Page 97 of Dangerous Men
The laugh starts low and builds until it’s almost manic.
“ItisThursday,” Viper tells me, almost deliriously happy at my mistake.
I frown, pulling my phone from my ear to check the date and see he’s right.
Fuck.
“Distracted, Doc?” he asks. I can hear his smile in the beat of silence. “Feeling antsy without me?”
I hate that he can read me. Hate that no matter how perfect my mask is, Viper can see right through it. And I hate,hate, that I have no read on him whatsoever right now.
“It’s been a long week,” I tell him truthfully.
Another laugh, another long exhale of smoke.
“I’m done here,” he says, finally. “Tell Sterling the contracts are signed. I’ll be coming back tomorrow.”
I nod, even though he can’t see me.
“Great. I’ll meet you at?—”
The line clicks. He ended the call.
Fuck.
Fuck.
I’m already dialing Alec’s number, heart racing.
Viper is going to find out about their obsession with Sydney eventually. But we need to do everything possible to keep him far away from her for as long as we can.
Because the three of us? We’re dangerous.
But Viper?
Viper is fucking psychotic.
33
ASHTON
Alec is standingwith his back to the room when I enter his office, staring out the window at the city skyline. It’s a spectacular view, probably one of the best in the city. A view of everything that’s ours. Of everything he’s worked so hard to achieve.
Every one of Alec’s rooms scattered around the city has a view like this. Like he can’t help but admire the empire he’s built, no matter where he is.
“What’s up? You said it was an emergency?” I plop myself down on his couch, lying back and stretching my legs out. My morning workout kicked my ass today, and I’m feeling it from my feet to my face.
“Doc just called,” Alec says. “Viper is finished up in Seneca. He’s coming home.”
At first, I’m relieved. Seneca is a tiny little thing, barely even a city, just a few hours south of where our territory ends in Empire City. But it has taken months of work to push out the old guard there and expand our little empire. And every time we came close, something would come up thatinevitably sent us back to square one. Viper’s work there is the culmination of something we’ve all been pushing toward for a long time, a final rinse with bleach to wash the slate clean.
If Viper is on his way home, that means everything went according to plan, which isn’t exactly a surprise. Viper might be insane, but he’s the best at what he does.
Hell, he might be the bestbecausehe is insane.
My relief is short-lived, though, as the full weight of what Viper returning means crashes down on me.
Viper doesn’t know about Sydney.
