Riordan (22 page)

told you, I have no reason to lie to you. What I don’t understand is why he was in with you in the

first place. Or really, I don’t care, but since you think you’re going to kill me, I should have

answers, don’t you think?” He held the gun on her while he read the email. It was just as she’d

said, and Blackson was going to kill him. Or have him killed. “He thought for sure that I’d be

dead by the time he was going to send this out. My murder, the one that you’re supposed to have

committed, would have brought some serious heat down on your head. I think it calls me a

national treasure at one point. Nice touch, don’t you think? He never got to send it, by the way.”

“How did you get this?” He looked at her then and noticed that she was very pale. “You are

not going to do me much good should you die here.”

“Yeah, sorry to fuck up your plans, but you sort of caught me at a bad time.” Viper opened

the file and saw his name. Not the one he was calling himself now, but his real name. And all the

information about him as well. “So, your name is Alhonda Pilchard? I can see why you’d change

it. Mine is just what it is.”

“I know that your name is Browning. Now that I think on it, Anthony never said what your

first name is.” She told him. “Storm? As in the weather?”

“Yeah, my understanding is that there was one hell of a storm blowing when I was born. Not

sure what the hell my parents were thinking. Did they think that was supposed to be an easy

name for me to live with?” She shifted on the seat, and he could see the drips of blood under her.

“Why were you partners with him? He never trusted you, I don’t think.”

Viper looked around. There was no one here but the two of them that he could see. But he

wasn’t stupid enough to think that she was here alone. Leaning back on the desk, he thought

about what was going to happen and why. Laying his gun on the desk, he shook his head as he

pulled out his cell phone. One more thing to take care of, and he’d be ready. As soon as he

touched the send button, he opened the back of the phone and broke it. It would not stop anyone

from finding out what he’d done, but it would slow them enough for the person to move.

“He contacted me about fifteen years ago. There was a shipment coming to him overseas

and he didn’t want it to get into the wrong hands. He wasn’t talking about mine, but the

servicemen that needed it. There was a price settled upon, and I took the shipment. I would take

about every third or fourth one that came to the men serving.” She asked him what had changed.

“You did. When you and your band of men began to find my places of hiding, it became

apparent that someone was helping you. And so I set him up. When you showed up at the

compound, I thought I had him. Then you bombed my home.”

“As I have said, it wasn’t me that insisted that we take it out. Oh, I’m not saying I didn’t

help out. I did lead them to you, but it was him that told me that it needed to be taken care of.

You didn’t bomb my convoy either, did you?” He told her he had not. “Yeah, I didn’t think so.

But you did take care of the bodies, including Brewer.”

“Brewer? I don’t think I’ve ever heard that name mentioned. But I did not care for Blackson

for many reasons, as he was lazy and conniving as well. But Blackson owed me money, still

owes me a great deal of money, and I kept him around to make sure that I got it. Any way that I

could. Burkhardt told us you were in the middle car, and that we were to take care of the bodies

and the cars once he or his men had taken care of bombing you. We would do this or we would

not get paid. All we were to do was remove the bodies, give the dog tags, which we did not find,

to Blackson, and he would take care of the rest.” She told him that when they were in country

that they rarely, if ever, wore their dog tags, as it was important that the enemy never got that

kind of information. “Ah, see, the more I hear from you, the more I think we have both been

had.”

“No doubt.” She moved on the seat again and then sat up. “You do know that you’re not

leaving here, don’t you? I mean, you’re not the least bit stupid, so you have to know that this

place is surrounded.”

“I’m aware that you will try to take me. But I don’t think I’ll allow that. Prison will not be

kind to me.” She nodded, and he heard the elevator start to move. “I should like to tell you

something before I end this. I have a great deal of respect for you at this moment. You got

information from me that I would not have shared with anyone else. But you have helped me as

well. There are many things that I’d like to say to you. Killing you, however, is not going to be

an option. You were…we have both suffered at the hands of a man that I should have killed long

ago.”

“She’s not going to get very far.” Viper felt his heart twist again. “The message was

intercepted and someone will find her. I’m to understand you know Mason. He’s a vamp that

works only for me. Blackson thought that he reported to him, too, but he hated him from the very

start. But I’ve had Mason watching her for some time. I’m sorry, but we can’t have her fulfilling

your plan. She might run and get out of the country, but your daughter will never get to the home

you have for her here. She’s not going to make it across our borders.”

“My daughter is an innocent in all of this.” She sat up then and pointed the gun at him. The

bag of blood hit the floor and splattered just as he lifted his hands above his head. “You are very

clever. You had me thinking you were close to dying, when all this time you have played me

well. I must commend you, Browning. You are as smart as I have been told you were.”

“Yeah, I’m a bitch like that. Step away from the gun, Alhonda. And we’ll try to not shed

anyone’s blood today.” The doors opened all around them and men with guns pointed at him

came from the elevator. He was only going to get one chance at this, and he put his hands down.

“Alhonda, don’t do it.”

“You were a good ally, Storm Browning.” Just as he reached for the gun on the desk, his

body jerked in pain. So many bullets entered him that he could not think how many had been

fired into him. He looked at Browning as he dropped to the floor, and saw her gun was at her

side. Nodding as he closed his eyes, he thought her a friend as well.

~~~

Riordan waited until she answered the question, and then he scooped her up into his arms

and took her down the hall. If anyone tried to follow them, he had no idea. This was his time. He

did hear his dad laughing and wondered if he was keeping them from coming after them. Right

now, all Riordan could think about was getting Storm alone.

“You do know that I’m going to have to go back and finish my briefing.” He nodded and

moved into the room that he’d been in when all this had been going on. “I can’t thank you

enough for telling me you’d seen him in the ER. It gave us plenty of time to clear the floor of

staff and have the men stationed.”

“You had the patients moved away already. I did nothing but warn you he was here. Being

in the elevator wasn’t what I had in mind when I warned you.” She asked him what he had

planned. “To come up here and ravage you while the others took care of him for you.”

“Yeah, it rarely works that way, just so you know.” He sat her on the bed and started pulling

his shirt off. “What are you doing? I really do need to go back and answer their questions.”

“Not now, you’re not. Take off that bloody gown please. It’s making my cat crazy.” Storm

nodded and started to unsnap the buttons at the sleeves slowly. “You’re going to make him want

you. He is already fighting me for a chance to mark you again.”

“Let him. And while he’s at it, tell him I want him to convert me.” Riordan shook his head,

but was distracted when her breast was bared for him. “You don’t want to change me, or you

don’t want to do it now? Because I’m sick to death of being at the mercy of other people. Plus, I

want to run in the woods like the rest of you do. Your mom said that it’s a fucking fantastic

feeling.”

“My mom would not say fucking anything.” Storm giggled as the top of her gown dropped

to her waist. “He wants you, Storm. Right now, my cat wants his mate. But we can’t change you

until we get home. And after the dinner at the White House. I know why we’re going.”

Her hands stopped cupping her breasts. She was not happy, but Riordan didn’t care. He

wanted her and she’d have to deal with him knowing why they were going.

“He said it was going to be just the two of us. That the dinner would be in his home and no

one would know. Then he invited you guys. And now from what I understand, the families are

going to be there as well.” Riordan leaned in and took her nipple in his mouth and nibbled on it

as she continued. “I don’t want this thing. He knows that.”

“Lay back for my cat.” She did as he asked her to do, and he pulled off his pants. His cock

hurt to be deep inside of her, but his cat wanted her, too, and Riordan knew that she loved it

when he ate her. “When you come, you’d better be quiet. I think those guys out there would

shoot us both if you screamed.”

As she picked up the pillow and put it at her breast, Riordan let his cat take him. He was

angry with him—his mate was not coming to him fast enough,—but he calmed him with the

knowledge that it would be soon. When Storm opened her legs for him and slid her fingers under

her panties, he snarled at her. Then he bit into the fabric and tore it from her.

Burying his mouth over her, Riordan heard her screaming into the pillow. Her cream

flooded his mouth as his cat lapped at her over and over. When he slid his tongue into her heat,

his cat purred.

“More.” His cat lifted his head, and they looked at her. “More, purr more. Christ, do you

have any idea how amazing that feels? Like being fucked with a huge vibrator that has a

movable dick on it.”

Oh, I can do much better. When my cat is finished, I’ll show you how much better.
His cat

went back to drinking from her, and Riordan thought of all the ways that he was going to make

her come. His cat snarled at him, as if to say pay attention to me, when he licked her along her

thigh. Riordan never saw it coming, and when he took her thigh into his massive mouth, he

couldn’t stop him.

His cat took her thigh and bit down hard enough that Riordan heard her bones break. Her

scream, muffled by the pillow, had him begging his cat to let her go. When he tore at her thigh,

tearing not just flesh but muscle too, Riordan tried to regain control of him when Storm touched

his mind.

It doesn’t hurt anymore
. He was terrified that she was going into shock and tried again to get

his cat to stop.
No. Don’t. He is doing what he needs to do. I can feel his need to make me his. I

want to belong to both of you
.

He felt her weaken, but she never stopped talking to him. Sometimes verbally but weakly,

other times through their link. She told him of her plans for the house, the color she wanted to

paint her office, and what she was going to do to the pool house this summer. Riordan stopped

talking to his cat. He was pissed at him, rightly so, but he also knew that he’d never hurt her

unless it was to do this. And Storm told him this was what she wanted.

“When we get home, I’m going to have to go into town to get a few things. Will you come

with me? And I have to pick up some shoes. I don’t have any for this thing.” He told her he’d

follow her everywhere. “I want you to marry me. If you still want to, I’m okay with it now. I

mean, we can do it when this DC trip is over. I have a hankering to be Harrison and no longer

Browning.”

I love you, Storm.
She told him she loved him as well.
You should be passed out by now.

You’re in a great deal of pain, I can feel it.

“I’m feeling much better. I mean, really good for a change.” His cat let her go, and then him.

He was standing over her when she looked up at him with the most incredible smile. “I don’t

think I’m going to pass out at all. And I’m starving.”

“That’s a good sign.” Her eyes drifted closed for a second. Then she opened them again and

stared at him, slightly unfocused. “Rest now, love. When you wake up, we’ll get married and go

shopping for some shoes. I’m excited to see you in a pair of high heels.”

Her laughter was soft and faded into a soft snore. Riordan reached for his pants and pulled

them on. His shirt, too, as he told his dad what he’d just done. Dad’s laughter wasn’t as nice or as

heartwarming when he told him that his cat had taken the decision out of his hands.

Perhaps he listens to his mate better than you do. Hasn’t she been telling you for days now