Claiming His Prize (Killer of Kings 5)

His chloroform was for marks with contracts on their heads. He was mixing business and pleasure, and Boss would have his head if he found out.

Nobody knew the real Chains, and maybe he didn’t even know himself. His entire social life was an act. He was never on anyone’s radar, not even Boss’s. When he was on assignment, the other men at Killer of Kings assumed he was just one of the guys, carefree, competent at his job.

Yes, he did his job well. Killing was in his blood. But that’s where their assumptions failed. The mask Chains wore for the world was a veneer to hide the darkness within. Recon and fulfilling contracts kept his mind busy, kept the demons at bay. Since before he could remember, his life had been a game of survival, selling his soul just to stay alive. Many of the experiences he’d lived through were mercifully blocked out of his mind, but they still shaped him into the monster he was today.

But since being hired on at Killer of Kings, he wanted more, wanted all he’d been denied. He overindulged in everything from women to cars. Chains demanded the best, like somehow the material possessions would make up for a bullshit life. It was all smoke and mirrors … until he saw Lori.

When he saw her, his needs became real. He deserved her, wanted her, and he wouldn’t be denied. There was a piece of his past swirling in her eyes. He could see right through her exterior down to the pain, the burden, the desperation. She needed saving, and he wanted to be her hero. She’d been the one thing he’d prayed for most of his life. His own shining star.

His cellphone rang, so he grabbed a towel and dried his face as he returned to his bedroom. The cell was lying on the bed.

“Yeah.”

“Vacation’s over,” said Boss. “I need you to handle the El Diablo situation.”

He exhaled his irritation before speaking. “You too? The guy’s name is Xavier. I’m not calling him El Diablo.”

“Whatever. Just keep tabs on his movements. I want that fucker working for me.”

Boss had a hard-on to hire Xavier ever since he knew about his past. The man was a killing machine, and good at it. If he wasn’t so unstable, he could be the perfect fit, but then again, all the men at Killer of King were fucked up. Chains included.

Xavier had refused Boss’s offer to join the organization during the showdown with Shadow and the mafia hit, but Boss wasn’t ready to call it quits. He always got what he wanted. Chains already figured Boss was onto something that would bring Xavier to their side. Boss always told him that everyone had a weakness. All he needed was time to find Xavier’s, if he didn’t have it already.

“He’s not new to this. He’ll know I’m on to him.”

“That’s what I’m hoping. The information I have will make it too good for him to pass up,” said Boss.

“Is that it?” He should have known Boss would already have something Xavier would want or need.

“Afraid not. I’ve emailed you the details on a new contract. Last minute situation. I need it done tonight.”

He didn’t like the idea of leaving Lori alone in the house for too long. Even though she was chained in his basement, he was trying his best to keep her comfortable. She was his secret toy, and he didn’t want to share her with the world.

“I’ll handle it,” he said, not wanting to raise suspicions. Chains rarely refused Boss. The old bastard had given him a new lease on life. Boss had seen his potential when he’d been on a contract in Russia over a decade ago, and the rest was history.

A minute of silence followed. It felt like Boss could read his mind through the phone line. Chains ran a hand over his head as he waited.

“Everything okay?” asked Boss. Had Chains used a different tone? He’d tried hard not to give away anything, but Boss was ridiculously intuitive.

“Just feeling overwhelmed lately. Nothing I can’t handle, though.”

More silence. “I know where you came from. I’m the one to bring you here, remember that?”

“I remember.”

“Well, you don’t have to explain yourself to me. The things you’ve been through are bound to haunt you,” said Boss. “You’ve just got to bury that shit and not let it control you. Once you give it power, you’re really fucked.”

“I’m good.”

“Check your email.” Then Boss hung up.

Chains hadn’t been bullshitting. Before he’d found Lori, he’d been at an all-time low. His killing desire had taken over. She’d saved him as much as he’d saved her.

A few days ago, he’d contemplating taking Lori’s life. To make the problem he created go away. It’s what he usually did. The internal battle had left a nice hole in his drywall. He couldn’t hurt her. She was a victim, innocence personified, and it filled him with satisfaction to know she was safely under his roof. He just needed to keep control of himself, to not let his past define him, although it was easier said than done.

He finished dressing, black jeans and hoodie, then stopped by his weapons room. He pulled back the protective sheet on the center table and admired his collection. The email told him

everything he needed to know. This was a quick find and eliminate, and within ten minutes, Maurice had the location. Now it was Chains’s turn to kill. Just thinking about it filled him with a rush.