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“Yeah, I do. She’s worth more to us alive than dead and not just because of our paycheck. If Sutherland takes over that company, heads will roll. The man is pure evil, and he’s got to die. I’ve found out the reason he’s got so many men on his side. He’s offered them a percentage of the company, Viper. That’s millions if not billions of dollars.”
Viper knew what he had to do. “Tomorrow, I’ll go.”
“Viper, you’ve got to use her as bait. I’ve got the sedative that will make it look like she’s dead. The only way you will get close is if you take her with you. This guy is not going to stop, and he’s going to have a shitload of men around him.”
Again, he was rubbing his eyes. Everything that he had to deal with, he’d handle tomorrow.
“I’m going to need back up, and I want tonight with her. Give me that, please.”
What he was planning would certainly kill the two of them, but he wasn’t about to risk either of their lives, not for a second.
“We’re guarding you. You have nothing to fear. Have your night, and enjoy it.” Boss ended the call, and Viper clicked the phone off, holding it in his hand, and wanting to crush it so it didn’t disturb him again. When he turned, he found Pepper sitting on the bed. Even in the dark, he
knew she was sad.
“I didn’t hear you finish in the bathroom.”
“You were talking.”
“You heard some of that?”
“Yeah, I heard some of that. You can’t kill me, or you don’t want to kill me?”
Tears glistened in her eyes, and it twisted his gut to see them. He couldn’t handle this, not for a second. It was all too much for him, and he gritted his teeth. Never had he felt such weakness, and yet was it really weak to love a woman? “I’m not very good at this.”
“All you have to do is answer the question.”
“I can’t kill you, okay? Do you know how easy all of this shit would be?” He exploded. He was angry, enraged, and just plain pissed off. Deep down he had known this fucking plan wouldn’t work. Sutherland was too much of a greedy bastard to let some woman take from him what he’d been wanting all along, power, money, everything. Her mother had been too fucking weak to see what was going on, and now her own daughter was having to pay the consequences of that. “I could kill you right now, and have the money you’ve sent as a payment, and then whatever Sutherland will pay. That is how easy I can end this.”
“Then do it.”
He shook his head and growled. “You’re so infuriating, you know that? You’re rich, and have this perfect life, and yet you don’t. This is not supposed to happen. Not to me.”
“What’s not supposed to happen?”
He had confused her. “This! I shouldn’t want you, Pepper. I’m a bad guy. All I’ve ever known is violence. I can’t even fucking read, and yet I have a piece of paper in my pocket to say that we’re married, and all I want to do is fucking read it, and for it to actually be true. Do you even get that?” He heard her gasp, and yet continued anyway. There was no point in stopping while he was on a roll. “There are men willing to take out a whole group of reporters to see you dead, and to get one big paycheck. A paycheck that I was on the way to get when I first met you.”
“Then do it, Viper. I don’t want to cause you any more pain.” She stood, holding onto the towel. Her hair was still wet, and she looked so pitiful, yet he fucking loved her. This woman, this stupid woman who ran away just to be safe. Damn it. “I don’t want you to be hurting because of me.”
“You stupid, stupid, woman.” He reached out, cupping her cheeks. Pressing his head against hers, he tried to calm his rage. “I do not want to, and I will not kill you.”
“It will make your life easier.”
“A life without you, Pepper, will not make my life easier.” He pressed a little kiss to her lips. “I want that wedding certificate to be real, not just on paper, I mean, but for us both to be married. I don’t want to kill you because I couldn’t live without you.” Even as he spoke he was finding it hard to speak the words.
Every single moment growing up, whenever he wanted something, or loved something, it was taken from him. Pepper at any moment could be taken from him, and he couldn’t handle that. Her dying just couldn’t happen. He refused to allow it.
“I love you, Pepper.” He gritted his teeth. “And because I love you, I cannot let you die. I’m going to fight for you, fight for us, and I’m not, no matter what you think, going to let you die. I can’t do allow it.”
There was silence, and Pepper stared at him, no words coming from her.
“You love me?” She was the first to break that silence.
“Yes.”
“You want to marry me?”
“Know a woman to be the first to pick that out.”
