Page 177 of Viper

His jaw grinds. “Rune sure fucked you up.”

“Mommy did a fine job of that all on her own,” I say, shoving at his chest to force him back and walking past. “But then I’m sure you remember her well.”

“God, I do. So fucking well.” He makes a sound in his throat, dirty and lined with something cruel. I’ve never seen this side of him. Zane is gross, yes, but never so openly disgusting. “I still think about her. How her mouth felt wrapped around my cock. Her blood-red lips. The woman sucked dick like a Hoover vacuum.”

I wince at the imagery, making him laugh as I cast him a glare over my shoulder, and throw the door open. The long hall looms, empty and dark except for the emergency lights. Zane follows me, close enough that the skin on the back of my neck pricks.

“Do you know who you remind me of?” he asks when we reach the end of the hall. “A lamb.”

“Let me guess, because Rune likes them young?” I stop at the elevators and jab the button.

He slides in beside me, resting his shoulder on the wall. “Because he’s willing to sacrifice you to get what he wants.”

“What does that mean?” I ask, my heart skipping.

“Marry you off. Fuck your innocence away.” Zane’s gaze slips down my body, taking in my red suit, like he’s remembering the shape of my breasts. Imagining me on my knees in front of him again. He grins. “You know he told me about taking your virginity. He had it all planned out. How and when he was gonna do it. Said he could almost hear your father’s screams from hell as you bled all over his dick.”

I react before I’m thinking, and his head snaps back from the impact of my hit. My fingers curl and I grip my bag, stopping myself from hitting him again.

A gritty laugh slips out as he rubs his cheek. “Remember what I told you,” he says, backing away.

“Which part,” I snap, “you’ve been running your mouth endlessly.”

“Those soldiers? Those men you fucked? They are liars, like you.”

Chapter 55

Cora

Ontheridebackto Clyde’s house, Zane’s sick words spin in my head, tumbling around with everything else I’ve learned, and I almost forget I have to stop by Rune’s house. I debate waiting until the morning, but know if I don’t get the papers tonight, I’ll suffer Rune’s wrath tomorrow when he finds out I never made the changes to the contract.

“Is Rune home?” I ask Conner. When he meets my eyes in the rearview, I ignore the gross feeling in my gut screaming in horror that he’s known I’ve been fucking Rune all these years.

That Zaneknew. That Rune talked about it to him. Planned the way he was going to ruin me.

I hope Zane was just being vile, and that none of it was true. If it is, I can’t fathom the depth of Rune’s depravity. Violating me, hurting me, is bad enough, but the thought of him planning it? Fantasizing about it?

“He is supposed to be at dinner with Don and Linda,” Conner says. “I dropped him off a few hours ago.”

I recognize the names. Some of his lodge buddies.

“Swing by his house so I can grab some files, please,” I tell him, breaking his knowing gaze, and looking at the city in the distance. “It’ll just take a minute.”

After Conner parks in the driveway, I check the time on my phone then toss it onto the seat and hop out. When I punch in the code, I glance at the camera by the door, and wave, smiling for Rune, who’s no doubt getting the alert on his phone.

“Picking up the contract, Papa,” I say to the camera over the front door, sweat forming under my arms.

The alarm beeps and I shove the door open. Cold, stale air blasts my face. I shut the door, enveloping me in the eerie quiet of the house. The faint light from the sconces cast everything in a sickly yellow glow. Goosebumps form along my arms and scalp. I scan the foyer, slowly releasing the door handle and lean sideways to look down the hall, unease rippling in my gut.

Calm down, Cora. No one is here.

With that thought, and not wanting to be here if Rune leaves dinner early, I rush toward the office. The second I open the door, I still.

Rune looks up from behind his desk, blinking and obviously startled.

My gaze lands on his open laptop resting on the center of his desk.

Shit.