Evie swallowed past the lump in her throat. “I told you last night … I’m not with them.”
He pulled her hair so hard she feared he would rip it from her scalp. “That why you jumped on that Sinner’s bike last night, Evangeline? After I laid my claim, and made it clear that you belonged to me, you invited him over for a quick fuck anyway? You think I wouldn’t be watching? I’d say that’s cheating, but to be fair, I hadn’t fucked you yet so maybe you didn’t understand. I’ll be taking care of that problem right after I take care of your boss.” He took her mouth in a bruising kiss, his teeth scraping over the tender skin of her lips, his tongue ravaging her mouth until she fought for breath.
“That damn pussy you’ve been keeping under lock and key better be as sweet as your fucking mouth.” He held her against him and drew a weapon from beneath his cut. “Now stay right here while I teach Bill what happens when you fuck with Jacks.”
She turned her head, gasping. “I’ll come with you if you let Bill go.”
“Only place Bill is going is to ground,” he growled. “And you’re going with me because I say. There is no negotiating.”
“No!” Heart pounding, she slid the knife from her sleeve and plunged it into his shoulder.
“Fucking bitch.” Viper shoved her away and ripped out the knife. His face contorted in a snarl and then he tossed the knife to the side and stalked toward her. Evie scrambled to her feet, but before she could run, he was on her, his hand around her throat, his body coming at her like a freight train. He slammed her up against the wall so hard, her vision blurred and then he pressed his lips to her ear, keeping his voice so low only she could hear. “Why the fuck did you do that? Why? I thought you learned your lesson last night. Nothing you do is gonna change the fact that Bill’s a dead man. And now I gotta punish you and I gotta do it in front of my men or I lose face ’cause I got stabbed by a fucking bitch. I didn’t want this, Evangeline. I wanted you the way you were when I met you. Sweet, soft, and untainted. Now I gotta break you, and when I do, what I wanted from you is gonna be fucking gone.”
Sweat trickled down her breasts and she heard Connie sob. He seemed totally unaffected by the stab wound, although blood seeped through his shirt. With a disgusted snort, he released her neck and then shoved her forward until she was only a few feet away from Bill.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered when Bill looked up at her, his eyes glazed over with pain. “I tried.”
“S’okay.” His voice cracked. “Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. Take care of my store, love. Look after yourself.”
The crack of the gunshot came so close she caught her breath, stiffened. Bill slumped to the ground and Evie screamed, her knees shaking so hard, she would have fallen if Viper hadn’t grabbed her with his free hand.
“Love that sound,” he murmured.
She didn’t know if he was referring to the gun or her scream, but either way she wanted his filthy, murdering hands off her. She twisted in his grasp, only to find herself facedown on the counter, her hands pinned behind her back.
“Your turn for punishment, kitten.” Viper leaned over her, pressing her hips into the counter with the weight of his body. “What’s it gonna be? My dick or my belt. Either way, you’ll be getting both by the end of the night, but the boys here need to see what happens when you disrespect your man.”
“Go to hell.”
“You might want to do as the lady asks.” T-Rex stepped through the door to the shop with a semiautomatic rifle in each hand. “Get away from her. She’s Sinner property.”
A flicker of annoyance crossed Viper’s face. He pulled Evie up and held her in front of him like a shield. “This doesn’t involve you, pup. And put those guns away before you shoot off your fucking dick. She’s my property. I marked her and right now I’m gonna fuck her. You want in on the action, stand in line.”
“Let her go.” T-Rex leveled his weapons and Evie squeezed her eyes shut. She had no idea if T-Rex was a good enough shot to hit Viper and miss her, but she hadn’t missed the brief flicker of indecision in his face, and she suspected Viper hadn’t missed it either.
“You know what I’m gonna do with her after I’m done here?” Viper taunted. “I’m gonna take her back to the clubhouse, chain her to my bed, and fuck her till she’s all used up. Then I’ll give her to my boys to play with. There’s nothing they like better than sweet, used civilian pussy.”
“She’s got a kid. Take me instead.”
“No!” Evie stared at him in horror. “Don’t. Please. I can take care of myself.”
“Shut it, girl.” Viper clamped a hand over Evie’s mouth. “You got a name, junior patch?”