Chapter Eight
Michael fell in a heap with blood spattering the wall. Scarlett didn’t feel anything for the evil bastard now that he was dead. He had taken so much from her and made her feel more pain than anyone ever had. Michael was part of the reason why she would have gladly found peace in her own death.
Lisa was her problem. Her best friend was dead. No, she couldn’t be dead. Scarlett wouldn’t believe it. Lisa was a sweet woman. She stared at the man who seemed to be the leader, the one doing most of the talking and not a lot of listening.
“Now, why do you have a problem with doing that to this one right here?” The man yelled as he pointed from Michael’s body to her.
“Boss, I told you to back out of it, and I mean it.” Bain grabbed her hand, and he had a gun raised at the men. She held onto Bain, and wondered, not for the first time, why she felt safe with him. He might be a murderer, but her ex had been so much worse to her.
Michael hurt me so badly that he killed my baby.
He was a monster.
She held in her sob, refusing to let her painful memories distract Bain. He didn’t know. No one knew how Michael had thrown her downstairs, and repeatedly kicked her in the stomach and back until she miscarried on the floor. He wouldn’t take her to the hospital for the longest time, and when he did Scarlett was forced to lie about the violence. She had to see the painful evidence of what she had lost.
Had it made her a little mad in the head? She didn’t know.
Boss sighed, and then he began to pace. He took four steps one way and four steps the other. For someone who paced he was rather precise in how he dealt with his steps. She felt crazy for being hypnotized by the way someone walked.
“You have one job to do and that’s to do exactly what I say.”
“Fuck you, Boss. I did what you wanted.”
“No. You left mess following in your wake. For someone who’s supposed to know what they’re doing, you’re sloppy. You’re not professional. You’re nothing like fucking Viper was.”
“Then hire him back. Remember, you came to me. You wanted me, not the other way around. I do my work, and I get the job done.”
“Then kill her!” Boss yelled. “Kill her. Prove to me right now that you can follow orders. Grab her damn neck and put a bullet inside her. She’s a problem, Bain. Do what you know you can do. What’s easy for you to do.”
Bain’s hand tightened around hers. It wasn’t painful yet, but it was getting close. “I kill the people you need me to, but I’m not going to do this.”
Why did Bain sound so calm?
Boss exhaled, an exasperated sound. “You know, I had my doubts about you, and every step of the way you’re proving I was right to doubt myself.” He snapped his fingers, and the men with him held their guns up.
She gasped as Bain let her go and held his own gun steady. He didn’t train it on anyone else but Boss. “You really want to do this?” Bain asked.
“I clean up my mess.”
“There’s no problem here,” Bain said. “But I’ll put a bullet in your fucking skull if you don’t back up, and I mean that.”
“You don’t have the fucking—” Boss didn’t get to finish as Bain shot him in the shoulder. Boss groaned and cursed. His jaw clenched as he pressed a hand to his shoulder. The three men with him didn’t do anything. They continued to hold their guns on them, nothing happening.
Bain had just shot their boss, so why weren’t they shooting? She expected a replay of the gunfight at Semenov’s. Her heart raced, and her entire body trembled. Bain had moved her so that she was shielded by his body. She held onto his waist, hoping that she gave him strength even as hers was fading fast.
“You shot me?”
“You were going to tell me I didn’t have the fucking balls. I do, Boss. I don’t give a fuck if you live or die. All of my life I’ve never had anything to myself. I’ve given you everything. I’ve given everyone who ever wanted anything, everything. There’s nothing left to give. You’re not having her. I’m not giving her up. Not for you. Not for Killer of Kings. For no one.”
The emotion in his voice shocked her. He was on the brink. Couldn’t anyone else sense that? They all stood facing off against one another, and Bain was fighting for her. No one had ever fought for her. No one cared enough about her. She was always a means to an end. Something to be disposed of or replaced.
The tension was thick. Silence fell in the house, and she was sure that she could hear a pin drop. Time seemed to stand still they waited for one of them to make the first move.
There was the sound of another car door closing, and Boss was the first one to mutter. “Is this fucker popular?”
One of the men left and looked through the curtains. “Viper is here.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Boss said, moving toward the door. “Is this a family fucking reunion?”
The door opened, and another deadly looking guy entered the house, a gnarly scar down one half of his face. “I see I’ve come in time.”
“Viper, what the fuck are you doing here?” Bain asked.
“I may be out of the business, but a contracted killer never really steps away. I’ve got a woman to protect, and a family business to keep thriving.” Viper frowned and pointed to Michael. “You know this guy?”
“No. I don’t know him, but he hurt my woman, and so he couldn’t live another day. He hurt her, and I think he did a whole lot of other shit I don’t even know about.”
“So he was a piece of scum,” Viper said. He pushed his hands into his pockets.
All of this was surreal to her as she was in Michael’s home with a bunch of killers, hitmen. Deadly weapons for hire for a really high price.
Crap.
The man she hated more than anything was now dead, and people had seen her enter the neighborhood. Would they think she killed him? Wow, she was starting to feel really sick right now, and everything that was happening around her scared her.
Breathe, Scarlett, breathe.
“I want to know why you’re here, Viper,” Boss said.
“You came for a party and seeing as I consider Bain an actual brother—”
“You do?” Bain asked. She heard the confusion in his voice now.
“We took an oath, Bain. You and me, we shared blood, and we bound ourselves together. I won’t kill you. I’ve told you that many times, and I mean it.”
Did he mean the blood oath? Scarlett stared down at her hand and wondered just how many people Bain had shared blood with. Before doubts flooded her mind, she remembered he had said that he’d only ever shared blood once before. That other person had to be Viper, which meant he was with him when they were kids.
She really needed to lie down. She was starting to feel a little lightheaded with the information overload that was happening. Not to mention being in Michael’s house, his dead body only feet away. It had taken her a long time to finally gain the self-respect to leave his horrible ass.
“So why the fuck are you here?” Bain asked. “You’re out of the business. You’re not supposed to be part of this.”
She felt his back vibrating, and she tried to offer him some comfort with her touch.
“I needed to make sure you were doing the right thing. You’re not used to working for someone else. It’s a lot different than going solo.” Viper looked at her. “Is she worth all of this?”
“You don’t get to fucking look at her. I cleaned up my fucking mess, and you, you did what you fucking wanted. Or don’t you remember?”
“Killer of Kings has a reputation to uphold, Bain. You’ve got to do things by a certain code. She’s a loose end,” said Viper.
“She’s mine!” Bain growled. Scarlet held him tightly from behind. She didn’t care if it looked stupid, but she needed him to know she was here if he needed her. Silence once again fell between them. “You’re not taking her away from me. I’m going to go and put her in the car, and you’re going to stay here. I’ll be right back.”
“Go with him,” Boss said, pointing to one of the scary looking guys.
They put their guns away, and Bain was suddenly leading her out of the house. The moment they passed Boss, Bain pulled her around to the front so that she was completely covered at all times.
“Bain, what’s going on?” she asked.
“I’m going to have a nice long chat with these assholes, and then we’re going to go back home where I’m going to spend the rest of our day fucking.” They got to his car, and he leaned forward, opening the door. “I want you to drive fast and far away from here.”
“No.”
“You’ve got nothing to be afraid of. I’ll find you when I’m done.”
“I’m not running. I’m not going to go somewhere and risk never seeing you again. If you die today, and you don’t come out of that house, then I don’t go either, and I’m dead.”
“Everyone who could hurt you is gone,” said Bain. “I want you to be happy.”
He was so sweet. It was the strangest thought and feeling in the world to have about a killer. He wasn’t evil to her. Bain was many things, but she was falling in love with him. He was hard and yet not. He inspired so many emotions inside her, and she couldn’t walk away, or leave him.
“I’m going to handle this.” He handed her a gun. “For me, if I don’t come out of that house first, I want you to live. You have to do that for me. You have to live.”
Tears filled her eyes, falling down her cheeks. “No. I don’t want to live without you. Don’t make me do this.”
He cupped her cheeks and once again pulled her in for a kiss. “Do as I say.”
“He killed Lisa,” she whispered.
“I’m going to deal with this, baby. Trust me, okay.”
With that, he turned and ordered the other man to follow him. She climbed into the car and watched as he entered the house. Staring down at the gun in her hand, it would be so easy to end her miserable life, but what if Bain came out of that house? Today had gone from being one of the best days of her life to suddenly one of the worst. There was no way she could live without Bain, not now, not after falling in love. She would rather die than be without him.
Staring at the gun, she made her decision. If Bain didn’t walk out that door, she was going to end her own life.
****
Bain was pissed off and frustrated. This hadn’t gone the way he wanted it to go. He’d wanted Scarlett to find some kind of solace or closure. At the very least he wanted her to face her demons like he had done all of those years ago. Instead of helping the situation, all he did was make it worse, and now he felt even shittier about it.
Staring at Viper as he entered Michael’s home, he saw his somewhat-friend was worried. Bain never really knew where to place Viper in his life. When they were younger Viper had given him hope when he’d been short on faith. After breaking out, they had been partners, joined together in riding the world. Over the years they’d found their way back to each other at random points. The last time, Viper had found the love of his life and left Killer of Kings. Bain had been his replacement.
Staring at Boss, he wanted to kill the man but knew he couldn’t. Something in his gut told him that whoever killed Boss would end up with a massive hit on their head. It would only be a matter of time before they were dead. “You want to tell me why the fuck you’re tailing me?” Bain asked.
“I already told you. I’m cleaning up after your mess, and, Bain, you’re making a lot of fucking mess,” Boss said. The owner of Killer of Kings looked down over Michael. “He’s not a fucking kill. Why is he dead? Why isn’t that bitch outside dead? Why wasn’t that other woman dead? I thought you were going to handle it. You haven’t done one single thing that I asked you to do. Killer of Kings is a reliable service. We have guarantees in place, which is why people pay a fucking fortune for the right to use us, and not some back-alley piece of shit.”
Bain glared at the other man. “Everything was handled. I kill who needs to be killed. That is all I do. This was something I was dealing with for Scarlett. She’s not your problem. She’s mine.”
“She’s a loose end. One you need to learn to cut the fuck off.”
Bain didn’t think about what he did next, he simply reacted. Grabbing Boss around the neck, he had him pressed against the nearest wall with a gun at his temple. “You do not get to tell me what I fucking do. Do you understand me? You will leave Scarlett out of this. She was not your concern. She will never be your concern.”
“You’re part of Killer of Kings, asshole. Everything you do is my concern. Whether you breathe, piss, fuck, take a shit, it’s all relevant to me. You gave everything up to be on my books, and that is how it’ll fucking stay.” Boss had no fear. He was calm, his confidence off the fucking charts. Bain supposed he had the muscle and skill to back it up, but right now he didn’t care.
“Bain, let him go,” Viper said.
“No. I should fucking kill him right now. End this.”
“You kill him, it will only start a war you can never win. Boss is number one. Always has been, always will be.”
“You can’t tell me that you’ve not thought about ending him. Taking him out,” Bain said.
“More times than I could count, but it’s not worth it. He’s not worth this.”
“Now you two are just breaking my fucking heart,” Boss said.
Bain stared at the devil himself. Boss could joke and make everyone think he was a sane best friend. He saw the truth. Boss was a monster. It was how he’d been able to stay on top for so long. Boss did the job no one else could.
Removing his weapon, Bain backed up, but he didn’t go far. “You will leave Scarlett alone.”
“Why is she so important to you?” Boss asked.
“Because she’s my woman. She belongs to me.”
“There are a million women out there, all with the same kind of pussy. Fuck them. Don’t fuck the woman who watched you murder those men.”
“She’s mine!” Bain yelled the word, and Viper stepped between them.
“Get them out of here,” Viper said.
Boss ordered the three men out, and Bain had no choice but to stop them. “Go out the back door. I told my woman to take off if she sees anyone else but me leave the house.”
“For fuck’s sake. Pussy whipped the lot of you. Go out the damn back,” Boss said.
Within seconds they were alone.
“What’s going on here?” Boss asked. “You’re giving me a headache.”
“I want Scarlett. I’m not negotiating that.”
“Are you telling me you’re coming out of the life?”
“No. I can’t stop what I do,” said Bain. “I need to kill.”
“And you’re not going to give her up?” Boss asked.
“I can’t.”
“She’s just a piece of pussy.”
“To everyone else but not to me,” Bain said. “I need her. She’s mine, and you can’t take her away from me.”
“This is why I wanted the others gone,” Viper said. “When we were kids, you know what we went through. Don’t pretend you didn’t. You fucking knew everything. We had nothing. Every time we tried to find some shred of love or anything, they tore it from us and made us either destroy it, or watch it die. We have never had anything in our lives to call our own. The homes. The material shit. They mean nothing. They are nothing to us. He wants Scarlett. Let him have her. You have nothing to lose.”
Bain kept his mouth shut. He wasn’t interested in playing nice right now. Every time Boss spoke, he wanted to kill him.
The only thing that kept him at bay was the woman outside waiting for him, and the future he planned for the two of them. A real family.
Boss groaned. “Fine. You know what, have the woman, but if this little obsession fades away, you will deal with her, understood?”
“Yes,” said Bain.
“You will also stay on at Killer of Kings. I’m not going to have you quit on me. However, you have the rest of the month off until this honeymoon period is over.”
“You’re not going to take a hit out on me?” Bain asked.
“No. I’m not. I see your value yet. But you’ll do as I say, and there’ll be a price for this little gift you gave me.” He touched the bleeding wound on his shoulder.
“What about Lisa? Scarlett talked to her, and she handled everything. All that woman knew was that Scarlett had a boyfriend and had been with me for the past week.”
“She’s dead, Bain. Obviously. I told you I tied up loose ends, and she was one of them.”
“She didn’t have to die.”
Boss chuckled. “This is why none of you will ever best me. You can never do the job that needs to be done. She was innocent until she had the potential to incriminate us. Now, she’s dead. Poor thing killed herself in the bathtub.” He stepped up close. “Next time I tell you to clean up your shit, you will do it, as otherwise, I’ll make sure you’re the loose end. Get the fuck out, and I’ll clean up this mess.”
Bain wanted to pound the fucker’s face. Instead, he walked out with Viper close behind him. He looked toward the car and saw Scarlett’s relief. He smiled and gave her a wave.
“You love her?” Viper asked.
“Yes.”
“Is she worth having Boss pissed off with you?”
“Was Pepper worth it?” Bain asked, not looking away from Scarlett. She had rested her head back and looked like she was smiling. Part of him had expected her to be long gone by now. She hadn’t left him, and that just made him happy.
“You know she was. I was on my way to kill her. Things changed,” Viper said.
“Scarlett gives me peace, and when I’m with her, the past ceases to exist for me. I can’t let her go, and I won’t.” Finally, he turned to look at his friend. “You didn’t have to come today. I was fine.”
Viper shrugged. “I have my ways of keeping an eye on you. Boss can be a big asshole, and I knew you didn’t deserve to die.”
“You don’t have to keep an eye on me. I can take care of myself, and I’ve been doing it for a long time.”
“I guess it’s hard to just let you go after all this time,” Viper said.
They shared a bond. It was a strange one and not one he liked thinking about all that much. “I promised her I would keep her safe. We shared blood, which I think grossed her out a little.” He smiled.
“That’s a big step with you.”
“She’s going to be upset though,” said Bain.
“Why?”
“Her friend Lisa’s dead, and I promised her I wouldn’t lay a hand on her.”
“You didn’t. Boss did. A little piece of advice, when he says he’s going to do something, he will. No questions asked. He owes you for shooting him, so watch your back,” he said. “I’ve got to be heading home. Pepper didn’t want me to come, but I couldn’t let you face this alone.”
“Bye, Viper.” Bain made his way toward the car and climbed behind the wheel. He didn’t linger and pulled away from the curb, heading home.
They were alive, safe, and together.
“I didn’t anticipate what went down in there,” said Bain.
“Which part?”
“All of it. I expected Michael to see your strength, your beauty. He was an asshole. You never have to worry about him again.”
“And Lisa?”
He sighed. His heart ached for his woman’s pain. This was the last thing he wanted her to go through. Her tears meant more to him than anything else. The moment she cried, it was like he’d failed at keeping her happy. “I’m sorry.”
“That man is a monster. Why didn’t you just kill him?” she asked.
He chuckled. “I was going to, but Boss is the top boss because he makes sure everyone else is in hell. I pull that trigger, and Boss dies at my hand, and it will be a matter of days if not hours before I join him. I’d be hunted to the ends of the earth.”
“You’re kidding, right? There’s no way that would happen. He’d be dead.”
Bain took her hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “Killer of Kings would live on. That’s why he’s the strongest and most powerful. There is no limit to what Boss will do.”
It was why he needed to keep Scarlett far away from Boss, just in case the fucker had a change of heart.