The funeral fire burned high.
The Vipers didn't bury their dead. They sent them off in wild flames... impossible to contain, just like the lives they lived. Derrick's body lay on the pyre, his leather cut over his chest, flames reaching high into the night. The brothers stood in silence, their faces hard in the glow.
Ashley stayed at the back, arms tight around herself. She hadn't known Derrick well—just a smile, a word in passing, but the grief in the others still hit her. This wasn't just a gang losing a fighter. It was a family watching one of their own burn to ashes.
Cole moved first, flicking his cigarette into the fire. His jaw was tight, eyes burning with rage that made Ashley's chest ache. Jax followed, tossing Derrick's knife into the flames. Ace waited a little longer,
