99. Vesper
Ninety-Nine
Vesper
She sealed the deal. I would find this bastard and do what I could to kill him.
He made my girl cry more than once, and other than fucking Widow, no one made my girl cry.
Widow was starting to piss me off, too. I knew she was pressured because of what happened before, but that was the past. If this experience taught me anything, it was to love hard and without fear.
I loved Rory, and I wouldn’t let anyone make me feel guilty about it.
I walked out of the garage to see the commotion of the other Vipers. “What happened?”
Mal stepped forward. “Rory saw the pictures of Cin and then found the girls he killed.”
Fuck. I knew she would find out.
“Rory will be okay with Widow. Even if I want to kill her. Maybe this is what they need to talk this shit out. I’m gonna wash up and try to call her.” Mal nodded as I walked to my room.
When I stepped inside, Rory’s phone was vibrating. Well, never mind about calling her. I’ll have to call Widow. I grabbed her phone and there were incoming messages from someone named Kace.
KACE
Princess. Stop ignoring me.
Your tears look delectable. Are you thinking of me?
I can’t wait to see you again. I miss you.
I scrolled up, and at some point, Rory messaged him and asked him his name.
Why would she be so fucking foolish? If she remembered his name when she had her nightmare last night, why didn’t she tell me?
I wasn’t playing this game anymore. He wouldn’t have her again.
It was time to save Rory from her monster even if she didn’t want to be saved.
RORY
Can we meet? There’s no point in playing games anymore.
She was going to kick my ass, but I would fall to my knees and ask for forgiveness. I was tired of playing an endless game of cat and mouse.
KACE
There’s a lake just at the border of Crestview. I’ll be waiting for you, my princess.
Let’s go meet Prince Charming.
I wouldn’t win any partner of the year awards for this, but Rory would be safe, even if I was walking into a trap.
My fists were clenching my steering wheel so tight I felt like I would rip it off.
Kace kept texting, talking about everything he wanted to do to Rory.
I would delete the messages so she would never read them.
It would take everything in me not to run him down with my car, but I needed to keep him alive.
The lake was down a narrow road just off the highway; it wasn’t anything special, and I could walk to it.
I must have idiot tattooed on my forehead, but people did crazy things when they were in love.
Pulling on the side of the road, I killed the engine.
I wanted the element of surprise, and my baby wasn’t going to be sneaky going down a narrow path.
I reached into the glovebox and grabbed my Glock 45, tucking it in my jeans.
I crept into the tree line, quiet as a mouse.
There was singing coming from the lakefront.
Kace was eager to meet his princess and have her all to himself.
What he was about to meet was a bullet. I scurried closer, crouching behind an oak tree.
The situation was tense, and I needed to be smart.
One wrong move, and I would be fucked. Maybe I should’ve told Mal where I was going, but I thought I would be fine.
He had a fire going, so at least I would be able to see his face when I took him in.
“There once was a prince who loved the princess, and she was taken away,” he started to sing.
“I was so lonely, so I tried creating another princess, but she wasn’t the same.
And then I found the wicked bitch that took her from me. ”
I stepped from behind the tree with my gun pointed at him. “Get on your fucking knees.”
“I’m not done with my story.”
“Shut the hell up.”
He turned around, but he had a ski mask on. Bastard. He wanted to pretend to be a badass, but he was too much of a pussy to show his fucking face. “You’re not my princess.”
“Did you think Rory would even think about seeing your sorry ass?”
“I’ll just have to teach her a lesson.” He said it like a promise, only he wouldn’t touch her.
I aimed my Glock at him. “Keep talking, and you’ll be meeting your daddy in hell.”
He stepped towards me, grabbing something from behind his back.
“Vida. Vida. Vida.” My blood ran cold. No one called me that.
Only a handful of people knew my government name.
“Maybe you should see if your gun is loaded before you threaten someone with it.” I pulled the trigger, and the bastard laughed when it dry-fired.
“I know everything about my princess, including the Vipers.”
I was distracted with my gun mishap, and he was on me before I had a chance to react. Vida. My name filtered in my ear as he slammed me against a tree. No one called me that. He knew about my gun. He knew more than we anticipated.
“My princess hates guns, and yet you have one,” he hissed, anger lacing his tone.
“You don’t love her like I love her, and now you’ll die.
” I didn’t register it at first until the pain enveloped my body, and the second hit came.
He stabbed me again, the knife twisting slightly.
He pulled the knife from my torso, the pain burning as my body finally caught up on the situation happening.
He was two steps in front of us.
He knew Rory’s fear.
My name…
“She is mine. She always has been. And no one will keep me from her.”
To be continued in Vesper…