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“Uh-huh. Then I guess my work is finished here.”
I glanced at his weapon again and tried to keep from shivering. “Dante is a dangerous man.”
“That we gathered, but you don’t know Viper that well. Do you?”
“I used to. Or at least I thought I did. He was a hero in the Marines?”
“Medal of Honor for saving members of his unit, including me. He pulled me from a ditch in the middle of a horrific nighttime assault. I’d been shot twice. I told him to leave me where I was and get himself to safety, but he refused. He pitched me over his shoulders and somehow managed to shoot down four insurgents while carrying me to the base. I would have bled out had he not gotten me back to safe ground.”
My thoughts drifted to the time we’d spent together, my heart still aching. “But he’s now a killer.”
Snorting, he shifted his chair back and forth. “He hasn’t gone into detail about what he does for the owner of Powers Security, but I got a firsthand look when I was there helping both him and Max keep control of a dead man’s empire. If you’re asking if he’s capable of killing a man in cold blood, the answer is yes. But with Viper it’s different. He has a conscience, which is rare inside a crime syndicate. He’s a good man.”
“I’d like to think so.”
“I’ve seen him chase down two stalkers before they had a chance to kill the people we were protecting. He took a bullet to save the state senator over a year ago. Before that, he had a hand in saving the life of the vice president. I could name two dozen other high-profile cases. Or I could tell you about the little girl he managed to bring home, the fucking asshole who abducted her serving time in prison.”
Hearing such a glowing reference had a strong effect on me. “Are you trying to convince me that he’s not a monster?”
“I’m trying to tell you that you can place your trust in him.”
“That much I already knew from years ago.”
“Ah. So there’s a story behind his bristling behavior.” Stephen grinned.
“Let’s just say he’s one of my brother’s best friends.” When he gave me a knowing look, I cringed a little bit inside.
“That’s where Viper went. To convince your brother to leave town.”
“I know Mike. He won’t go. Viper knows that too after all these years.” I had a feeling Mike would try to retaliate after learning Danny was helping me.
Stephen studied me carefully. “So you have averypersonal connection.”
“To a point,” I told him. Stephen’s tone wasn’t accusatory, more as if he’d heard all about me.
“Well, even if you didn’t, he’ll do whatever it takes to save your life because that’s how much he cares about you.”
I felt the heat rising on my face and looked away. “I don’t know about that.”
“Don’t allow his surly attitude to fool you. You’re all he’s been able to think about since you came crashing into town. I have a feeling you care about him too.”
“I do but he made it clear it doesn’t matter.”
He shook his head. “Not true at all. He cares enough about you to try and shove the feelings aside. That’s what is most important in the work we do.”
“Something happened. Didn’t it?” I’d seen the haunted look in Viper’s eyes more than once. His refusal to answer my earlier question had confirmed it.
I could instantly tell by the look on Stephen’s face that I was right. He glanced toward the computers, obviously uncomfortable with telling me. “You’re gonna need to ask him, Madisen. What I can tell you is that it gutted him and still does.”
“He was in love with this girl?”
“Nah. It was a sense of duty and he felt like he failed. That’s all I’m going to tell you.” When he sat up quickly, I sensed something was wrong.
“What is it?”
“We’ve got company.”
CHAPTER19
