Hitman's Bride (Bad Boy Empire)

by Vanessa Waltz

  * * *

  I let him go.

  It repeats over and over in my head as I pace through the pitch-black suite.

  Was it utter madness? I could have stopped him. Silas gave me a kiss on the cheek and I let him go to do whatever the fuck Viper wants from him. The truth is that I’m a selfish bitch, and I don’t want to see him hurt. My chest caves in at the thought of Silas being hurt because of something stupid I did that he tried to save me from. I love him, and I won’t put him in harm’s way for my sake. Maybe that makes me stupid, but I don’t give a fuck.

  Nine fifty-six. Four minutes.

  I keep the lights off and sit in the darkened kitchen, my head between my hands.

  He’ll never forgive me.

  Let’s be honest. There won’t be anything left for him to forgive once Viper is done with you.

  My hand tightens around the blunt kitchen knife we never use as my husband’s voice whispers in my head.

  Not before I get one last shot at him.

  For the life of me I still don’t understand why I’m alive. Why did he leave me at the party where I could’ve escaped?

  Because he knows you have nowhere to go.

  I tighten my hold over the plastic handle of the knife, visualizing my attack on Viper. He’ll open the door with one hand, exposing a length of chest, and then I’ll—

  Run him through? You’re a fucking idiot.

  I glance at the clock sitting on Silas’s nightstand, the red numbers bleeding into black. Two minutes left.

  Maybe, I don’t know, I could catch him by surprise. Except he’s the one who has the drop on me—he’s the one holding all the cards. All I have is this fucking knife that’s not even sharp. I thumb the blade carefully, but it doesn’t even peel back the skin.

  Fuck!

  Suddenly a leg steps out of the shadows on the wall, followed by the rest of him. My teeth sink into my bottom lip, stifling a scream as a man with broad shoulders and shoulder-length hair appears like an apparition out of thin air.

  “Fawn.”

  Viper stands before me, his thumbs hooked into his slacks. I cradle the chef’s knife in my hands awkwardly like a broken doll as my heart jackknifes into my chest.

  “You were there the whole time?”

  “Yes. I was enjoying watching you work over how you were going to kill me.” His eyes flick to my weapon, and he smirks. “How’s it coming along?”

  Hatred beats in my chest, suffusing my veins with power. His eyes narrow and his lips pull over his teeth like a dog baring its fangs, baiting for a fight.

  “Not too great.”

  I stand up from the table without realizing it, the knife still clenched in my hand, pointing uselessly at the floor.

  “Relax. I’m not here to hurt you.”

  He’s playing with me.

  “You know what I’ve done.”

  “Yes.”

  The eyes burn like pale-green fire as he takes another aggressive step forward. My heart seizes and I slash with the chef’s knife, but Viper expects it. He sidesteps my swipe almost lazily, and then his body bears over mine. My wrist screams with pain as he slams me into the wall, crushing my hand until I’m forced to let go of the knife. The plastic handle lands sharply on my foot, and I howl as pain explodes over my skin. The pain—fuck the pain—Viper’s body presses against mine. His fingers curl around my hand, and he exhales a sigh that blows over the sensitive skin on my neck.

  “You know, you’re the only one in this place with the balls to try that.”

  To try what? To kill him?

  “M-maybe it’s because they’re biding their time.”

  “Yeah,” he says with a little laugh. “They’re waiting for someone else to rise up and strike me down, except it’ll never happen. I’m always on the lookout for the one who’ll challenge me.” Then he takes both wrists in one massive hand and pins them above my head as his other hand touches my face. His fingers trace my lips, which are suddenly dry when I part them, desperately breathing in air.

  “I just didn’t think it would be you.”

  My heart jumps painfully. Why the hell is he talking to me with that loving caress in his voice? Why is he looking at me like that?

  He wraps around my throat, his fingers gentle enough to be a lover’s, but I know the brutal power within those hands. There’s no telling how many women he held just like this as his thumb crushed their windpipes, until his fingers gouged deep-red marks into their skin.

  Viper’s face is much too close. My lungs wheeze as he presses into me, leaning in to smell my hair. His hip digs into my abdomen painfully, and suddenly I’m aware of the rapidly growing bulge pressing into my pelvis, and a thrill of fear hits my heart.

  “Get the fuck off me!”

  He doesn’t. Cracked, dry lips touch my cheek, and then suddenly wetness streaks the side of my face. I swallow my scream as Viper drags his tongue over my cheek. Then he withdraws it, and a sick feeling poisons my stomach as he works the saliva in his mouth and swallows.

  I’m going to be—

  “I can practically taste your fear. You’re like a dog who bites because he’s afraid, but I’d rather have that than an army of spineless sycophants.”

  “I’m not afraid.”

  I grit it out as the lie burns in Viper’s eyes. I am scared shitless, but not of Viper. I don’t want to lose myself. I don’t want him to make me beg, but I’m terrified that I will succumb to pain or whatever torture he has planned for me.

  “You gave me respect.”

  “By trying to kill you?”

  “I didn’t think you had it in you.” That velvety smoothness creeps back into his voice right before his lips thin again. “Killer.”

  “I’m not a killer.”

  “You are. If Silas hadn’t stopped you, you’d have stabbed me with that needle.”

  “N-no, I wouldn’t—”

  His eyes blaze. “Yes, you would’ve. Don’t lie to me Fawn, we’re not liars like the others.”

  God, Silas. Help me.

  “Why don’t you just tell me what the fuck you want?”

  He closes his eyes as though in rapture. “I want to wrap my hands around your throat and fuck you.”

  I’m not afraid.

  “I want to choke you until you stop breathing and bring you back to life while my cock hammers your pussy.”

  His lips sting my face, and I flinch away.

  “But more than anything, I want to watch you kill.”

  “Why?” I can barely choke out the word as the air squeezes from my lungs. The room spins. I’m not afraid. I’m not afraid.

  “Because it makes my dick rock hard to picture you killing another man.” He sucks in breath, and the hand at my waist lowers, squeezing. “Weren’t you the one who said women deserved a place in the syndicate? Well, now I’m giving you a purpose.”

  “You want me to kill men?”

  “I want to watch you kill a man. And I want that man to be Silas.”

  No.

  “He saved your life!”

  “But he didn’t turn you in, did he?” He smirks at the horror dawning on my face.

  “To save me.”

  “I have no use for a man who puts loyalty to his wife above the Dragons.”

  “Viper, please. I can’t do this.”

  “If you kill him, I’ll let you go. You’ll be allowed to leave the syndicate.”

  My heart thumps loudly against my chest. Even if he kept his word, I’d never be able to stomach the destruction I caused. Kill Silas? Is he fucking crazy? I’d sooner put a gun to my head than hurt my husband like that.

  I look at Viper’s foul face. “Never.”

  “Then I’ll kill him anyway.” He leans forward, his cheek brushing against mine. “And I’ll make you beg to end your life.” His lips press against my frozen cheek. “He’s coming here right now. He’ll be here any second.”

  Walking right into a trap.

  “Viper, what’s the point of this?”


  “I want the girl he loves to sink a blade in his chest. I want him to suffer.”

  His cold hands leave my skin and then something hard digs into my palm. I close my hands around it reflexively and look down, barely registering the much sharper knife clutched in my shaking hands.

  “If you tip him off in any way, I’ll stick that knife in your cunt right before I fuck you.” The shadows around his face warp his sadistic grin. “Are you still brave, little Fawn?”

  I tighten my fist around the handle as I stare him down, that twisted fuck who’s responsible for murdering the Council, and every one of their wives, their children forced to swear allegiance.

  Yes, I’m still brave.

  Then there’s a sound outside that fills my chest with lead. A hand on the doorknob, the soft beep of the keycard. He’s back.

  No!

  I look at Viper, panicking as he backs into the closet and closes it, watching me through the slats. The door bursts open and I don’t know what to do with the fucking knife, so I just fling it in a shadowy corner. Silas shoulders open the door, his tie loosened around his neck. His dark jacket swings open and then I see dampness on his shirt. Is he wet? Then I see the bright-red color over his chest, and my eyes burn.

  “Oh God, what happened?”

  There’s blood staining his skin, but Silas’s face is still flushed with energy. He looks unbreakable, as always. Strong. Capable. I want to fall down to my knees the moment he reaches my side and cups my cheek, his warmth making me soar and plummet.

  My eyes find the closet where Viper’s hiding.

  Kill him? Never.

  “I’m all right.”

  “There blood all over your arm!”

  He sighs impatiently. “I just got nicked, that’s all.”

  “Let me—let me help you.”

  He stands, rooted to the spot. “I can’t stay long. I just wanted to check in on you. You looked upset at the party.”

  I turn into his warm body heat, my body still shaking.

  “What did he say?”

  I can’t just fold into his arms like this and tell him that Viper is on to us both, that he gave me an alternative he knows I’ll never take.

  “Nothing.”

  Concerned hazel eyes search mine, even though he’s the one bleeding on the floor. And it suddenly hits me that this is probably the last time I’ll look into his handsome face, hear his rough, gravelly voice, and feel that high when he touches me.

  He wants to watch? Good. I’ll give that piece of shit something to watch.

  I dig my fingers into Silas’s black, wavy hair and crush my lips against his. His warmth enfolds me as he spreads his hands around my neck, where Viper’s were minutes earlier, but the distinction is night and day. God, I just want to fall into his arms. I want to tumble into bed with him and never leave. My skin tingles all over as he pulls back, his mouth still hot against mine.

  “Fawn.”

  “What?”

  “I shouldn’t stay. I just wanted to make sure you were all right.”

  No, don’t leave me!

  I hope he doesn’t see the tremble in my lips before I dig my hand into the back of his head. Wet heat swirls in my mouth as he responds with a growl in the back of his throat. His hands wrap around, and I hiss as his fingertips scrape my skin. I can feel him gently disengaging from me, so my fingers curl around his tie and I yank him down. He catches himself on his knee as we both fall to the floor. Pain shoots into my head as he pulls my hair.

  “What the hell has gotten into you?”

  “You.”

  A smile breaks his handsome face and it sends my nerves aflutter. Everything disappears as I bury my hands into his jacket and clutch his muscled back, still damp with sweat. His dark-red stubble tickles my face.

  “You’ve gotten into me.”

  He lets out a dark chuckle as I nip his ear.

  I slide my fingers underneath his jacket, pushing it off his shoulders. His bemused expression flinches when I graze my fingers across his flat chest, and they come back wet.

  “Careful.”

  “Sorry.”

  I try to put more into the apology because I know that when he finds out what I’ve done, he’ll hate me. He’ll hate me for taking the choice out of his hands.

  I sit in his lap, breaking apart his shirt collar as his lips crush against mine again. It’s as though they’re burning with fever. His hands, powerful and raw, slide under my shirt. His heat suffocates my breasts as he kneads them both, desire swirling inside me. The shirt tugs at my skin like a second pair of hands as he pulls it over my head, and the cold stings my nipples. With another thrill, I realize that Viper’s going to witness this. He’s going to watch me get naked and spread my legs for my husband, his enemy. Then he’ll watch me get fucked by the very man he wants me to kill. I’m doing it to show that asshole that he’ll never have me. Silas does, because Viper wouldn’t know love if it kicked him in the face. A tiny sting of guilt hits me for involving Silas in this without his consent. He can hate me all he wants.

  Silas breaks away for a moment, his forehead pressed against mine as his palms cover my tits. “Fawn, you have the worst timing.”

  Oh, you have no idea.

  “You haven’t fucked me in a while.”

  I watch as the smile turns feral. “Did you forget this morning?”

  “I want more.”

  He lets out a growl—part frustration and part burgeoning lust. I rip open his button-down shirt, sliding my hand over his incredible body. I want to remember every bump of muscle. Then I smooth over the bulge peaking his slacks, and I watch his eyes narrow as I cup his balls, moving back to stroke his thick cock.

  “You see what you do to me?”

  “Yes, and I love it.”

  I squeeze, and he responds, jumping in my hands. His touch moves from my tits to my waist, and thinking of Viper in the closet, I cross my arms over my chest. Silas laughs, pulling my arms away right before he digs a hand in my hair.

  “I’ve been fantasizing about those lips all day,” he says, hissing in my ear. He nibbles the sensitive skin and my heart pounds.

  Oh God.

  Then he stands up, his fingers still tight in my hair as I kneel on the floor, face-to-face with his groin.

  Viper’s going to watch me give Silas a blow job.

  But a strange thrill runs up my spine, tingling my skin, as I place my hands on his belt. Let him watch. Let the piece of shit watch what he’ll never get from me.

  The sounds of leather slapping against itself echoes in the apartment as I yank his belt off and throw it aside. I grab his legs and lean forward, feeling him through the fabric with my mouth, tracing the head.

  I kiss him through his slacks as I tongue his zipper, grabbing it with my teeth. The sound feels like a stroke between my thighs as I pull down. Then I rip the button off his slacks and tug. His pants drag over his hips, exposing dark hair and a gorgeous Adonis belt, leading straight to his cock. I lift his briefs and yank them, and his cock springs free. The clothing hits the floor in a sigh as I grab the base of him and touch my lips to his gleaming head. His low sigh sends a tingle to my pussy.

  I take my time, swirling my tongue around his head as my eyes flicker toward the closet a few feet away from us. I imagine Viper’s eyes glowing in the darkness as he watches me suck Silas’s cock.

  Fuck Viper.

  Silas stretches my lips wide as he sinks inside me. The salty taste of his pre-cum swirls in my mouth as I bob my head forward, taking his cock down my throat.

  My tongue lubricates his shaft, running down the bulbous head to his underside as I simultaneously stroke him. My other hand gropes his fine ass until I slide between his thighs to cup the dark sac hanging from his cock.

  “You really know how to suck your husband’s cock, don’t you?”

  His fingers tighten in my hair, pulling some of it out by the roots as I take him deep enough to make me gag. Deep enough to make my eyes water. I
reach out with my tongue and gently stroke his balls as an ache begins to pound between my legs. He holds the sides of my face as his hips buck, forcing that last inch inside my throat, and back for me to breathe, and then forward again.

  The closet comes into view again, and I stare into the slats with Silas’s cock in my mouth, hoping that that asshole is watching. Waiting for me to perform the kill I won’t do.

  I gasp for air when Silas pulls out, and he gives me a little tap on my cheek.

  “Take off the rest. I want to see your pussy on display as you suck my cock.”

  My face burns for a moment, knowing that there’s another man who will see the same thing. A man I have no interest in, but a man nonetheless, and it makes my heart race.

  I stand up, my back against Silas’s warm body. His heart pounds against my spine as I hook my thumbs around the waistband of my jeans. Silas wraps his arms around me, gently stroking as I bend over. His pulsing cock digs into my ass, and when I straighten he’s between my legs. I push them together as my pussy contracts in response, watching his head peek between my thighs as he slides his cock in my folds. His hands flatten over my tits, pressing down before squeezing hard. A swift, hot wind blows on my neck as he nuzzles me.

  “You’re so goddamn sexy, Fawn.”

  “No more than you.”

  He’s lost in my body, kissing a trail to the crook of my neck. My nipples sing with pleasure as he pinches them, and then I’ve forgotten all about my plan to humiliate Viper. Who gives a fuck about him when Silas can make me feel like this?

  Smooth hands glide to my shoulders, suddenly applying pressure. I follow it, feeling every ridge and valley of his body as I kneel back down.

  “Spread your legs apart. I want to see you.”

  I spread my knees in a V shape, blushing when I see how obvious my arousal is. My pussy juice is smeared over my inner thighs. The skin on his cock is stretched thin, the whole thing swollen and aching for me. I take him between my lips, tasting myself as he dives back in my sore throat.

  The suite fills with the sounds of a wet, sloppy blow job and deep, utterly male groans. Saliva drips down my chin in a hanging thread, and Silas keeps his fist balled in my hair, urging me forward until he grabs the sides of my head and takes control. I love being taken by him, the utter surrender of my body. I would entrust no one else to it.