Hitman's Bride (Bad Boy Empire)

by Vanessa Waltz

  “She was doing a good job,” Viper says behind me.

  “She’s my wife and she disobeyed me.”

  Fawn cries out in pain as I dig my fingers into the back of her hair and pull hard. I’m exploding with rage, but inside I’m gutted at her betrayal. “You’re going to pay for this. Let’s go.”

  “You don’t have to be such a fucking bully!”

  I’m glad when I see nothing but a stony indifference on Viper when I yank my wife out of the room by her hair.

  “Silas. A moment.”

  Fuck.

  I drag Fawn’s body close to me and hiss in her ear. “Stay outside and wait for me.”

  She yanks her arm out of my grasp and leaves the room, slamming the door shut behind her.

  Then I realize I saved that piece of shit’s life. He would already be dead by now, and it’s definitely not a pleasant way out. His skin would’ve turned blue as he gasped for air.

  Viper reaches for the bandage on the tray and wraps his arm, an icy tone falling from his lips.

  “I heard about the journalist.”

  “I made a mistake. Aimed way too fucking high. I’ll go back and finish the job.”

  “Too late. She’s already fled the city, thanks to you.”

  Good.

  I hope the relief doesn’t show on my face.

  “I’m not infallible, Viper. Even I make mistakes.”

  “A mistake on a job I had to threaten you to do in the first place.”

  My lips tighten as he approaches me.

  “There won’t be a next time for you to fuck up. Are we clear?”

  Fucking crystal.

  * * *

  We don’t speak the whole way back to my suite. I don’t trust myself not to go into a screaming tirade the moment I get her alone in the elevator, but she just crosses her arms in front of her chest and avoids looking at me. She complains when I grab her arm and yank her out of the elevator.

  “You don’t have to be so rough!”

  “Yes, I fucking do.”

  I slide my keycard in the slot. As soon as the light blinks green, I shove open the door, throwing her inside.

  “What the fuck were you thinking?”

  She flinches at the noise of the door slamming shut, but faces me with squared shoulders. “You have no right to be angry with me.”

  I take a few violent steps forward as my body is suffused with heart-pounding energy. I can’t believe she did what she did.

  “I was close to ending it, and you blew it!”

  “It was reckless and stupid.”

  Tears spring into her eyes the moment my hand closes over her arm, and I want to dig my nails into her skin.

  “I saved your fucking life.”

  “You think my life matters so much to me? He destroyed everything I cared about.”

  Everything?

  She would willingly sacrifice her life to get away from this. Including me.

  Her tear-glazed eyes widen.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”

  “I don’t care what you think. You’re going to live a long, healthy life, and you’re going to stay the fuck away from Viper.” Silent tears stream down her cheeks as my voice shakes the ceiling. “You’re going to listen to what I say. I don’t give a shit if you hate my guts.”

  “I don’t! I’m sorry!”

  “Fuck you’re sorry. You almost got yourself killed, and then where would I be?”

  It would be like Pepper all over again, and the wave of guilt and self-loathing would drag me under. I’d never be able to forgive myself. It would destroy me.

  “Don’t you understand how much I hate myself?”

  There. It’s finally out in the open. My throat constricts as the shame balls in my chest.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I let her die. I didn’t stop him.”

  “That girl you told me about? But you were just a kid.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Every day I play what happened over and over in my head. How I just sat there and did nothing as he wrapped his filthy fingers around her neck.”

  “Silas, it wasn’t your fault!”

  “I could have done something.” My voice echoes hollowly in the suite. “I could have tried, at least.”

  “You were scared. Silas, you can’t keep blaming yourself forever.”

  Silas. She doesn’t understand that I created that name to purge myself of weakness. I wanted to carve it out of my body ruthlessly. Get it out. Kill it. Silas was born the moment I told myself: No more. I discarded my past and stepped into a suit that I knew would protect me. I thought Michael was dead, but he’s still there. Breathing inside me, stealing my warmth, pumping my heart faster. Old feelings rush to the surface, and I try to stamp them down. Then I look at her, and that battle dies in an instant.

  “I told you before that I stayed here because I wanted revenge. That’s not the whole reason. I need to redeem myself, Fawn.”

  “I can help you!”

  “You’re not going to help me with anything. All you’ll do is fuck things up for us both.”

  She flinches. I don’t care. She needs to hear it.

  “If you hadn’t stopped me, he’d already be dead!”

  “Chances are he recognized that syringe the moment you pulled it out of your bra or wherever the fuck you were hiding it. He’s not a moron. If by some miracle he didn’t, then you should be on your knees, thanking me for saving your life.” Her eyes widen when my hand snakes through her hair, clenching a fistful of her dirty-blonde strands. “I have been way too fucking soft on you. That ends tonight.”

  I’m not going to hit her, but I’m going to scare the shit out of her.

  I can’t lose her.

  “You are never going to pull a stunt like that again. Ever.”

  Her mouth twists in defiance.

  She jumps in my arms as I lunge to grab one of the chairs. It makes a loud noise as the steel screams across the floor.

  “What are you—?”

  I pull her scrubs and panties to her knees, and then I sit down on the chair. Fawn struggles as I jerk her body over my lap, my hand still fisted in her hair. I spread my palm over her tiny little ass.

  “What the hell are you doing?” she shrieks to the ground.

  “Punishing you.”

  And then I spank her ass cheek as hard as I can. She lets out a yelp as the sound of my hand on her skin cracks the air.

  “What the fuck?”

  I ignore her outrage, digging my fingers into her scalp to make her stop squirming. Then I slap her again. I let my hand rain three times on one cheek, one after the other.

  “That fucking hurts!”

  “Good. Maybe you’ll remember not to fuck with me again.”

  Fawn tries to raise herself on her elbows, but I yank her hair.

  “Bastard.”

  “Admit that you made a mistake, and I’ll stop.”

  “No!”

  Stubborn bitch.

  Fine. It’s not like I’m not enjoying this. My palm smooths over the angry red burn on her cheeks, and she lets out a small moan. “No!”

  I love the way blood rushes to the surface of her skin when I spank her. Each blow makes her squirm, and I feel the movement stimulating my cock as it grows hard under her. By the seventh spanking, she twists her head around, screaming.

  “Okay, okay. Stop it!”

  “Not until you say the words.” A smile pulls at my lips as my hand cracks down on her again.

  “I made a mistake!”

  She shakes over my lap, her body trembling in anticipation of another blow.

  “There. Was that so fucking hard?”

  “Yes.”

  I caress her raw skin, admiring the way my fingers show up stark white above the red burn. “You’re not going to make a scene like that in public again.” She hesitates, and I gouge my fingers in her ass. “Right?”

  “Right.”

  “You’re going to stay the fuck away
from Viper.”

  “Yes.”

  Anything less than an immediate “yes” and I would have flogged her again.

  I pull her upright so that she’s still sitting on my lap. Fawn’s lip curls, her eyes stinging with tears.

  “Don’t give me that look.”

  “What?” she says with an edge in her voice.

  “You know what.”

  “Fuck off, Silas.”

  I get it. She’s pissed that I humiliated her, but I’m angry, too. She’s the one who put her life at risk for nothing.

  “You don’t have the right to be angry with me,” I tell her. “You didn’t give a single thought about what your death might do to me.”

  For once her face mirrors that poisonous feeling circling my chest: shame.

  FAWN

  I look at his darkened figure. The slope of his back is the only part that I can see, and it rises and falls with his labored breaths. He turned away from me as soon as he slid under the sheets, and I lay on my back, staring at the ceiling.

  What your death might do to me.

  At first I thought it meant retribution, but I knew the reason ran deeper than that. The way his voice cracked when he spoke said it all, really.

  Why the hell am I feeling guilt?

  Viper is a mad beast who needs to be put down. I thought I was doing the world a favor, but instead I get chastised. I get screamed at in my face about it. Yes, I’d probably be dead by now, but at least no more of my friends would die.

  An orange tinge bleaches the walls of the skyscrapers as I look out the window. I think of last night, wondering if anyone heard our raised voices. I wonder how many screams are being stifled in this building at this very moment. Viper’s dictatorship even seized control of the newsletter service. No mention of the body count over his bloody ascent to the top.

  How can Silas expect me to sit tight and do nothing?

  I dress quickly as Silas lies there, unmoving. I reach for my scrubs, but I know that it’ll just infuriate him if I go back to the infirmary. My ass is still raw from yesterday.

  Bastard.

  I dress in street clothes and lace up my boots, sitting on the edge of the mattress. A creak of the floorboards makes me whirl my head around, and then I see my husband standing at the foot of the bed in all of his naked glory. Silas crosses his arms over his broad chest, looking fully alert. It’s as if he didn’t sleep either, except I know that he did. He always wakes up so quietly. It scares the hell out of me.

  He takes a few steps toward me, and I can’t help but feast my eyes over the flat chest, his rippling biceps, and his fat cock, hanging proudly out in the open.

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  It’s hard to speak when he’s so close to me, demanding my attention.

  “Out.”

  His tone is clipped. “Where?”

  Fuck, I don’t know where I’m going. I just need to get some air.

  Mind your own goddamn business. That’s what I’d like to say, but I’m all too aware of his hands, twitching at his sides.

  You’ll catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

  I don’t know where I heard the phrase, but it suddenly strikes me. My heart shudders as I stand up and place a palm over his extremely warm chest. He looks down at my hand and then to me.

  “I just want to get out for a bit.”

  “Not happening.”

  “Just to get some air. Promise.”

  His heartbeat thrums into my skin. “I’ll go with you.”

  “You really don’t have to come with me. Go back to sleep.”

  “I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

  Fine.

  I let out a loud huff as I sink back onto the bed as he steps around me and fishes for a pair of boxers. Silas rubs his eyes, his face pinched with fatigue, and a fresh wave of guilt hits me. Because I don’t want to do this to him. He gets little enough sleep as is, and now I’m dragging him out of bed because I feel like taking a stroll.

  Silas doesn’t utter a single complaint as he pulls on a pair of dark-blue jeans and a t-shirt. Technically he’s supposed to wear the syndicate member uniform at all times, but fuck that. It’s six in the morning.

  “Ready?” he asks me as he laces up his boots.

  “Yeah.”

  The door shuts behind us with a secure snap and I walk down the halls that used to feel like home. It’s a bit awkward. My head is still buzzing with what happened last night and I wonder if he’s still pissed off, but I can’t tell a thing from looking at his face. As we take the elevator down, Silas slips his hand in mine and his thumb strokes my skin. I squeeze him back as a weight I didn’t even know I was carrying lifts over my shoulders.

  I watch the small stream of people through the glass. In and out. The elevator dips below the lobby and opens to the bright underground mall. There are a few stores in the mall, plus a small food court and theater. It’s not really meant to compete with the shopping in Union Square, just to provide members with the basic necessities. At this hour we’re completely alone. The mall echoes with our footsteps, the recently cleaned floors reflecting Silas and I, hand in hand.

  “This place has its own mall? Jesus.”

  “The fact that the syndicate has a mall surprised you? Not the whorehouse or the hospital?”

  He gives me a half shrug. “A lot of MC gangs have club whores and their own doctors on payroll. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

  “We’re more than just a gang, Silas.”

  Do I still believe that?

  “Yeah. You’re a cult. Any place that makes me bleed into a fucking stone basin and lights it on fire is a cult.”

  I roll my eyes. “Every gang has their rituals, Silas. You might as well call La Cosa Nostra a cult, too.”

  A smile broadens his face. “I thought you said you weren’t a gang?”

  I fold my arms and turn away from his laughter as I seethe.

  “Oh, come on.”

  “You just don’t get it. You’ve never been a part of something bigger than yourself. This cult has done a lot of good things for the Bay Area. We’ve funded homeless shelters to clean up the city, we’re major donors to several children’s hospitals in the area, we buy out failing local businesses and resurrect them.”

  “You’re just listing money-laundering schemes, sweetheart.”

  I can’t stand his huge grin. It pisses me off so much that I walk several feet away from him, wishing he had just stayed behind.

  “Don’t be angry. You know I’m right.”

  A brightly colored piece of paper catches my eye on the bulletin board sitting in the middle of the mall.

  INAUGURATION PARTY - MANDATORY FOR ALL MEMBERS

  Inauguration party? I walk closer to the cheery, bright-red paper.

  To celebrate the new change in leadership, we will be hosting a ball in the lobby at 7 p.m. this Friday. Come join us for a night of feasting and celebration!

  I stare at the exclamation point for a few seconds, fighting a rising tide of anger. Change in leadership? Not “Viper’s slaughter of the Council.” It galls me that he thinks he can sweep this shit under the table with PR speech. I grab the edge of the paper and rip it off the notice board, leaving a huge chunk behind. My hand curls, crumpling it as I head toward a wastebasket.

  “What’s that?”

  “An invitation to his stupid party. Viper’s,” I clarify when Silas looks lost.

  “Oh, that. Yeah, I already know about it. Members are required to go.”

  The snake thinks he’s won already. We’re all playing into his hands by going to this stupid party he’s hosting.

  I stop in my tracks.

  There will be hundreds of disenfranchised syndicate men there.

  This could be it.

  * * *

  Silas wets his hair with his fingers in an attempt to tame his unruly mane. His jaw is still damp from shaving, but there’s a bit of cream on his neck that he forgot to clean up. My d
olled-up reflection leans in as I wipe it from his neck with a cloth.

  “Missed a spot.”

  He gives me a rare smile through the mirror, one that makes his face glow. He grasps my neck with his damp hands, and his lips brush against my cheek. There’s real warmth in the kiss, and my heart thumps hard against my ribs. My skin tingles like a thousand minuscule needles gently pricking after he lets me go, and I try to get used to the strange sensation.

  “Michael.”

  He raises an eyebrow at my tentative voice as he loops his tie around his neck.

  “I think I have an idea to take down Viper.”

  “Oh yeah? How’s that, genius?”

  The condescending tone grates at me. “It would be at the party.”

  He lets out a bark of laughter. “No.”

  “You’re not listening.”

  “The day I listen to you on how to do my job is the day I resign. No offense.”

  He’s right. I don’t know the first thing about killing a man, but I was willing to do it, wasn’t I?

  “It’s going to be the perfect opportunity.”

  “Security will be at an all-time high. I have a better chance of getting shot than getting within two feet of striking distance of that prick.”

  Hope fizzles like the aftermath of a firework.

  “If I wanted to just get in and get out, there would be ways.”

  “Then why don’t we do that?”

  He struggles with the tie. “We can’t just leave, remember? We’re stuck here. I need support before I take him down. That’s what this party is all about for me.”

  “How can I help?”

  “You can help me with this fucking tie.”

  I let out a long-suffering sigh and grab the tie from his hands. The fabric of his suit is coarse against my fingers as I turn him to face me, watching the tic in his jaw. Something has him on edge. It has to be this party. I loop the tie through the knot and pull it against his throat.

  “Seriously. I want to help.”

  “Enjoy the party and stay the fuck out of it.”

  Heat rushes to my face at the bite in his words, and I turn to leave the bathroom, but not before Silas snakes his heavy arm around my waist. His lips brush my ear and my heart pounds.

  “You look beautiful.”

  A seal of his lips makes the butterflies dance. Then his fingers curl into my body and he keeps planting kisses up my neck, each one hotter than the last. The space between my legs heats up.