“Are you saying he has no chance? Why aren’t you doing something?”
“That’s why I’m calling you. If I offer you in exchange for the contract, I can get the head of the snake and end all this. Neither of you has to get hurt.”
“Why didn’t Killian tell me anything?”
He scoffed. “If there’s any risk for you, there’s no way he’d be on board.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure he’s safe. I want this nightmare over with,” she said.
“That’s a good girl. Now, I want you to get ready and be at the front door in exactly twenty minutes. Don’t tell anyone. Keep it quiet.”
“You’re picking me up?”
“No, not me. You’ve got nineteen minutes.” Then the phone went dead.
June put the phone down and rubbed her hands together, trying to bring some warmth to them since her whole body seemed to be going into shock. This wasn’t what she’d signed up for, but what choice did she have? Killian’s boss said no one would get hurt if she helped him.
She got dressed, tiptoeing around to ensure she didn’t wake anyone up. Then she crept down the stairs, cringing when some of the old wooden planks squeaked. When she made it to the foyer, she leaned over, bracing a hand on each knee to calm herself.
“Going somewhere?”
June gasped and spun around. In the dim lighting, Bain looked like the devil himself. How had he heard her?
“I have to do something. Please don’t try and stop me.”
“Who called you?”
She sighed, not ready to start creating lies. “It was Killian’s boss. He has a plan to get Killian back safely. He needs me. I can’t screw this up, so I’m going.”
Bain exhaled, his eyes narrowed. “He wants you as bait.”
“What?”
“Boss doesn’t care about you, sweetheart. He just wants to keep one of his top men from dying in a blaze of glory.”
“No, he said I’d be able to draw out whoever put a hit on me and my son. Then he’d take care of it and end all this.”
“I’m sure that’s what he said. I guarantee you, he leaves you on their front doorstep and then fucks off.” There was a soft rapping on the door. “Let me guess…”
Bain wrenched open the door, a gun coming seemingly out of nowhere, pointed straight ahead.
“Whoa there, Bain. Just doing a pick-up.”
“Not today, you’re not, Chains,” said Bain.
“Boss’s orders.”
Bain cocked his gun, apparently not against killing a friend. “Boss wants Killian to come out of this alive, but he’s not using his woman to do it. He still has a favor from Viper, tell him to use it.”
He slammed the door in Chain’s face, and turned around after tucking the gun in the back of his pants.
“I don’t want him to get hurt,” she whispered, close to tears.
“Killian’s good at what he does. He wouldn’t have gone if he didn’t think he could handle it. Now, Scarlett likes you, and your kid is upstairs sleeping, so I’ll let this slide. Don’t try and leave this house again. Understand?”
She nodded and trudged back upstairs, occasionally looking over her shoulder. Bain stood at the bottom of the stairs, his arms crossed over his chest. The man was like a centurion, unmoving and intense.
June flopped on the bed without undressing, staring up at the ceiling. She had to have faith that Killian would come back to her. She wanted her son to know his father, for their relationship to grow and thrive. And June needed her man: his love, his presence, his body. She remembered his unique skillset, the way he used his wicked tongue, and the feel of his cock filling her. If he never came back, she’d never want another man.