Chapter 3 #2
“We said we’d make good on the bid,” Storm said.
His voice carried easily in the tight space.
“We just need more time to come up with the money. It’s Friday night and banks don’t open until Monday morning.
We need time to transfer funds and see how much of that hundred grand we can scratch together. ”
Viper didn’t answer right away. He sat back in his chair, and thought it over before he spoke, “Vulture doesn’t think you can pull that kind of money out of your ass in any kind of timely fashion. Why should I trust you? He had the cash on him.”
“Well, we didn’t come here expecting to spend a hundred grand, much less on a woman. So cut us some slack here.”
“Was this all some kind of show of power for you?” he asked. His tone was calm and almost conversational. I wanted to tell them to watch out, to pay attention to all the things he wasn’t saying, but I didn’t have the nerve to speak up.
“You just rolled into my auction, threw around a huge life changing bid, made everyone think your club had money, status, and power. Your boy Fuse was impressive, and you had your moment in the fuckin’ spotlight.
” His gaze jumped from Fuse to Storm and back again.
“Now you come crawling to me asking for more time.”
Fuse, so that was his name. I glanced up at the other Dark Slayer briefly. He was scowling and I could feel the frustration coming off him in waves.
Suddenly, our eyes met. But rather than lust or whatever else I would have expected to see in the eyes of the man who bought me, I saw pity. He quickly shut that down, but it made me wonder. What did they want with me? Was I about to meet my fate, or were they actually trying to save me?
The Slayers didn’t respond right away. The two of them stood in the middle of the tent staring at Viper. I realized their little hamster wheels were turning, trying to figure out how to spin the conversation in their favor.
“If you want your money, you’ll give us a reasonable amount of time to come up with it,” Storm responded. Storm was clearly used to wheeling and dealing and had a knack for keeping it short and unoffensive, unlike Viper.
Viper put both hands on his desk and rose to his feet. He was looking all kinds of confident. Keeping his attention fixed squarely on Storm, he spoke again, catching us all off guard.
“What if I don’t want your damn money?” Viper asked.
I was as confused as everyone else looked. Viper had been foaming at the mouth over the money he was going to get for auctioning me off. It was all he could talk about for days, ever since he’d taken me from my dad.
Storm’s back straightened as he crossed his arms stubbornly. “If not money,” he said, “then what? What is it that a man like you wants more than a hundred thousand dollars?”
Viper linked his fingers together and rested them on his makeshift desk. Even from across the room, I could see his split knuckles were streaked with blood.
“What just happened outside changed my priorities,” he explained, pulling a cigarette from one pocket and a lighter from the other.
After lighting up and taking a long drag off his cancer stick, he continued, “An hour ago, I was interested in making a quick buck. But I ain’t gonna be talked to like I’m some dumb kid playing at being a fucking biker. Now, I want revenge and you’re gonna help me get it.”
Storm leaned on the front of Viper’s desk with both hands and said, “The hell we are. Ain’t no woman in the fuckin’ world worth turning on allied clubs over. You need to get that through your fuckin’ head right goddamn now.”
Well, so much for Storm being the levelheaded one. Viper apparently found the right switch to flip to get a rise out of him. A cold smile curved up the corners of his mouth.
“Oh, I think you will. Tonight has made something clear to me,” Viper said, steepling his fingers together.
“Money is not nearly as valuable or hard to come by as simple respect. And without respect, there can be no trust, dignity, or power. I ain’t looking to kill Slim or even Vulture, but I do mean to demand respect from them. ”
Storm pulled his hands off Viper’s desk and fisted them at his side, insisting, “Respect is earned.”
Viper replied coldly, “Slim was carrying a grudge over the auction. He was looking for a reason to disrespect me. That old bastard made sure everyone saw him throw me out. And Vulture made sure everyone saw him challenge me. They wanted a show and they got one. It’s only fair that I get my own show.
I want to remind everyone that disrespecting me and my club comes with consequences. ”
Storm heard Viper out. His face shifted into an inscrutable blank expression.
However, he understood exactly what Viper was saying.
We all did. I couldn’t really get my head around why all these grown men were obsessed with respect until Viper spelled it out just now.
Respect was part of biker culture and meant they were disciplined. It made sense in a roundabout way.
“That all sounds good when you say it out loud. The thing is, doling out consequences has a way of triggering other situations that can spiral out of control on you if you’re not real careful,” Storm warned. “Are you sure you want to start that pendulum swingin’ back and forth?”
The slight smile that had settled on Viper’s face didn’t fade. It also didn’t reach his eyes either. “If it blows back on me, I guess that’ll be another lesson for me to learn. Ain’t that how good leaders are made?”
Storm took a step back and answered, “That’s one way. If that’s your path it ain’t my job to dissuade you. The only question I’m concerned about is this deal where you want our help instead of money.”
Viper’s eyes glanced in my direction and back to Storm. “You want the girl,” he said flatly. “Remember, that’s what got you into this whole mess.”
This was where Fuse spoke for the first time. “Yeah, we want Betty. What kind of trade did you have in mind?”
Viper answered without hesitation. “You may not be sittin’ on a hundred grand, but you’ve got something much more valuable to offer and you don’t even know it.”
Storm jerked his chin at Viper. The gesture seemed more like a demand than an invitation. “And what might that be?”
“Reach,” Viper shot back. “You have influence, reputation, and respect. The Dark Slayers aren’t some new club trying to prove their worth. When your club speaks, people notice and pay attention to what you have to say.”
“You want a public alliance,” Fuse said out loud. “To ride on our coattails to fortune and glory.”
“Nothing quite so crass as that,” Viper replied mildly.
Storm held his gaze. “Well, that’s sure what it sounds like.”
“I’m offering you an opportunity to barter for what you want,” Viper corrected calmly. “I’ll give you the girl, in return for three favors.”
“Do I look like a fuckin’ genie to you?” Storm bit out, visibly offended by the mere suggestion of doing Viper a favor. Maybe favors are coded language among bikers, I mused to myself.
“You want the girl and I want help forcing other clubs to take me seriously,” Viper stated.
Storm’s response was immediate and still angry. “No.”
Viper just watched Storm, like he’d fully expected the pushback he was getting.
“Are you sure you don’t want to at least hear the terms?” Viper asked. “A smart man would want to know what he was turning down before making a decision, don’t you think?”
“I heard enough,” Storm replied. “What you’re suggesting isn’t just a favor, it’s an obligation. I don’t like being obliged to do things for shifty fuckers like you. It’s a liability.”
Viper propped his feet up on his desk. “It doesn’t have to be a liability. If we play our cards right, we can both walk away with what we want from this deal,” he said with a casual wave of his hand.
Storm shook his head. “Not without some firm boundaries in place.”
Viper plainly took that to mean that the negotiation had started. “I want three favors,” he said calmly.
“Two,” he said finally. “Two favors. Defined in advance. No surprises.”
“Three,” Viper repeated quietly. “And I’ll agree to terms.”
Storm was pensive for a long moment before saying, “Don’t ask us to break the fuckin’ law.
I don’t want to risk any brother in my club ending up in an orange jumpsuit over whatever stupid shit you’ve got planned.
We don’t want any part in running drugs, or handling illegal firearms. I’m telling you ahead of time I won’t be party to any plan that risks spilling over into the civilian population.
And I won’t move against any of our allies. ”
“Well, aren’t you a bunch of fuckin’ Boy Scouts,” Viper commented sourly.
“Don’t be an ass. We might break an occasional law but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to risk my club for you to get the respect you want.”
“Fine,” Viper said. “I agree to those terms.”
Storm’s eyes narrowed slightly, even after Viper gave him everything he asked for. It didn’t make any sense to me.
Fuse was the smart one. He quickly pointed out, “We don’t even know what the favors are yet.”
“I have a good idea of what I need,” Viper responded. “I suppose you want to hear all about it, right?”
“Of fuckin’ course we do. If what you’re planning doesn’t pass the sniff test, we ain’t agreeing to it,” Storm spat out.
“One of them will be to ride publicly with my club. I want you and me side by side in public at a time and place of my choosing.”
“You want to borrow a little status. I can work with that,” Storm agreed, relaxing a bit.
“The second favor is I want you to back me in a vote between clubs. I’ll make sure it doesn’t put you at odds with an ally, but I want to have your public support on something tangible.”
Storm sighed, “Sure, that’s probably doable. What about the third favor?”
Viper came to his feet and moved forward to stand in front of Storm.