Two weeks. A fortnight. Fourteen days- I didn't know how long MC trips were meant to last, but this one was eating on my mind. Sometimes I felt sorry for my dad- the only person there who had to stand my nail biting and constant questions.

"Another MC President is coming in for the week. To help stock us up and give guard against other smaller clubs who might want to take somethin'" Dad said, flipping through a magazine.

"Really? What club?"

"Snake Sinners. Mean, sly sons of bitches with steroid bodies to match, but their pres is one of my best friends. The most cunning guy I know"

I grinned. "I like him already."

Dad rolled his eyes. "You're going to wrap that whole club around your finger, just like you have this one." He paused in his magazine. "Be careful of Hammer. Him and Ripper don't get on well, and he's been itching for a reason to throw a fist in Ripper's face for years"

"But Ripper can have him on his back in seconds right?" Just like he could me.

Dad thought over this, running a hand through his messy locks. "Not in seconds. Ripper and Hammer fought together on the streets, so they know each other nearly inside and out. If they do go at it, Ripper will win. But he'll still receive a hard beating from Hammer"

Someone strong enough to beat up Ripper? I shivered. The snippets dad had told me about Ripper's life now made me less anxious about him coming back- I knew he would. It was just the others.

Like my little Seamus.

Dad's phone rang, breaking through the relative silence. He picked it up and spoke, surprise clear on his face. When he finished the call, his eyes came to me.

"Viper and his crew are here. Do you think you could go back to our house and get them settled in?"

"Sure thing, do you need anything from home?" I held a hand up immediately and looked around the sparse room. "Nevermind. I'll be back later with some stuff. Love you dad" I swooped down and pecked him on the cheek then hurried outside, nodding to all the nurses who were now really familiar.

I didn't want that to become a normal thing.

I pulled up to our driveway and gaped at the herculean, rough looking men leaning on their bikes and smoking their lives away.

I jumped out of the car and walked up the driveway, zipping up my leather jacket and flipping my hair over my shoulder. A man at the front of the group stood near the steps and had his eyes on me.

Viper. He had nondescript brown hair with streaks of grey, but his face was so weathered and angled I knew immediately why they called him Viper. Lean muscle, but looked as if a strong wind would blow him over if it weren't for the steel in his reptilian eyes.

"Viper?"

He pushed through his men-who were now standing up and staring- and held out a hand. "That's me mam."

I smiled, shaking his hand. "I'm Corin, Grizzly's daughter" He looked me up and down, raising a brow at the tattoos snaking out onto my hands. "Yes. I can tell. "

"Well, I'll let you fellas in then cook something for you all" I unlocked the door and gestured for them to walk in, shaking the hands of the massive men that walked past. A particularly large man with jet black hair and green eyes looked me over, narrowing his eyes at me for a few seconds.

"Corin Kane."

I raised a brow. "That's me"

He grunted, spitting on the floor. "You're Ripper's old lady" I followed the path of his spit and looked to the floor. Freshly cleaned this morning and now marred with a glob of saliva. I frowned and turned my face to ice. "Don't spit anywhere in this house or on this property. Spit stays inside your fucking mouth, or I'll shove my foot so far up your ass, it'll be inside of your mouth too"

A guffaw sounded next to me, from a younger looking member and I looked back at the black haired member. "But yes, I am Ripper's old lady. Now do you like your steak medium rare or well done?" Just because he was a prick didn't mean I needed to be one too. That was saved for special times.

I was met with silence, and the unreadable expressions of ten men. "Medium rare"

I glanced back to see a very grumpy face. The man was extremely good looking, but grumpy- he looked comical. I suppressed a grin and clapped my hands together. "There are plenty of rooms, so find your own. Or sleep in here- do whatever. I'll be coming home every day to cook breakfast, out during the day, then back to cook dinner. Help yourself to anything and just call me if you need anything- but I'm a host, not a maid. Remember that"

Viper sat at the table and kept his eyes on me, nodding where needed. I looked around and mentally cataloged them all, adding them to my 'try not to fuck with' folder. That folder was often opened and fucked with anyway.

The men all sat around as I cooked, most sitting at the table and smoking, others just watching me cook from the sofa. I turned off the stove top and put the large plates of food on the table, flourishing my hands in a wave. "Dinner is here. Dig in, and I'll be off"

I walked to dad's room to get a few things- clothes and a shaver- when a body covered the door frame. Viper watched me with quick eyes and I cocked my head to the side.

"There's a lot of rumours about you goin 'round"

Sighing, I nodded. "God knows the truth, and so do the important people in my life. That's all that matters"

Viper crossed one foot over the other and lit another cigarette. "I hear you got a beating a while back"

I folded my arms. "You heard right"

Viper paused momentarily, then moved out of the way of the door. "How'd you get Ripper not to kill them all?"

I walked outside, knowing Viper was hot on my heels.

"He knew I would do worse"

____________

Viper ended up coming with me to the hospital, leaving the black haired man in charge who I now knew as Hammer. The man just carried on eating and smoking at the same time.

Nurse Jenna waved me in quickly, and threw a less than subtle appreciative eye over the older man walking behind me. And then she spotted the bright wedding band on his finger and scurried away quickly.

"daddio, your favourite daughter and snake are here" I called, whooshing into the room and finding a bright eyed Hugh in wait. He sat up immediately, wincing when he pulled his wound and I sighed. Viper came to the bedside and did the manly hug thing males did when they missed each other a lot.

They did the whole conversation in masculine tones, grunting and such as I made sure the room was comfortable. A few snippets did reach my ears- especially about the havoc going on down where Viper was from.

"Hammer sorts them out quickly. Although he has nailed his way through the women in the town more than twice"

I cringed as they both laughed, thinking back to the black haired man. He was good looking- in an arrogant, overly masculine way. And he was a biker- two factors that women took and equaled to the ever present fantasy of doing the frick frack with a bad boy.

"He already got his eye on your girl" Viper then said, completely serious. Hugh nodded gravely, looking at my bewildered expression. What the fuck was up with these men?

Viper allowed a smirk when he saw my face and flicked his un-lit cigarette. "You threatened to shove a foot up his ass. Ninety percent of the men in that room had a boner when you said that"

"Ya'll into that kinky submissive shit?"

Hugh hid a laugh in a cough and shook his head. "Hammer is like Ripper. Needed to be shown who was really boss"

I rolled my eyes and threw another magazine at him. "Your guys need women who can stand up for themselves rather than being a one night stand"

Viper cocked his head to the side before grinning. "I've already got my lady. She threatened to feed me my balls for breakfast if I wasn't up here sooner"

Dad erupted with memories about 'Jan' and all the mischief they used to get up to. And even though my dad was happy, there was always that niggling anxiety about my man and my boys getting back home.

I just didn't have a good feeling about that Hammer.

"You missin' Ripper?"

I looked to Viper, startled out of my thoughts. I paused before nodding. "Yeah. Miss him more than the world"

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