Chapter Six
Oil, metal, and the tang of exhaust hung in the air as Viper stepped into the car repair shop owned by the MC. The familiar smells usually settled him, but not today.
It had been a week since he’d dragged Mara out of her mess. A week since he’d promised to keep her safe. She was working now, tucked behind the counter of the shop.
Mara was answering phones, logging invoices, helping keep the books straight. Said she didn’t want to sit around his room doing nothing.
Viper told her it wasn’t necessary. She’d told him she wasn’t a charity case. He’d backed off. That’s why he was supposedly here. He told himself it was just to check on operations. Maybe to make sure no one gave her trouble, nothing more.
As his boots hit the oil-stained concrete and he caught sight of her through the glass partition with her head bent and hair falling over her face while she flipped through a ledger, something in his chest went tight.
Hell. He shouldn’t have come.
“Your bike need repairs?” King asked.
Viper turned, jaw tightening. King stood by the hood of a half-disassembled Chevy, wiping his hands on a rag. His old friend’s mouth curved into that knowing grin that always meant trouble.
“Forgot you’d be here,” Viper muttered.
“Yeah, I bet you did.” King tossed the rag onto the workbench. “So? You gonna tell me what’s wrong with your bike, or you just here sniffing around?”
Viper grunted, heading toward one of the lifts. “Needs a tune-up. Been running rough,” Viper answered.
King snorted. “Sure it does.” He followed, boots echoing on the concrete. “Or maybe you’re here to check on Mara.”
Viper didn’t look at him. “Don’t start.”
“Can’t help it, brother. Everyone’s been talking.”
That got Viper’s attention. He turned. “Talking about what?” Viper asked.
King shrugged, clearly enjoying himself. “About the woman you’re keeping in your room,” King answered.
“I’m not keeping her there,” Viper shot back, sharper than he meant to. “She’s there for her protection.”
“Uh-huh. And you just happen to be the one protecting her.” King leaned against the workbench, crossing his arms. “Hell, man, I get it. She’s a looker. But the whole ‘damsel in distress under my roof’ thing? Not exactly your usual.”
Viper exhaled slowly through his nose. King was trying to rile him up, same as always, but the worst part was he wasn’t wrong.
Mara was complicated. Every time he looked at her, something twisted inside him. He’d spent nights listening to her breathing just a few feet away, trying to remind himself she was off-limits. That she needed safety, not another man to screw up her life.
Still, his control was wearing thin. Especially since she’d started insisting the bed was big enough for two. She didn’t know what that did to him. The sight of her curled under his sheets, the way she’d look at him like he wasn’t just a scarred-up bastard with too much blood on his hands.
King’s voice broke through his thoughts. “What’s her story anyway?”
Viper didn’t answer. Viper turned his gaze back toward Mara’s desk. She was talking on the phone now, her voice soft but confident. She smiled at something the caller said, and Viper felt it, that low thrum in his chest he couldn’t explain.
King repeated, louder this time, “Viper. You hear me?”
He blinked, dragged his gaze away. “What?”
“I asked what her story is.”
Viper hesitated. There wasn’t much point lying, not to King. He’d find out anyway.
“Her name’s Mara,” he said finally. “Daughter of the Blood Vultures’ president.”
King’s easy grin disappeared. “You’re kidding.”
“Wish I was.”
King’s jaw tightened. “And she’s staying in your room?”
“She’s got nowhere else to go. Her old man tried to sell her to the Iron Serpents to clear a debt,” Viper explained.
For a second, the sound of the shop seemed to fade, the clatter of tools, and the drone of engines.
King’s expression darkened. “So let me get this straight,” he said slowly. “Two MCs are after her?”
Viper didn’t answer right away. He didn’t have to. The silence was enough.
“Jesus Christ.” King’s voice rose, sharp enough that Mara looked up from her desk.
Mara knitted her brows together in worry, gaze darting toward Viper.
“I’ll take full responsibility for her,” Viper said, low but firm.
“You better,” King growled. “Because the Devil’s Crown MC won’t go to war against two clubs over one woman.”
“She’s not just any woman,” Viper automatically said.
King barked a laugh, more incredulous than amused.
“You hearing yourself? That’s exactly what I said about Lena before half the damn Serpents were bleeding out on our doorstep.”
Viper’s eyes narrowed. “Didn’t stop you.”
King’s smirk faded. “Don’t you dare try to throw that in my face,” King said.
“Just saying, brother,” Viper said evenly. “You’ve been where I am.”
“Difference is, I knew Lena was worth it,” King said.
The words hit harder than they should have. Viper felt them settle like grit under his skin.
King studied him for a long moment. “How important is she to you, Viper?”
Viper didn’t answer, he couldn’t.
He wasn’t sure what the truth was. All he knew was that the thought of Mara out there, alone, still made something primal in him want to break bones.
King sighed. “Thought so.” He tossed the rag back onto the bench and turned toward the garage bay doors. “Handle it, brother. Whatever this is. But don’t drag the rest of us into your mess.”
Viper watched him leave, the sound of King’s boots fading into the echoing hum of the shop. When he turned back, Mara was standing a few feet away. She must’ve crossed the floor while they’d been talking.
“You okay?” she asked quietly.
He hadn’t realized how tense he’d gotten until he looked at her. Mara looked worried, her eyes wide and searching.
“Yeah,” he said. “Just club business.”
“You sure? King looked real angry,” Mara pointed out.
“King’s always angry.” He forced a faint smirk that didn’t quite land. “Don’t worry about it.”
Mara didn’t look convinced. She folded her arms, gaze flicking toward the door King had disappeared through. “If this is about me...” Mara began.
“It’s not,” Viper lied.
Mara pressed her lips into a thin line. “You’re a terrible liar,” Mara stated.
“Yeah, well. Lucky for me, I don’t lie often.”
She studied him for a long moment, then shook her head. “You didn’t have to do this for me.”
“Already told you. I don’t like bullies,” Viper reminded her.
“That excuse’s getting old.”
Viper’s mouth twitched. “Then maybe stop giving me reasons to use it.”
Her eyes softened a little at that, but she didn’t smile. “You think King’s right? That I’m not worth it?” Mara asked.
“Don’t put words in my mouth.”
“I’m serious, Viper.”
He dragged a hand over his jaw, exhaling. “You didn’t ask for any of this. You got dealt a bad hand. That’s not on you,” he told her.
“That’s not an answer.”
“No,” he said quietly. “It’s not.”
Silence stretched between them again. The noise of the shop filled it, but it didn’t drown out the pulse in his ears.
Mara took a small step closer. “I don’t want to cause trouble for you,” she finally said.
“Bit late for that,” Viper said before he could stop himself.
“Then maybe I should leave.”
He looked at her sharply. “You’re not going anywhere.”
Her chin lifted. “You can’t keep me—” Mara started.
“Not keeping you,” he cut in, voice harder than he meant. “Just saying it’s not safe out there. You know that.”
Something in his tone must’ve gotten through, because she stopped arguing.
Viper sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Look, I’ll talk to King. He’ll calm down. Just keep your head down, do your job, and don’t worry about it,” he said, trying to reassure her.
Mara nodded, though the worry in her eyes didn’t fade. “I’ll try.”
He gave her a small nod and turned back toward the shop floor, but he didn’t make it far. The sound of her voice stopped him.
“Viper?”
He looked over his shoulder.
“Thank you,” she said softly. “For sticking up for me.”
For a second, he couldn’t think of what to say. He wanted to tell her it wasn’t a big deal. That he’d do it for anyone. But the lie stuck in his throat.
Instead, he just nodded once. “Get back to work, Mara.”
She smiled faintly. “Yes, boss.”
He grunted. “Don’t call me that.”
But she was already turning back toward her desk, and he caught the curve of her smile as she walked away.
Viper stood there longer than he should have, watching her move through the shop, watching the way the other guys gave her space, because they all knew who she was staying with.
He’d told himself it was for her protection. That was still true.
But as he watched her laugh at something one of the mechanics said, her shoulders easing, her eyes lighting up in a way he hadn’t seen before he realized there was more to it.
He’d brought her under his roof because he couldn’t stand the thought of her being hurt again. Now he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to let her go.
****
The afternoon rush had finally died down. Mara had started to get used to the rhythm of the repair shop. She liked it here. It was loud enough that her thoughts didn’t have too much room to wander.
“Afternoon, beautiful,” a voice drawled from the other side of the counter.
She looked up from the invoices she’d been filing. A man stood there. He was in his mid-thirties, had a scruffy beard, and sun-leathered skin. He also wore a grin that was just a little too confident.
“Hey,” Mara said evenly, keeping her polite smile. “You here for a service?”
“Guess you could say that.” His eyes raked over her, slow enough to make her skin crawl. “Didn’t know Devil’s Crown hired women now.”
“They hire people who can do the job,” she replied, voice calm.
The man chuckled, leaning forward on the counter. “Bet you do a lot more than that, huh?”
Mara stiffened. She’d dealt with men like this before, the kind who mistook her quiet for weakness.
“I’m sure one of the guys can help you,” she said, reaching for the intercom to call one of the mechanics.