As she drove closer to the clubhouse, Winter's worry switched from Aunt Shay to Viper.

Cash waved as she walked up the hill when he saw Viper waiting at the top of the walkway he had built for her. She stopped when she saw him, and they stared at each other. The walls she had built to protect herself over the night came crumbling down.

"There isn't one single time you told me you love me that I doubted you. When you told me Sasha was leaving, why didn't you tell me she would be coming back?" She could easily see inside the window and saw the kitchen was filled with members.

"How did you find out?"

"Does it matter?" She brushed by him, continuing up the walkway. Before she could enter the back door, though, Viper took her elbow.

"Yes, it matters. I was going to tell you."

"Why didn't you just tell me when she left that it wouldn't be for good?"

"To tell you the truth, I thought you would change your mind about her after you cooled down. I had already told Sasha she could switch places with Raci. The members are still mad at her about Genny, even though they don't want her thrown out of the club. They all trusted her, but she didn't trust them to help when her cousin was kidnapped.

She could understand his decision about Raci-Winter was still pretty mad about it herself.

"Have you touched Sasha?" She stopped tiptoeing around the subject and went right to what concerned her the most. "Why we're you hugging Sasha in the kitchen the night she left?

"No, I've never touched Sasha. How do you know I hugged her?"

Winter didn't want to tell Viper how she knew, but four people were in the kitchen when it happened: Viper, Moon, Sasha and Jewell. The first three wouldn't have mentioned it to her, that only left Jewell. She wasn't going to be happy that Winter had told Viper they had been gossiping behind his back.

"Jewell."

Viper was clearly unhappy about being the topic of between the two women. "Sasha was upset about going back to Ohio. I hugged her, she was confused thinking that we didn't want her in the club there either. Which wasn't the case, and I told her that she was welcome there." Viper's stern expression left no doubt that Sasha was going to remain with the Last Riders. He may not have voted her in but she would be allowed to remain as a hanger on.

"Sasha is no different than any other woman in the club. You don't get jealous or possessive when you see Rider f.u.c.king Jewel, or Crash f.u.c.king Stori. h.e.l.l, Ember I've seen in positions that even Sasha wouldn't attempt, and it's never bothered you before."

Winter wiggled away from Viper's touch. She walked to the picnic table and sat down on the bench to support her trembling body. Men were not known to tell the truth about other women, but she had seen the truth in his eyes. The relief she felt showed how afraid of his answer she had been.

"Why can't Sasha just stay in Ohio?"

"Moon made an enemy of the mayor. He has the cops watching the club, the only reason I let him take Sasha back is because he wants to talk to the Mayor's daughter. He's trying to find a way to get the heat off the club.

She looked up at him in confusion. "Why does that matter?"

"Sasha has been in trouble with the law a couple of times. Every time she goes out, the police give her a hard time."

"Oh."

"She's had a rough life. She's clean now and plans to stay that way, so she doesn't need to be reminded of it every time she wants to go out for a hamburger or get her nails done."

Winter felt like a b.i.t.c.h. She worked with troubled teenagers; some even already had police records. She offered each student a second chance, so she couldn't do any less for Sasha.

"I'll give her another chance when she comes back, but since we're being honest, I really don't like her." She didn't put her foot down often, but this time, she knew what she could handle and what she couldn't.

"When she comes back, if you can't learn to have her in the club, I'll send her back. That'll give the other members time to get over Raci, and maybe she can come back with a fresh start."

"That's rea.s.suring," she said sarcastically, as she started to get off the picnic table.

Viper's hands pressed her back down. "You're the only woman I want in my bed."

"A bed doesn't make a difference to the Last Riders." Winter rolled her eyes. The text Sasha had sent proved that fact.

She stared down at the gra.s.s. She wanted to ask about the texts, but she didn't want to admit she had been snooping in his phone. The other thing she wanted to know if Viper had been lying about was going on vacation with her.

He laughed. "You're the only woman I want to be with, in a bed or out."

She looked away. "I know I'm being a b.i.t.c.h. I let Train touch me, but I can't even bear Sasha to be in the room with you. It makes me sick the way her eyes watch you."

Viper brought his hand to her cheek, turning her to face him. "It was f.u.c.king hot watching him lick your p.u.s.s.y. I wasn't jealous of Knox or Train touching you, because of how they are with women. It was about your pleasure. Knox and Train would f.u.c.king die for you if you ever needed them to. Now, if Rider or Moon came near your p.u.s.s.y, I'd have a problem with that."

Winter gurgled with laughter. "Why not Rider or Moon?"

"Because, if those two a.s.sholes tasted your p.u.s.s.y, they would try to steal you away from me."

She looked down to see he was serious. Viper honestly believed that Rider or Moon could steal her away from him.

She leaned down, placing her forehead against his. "What are we going to do?"

"Right now, we're going inside to spend alone time together, just me and you."

"That sounds really nice." She laughed, getting off the picnic table. He had answered questions, yet Winter felt like she was on the same slippery slope she had been during the two years she had dated him before she'd found out he was the president of the Last Riders. She had believed every word out of his mouth then too.

He took her hand. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"Viper..." Winter was just about to ask about the texts, but her husband opened the door right when Rider and Ember were about to open it.

"Hey, Winter, Viper. Mick called and said you weren't answering your phone. Ton is at Rosie's, and he's trying to pick a fight with Greer."

"Dammit." Viper brushed his hair away from his face. "Sorry, pretty girl, I'll go get him and be right back."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Viper's father could be a mean drunk.

"No. If he acts like an a.s.s in front of you, he'll be getting his a.s.s whipped from me instead of Greer. Go on upstairs. Keep my side of the bed warm until I get back."

"All right."

Winter watched her husband walk down to the parking lot before going inside where the members were just sitting around, playing cards or pool. She went upstairs to shower before climbing naked into bed.

She started to watch a television show, expecting Viper to come in any minute, but when the show went off, she picked up her phone, getting worried. Rosie's was only a few minutes away from the clubhouse, and Ton's house was close to town.

She pressed Viper's number, and her call rang and rang before it went to voicemail. She left a message then lay back down, waiting for Viper to call back. When half an hour had pa.s.sed and she hadn't heard from him, she called again. Once more, her call went to voicemail.

Getting out of bed, she pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. Then she went downstairs and saw someone had turned the lights down low. Several of the members were dancing.

Seeing Rider standing at the bar, she tapped on his shoulder. "I'm worried about Viper. Has he not come back from picking Ton up?"

Rider gave her a puzzled frown. "He came in around twenty minutes ago. Have you checked the kitchen?"

"No, but thanks. I'll check now."

Turning, she went inside the kitchen, not seeing him there or in the family room. When she didn't see him in the dining room, either, she decided to check the backyard. Frustrated from not seeing him out there, she wondered where he had gone and why he hadn't returned her calls.

The kitchen door swung open, and Rider came in with a red face. "My bad. Viper was here, but he took off again when he found out Jo had called him. She said Ton drove off again as soon as Viper left."

"Oh... I guess I'll go back to bed then." She released the door handle, not missing the relief that came over Rider's face.

"I'm sure he'll call you when he gets Ton under control." Rider evaded her questioning look, going back into the living room.

She went back to her room, her cell phone clutched in her hand. If Viper had the time to call Rider about his whereabouts, why hadn't he called her?

Winter went to the bed. Settling down, she turned the light off then went to the window, thinking of how Rider had been relieved when she hadn't gone outside.

The backyard was dark, but there were lanterns lining the walkway. She could make out two people standing in the shadows of the gazebo. The man was Viper's size, and when he moved deeper into the shadows, she recognized it was her husband from the way he moved. The figure following him into the gazebo was a woman, and Winter had a sinking feeling she knew who it was.

Sasha was back.

She would never forget the image of the two of them going into the gazebo.

Unable to look any longer, she moved away from the window. She couldn't bring herself to get back in their bed. Instead, she sat down on the chair, waiting for her husband to decide to come back.

Her cell phone rang, and she looked down at it, expecting it to be Viper making another excuse for why he wasn't back yet. When she saw Beth's name, she answered.

"h.e.l.lo?"

"Winter..."

"What is it?" She could tell from her tone it was bad.

"It's Mrs. Langley. She's had a heart attack."

6.

"I'll be right there. Is she at the hospital yet?" Winter was already moving toward her purse.

"Yes. The ambulance just left with her. She wasn't feeling well, so she called me. I called an ambulance, and I got there at the same time the EMTs arrived."

"I'm on my way."

She ran from the room. The members stared at her as she ran through the living room.

"Winter? Where are you going?" Rider came running behind her.

"To the hospital. My aunt had a heart attack." She opened the back door, running down the walkway.

As she ran toward the parking lot, Sasha and Viper were coming up. Winter would have laughed at their expressions of surprise, but she was too terrified for Aunt Shay to kill her cheating husband.

"Winter? What the h.e.l.l? Where are you going?" Viper tried to catch her arm, but fury gave her the strength to pull away from him.

"Stay away from me!" she screamed. "My aunt may be dying, and instead of being with me, you're outside, f.u.c.king another woman, just like when my mother died and when I nearly died!" She took off running again. When she tried to open her car door, Viper blocked her.

"I'll drive you." His chilly demeanor didn't faze her.

She saw Sasha and Rider come to stand beside the car.

"Can I help?" Sasha tried to intervene as Winter took a step back from Viper.

"I think you've done more than enough," she said harshly, going to the other side of the car and opening the pa.s.senger side door. "I don't have time to argue with you right now. Drive me to the hospital. Then stay the h.e.l.l away from me," she spat at Viper.

He got inside the car, waving Sasha and Rider back.

Winter grimly stared out the window as her husband drove toward the hospital.

"Why do you think I was f.u.c.king Sasha?"

"I saw you at the gazebo with her. For your information, Rider sucks at lying."

"He told you I was inside the gazebo with Sasha?"

"No, he told me you were in the clubhouse. Then, when I was about to go outside, he lied and said you were back with Ton. You should give him lessons. I believed every lie you told me."

"I'm not going to fight with you when you're upset about your aunt, but I didn't lie for the reason you think I did."

She sighed in exhaustion. "I don't need to hear your explanations. It was pretty clear from what I saw."

"Then you saw wrong."

Viper's profile was forbidding as he drove up to the entrance of the hospital. When he brought the car to a stop, she already had her hand on the door handle.

"I'll park the car and be there in a minute."

Winter didn't take the time to argue with him. She rushed inside the hospital, going to the emergency room. Beth and Razer were sitting there, their faces ashen. Winter feared she had gotten there too late.

"How is she doing?" she asked, when Beth rose to hug her.

"She's stable. The doctor is waiting for her tests to come back," Beth tearfully answered. "I wanted to stay with her, but they wouldn't let me."

"I'll check to see if they'll let me." Winter hurried to the desk, seeing Viper coming in and taking a seat next to Razer.