Taking Her Innocence (Killer of Kings 1)

“I have dealings with your master.” The way Boss said “master”, everyone just knew it didn’t mean anything good. “I have a gift and a bone to pick with him.”

“Whatever you?

?ve got, dump it here, and I’ll deal with it.”

Boss tutted, and right before Viper’s eyes, he watched the man turn. The cold, hard killer stared right at Bain. “I’ve got a problem with that.” He reached into the van, and pulled Pepper out. He held her by the neck, and even to Viper, she looked dead. There was no life to her. “He wanted her dead of natural causes, guess what? She died of natural causes.”

“You don’t seem so cut up about this,” Bain said.

Viper stared at Pepper, and then turned to Bain without saying a word.

“I’ll take her,” Bain said.

Boss shook his head. “Not going to happen.”

“You’re not getting past me, old man.”

Boss placed the gun at Pepper’s forehead, right between the eyes. “You see, Bain, that’s where you’re wrong. He wanted her to die of natural causes. The clause in the will states that the owners of this company cannot be assassinated. I will kill her, and make sure your boss doesn’t get a single cent of this girl’s earnings.”

Checkmate.

Viper held still, watching as Boss didn’t avert his gaze and Bain just stared, quietly.

“You wouldn’t do it.”

Boss pressed the barrel of his gun against her leg, and fired.

Viper couldn’t believe it, and he watched as the wound bled out. Holy fuck! Boss had just shot Pepper, and she hadn’t fucking moved. He had heard of drugs that powerful that rendered the person to give the sense that they were dead.

His stomach twisted as he looked up at Boss, who was about to put a bullet through her head. The bastard had no feelings whatsoever.

“Wait,” Bain said.

“I’m not some pansy ass boy you’re dealing with, Bain. Pick your words wisely. This bitch means nothing to me.” Boss threw back his head and laughed. “I’m ten million up. Bitch thought I was going to keep her safe. I’ve got nothing to stop me killing this girl.”

“Come this way,” Bain said.

Boss whistled toward him, and if they lived through this, Viper was going to make him pay for calling him over like a dog.

“You fucking shot her.”

“I’m getting us out of this shit-fest. You’re fucking welcome.” Boss held his gun out, and started walking. Picking Pepper up, Viper wanted to care for her leg, but decided against it. His heart was racing, and he carried her toward Bain, ignoring the man he’d asked to keep an eye on her. He should have known never to ask these fuckers.

Cradling Pepper in his arms, he vowed to take care of her, to make sure she lived, and had an amazing life, filled with love and laughter. She would be a wonderful mother, and as he walked behind Boss, following Bain, he made plans, and started to see a possible future with her. He imagined Pepper standing at the kitchen, pulling freshly baked cookies from the oven. There were two children around her feet, a boy with his dark hair, and a girl with long blonde hair like her mother.

As the image played out, Viper didn’t allow himself to cut it off. He held onto his woman, knowing that he would do everything in his power to make sure that it came true. When he was a boy being hurt for not killing puppies or a multitude of other horrors, there had come a point when he simply stopped dreaming. At first, most of his time was spent thinking about getting out, of having someone save him. It had been a childish feeling. No one had come for him. The days had blended into weeks, and then into months, and before he knew it, it was years, and there was nothing in him to fight what was being done. Instead of fighting his captors, he’d trained. He’d fought every single battle, taken every single scar with the knowledge that there would be a time he was stronger than they were, and he could take them out.

It wasn’t long before his extra hours of training attracted Bain. The other kid who had fought as deadly as he was. They were the only two to survive, at least that was all he knew had made it out.

Right before the killing had started, Bain had come to him, sitting and watching.

“What the fuck you doin’?”

“I’m training.”

“There’s no way you’ll ever win. They’re going to kill you, you know. They kill everyone who tries.”

“Which is why I’m not going to try. I’m going to succeed.” Viper bent down, picking up the weight, lifting it above his head, holding it there, then lowering it. “If you want to spend the rest of your life being their little bitch, be my guest. I’m not. I’m getting out.”