That got a quick smile from the sheriff. “Don’t I know it. Geez,” he muttered. Running a hand through his hair, something he’d obviously done more than a few times already, James turned to look at Krista. “I sent some guys out to where her Jeep was taken off the road. We found the spikes used, footprints, and tire treads. Hopefully they give us a lead.”
“Bikes?”
“No, looks like trucks from the tire size and wheelbase measurements. We may get lucky. Deputy Lloyd says the tires seem wider than the norm so they might well be custom.”
Viper thought about that. There were only a couple places in Crystal Creek for auto work, and only two for custom parts or jobs. One was MC owned, and the other a local guy who did work on older vehicles. Restoration mainly, but he would work on newer models occasionally. “Once you know let Kip know, he can hit up the records at the shops to see if the guy came through either place. If he didn’t come through us, that means he went through Harold, or bought from the city.” Kip was their treasurer and knew the books for the businesses best. He was the one who would be able to find the info fastest if it was there to be found.
Movement from the side had his attention zeroing in on Krista. A deputy was handing her a steaming cup. The small, weak smile Krista offered had his gut kicking. “I’m going to take Krista to the club to be safe. Bones and I talked. We’re going into lockdown for now until we know what the fuck this was all about.” He gave a nod toward Duke’s house to clarify what ‘this’ was.
“Good plan. I’ll touch base with you tomorrow there, or sooner if we come up with anything. I doubt it, though. This is going to take us a while to get through.”
“Remember, they had dinner here tonight so several members were here, including Krista.” The sheriff had all their prints on file. They weren’t exactly well-behaved lads and had had their share of run-ins with the law. Both local and state.
“We’ll discount everyone here tonight. Any ideas who was here to help us narrow it down faster?”
“I wasn’t here. Ask Bones to give you a list since he was over here.”
After the sheriff left, Viper walked over to Krista and sat down next to her on the stone bench surrounded by roses. Stretching his arm along the back, he wasn’t surprised when she wiggled in closer to him. He moved his arm to drape around her shoulders after a second’s hesitation and dropped his cheek to her hair. In the dark, even with all the emergency vehicles’ lights strobing over the area, most wouldn’t notice what they were doing.
“Do they have anything yet?”
“Not yet, but they only just got here. James will keep us updated. We’re going to go to the clubhouse and lockdown.”
Her nod rubbed her hair against his skin. “Makes sense,” she said. Her voice sounded hollow and completely unlike her.
After standing, he pulled her up, and tugged the blanket from around her. He handed it off to a deputy and led her toward his bike. “Bender, alert everyone we’re going into lockdown at the club. I want everyone inside in the next hour. No exceptions.”
“You got it, Viper.”
Viper strapped the helmet back on Krista’s head, and then dug into a saddlebag for his jacket. He got her into it and climbed on his bike before helping her to settle behind him. Two minutes later, they were heading toward town. He veered off at the half-mile marker to take the back road to the clubhouse. The Scoundrels’ clubhouse sat right along the town’s border. Outside officially to keep the townsfolk happy, but close enough to helpful if warranted.
He stopped inside the fence and looked to the prospect on duty. Viper told him what was happening and made sure the kid understood he had to account for everyone that came through the gate. Without Duke there, Bones was next in charge, but Viper was stepping up for the moment until the other man could arrive to deal with things.
Once he’d backed the bike into his slot, Viper slung his leg over the side and shut the engine off. Krista threw her leg over the bike to stand next to him and began to remove the helmet. He took it from her and set it on the seat, grasped her hand in his, and led her inside.
A couple prospects and several sweetbutts were hanging around. “We’re going into lockdown. You have one hour to make sure we’re ready. Tanzy, Leta, I want you two to hit up the store for anything we’ll need to feed everyone for the next week. Rosie and Cameo, start getting the alert out to all family members. Unless they are over an hour away, I want them inside these walls. Move,” he ordered.
When everyone got busy with their tasks, Viper led Krista upstairs and to his room at the club. Only six members had steady rooms at the clubhouse. Duke, Bones, Viper, Kip, Angel, and Blackie. There were two other guest rooms for when a member had had too much to drink and needed a place to crash for the night. Downstairs were bunk rooms where the prospects or sweetbutts occasionally slept when not draped over furniture in the main room.
He pushed the door shut behind him and helped Krista take off his jacket. A light hand on her back guided her to the bathroom. “Grab a shower,” he told her. “I’ll get you something to wear.”
“Nothing from the girls,” she said.
He knew she hated the club pussy that hung around there. Not the girls, per se, but what they represented. “I will get you a shirt and shorts from my closet,” he promised. Gently, he stroked a hand over her hair. “Shower. I’ll leave them on the vanity and I won’t even peek.”
Her lips twitched, but no smile. It was close, though. “Thank you.”
He gave a quick jerk of his head and drew the door shut between them. He collected the items and left them where he’d said he would. “I’ll be downstairs but I’ll check on you in a bit. If you need me, come find me.” He got a non-committal response that had him frowning. If he’d had more time, he would have pushed her, but they were running on a clock.
Leaving her to finish cleaning up, he got to work. When he was busy, it was easy to not think about her naked and wet in his bathroom. Or that she was soon to be wrapped up in his favorite t-shirt.
Then there was the one thought that had his jeans growing tight around his groin: Krista Richmond, bane of his existence and star of too many dreams to count, would soon be in his bed. Fucking hell, he needed to get laid.
Chapter Five
Krista woke feeling comfortable, safe, and warm. Upon opening an eye, she couldn’t immediately place where she was. The scent tickling her nose jogged her memory, and it all came flooding back in a rush. Her parents were missing and possibly injured, or worse. The clubhouse was in full lockdown, and Viper was playing guardian angel to her.
Slowly, she inched her head around until she could see from her periphery who her personal heater was. It was no surprise to find Viper lying there curled around her back. A glance down showed he was fully dressed and on top of the comforter covering his bed while she was snuggled underneath. Licking her lips, Krista tried to figure out how to get loose from the hold he had on her. She really needed to use the bathroom but would feel bad if she woke him.
It took a while and her bladder was damn well screaming at her, but eventually she slipped free to make a mad dash into the bathroom. Once she’d relieved herself, she looked for a brush to tame her blonde hair back down. She hadn’t had a tie with her, otherwise she would have braided it for sleeping. Finding a comb, she glared at it before setting to work on the tangles. While doing that, she scrounged around for a toothbrush and found an unopened one stuffed at the back of a drawer like it had been carelessly tossed in and forgotten.
Ten minutes later, her mouth was minty fresh and her hair back under control. She crept from the bathroom quietly in case Viper was still asleep. When she turned to look at the bed, she found him propped up against the headboard watching her with those bright green eyes that shared nothing.
“Did you sleep okay?” he asked.
His sleep-deepened voice was more growl than its normal rumble and sent heat flooding through her body, most arrowing straight to her pussy. Krista gave a quick n
od while she tried to figure out what to do. Should she grab her clothes, wherever they were, and dress? Or climb back into bed? She was still tired, but climbing in next to him might be a little too forward.
He was before her in a blink, his finger pushing her chin up to look at him. “Krista, what’s wrong?” he asked. Genuine concern filled his voice.
“Nothing,” she said. It didn’t appear to reassure him. She wrapped her hand lightly around his wrist and squeezed. “I’m fine, Viper. Trying to figure out where my clothes are, though.”
“Still downstairs. I threw them in the washer before I came up to catch a couple hours’ sleep. Hopefully someone tossed them into the dryer.”
The sweetbutts, or club pussy, as they were known, wouldn’t do it. The majority were lazy skanks who couldn’t be bothered to do anything but spread their legs. Which meant an old lady, or wife, had done it for her. At least that was her hope. She didn’t think she could wear anything a sweetbutt had touched.
“I should go get them, then.”
“Not happening. You stay here,” he told her. “You go wandering around with those legs on display and there will be riots.”
Krista took a look down and saw nothing amiss. His shorts covered more leg than hers ever had. But he’d already left the room, which made arguing pointless. “Men,” she muttered, and went to sit on the bed to wait. She didn’t get where he was coming from either. It wasn’t like it would be the first time anyone around there had seen her legs. She’d often shown up in either a skirt or shorts to see her dad or meet up with her mom.
When Viper returned, she watched him walk toward her. Deciding to test a theory, Krista stretched her legs out and then stretched her arms over her head. His gaze went from her legs to her chest and then shot off to the side. Interesting. She hopped off the bed and took the clothing with a ‘thanks’ and dashed into the bathroom.
Viper liked her looks. That was a plus. He was also fighting it. That could be a plus or a major downer. He had not ever acted on the need—that was a definite bummer. Why hadn’t he acted? Could be out of respect for her dad. The man was club president, but more than that, she knew he’d made it abundantly clear what he would do to any member should they even think about being with her. Krista’s mother had let her in on that particular tidbit.
Thinking about her parents brought back the fact no one knew where they were. Hands clutching at the vanity to keep herself upright, Krista fought for air. She couldn’t believe she’d forgotten, even for a few minutes, that they were MIA. A knock on the door had her jolting upright from the slouched position she’d sunk into. “Yeah?”
“You okay in there?”
“Yup, all good.” Pulling open the door, she flashed a smile and prayed he didn’t notice how brittle she felt inside. She really should have known better. Viper was much too observant.
His hand lifted to cup her cheek, spreading warmth out from the contact point to heat her blood. The action caught her off guard. This wasn’t the first time he’d done something to throw her since this nightmare had begun. It warmed her heart to realize she was breaking through the wall he’d been keeping between them. “We will find them,” he said quietly.
It figured he would zero in on where her mind had gone. “But will they be alive?” That was the burning question, and one that even Viper didn’t have an answer to. Instead, he drew Krista into his arms and hugged her close. Knowing how rare it was for this man to allow anyone to touch him, let alone for him to offer comfort, she returned the hug and held on. Krista was hoping she could soak in some of his indomitable strength.
A hand stroked up and then down her back before settling above her waistband. “Come on, pipsqueak. Let’s head downstairs for breakfast, and then figure out how to kill a few hours while keeping me from killing everyone crowded in here.”
She had to snort at his words. “You would never do it. You may not like them all, but they are extended family in a way, which means they have sanctuary here. Even from you.”
“Damn it, why are you being the voice of reason all of a sudden?”
A smile, one she knew he’d been playing for, curved her lips. Tilting her head back to let him see he’d achieved his goal, she clicked her tongue. “Someone has to be.”
“Excellent point.” He was watching her mouth, and for a moment she thought he might kiss her. Instead, he brushed a finger along her lower lip before releasing her from his hold. “For being the smart one around here, you get to be my assistant for the day. I still have Blackie’s bike to fix. Some yahoo thought bringing it over from the shop with all my tools was a good idea.”
“Bones or Kip probably had a prospect do it. They know what you’re like when you get bored.” She followed at his heels and was shocked when he slipped his hand into hers before they went down the stairs. “Viper, what are you doing?”
He didn’t respond, only giving her a look that had her wondering what was going on inside his head. Like everyone in the club, she knew the bland expression he often wore was nothing more than a façade. Viper was smart—scary smart, actually. He had a serious IQ, higher than hers, she grudgingly had to admit, and thought carefully through everything. Only twice that she knew about had he given into instinct and acted before considering all the angles.
The first had been when Nico, Krista’s kid brother, had gotten into trouble in the city. Both Viper and her dad had gone off the deep end and stormed to the city to get him free from that trouble. Krista didn’t know all the details, only the bare bones she’d gleaned from overheard conversations. But she did know her brother had called from jail. She still didn’t know how he’d ended up there, only that her father and Viper had stormed in full throttle and had barely managed not to end up in the cell next to Nico’s. Her brother had been grounded for months after that, and to this day wouldn’t speak about what had landed him there or what all had gone down in the aftermath.
The second had been to rescue her own stupid self. In high school, she’d gone to a party her father had strictly forbidden her to attend. Her mother had been visiting her sister in Colorado at the time, and Krista had been a stupid teenager figuring what Daddy didn’t know wouldn’t land her in hot water. Boy, had she been wrong.
Viper and her dad had brought the entire club, stormed the party, and Viper had managed to save her drunk ass from being raped. Someone had slipped a roofie into her drink. While she didn’t remember much from that night, she definitely remembered the aftermath. Her dad had been in a cold fury for days, and Viper hadn’t been able to look at her. Hadn’t really looked at her until last night in all these years. Normally his icy gaze would skate over her, and if he was forced to speak, he’d be looking at something well behind her.
Krista had never overindulged again and had trained herself to keep her hand covering her drink whenever she wasn’t watching it directly. It had been a hard lesson learned, but she had learned it. She also knew through the grapevine that Viper had gone back and taken care of the two boys. She did not want to know what he had done and would never ask. Probably.
Viper was someone that made her natural curiosity kick into overdrive. While she might not be brave enough to ask about his club business yet, that night and what he’d done later fell outside that circle. Maybe one day she’d garner the lady balls to ask him and brave whatever he might have to say.
Chapter Six
“What’s wrong with it?”
“It won’t start,” Viper said.
“Okay, I get that, but what’s wrong with it?”
He narrowed his eyes at Krista. “It won’t start. If you ask that question one more time, I swear to God I will not be responsible for what I do.” She appeared to be considering it and then shrugged and held up her hands to pacify him. “It died on Blackie two days before he headed to Utah. I haven’t been able to get it started again and can’t find any reason for it. I’ve replaced the starter, the sparkplugs, checked all the leads and lines. I’ve done every damn thing I can think to,
and nada. Fucking thing will not turn over and won’t even make a peep to let me know if I’m heading in the right direction.”
“Huh, okay. What’s the game plan, then?”
He had no fucking idea. But it was better to be out in the garage messing with the bike than stuck inside with the sweetbutts, members, prospects, and family. It was way too loud and chaotic in there. Plus, he’d seen the way Krista had reacted when Spirit, a piece of club pussy, had brought him a coffee refill during breakfast. She’d been fucking ready to tear Spirit’s eyes out for leaning against his arm rubbing her fake tits all over him. Viper knew Spirit had been hoping to lure him away from Krista for a quick fuck, but he hadn’t even been tempted. When she’d first shown up it had taken maybe two seconds for Viper to clue in that she was a scheming bitch. Today, she hadn’t had a fucking chance.
Krista’s jealousy had set his mind to spinning. He’d realized she wasn’t over him any more than he was over her. While Viper had done his damnedest to stay far from her in the hopes of lessening the pull, it had been in vain. She still had a hold over him, and he know knew he still had one over her.
He still remembered finding her that night long ago. The rage he’d felt tear through him seeing her laid out bare, drugged, and about to be set upon by two college guys who individually outweighed her, had no equal. Not once in his thirty-eight years had he ever been that fucking angry. If not for the fact he’d needed to protect Krista, he likely would have killed those two boys with his bare hands. He knew he definitely wouldn’t have cared one iota. Even now, thinking about the young, vulnerable girl Krista had been got his blood pressure soaring.
“Oh, Viper.”
Cringing at Spirit’s words in her husky, come-hither tone, Viper peeked over at Krista. She was on full alert, and if he wasn’t mistaken had her claws out ready for battle.
Viper (Scoundrels MC #1) Page 3
