“So you’re going to kill me?” she asked.
He didn’t like how his gut twisted at her words. “Yes.” There was no point in lying to the girl, and that was what he had to remember, she was a girl. No, she was a fucking target. He needed to remember that more importantly. “Luckily for you, your stepfather is a total asshole, and so that means you get to live a little longer, Miss Pepper.”
“Don’t call me that. My mom called me that. Don’t do that.”
Viper watched as tears fell from her eyes but this time they were not accompanied by sobbing. He found this entire situation a massive clusterfuck. This was why he rarely took jobs with multiple contracts. Viper didn’t care what the other men at Killer of Kings did. This was strictly his deal. It got messy quickly, and then the fighting among fellow mercenaries just made it uglier. Moving toward his backpack, he pulled out the emergency bath towel, and placed it on the floor. He always had his survival 101 kit. A shower curtain might not be the obvious choice, but for him it had worked far too many times to leave it out. He spread it on the floor, and then took each man, one by one, and dumped their asses. Grabbing a set of cuffs from his pocket, he walked over to Pepper. She shrank away from him.
He didn’t like that, but rather than dwell on that feeling, he grabbed her wrist, and secured it to the bed far away from the door.
“You’re just going to chain me up?”
“Some women would find that kinky.” She gritted her teeth, and looked away from him. “You thinking all kinds of kinky shit now?” he asked.
“Fuck you.”
“You never know. Your stepfather doesn’t come through I may do exactly that, and keep you alive.” He stroked a finger down her cheek, and she pulled away. However, he saw the response of her body. Those big tits and large nipples showed her arousal. It certainly wasn’t cold in the room, and he had sweat coming off him. Now that was interesting. He wouldn’t delve into that just yet. Right now, she wasn’t his target, but she also wasn’t his enemy. “Until I know what I’m doing, your life is in my hands either way. Behave, and do as you’re told.” The strangest urge to kiss her came over him, and he shoved it away.
Kissing her wouldn’t resolve anything, and it would only confuse an already shitty situation. It was something he never did because it raised the stakes too high.
After securing the cuff around her wrist, he moved away, and stared at the men he’d killed. They had been good. Drugging her and making it look like an overdose was smart. Girl had just lost her mother and all that, but he didn’t like it. He didn’t like how they had been able to get so close.
He wouldn’t have let them plunge that nasty shit into her veins. Being the recipient of forced drugs himself, he knew how bad it could get, and he wasn’t into it. Not at all.
“More people are on the way?” she asked.
“Yes. It would seem you’re a valuable asset. I’m surprised you’re not trying to, you know, barter for your life.”
“How could I barter? I don’t have anything to give.” She snorted. “Unless you call my virginity a bartering tool, I’m all out.”
“So you’re a virgin then?” he asked, glancing over at her.
Her cheeks were a lovely shade of red, and she rolled her eyes. “I’ve got nothing to offer you.”
“I don’t know. I’ve never fucked a virgin before.”
“Yeah, and that’s worth the millions of dollars you’re being paid to hunt me down, and kill me?” she asked.
“You’re right, it’s not worth the same. To some guy it would be.” He wasn’t that guy. Chancing another look at her, he saw her head was bowed and she was staring at her dress, which had ridden up. Getting to his feet, he held the edge of her dress, and pulled it back over her thighs and knees, giving her the comfort she wanted.
Without saying a word, he entered the bathroom and grabbed the other dead body. Heaving him over his shoulder, he walked back into the bedroom, and dropped him onto the pile of dead bodies.
Then he moved toward the curtain, and pulled it back enough for him to look out. He’d gone from killing to babysitting. Boss wouldn’t be long now, and then he’d get to make his decision.
“Do you know if my mom suffered?” Pepper asked.
“I don’t know anything about her death. I don’t watch the news, I don’t read reports. I was told that I had a hit on you, and that’s why I’m here.”
She sniffled, and he tensed.
Viper expected her to start talking about her dead mom, and he waited for it, but nothing came out.
Pulling out his Glock, he checked outside again, waiting for Boss’s crew to come. Once the bodies were disposed of, he’d take the girl, and wait for further instructions. This was a rather unique situation. He’d never been with a woman this long unless he was going to fuck her.
He closed the curtain, and he noticed she was still looking down at her lap as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world.
“You loved your mom?” he asked, and then started to curse himself. This wasn’t part of his job description. He killed. He didn’t ask questions.
“Yes, I did. I know you think it’s stupid, but I do. I mean, I did.” She shook her head. “Ignore me.”