Page 156 of Viper

Reaper closes the space between us with one large step. “Let’s be very clear, Kitten. Rune destroyed a part of me the day he killed my brother,” he says. “When you pull a gun on him, he willknow.”

The second the last word slips out, everything slams into me. A kaleidoscope of images and words moving in vibrant color through my mind fast enough to steal my breath.

Rune willknow.

Not just that I’ve turned against him, but that in order to gain my loyalty, they didn’t just brainwash me; theytookme.

Stole my body, mind, and heart.

And Rune won’t hesitate to use that information against me.

I nod, lowering my head so I don’t have to see the blackness swirling behind Reaper’s eyes.

So I don’t have to see the absolute terror that I won’t make it out of this alive.

***

“Let’s go over it again.”

Fallon’s demand churns my stomach, and my fingers curl into the fabric of my sweater. I gather it in my clammy hands, trying to control my breathing. Every one of his words lands with a fizzle and pop, eroding my courage. The armor I’ve placed around my heart is now rusted and riddled with holes.

Reaper’s words left me raw.

I glance toward the closed door. Even knowing that all four men stand just outside doesn’t help the unease gathering inside me. That was their condition when Fallon led me to the basement for another round of prepping me for my return. They would only leave him alone with me if they remained nearby.

We’ve been in this small room for hours while Fallon asks the same questions over and over, reminding me to sound genuine. Knowing this is necessary doesn’t help. My nerves spike as each minute passes, and the undercurrent of hatred flowing off Fallon makes my skin prick.

“I’m tired,” I say, focusing back on Fallon’s stern expression across the table. Even cruel, hard, and so full of anger, he’s devastatingly handsome.

“That’s the point.” He readjusts his dark gray vest as he stands. His suit jacket rests on the back of his chair, his shirtsleeves rolled up to reveal his toned, lithe forearms. “You’re weakest when you’re tired. When you’re scared. And Rune will dig until he finds your weakness.” Fallon’s gaze slips to the doorway. “And we all know your weakness, Delilah.”

My eyes drop to the pocket watch tucked into his vest, and an inky darkness shoots through me, remembering the gun pointed at my head. Fallon may need me alive, but he certainly isn’t above hurting me, or scaring the absolute shit out of me to find my weak spots.

But he doesn’t realize my weakness feeds my courage.

My teeth gnash together, that fear now colliding with a bitterness that turns my mouth sour. The hatred he has for me is returned tenfold. I hate him for hurting the men. For scaring me. For sending Cora back. For creating that deep fear that I saw in Reaper.

For putting me in this situation.

He crosses his arms, widening his stance. “Tell me again what happened from the moment they took you.”

I spew the same lines, going over the morning I first woke up.

“You’re lying,” Fallon says, his tone sharp.

My shoulder’s bunch. “I told you everything I know.”

The point of these interrogations is to prepare me to face Rune. Question me as he would. To wear me down. And after hours and hours of being stuck alone with him, Fallon’s whittled me down the same way Rune would. I know because it’s exactly what Rune taught me. A negotiation tactic. As a way to get what I want in a business deal. Push until they agree to my terms.

Fallon’s hand slaps sharply down on the table, making my entire body jolt. “Say it again, but this time make me believe it.”

I repeat everything we’ve rehearsed, adding emotion where he told me to, and once I’m done, I settle back in my seat, brushing my hair over my shoulder. It’s grown in the weeks since I’ve been here.

How long have I been here in this rundown place, facing one nightmare after another? Slowly falling for my kidnapperslike a fool. Makes me wonder if that was their plan. Force me to care about them to ensure I’ll follow through with the mission.

But maybe they failed more than they succeeded, because the claim that I’m theirs, feels brutally branded into my flesh.

I wonder if that’s why Fallon hates me so much. Their affection for Cora and me has loosened his hold on them.