Hard Bounty (The Snake Eyes Series Book 5)

by Tabatha Kiss

  “How long have you known this?”

  “For as long as I’ve been following you.”

  “And how long has that been?”

  He smiles. “Before LA, there was Boston. Before that, Iowa. Miami. Denver…”

  I raise my head, more shocked than angry to be honest. “You’re kidding me.”

  “You had no idea?”

  “No.”

  He sits back, smug as fuck. “One thing I can’t figure out, though, is why you have that card at all. As you’ve pointed out, you have plenty of money to spare but you’re also smart. There’s no way I outsmarted you in figuring this out — you know better. So, why have the card?” he asks. “Why leave a trail?”

  My pride bleeds. I’ve had that card since I was a damn teenager. I never thought for a second that anyone would notice it and I sure as hell didn’t think about it leaving a trail for anyone to find.

  Fuck.

  I take a deep breath. “I’m begging you, Archer—”

  “Beg all you like, Lilah,” he says, grabbing his book again. “I’ve waited a long time to get you in chains… and I won’t let you go.”

  I seethe, feeling an overwhelming urge to crush his skull beneath my heel. “You look like a fucking idiot with that thing in your nose.”

  He tugs the tampon loose and looks at it. “By the way, what brand is this? I want to stock up.”

  “Oh, fuck off.”

  I turn away from him and lay my head back down.

  Chapter 9

  Archer

  Nine o’clock comes fast.

  Lilah spent the entire evening with her head down on that table. She hasn’t said a word. She just stared off into the wall as if there was something there, staring right back at her. I wish I could say I felt nothing for her but the more time I spend with Lilah Hart, the more her human-like she seems. I almost feel sorry for her.

  Almost.

  I drive us to the silos just north of Chicago where Enzo plans to meet us. We arrive several minutes early. There’s no sign of Enzo or his people or civilization, for that matter. Just shadowed darkness amongst old, rusted equipment on forgotten lands.

  I fetch the handcuff key from my pocket and kneel beside her at the table. “Ready?” I ask.

  She glares silently and shifts her wrists towards me.

  I pause, suspecting a trick, but her eyes are as cold and dead as the earth outside. Did I really break her? Where’s the fighter I’ve heard so much about? The brutal and deadly Lilah Hart?

  I slip one wrist free and stand her up. She moves with me, easing around to let me cuff her hands behind her back. No sudden moves. No snarky quips.

  No Lilah Hart.

  I open the trailer door and lead her outside.

  Lilah shuffles her feet in the dirt I peek behind her once more, just to be double sure her hands are empty. I’ve seen her pick and slip out of handcuffs in the blink of an eye — twice — and I’m determined not to make that mistake again with her.

  The silos cast a deep shadow over us. This place was abandoned years ago, now covered with decayed wildlife. The light posts are broken, surrounded by shattered glass. It’s just dark enough that I can barely make out the stars above our heads

  I look at Lilah to see that she’s doing the same, gazing up into the sky. Her chest rises and falls, as calm as the moment I caught her. If she’s got a plan, then it’s a good one. If she doesn’t, then maybe I do feel sorry for her.

  “How long have you been in Snake Eyes?” I ask, trying to kill the pang in my chest.

  She blinks once but doesn’t move. “A while.”

  “Give me a number.”

  Her eyes fall to me. “What does it matter to you?”

  “Personal curiosity,” I smirk. “Oh, come on. Who knows what Enzo’s gonna do to you? Might as well pass on your legacy now.”

  Lilah wets her lips and presses them together for a moment of thought. “The day I was recruited, a man walked up to me in a parking garage,” she begins, softly sighing. “He told me his name was Mercer Black and that my big brother worked for him. I knew the name, but I also knew that I wasn’t supposed to know him, so I pretended like I didn’t. He pulled a knife on me and told me not to scream.” She pauses and laughs to herself. “I remember thinking that this was it; that this was how I would die, but my muscle memory kicked in before the thought even left my head. I disarmed him and stabbed him in the shoulder with his own knife.”

  “How old were you?”

  “I was seventeen.”

  I shift in her direction. “That’s young.”

  She shrugs. “Dante was furious with Mercer but he broke the rules. He was supposed to be dead to the world but he stayed in contact with me and Elijah. Mercer found out and came to kill us but when he saw what I did – what I could be trained to become – he gave us a second option. We got our tattoos the next day… and I made my first kill a week after that.”

  I shake my head. “That’s no way for a girl to grow up.”

  “Oh, I grew up long before that…” A quiet breath escapes her lips as she stares straight into the black dirt. “I watched my parents die when I was five-years-old.”

  A rush of emotion takes my nerves. My tongue feels heavy, tempted to speak but I wouldn’t know what to say even if I could.

  “I still remember every detail,” she says, her voice just above a whisper. “From the moment the truck swerved into our lane to when the… to when the paramedics laid those sheets over their faces. I remember the fire and the smoke. I couldn’t breathe. There was blood on my hands and all I could do was scream.” Her eyes flick, daring to look at me but they don’t quite make it. “Dante pulled me from the car, then went back in for Elijah. When he laid him down beside me, he wasn’t moving but I could see his chest rising and falling and I knew that was a good thing but I still couldn’t stop screaming. Dante threw his arms around me and said, ‘I’ve got you, little sister. I’ve got you.’” She pauses. “Since that moment, it’s been us. We knew we had to stick together and Snake Eyes was no different. A family of killers was better than no family at all. Nine years later and that’s still true.”

  I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. I can hardly breathe, trapped in a box beneath six feet of dead earth.

  “So, what do you think, Archer?” she asks, finally turning her head to look at me. Her eyes glisten behind a blanket of soft, unfallen tears. “Am I a monster?”

  My lungs ache, forcing me to take a deep breath but the air just burns inside. “No,” I answer.

  Lilah nods as a bright beam of light covers her face. She squints and rolls her shoulders back, standing a little taller as her sad expression fades.

  Three black cars pull into the empty lot, stopping all in a line about ten yards away from my trailer.

  The driver steps out of the middle car and calmly walks to open the back door.

  Enzo Zappia emerges from inside with a blissful grin crawling across his face, along with two armed men in black suits. He says nothing but his deep cackle grows louder with every step he takes towards us.

  “Allen,” he says, clapping once, “I had my doubts. I honestly didn’t expect you to catch her so quickly.”

  “Little bit of luck,” I say. “Little bit of skill.”

  “And a lot of fun, I bet.” He sneers at Lilah, his eyes throbbing like a predator in heat.

  I look to her to find her leering up at me. “A little.”

  Lilah keeps that blank expression but the edges of her mouth twitch slightly.

  Enzo grabs her by the arm and pulls her towards him, breaking our eye contact as he twists her around. He stares her down, bearing his crooked teeth, and my guts churn inside. “It’s nice to see you again, Ms. Hart.”

  “Meh,” she shrugs.

  He chuckles and pulls her closer to run his nose along her neck. “Don’t look so disappointed. You had this coming.”

  She doesn’t blink. “So do you.”

  Enzo digs his nai
ls into her arm. “Take a good look around.” He smiles. “This will be the last time you see the outside world.”

  I take a step forward as he tugs her away from me. “We should discuss payment.”

  He barely glances at me. “You’ll be paid once the job is done.”

  I reach out and take hold of Lilah’s other arm. “Hey… I brought the girl. As we agreed.”

  “I told you to take out the others, too,” he says, giving her a solid yank in his direction. “They’re still breathing, right?”

  I tighten my grip on her and pull but he won’t give her up. “I told you before. I don’t kill. I capture.”

  “And I don’t pay good money for a half-assed job.”

  “I never agreed to kill the Harts,” I argue. “I agreed to deliver her. I did my job, so I get paid.”

  “Let her go.”

  “No.”

  He tugs again. “Allen, knock it off.”

  “No.”

  Lilah rolls her eyes. “Am I moving in with my new daddy or not?”

  “Shut your hole, bitch,” Enzo growls.

  “Hey.” I frown. “Don’t call her that.”

  Enzo’s eyes widen. Even Lilah’s face flashes with a bit of surprise. “Oh, I’m sorry…” His voice drips with sarcasm. “I didn’t mean to offend the lady I’m about to hang upside down from a fucking bridge.”

  Lilah tears her arm from his grasp and I take a step forward to stand between them.

  “The contract is canceled,” I say, guiding her backward with one arm. “We’ll be leaving now.”

  Enzo gawks at us, amused but annoyed. “You’re not going anywhere, Allen.” He waves his arm and his men step forward, each of them drawing their pistols to point at us as a few more come piling out of the other cars.

  “Uh, Archer…” Lilah mutters behind me.

  “I know.” I keep moving back, my eyes bouncing from each of the half-dozen men intent on slaughtering me to get to her.

  “If you’ve got a plan, now would be a good time—”

  “I know.”

  She sighs as our backs touch the trailer. “Uncuff me and give me a gun.”

  “Hell no.”

  “I can help you.”

  I meet those big, brown eyes and my resolve crumbles. As much as I’d hate to admit it… if there’s anyone with a reputation interesting enough to handle a situation like this, it’s Lilah Hart.

  I grit my teeth as I reach for the key in my pocket. “Bloody hell…”

  “Last chance, Allen,” Enzo barks at me. “Let her go and maybe I won’t leave you out here to die.”

  Lilah shifts around and I drop the key into her palm. I instantly hear the clack of the cuff slipping open and she reaches for the gun stuffed in my belt.

  “Wait…” she whispers. “This is my gun.”

  “Yes, it is,” I confirm.

  “Why do you have my gun?”

  “You dropped it in LA.”

  “And you kept it?”

  I peek back at her and smile. “I liked it.”

  She squints at me. “Give me a boost and then roll under the trailer.”

  “What?”

  “Now.”

  “Allen!” Enzo shouts. “You got nowhere to go…”

  I ignore him and spin around, clasping my hands together as Lilah raises her foot. She steps up and I flex to push her into the air.

  “Kill ‘em both!”

  Lilah pulls herself onto the roof and I fall to my knees to roll under it as she told me to.

  Bullets strike the dirt beside me.

  “Shit, shit, shit.”

  I shift to the other side to hide behind the wheels as dozens of rounds plow into the vehicle.

  Enzo rushes to his car with his damn tail between his legs and jumps into the backseat to avoid the firefight. His driver follows, looking equally as pathetic as he fumbles for the keys.

  I throw the door open and crawl inside the motor home, keeping my head down as I make my way towards the back for another pistol stashed beneath my mattress.

  Windows shatter over my head. I shield my eyes as the glass falls but I keep moving with my gun in hand. I raise my head to look outside as the six men come rushing in to surround us.

  A bullet strikes one man from above, splattering his face with red as he topples to the ground. I cringe at the sight and the rest of them point their guns upward.

  I hear her moving above me, rolling and shifting on the roof, bullets popping one after the other until only two men remain standing.

  Lilah cries out and the gunfire stops.

  A body drops above my head and the RV lurches as I hear her slip off and fall to the ground outside.

  I rush out to find her rolling over onto her knees. She tries to stand as she cradles her right side. My chest tightens as she drops her hand, revealing her torn dress and crimson blood drips from her fingers.

  “Lilah…”

  “Archer, get down!”

  A shot rings out from behind me and I prepare for pain but I feel nothing as I drop to my knees. Lilah bolts forward and throws her gun over my head. The handle connects with the man’s nose and he falls back as Lilah jumps up and kicks him to the ground.

  He flips onto his back and she raises her sharp heel over his neck.

  I turn away before she stomps down but I hear the bones as they crack beneath her foot.

  The last remaining man sprints down the gravel road, racing towards Zappia’s speeding car.

  Lilah grabs her gun off the ground and raises it with her left hand, aiming for only a second before firing a single shot into the back of his head.

  He falls beneath a red mist of blood, his limp body sliding a bit before coming to a hard stop.

  She fires several more shots towards Zappia’s car, shattering the back windows before it races out of sight around the dark corner.

  I push myself up to my feet as she lowers the gun. “Damn…” I murmur, scanning the circle of bodies left behind. My eyes fall on the blood staining her right side, dripping down to her waist. “Are you all right?” I ask.

  “I’ve had worse,” she says, staring down the long street towards the city.

  Fucking hell. The Zappia family isn’t exactly known for their honesty and integrity, but I sure as hell didn’t expect Enzo to refuse to pay up. Now, what the hell am I supposed to do with her?

  I eye the handcuffs lying in the dirt at our feet. “Come on,” I say, gesturing to the trailer. “We should get out of here.”

  She hesitates, glaring at me as she takes several long, easy breaths. Finally, she nods and steps up into the trailer it while I bend over to grab the handcuffs.

  As soon as I’m close enough, I grab her wrist and twist it behind her.

  “Hey—” she bites, wincing as the pistol drops from her grip. “What the hell are you doing?”

  I pin her against the counter from behind. “I caught you,” I say, grabbing the open cuff, “and I’m going to get paid for it.”

  She shoves me backward and slips free, twisting around the face me. “I saved your fucking ass just now!”

  I ignore it, forcing my conscience away as I grab for her hands again. “There are plenty of people out there willing to pay good money for a Snake Eyes agent—”

  “Oh, fuck this.”

  Lilah lashes out, connecting a solid punch against my jaw. I move to wrap my arms around her, trapping her hands against her sides. She kicks up with her legs and smashes them against the wall as hard as she can, cracking them open as I tumble into the window above the bench.

  Broken glass scratches at my back and I feel my skin tearing with it.

  She slams her heeled foot down on mine and I cry out in pain.

  “That’s enough!” I shout, trying to get a better grip on her.

  “Let me go!”

  “No!”

  Lilah growls with frustration, squirming and kicking at everything she can. “I’m going to kill you so badly!”

  I raise her up
a little higher and chuckle in her ear. “And if I fancied wearing boots, love, you can rest assured I’d be shaking in them right now.”

  “Stop calling me love!”

  “I’ll call you whatever I damn well please!”

  “Ugh!”

  Lilah slams her head back against my nose, smashing it for the third damn time in two days. Spots cover my vision and my strength slips. She slides one arm free and she throws her elbow back to connect with my eye.

  “Stop that!” I snatch her wrist before she can pull off another hit.

  Lilah spins away and shoves at me but I maintain my footing. I pull her back in, refusing to let go of her wrist as I pin her against the refrigerator.

  Her head smacks against it. “Ow!”

  She raises her other fist to strike me again and I grab it before it connects with my face.

  “I said, that’s enough!”

  I slam both of her hands against the freezer door above her head, leaning in as far as I can to press my body on hers. Her chest heaves with intense anger and she glares up at me in the dark with fire in her eyes.

  “Let go of me,” she says, “or else I’ll—”

  “Or else you’ll what?” I challenge. “Is this really all you’ve got? If you ask me, you’re not even trying.”

  She pushes up onto her toes and crushes her lips on mine. Heat spreads from her mouth, flourishing up my cheeks and down my neck like a shock wave. I act on impulse alone, feeling our lips twist together until I release her hands to touch her body instead.

  I lift her onto the counter and her hands grip my belt to tug it loose. My pulse pounds in my ears, overwhelming every other instinct except the urge to fuck.

  This damned woman. Just one taste of her and I’m bewitched to the core. I’m a dead man walking and part of me doesn’t even care — as long as I finally get to take my frustrations out on that perfect body she’s been teasing me with this whole time.

  Lilah spreads her legs as my hands move beneath her dress. I hook my fingers in her panties and pull them down to her ankles. She kicks them free, letting them dangle off one foot as she wraps her thighs around me.

  I take hold of my cock and guide myself between her slit, barely even hesitating before penetrating her as deep as I can go.