Page 11 of Viper

Goddammit, he didn’t want to be separated from her. “I just will.” He brushed away a soft strand of hair from her cheek.

He didn’t want to leave this spot. Just being this close to her warmed his bones. He’d only ever kissed her once. If something happened tonight and he never got to do it again, he’d⁠—

Crack!

The window shattered. Pellets of glass hammered his face and chest. Paige screamed and covered her head. He slammed his body against her chest, sandwiching her between the wall of the boat and him.

Aiming his gun through the blown-out window, he fired inside the yacht. Movement behind the farthest white couch confirmed where his target was.

“Grab the paddleboard and jump in the water.”

“No! I’m not leaving you.”

He pulled his gaze away from the couch to glare into her defiant gray eyes. “I’m not asking. Get in the water before I throw you over.”

Her whole face puckered into a scowl. He gripped her bicep as she started to move. “Right to shore, Paige.”

She mumbled something that sounded like asshole, but he swiveled his focus back to the window just as Douchebag raised his head high above the back of the couch. Troy let off two more shots, sending Craig back to the ground and buying Paige another minute.

The resounding splash told him she was in the water.

Which didn’t put him much more at ease. Anything could happen to her between here and shore—he needed to end Craig and get her back to town, where he could look her over.

And when he did, they were gonna have a fucking talk about getting on boats with pricks. That was for damn sure.

Craig leaped up again and fired two shots as he made a beeline for the hallway. Troy returned fire, clipping the bastard’s shoulder. Craig let out a rewarding yelp but disappeared from view.

Troy threw a glance over his shoulder. He caught sight of Paige about twenty feet from the yacht, paddling toward shore on her belly. Her strokes moved her out of the moonlight. His heart constricted again.

Muttering a curse, he ducked toward the slider. He paused on the outer deck, waiting several beats. Listening. His senses were tuned sharply to his surroundings, but goddammit, all he could listen for were sounds on the water.

Signs of Paige in danger.

He booted that thought from his mind. Paige was an experienced swimmer. The sooner he put a bullet in Craig, the sooner he could get back to her.

The boat rocked gently.

Where had the bastard gone?

Sweat mingled with the seawater on the shirt clinging to his back. He exhaled long and slow through his nose, his instincts on max.

Creak

The sound of a shifting floorboard overhead jolted him. He snapped up his gaze just as Craig jumped down from the top deck.

Troy landed hard on his back with the cocksucker on top of him. A fist slammed into his face. He grabbed Craig by his throat and threw him to the center of the lower lounge area.

Troy rolled to his knees. Craig landed a kick in his gut, but he barely even flinched.

“Think you’re gonna hurt me, you pussy?” Troy taunted.

Craig rolled to his knees. Troy stood and seized the guy’s neck in his grip before delivering a punch to his face.

Craig howled as blood gushed from his nose.

Satisfaction rippled through him. “You like hurting women? You sick fuck.”

Blood seeped through the man’s teeth. He smiled maliciously. “You should’ve seen the way she screamed when I played with her.”