winter buried her face in her hands.  The image of Viper’s bike wouldn’t leave, all the implications flowing through her mind.  Her phone rang next to her, she didn’t answer.  Twice more within the hour the phone rang.  Finally coming to a decision, she picked up her phone. It had been Beth who had called, and when she couldn’t reach Winter, she had become concerned and called Viper.  The last two calls had been from him.
 

She couldn’t talk to him yet.  Winter sent a text saying what she couldn’t bring herself to say face to face.
 

“We’re over.”
 

Chapter 16
 

Winter hadn’t moved since she had sent the text.  The chair faced the window and she could see the sun going down.  The party would be getting started and Viper would be there alone, angry at her text.  She knew without a doubt in her mind how he would react.  The only question in her mind was which woman would he pick first.
 

She wasn’t aware of when she started to cry, hadn’t even noticed the wetness on her cheeks.  Winter was too focused on the pain coming from her chest, afraid she couldn’t catch her next breath.  The hiccupping cry that left her throat was her first
realization that she had been sitting there for a length of time quietly sobbing.  Her hands smoothed away the tears from her cheeks; she was about to get up to go to her bedroom when inside the quietness of the house she heard the loud motors coming down the street.  It sounded loud in the quietness of the neighborhood filled mainly with elderly homeowners.
 

Winter sat still, unsure what to do.  She hadn’t turned on the lights when it had become dark, preferring to sit in the darkness.  Now the whole room was being flooded with lights from the outside.  A knock on the door had her rising, reluctantly accepting the inevitable.  She was going to have to face Viper.  Opening the door, she took a step back as he walked angrily into the room.
 

“Why are all the lights off?”  He came to a sudden stop.  Without waiting for her reply, he found the switch and flipped the lights.  The room flooded with light, showing the devastation on her face the crying had caused.  Viper stared at her quietly, taking in her puffy pain bruised eyes.
 

“What’s going on, Winter?  Why did you send me that text?” Viper asked gently.
 

Winter turned her back, moving towards the living room further away from his intimidating presence.
 

Viper followed her, concerned.
 

“I think it should be self-explanatory.  We’re over.  I am moving back into my home, something I should have done long ago.”
 

“You could have moved back anytime Winter, why now?  You were fine when you left the clubhouse this morning.  What changed between then and now?”
 

“I went to Ton’s this morning.”
 

“I know, you told me this morning that you were going.  Did he say something to you?” He asked angrily
 

“No, but you shouldn’t stay mad at him Viper.”
 

“My father is my business,” Viper said in a hard voice.
 

“There it is,” Winter is softly.
 

“What in the fuck are you talking about?”
 

“I saw your bike there Viper.  You trashed it, the day you found out about my attack didn’t you?”
 

Viper stiffened, sensing a trap.
 

“If you didn’t feel guilty, then why did you trash your bike?  All this time during the last few months, you have just been soothing your conscious Viper.  You told yourself and me that you didn’t feel guilty, but I think inside you did and that’s why you were determined to take care of me when I came out of the hospital.”
 

“You came up with this just from seeing my fucking bike?”
 

“Not only that Viper.  Let’s be honest, why would you quit having sex with the other women?  It had to be your guilty conscious.”  She turned, giving him her back while she tried to get control of herself. Her hands clenched, her nails biting into the flesh of her palms as she turned back to face him.
 

 “Why would you pick me over them.  Look at me.  I’m not even pretty.” Drawing back her bangs, she pointed to the ragged scar on her forehead.  “I don’t have a gorgeous body.  Mine has scars from the surgery on my back.”