And her FBI protector George was gone.
She was all alone out here.
Her heart pounding, she darted through the forest, increasing her pace, hurrying toward her house.
A man stepped out in front of her.
Tall, pale, with creepy pink eyes and a serpent tattoo across his bald head that seemed to slither in lifelike movements as he tilted his head to the side.
Karen came to an abrupt halt. Her breath caught. Her heart went wild, thundering against her ribs.
Viper grinned, eyeing her with those creepy eyes. Scorpion and Cougar came out of the trees on either side of her, circling around to cage her in.
Her eyes darted from one man to the next, then settled on Viper.
“What do you want? Haven’t you bothered me enough?”
Viper chuckled as he took a step toward her. “Not nearly enough, Ms. Williams. I’ve been watching, and waiting, for just the right moment. Now that your bodyguard is gone, you are going to help me bring Stoner in so I can kill him.”
“I will do no such thing.”
The men drew closer, surrounding her, blocking any chance of escape.
Viper reached out, his cold fingers closing around her chin. He titled her head back, forcing her gaze to his.
“Oh yes you will. You will not only help me set the trap for him. You will help me end his life.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
“I told you, I don’t know who he is. You know more about him than I do. I haven’t seen him since the day the cops stormed your compound.”
They’d tied Karen to a chair at her kitchen table and had been interrogating her for the past hour. Tiara rubbed against her leg and meowed, distressed by the strangers in the house. The cat had been out on Karen’s back porch the night she’d returned, hungry, but unharmed.
Cougar snagged Karen’s hair and yanked her head back. Tiara fled into the living room, disappearing beneath the couch.
Karen’s eyes stung with tears, but she refused to give in. They could torture her all they wanted. She would not tell them who Craig was.
Viper leaned close to peer into her eyes.
“I thought you had some good in you somewhere,” Karen spat, glaring up at him. “I thought you cared about your nephew. But you don’t. You don’t care about anyone except yourself. You’re pure evil.”
Viper chuckled. “How right you are, Ms. Williams. And now you have to deal with this pure evil, don’t you?”
He leaned back a moment, contemplating, staring at something behind her. His gaze skipped back to hers. “You know, I tried to find out who Stoner was, but the man’s a damn phantom. I researched the kid I knew as “Blade” and found out his real name was Michael Smith. Such a common name. Do you know how many Michael Smiths are in this country? I found a few that might be him, but they were all dead ends. So that leads me to wonder if Michael Smith changed his name years ago. Or if Stoner changed his appearance to become this ‘Blade.’ And then it occurred to me that maybe he’s really FBI and was working with your son-in-law all along. But there were no Michael Smiths with the Bureau. So if he is FBI, he’s got a good cover. You have to know something, Ms. Williams. What’s Stoner’s real name?”
“Stoner. I already told you. That’s all I know him as. Just Stoner.”
Viper nodded at Cougar. Cougar released her hair and back-handed her across the face. She gasped, her cheek slinging from the slap. But she refused to give in. She glared up at Viper. Cougar grabbed her hair again and yanked her head farther back, straining her neck muscles. She winced at the pain. But she didn’t look away from Viper’s gaze.
“His name?” Viper repeated.
Karen kept her lips pursed tight. She was not telling them.
Viper glared at her. He nodded at Cougar again.
Cougar untied her from the chair.
“Cougar’s been anxiously waiting to fuck you for a long time, Ms. Williams. Perhaps it’s time I let him have his way with you.”
She stiffened as Cougar yanked her up from the chair. Scorpion stepped forward, pushing her back against Cougar. Cougar’s vile hands wrapped around her waist, yanking her against him. She swallowed hard. He dragged his foul tongue along her cheek and down her neck.
Karen shivered. She held Viper’s gaze.
“Ready to talk yet Ms. Williams?”
Cougar slipped a hand into her jeans. She drew in a shaky breath. “I told you, I don’t know anything.”
Viper’s lip twisted into an evil grin. “You know why I hate you so much, Ms. Williams? It’s not because of your inferior Latino heritage, believe it or not. It’s because you remind me of Monica. She was strong, like you. But even the strongest people can be broken. If I let Cougar have his way with you, he will break you, Ms. Williams. You will become a weak, mewling child, begging for mercy. Is that what you want? To be broken?”
Karen swallowed hard. She tried to ignore the way Cougar’s disgusting fingers probed intimately at her.
You can endure this, Karen. Don’t give in. Don’t tell them who Craig is.
She glared at Viper, refusing to talk.
“Okay.” Viper turned away. “Have at her, Cougar. Maybe once you’re done she’ll be willing to talk.”
Cougar yanked the zipper down on her jeans. Karen tensed.
Don’t give in. Don’t give in.
“Help him out,” Viper said, motioning to Scorpion. “Strip her. It’s amazing how weak people become when they are bare naked with nothing to hide behind.”
She squeezed her eyes shut, tried to go to another place.
Scorpion yanked at her shirt, tearing it away from her while Cougar yanked her jeans down. Her bra came next, falling away from her along with the padding. Within seconds, she was naked. Karen wanted to see their expressions when they saw her boobless chest, so she opened her eyes and glared.
Scorpion hissed out a surprised breath. He stumbled back. Cougar, who was behind her, couldn’t see. Viper narrowed his gaze at her scars, then looked her in the eye. Cougar spun her around, feasting his eyes on her. His gaze fell upon her chest. He released her abruptly.
“What the fuck?”
For a moment, even Viper appeared speechless. But his next words cut her deep, for she had often wondered them herself.
“Ah, now I see why Stoner left you. He got a good look at your chest and ran the other way, I bet.”
Heat crept into her cheeks. She would not let them humiliate her. Stoner had said it didn’t matter to him. He wouldn’t have made love to her if he was disgusted by her scars. She was the one who had run him off. It was her own fault he was gone. He still wanted her. Didn’t he?
He still wants me.
She lifted her chin.
“Like I said, I don’t know his real name. Can we stop this ridiculous game now?”
Viper glanced at Scorpion, who looked uncomfortable, than at Cougar, who appeared disgusted. Cougar sneered at her, lifting his lip in a snarl. “I don’t want her now. She ain’t got no tits.”
Viper glanced back at Karen. “Tie her to the chair again,” he ordered. “I’ve got another idea.”
Once she was back in the chair, her hands and feet bound, Viper fished her cell phone out of her backpack. He scrolled through her contacts, then tapped the one he wanted. He put it on speaker and held it out to her.
“We’re calling your son-in-law. You’re going to tell him you’re being held captive in your home and if Stoner doesn’t get here by midnight tonight, I will kill you. He’d better come alone. And that’s not a threat, Ms. Williams. It’s a fact. If he brings the FBI, you will be the first to die.”
The phone rang, once, twice, three times. It went to Nick’s voicemail.
“Leave him a message,” Viper ordered. “Do it, now.”
Her voice unsteady, Karen left Nick a message. Viper ended the call and set her phone on the table.
“Now we wait. If your son-in-law wants you to live, he’ll find Stoner and get him here before midnight. If n
ot, then tonight you will die.”
* * *
Nick called as Craig was getting off the plane in Spokane.
“Hey, Nick. How’s it going? I just finished up in Seattle and decided to take a couple days off. I’ll be back in Sandpoint in a few hours.”
“Thank God I caught you,” Nick said. “Karen’s in trouble. Viper’s taken her hostage in her home. He said if you’re not there by midnight, he’ll kill her. He said you’d better come alone. If you bring anyone with you, they will kill her.”
Dread settled into Craig’s chest. He should have known that as soon as he called his guys off, Viper would show up.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He disconnected the call. He would not call in any backup. This was something he had to do alone.
Not only because Karen’s life was at stake.
But because he’d been planning his revenge for years and this time, Viper wouldn’t get away.
If that son-of-a-bitch had hurt Karen, Craig would make him suffer. Guilt stabbed through him. If Viper had hurt Karen, Craig would never be able to forgive himself for abandoning her like he had. He should have stayed and protected her. But he’d been so hurt by her rejection, by her refusal to listen, then he’d fled to Seattle and thrown himself back into work, trying to get her out of his mind.
Now she was in serious danger.
And only he could save her.
* * *
It was dark by the time Craig pulled into Karen’s driveway. There were no lights on inside, which indicated they were either hiding out in the dark, or they were outside somewhere.
Or perhaps out in the greenhouse.
He left his gun in the car and approached the front door. He would not endanger Karen any more than necessary. He didn’t need a weapon to take Viper down. His ribs were mostly healed now. He planned to take Viper down with his bare hands. It would not be an easy fight. But if Craig died today, he’d make sure he saved Karen first. She was his number one priority.
If he didn’t die, he’d tell her what he’d been too afraid to tell her before: that he loved her. And if she was willing to give him a second chance, he’d make things right. He would never lie to her again.
The front door was unlocked. He pushed it open and quietly searched the dark house. No one was inside.
Craig made his way around back, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. A flicker of light in the greenhouse caught his eye.
He headed toward the greenhouse, his steps cautious. He pushed the door open and peered inside.
A rush of sound came from his right. Craig leapt aside just in time. A body flew past, narrowly missing him.
The light clicked on.
Viper stood in the center of the greenhouse, between the rows of plants. Karen was tied to a chair on top of a table beside him. She was naked and shivering. Her scarred chest was exposed, on display for anyone who looked. Craig’s heart twisted. That son-of-a-bitch! How could he humiliate her like this?
Craig’s gaze locked on hers.
I’m sorry, Karen. So sorry.
She stared back with a fierce determination that made his breath catch. She didn’t look like she’d been crying, though her face was swollen from what he imagined had been back-handed slaps. He had no doubt they had interrogated her, but he could only guess at what that interrogation might have entailed. They might have raped her. Cougar had been wanting her for a while. Viper might have allowed the other man to rape her in an attempt to get her to talk. Craig’s stomach churned. He would never be able to live with himself if they’d done that to her.
“I didn’t say anything, Stoner.” Her voice came as a soft whisper, but every word, every syllable reached his ears. “I told them they could torture me all they wanted, but I wasn’t telling them anything.”
Craig swallowed hard. God, she was an incredible woman. Tougher than even he had imagined.
He glanced down at the chair she was strapped to. One from her kitchen dinette set. The chair was set precariously on the table in between the plants. All it would take was one push from Viper and the chair would tip. She would fall to the concrete floor and be injured. Possibly break her neck.
Scorpion and Cougar came up on either side of Craig. They each had a gun pointed at him.
Craig lifted his arms in the air. “I’m not armed. You can search me.”
Viper’s lips twisted into a smirk. He motioned to Scorpion and Cougar, who rushed forward and searched him.
“He’s clean.” Scorpion stepped back and pointed his gun at Craig’s head. “Should I kill him now?”
“No.” Viper came forward around the table. “That will be my pleasure, not yours.”
He and Craig locked stares.
“I’ve been waiting a long time to kill you,” Craig said. “You should have died instead of Monica.”
Viper paused halfway across the room. He glanced back at Karen where she perched on the chair on top of the table. He walked back over to her and peered up at her.
Craig tensed. He ignored the guns in his face and focused all his attention on Viper. He knew what Viper was going to do even before he did.
“Let her go,” Craig said quietly. He would beg if he had to. “Please. You already took my sister. Don’t take Karen too. You can have me. Just let her go.”
Viper turned back to him. “I lost a sister now, too, so I’d say we’re even.” He paused, studied Craig for a long moment. “So you really are Blade, then? What’s your name? I checked Blade out. His real name was Michael Smith.”
“That was my birth name. I had it legally changed after Monica died. I wanted to sever all connections with L.A. and the gang I was involved in. I moved to Phoenix and started a new life and never looked back.”
Viper’s nostrils flared. “So what’s your name now, Blade?”
“Craig. Craig Rawlins.”
Viper’s gaze narrowed. “FBI?”
“For over twenty years.”
Viper cocked a brow. “You been chasing me for twenty years?”
Craig snorted. “Don’t flatter yourself. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago when we were investigating a human trafficking ring that I stumbled upon your picture. You haven’t changed much. A few more tattoos, a lot more crimes on your belt, but it was still you, the son-of-a-bitch who’d killed Monica. We found a link from our human trafficker to the Cobras. I did some more investigating and decided to impersonate Neal Stone to see if I could get inside. And it worked. Neal Stone’s body has not been recovered. I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me what you did to him?”
Viper didn’t answer.
Craig bared his teeth. “Didn’t think so. I took you down, Viper. The only thing left to do now is kill you.”
Viper chuckled. “Pretty cocky for a guy who has two guns pointed in his face.”
Craig shrugged. “I’m not afraid of dying. The question is, are you?”
Viper stalked toward him, forgetting about Karen, which had been Craig’s intention. For a moment there, he’d feared Viper was about to shove her off the table.
Scorpion and Cougar stepped back as Viper paused in front of Craig. Viper’s gaze locked on Craig’s in a fierce stare. Craig didn’t waver. Not once. He stared the other man down.
Viper chuckled. “I always liked you, Stoner. You’re the kind of man I respect. You would have made a good Cobra. But now it’s time for one of us to die.”
“Let me shoot him,” Scorpion said, raising his gun.
“No, let me kick his ass,” Cougar spoke up. “I’ve wanted a go at this son-of-a-bitch for a long time.”
Viper glanced from Scorpion to Cougar, then back at Craig. “As much as I’d enjoy watching you beat him to a bloody fucking pulp, Cougar, and as enjoyable as it might be to see you put a bullet in his head, Scorpion, Stoner’s mine. Back off, you two. Now!”
Scorpion backed up a step. After a slight hesitation, Cougar did likewise.
“It’s time, Stoner.” Viper stared coldly into his eyes. �
��May the better man win.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Karen held her breath as the two men stared each other down. This would be a fight to the death. There would be no tapping out. No pretending. This time it was a matter of kill or be killed.
Her heart thundered loudly in her ears as Scorpion and Cougar stepped aside.
She’d been pulling at her bonds since they’d strapped her to the chair with zip ties. She was beginning to hate zip ties. But she’d escaped them once. If she was lucky, she might manage to work her hands free without anyone noticing. So she kept pulling and twisting, pressing her thumbs tightly to her palms, and tried to wriggle free. She would not give up.
Craig yanked his blue Polo from the waistband of his dress slacks, unbuttoned it, and pulled it off his shoulders. She’d never seen him dressed in anything except T-shirts and jeans before. She had to admit the dressier attire made him look completely different, totally unlike the badass he’d portrayed over the few weeks she’d spent with him at the compound. In her eyes, he was breathtakingly handsome. The cuts and bruises on his torso were mostly gone now. She wanted to run to him and fling her arms around him, tell him how much she’d missed him. And how sorry she was for pushing him away.
Craig hung the shirt over a hook on the wall and turned to face Viper.
Viper smirked.
“I hope your ribs have healed, Stoner. I don’t want to fight a weakling.”
While she continued to work at the bonds, Karen watched as Viper removed his Cobras jacket and handed it to Scorpion. He yanked his T-shirt over his head, tossing it at Cougar. She stared, her eyes going wide, at the numerous tattoos crawling over his entire torso. To say the man liked snakes would be an understatement. His pale skin came alive with serpents of all colors, a dance of scaly skin and intertwining tails, forked tongues, life-like rattles, hissing cobras, beady eyes and constricting boas. Snakes of numerous species covered his skin. Though the artwork was incredible and extremely realistic, the sight of all those snakes on the man’s body was a little overwhelming. It was just too much.
Viper’s body was just as hard and muscular as Craig’s, but all those tattoos...if she hadn’t been creeped out before, now she totally was.
Stoned (Unlikely Heroes Book 4) Page 29