Read Online Never Enough: The Vipers MC by Lexi Cross - Free Book Online Page A

muttered.
     
    “Who?”
     
    “Axel. Shit didn’t start going downhill until he went nuts.”
     
    Tony nodded. “Yeah. There was definitely a before-and-after in those days. We were all pretty happy and safe until he decided it wasn’t good enough.”
     
    “That’s exactly what I mean. It didn’t have to be that way. Look at this place. I mean, it’s great that he redid it—probably the best thing he ever did with all the money he earned and stole. It gave us a place to call home, whatever. But everything else. I could’ve done without that.” For months, there was never a night I didn’t get in a fight or pull my gun on somebody. There was never a night I didn’t expect to lose one of my brothers. I almost lost Tony in a gun fight—he knew how far Axel’s bullshit ran. He still had two scars on his side, where the bullet went in and out.
     
    “You think it was all his fault, then?” Tony’s voice was quiet. We had never talked about Jess before, not that way. She was usually a bitch, cold and heartless. We didn’t understand how she could walk out like that without saying anything.
     
    “What the fuck do you think? What are you, my shrink? I don’t like this.” I got up, looking out the window.
     
    “I just wanted to know. You can blame it all on him if you want to. Shit, not a day went by back then that I didn’t blame a lotta shit on him. Losing our friends, man? Our brothers? It all started with him. I just don’t know if Jess leaving was totally one of those things. You weren’t easy to be around then—don’t act like you were.”
     
    I didn’t say anything for a long time. Was he right? I was never the guy who talked about my feelings. I never told her what I was going through inside. I pushed her away. It was easier. When I got home at night—if I went home instead of staying at the clubhouse—I got into bed without touching her. She’d get up before me to go to school. Sometimes I wasn’t asleep, but I’d pretend to be if it meant I didn’t have to talk to her. I couldn’t talk to her. It would mean telling her what I did the night before.
     
    I didn’t need to tell her. I saw it on her face all the time, every day. She knew. She judged me. She hated me, like I hated myself. I wanted to pull back from her before she pushed me away.
     
    And she was too good for me. There was that, too.
     
    I didn’t respond to anything Tony said. Instead, I changed the subject. “What about the loan shark?”
     
    “What about him?”
     
    “Do we know anything yet?”
     
    “Man, it’s been, what, half a day since I talked to you last night? Everybody went to sleep, brother.”
     
    “Lucky you.” I felt like the walking dead.
     
    “We’ll find something. Don’t worry. I gave the guys her name—none of them know her. I picked guys who weren’t around when she was. They don’t know why they’re asking questions.”
     
    I nodded. It was better than way. “Good enough.”
     
    “What are you gonna do next? Are you gonna go see her?”
     
    I thought about it. It was tempting. Showing up at her front door. Surprising her the way she’d surprised me when I got home that day and found her gone. I’d watch her face change when she opened the door, seeing me, knowing what it meant for me to be there. I would push her inside the apartment, take her in my arms, and…
     
    “No,” I answered, willing away a hard-on. I wouldn’t do any of those things. I didn’t wanna get any closer to her.
     
    He accepted my answer. “That’s fair. Okay. I’ll let you know when I hear something.” He turned to leave the office. “Oh, one more thing.”
     
    “Yeah?”
     
    “If you knew it was her when you first found her last night, would you have still beaten that guy up?”
     
    I laughed. “Are you kidding? I would have killed the fucker.”
     
    He nodded. “Yeah. I thought so.” I turned away, listening as the door clicked shut. When I knew I was alone I let out a sigh,