Chapter 16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Viper

I'm meeting with Jaxon and Lyon today, and I couldn't be dreading it more.

I'm in my office at Satin Dreams, and when the knock comes, I open the door.

The two brothers are standing there, glaring at me.

"Let's get this over with," I grumble.

"Sounds good to me," Jaxon mutters, pushing past me into the office.

It takes me a minute to collect myself before following.

"Shut the door," I say, and the look in Lyon's eyes tells me he's not happy.

"Listen, Viper. We came here, so you can do something for us," Jaxon says.

"And, what's that?" I ask.

"Get your kid under control," Lyon hisses, and the anger in his eyes is enough to make me want to kill him.

"Excuse me?" I sit down behind my desk.

"What? You don't like being told the truth? Your daughter needs a fucking leash," Lyon hisses.

"What did she do?" I ask, ignoring the anger in my gut.

"What she didn't do is the better question. You've got some nerve, man," Lyon growls.

"I've got more than you," I say, and when our eyes meet, all hell breaks loose.

Lyon grabs me by the neck, pushing me back.

I quickly pull out my pistol, pointing it at his face. "Back the fuck up."

"Make me," Lyon growls.

"Lyon. Jesus Christ. This isn't the time," Jaxon says, and the tension in the room is thick. "We're not here to fight."

"Well, that's a shame," Lyon growls, and the second his hand drops, I feel like someone's dropped the tension in the room.

"I'll take care of it. Allegra is no longer welcome at the clubhouse. Is that what you wanted?" I say.

"I want her fucking gone, yes," Lyon hisses.

"Saw you with her the other night," I toss at his brother, glaring at him. "We both know what you were doing. She's eighteen. How's that going to look? Especially with your age gap."

"Viper, I don't have any issues with you. So, don't make me have any," Jaxon's pratically speaking in a monotone.

Lyon laughs. "Your kid's a real wild one. If we wanted, we could have our fun with her at the clubhouse. When it comes to Iris, I could tell the whole world about the two of you. Wouldn't that be interesting? How do you think your wildchild of a daughter would handle her best friend fucking her dad?"

"You wouldn't dare. It'd be stupid on your part. You wouldn't risk destroying the club. Not like this," I hiss, and when Lyon laughs, the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

"Lyon," Jaxon's voice is a warning.

I arch a brow and stare at the MC President. "Lyon wants her gone, but do you? What has my daughter done that's so bad?"

"He's trying to throw you off your game, brother. Fuck you, Viper," Lyon snarls.

I see exactly what's going on here. I can't hold back my laughter. "You're just mad your ex chose me, instead of pathetically crawling back to your ass."

"Keep your kid away from the club. And send me the money. Or, I'll tell her about you and Iris. What is it you've been doing, Viper? Fucking her for a while, isn't it? What are you, sick? She's like your daughter, isn't she? I can imagine how thrilled she'll be when she hears about it."

"Go ahead and threaten me Lyon, it's not going to get you anywhere."

Jaxon slams his fist down on my desk. "Enough! Viper, I apologize for my idiot brother's behavior. I'll reschedule our meeting for another time when the adults can talk."

Jaxon glares at his brother, "Get the fuck out of here."

I don't know what the fuck is going on with those two, but there's obvious tension.

Maybe Jaxon will keep Lyon in line, but if he doesn't, I need to be prepared.

It doesn't change the facts, though: I'm a terrible father.

I'm the absolute worst.

She's the one person who trusted me with their life, and I've failed her.

I've failed her over and over, and I can't seem to get myself together.

I can't let this go on.

I won't.

It's time for things to change.

It just makes me wonder… what the fuck did Allegra do to Lyon to make him want her out of the clubhouse?

And, is Jaxon on board with Allegra being banned.. or is something going on behind the scenes that I don't know about?

After this shitshow of a meeting, I need a break.

It's early afternoon, I haven't eaten, and I haven't slept.

I'm fucking exhausted.

As I'm walking through the lobby of Satin Dreams, I see the girls getting ready for their shows.

My dick is throbbing, and the need to feel Iris wrapped around me is so intense, I feel like my knees are buckling.

She glances at me, her eyes wide, and before I know what's happening, I'm standing beside her.

"Hey," I whisper.

"What are you doing here?" she grumbles, glancing around.

"I wanted to see you," I say.

"That's not a good idea. Not here. Not now," Iris says, and the sadness in her eyes breaks my heart.

She looks back at her iPad, scrolling through the girls' schedules.

"I'm sorry, baby. Please. Come with me. Just for a minute," I beg.

"No, Viper," Iris whispers. "I have to sort out this scheduling situation. I'll come find you after."

Seeing her walk away is almost too much to bear.

When the door closes, and she hurries off to another area my heart aches.

I should be used to this feeling by now.

The pain.

The guilt.

The need.

All of it.

But, I'm not.

I decide it's probably better it I give us some space, so I exit the building.

As I'm walking toward the car, I see Rosa, the assistant manager.

Her eyes are red, and she looks like she's been crying.

"Rosa," I say, and when her head turns, she looks scared.

"Hey, Boss," she says, her voice breaking.

"Is everything okay?" I ask.

"I'm fine," she nods, motioning to the club. "Iris is inside."

"I know, I just saw her. But, you don't look okay," I say.

"I said, I'm fine," Rosa says, her voice cracking.

"Okay, fine. You're fine. If you're fine, why do you look so upset?" I ask.

"I don't. It's just...stuff," she mutters. "Go find Iris."

"She's busy," I say.

"Great," Rosa says.

"I'm not trying to pry. I'm only trying to help. Tell me what's wrong," I urge her.

"Viper, can you not? It isn't your place and I wish you'd just leave me alone," she says.

I don't know what makes me bring up my daughter, but I have a gut feeling. "Are you upset about Allegra?"

"Yes," Rosa cries, and the sound of her voice breaks me. "Did you know about her and Jaxon?"

"Yeah, unfortunately," I sigh. "Were you two…"

"I can't believe he did this to me," Rosa's voice cracks again. "We weren't officially together, but he was making promises… acting like I'd be ol' lady material."

"Men like him don't settle down." I hate to be the person to tell her this, but she needs someone to be the voice of reason.

When my eyes meet hers, I don't miss the sadness in them. "I know because I used to be like him. I was horrible to Allegra's mother. Sure, we were married, but it didn't mean I was a good man."

"I don't want to have to tell you this shit, but someone has to be on your side." I grab her hand and give it a squeeze, trying to be a good friend to her.

The door to the club opens, Iris is standing there, eyes locked on my hand on Rosa's.