Page 69 of Viper

“Hey, here’s a thought,” said Omen. “What if it’s Neta?”

Blackjack blinked. “Who?”

“Neta,” Omen repeated.

Darko tilted his head. “You mean the delivery company?”

Omen’s brow furrowed. “No. And you’re thinking of Letta.”

“Then what’s Neta?” asked Darko.

“Not a ‘what’,” Rivet cut in. “It’s a ‘who’. She sewed the patches on our jackets. How can you not remember her?”

Dice sighed. “That was Esta.”

Rivet lifted his shoulders. “Then I don’t get who you’re talking about.”

“Neta is from Maddox’s lair,” Omen reminded him. “She’s always hanging around the club, bar, and pool hall.” He paused, but Rivet still appeared confused, so Omen continued, “She’s blonde. Has an impressive rack. You fucked her in the parking lot.”

Rivet’s eyes went wide with realization. “Oh. Neta. Right. The hot petite one with the pixie haircut.”

Omen’s mouth tightened. “No.”

“Then I really have no clue who she is.”

“It won’t be Neta,” Dice said to Viper. “She didn’t like seeing you with Ella at the Red Rooms, but your woman was receiving notesbeforethat. Neta would have had no reason to go after her back then.”

Sting raised an index finger. “Unlessthe descendant had noticed how often he watches Ella. The compulsion could be to pressure her to stay away from you, V.”

Personally, Viper doubted it. Neta’s interest in him wasn’tthatprofound. But he wouldn’t dismiss the idea.

“Are you going to tell Ella that the mugger is dead?” Blackjack asked him.

Viper dipped his chin. “I’ll have to. I’m not yet ready to go into specifics, but I’ll make it clear that he’s a goner. Right now, she has it in her head that he’s her note-sender. It’s blinding her to other possibilities. I don’t want her in the dark.” He rose to his feet. “But before I do that, there’s someone else I need to see.”

Fastening the tie of her towel robe, Ella exhaled a rough sigh. A hot bath never failed to calm her mind and sweep away any tension from her muscles. Tonight, it had done nothing. Her mind was too hyper over the little mystery of the note situation.

It made matters worse that her demon was all worked up. The entity’s need to hunt, nab, and avenge wound her even tighter.

Hearing the chiming of her cell phone, Ella padded out of her en suite bathroom, batting at one of the curls she’d gathered into an unruly ponytail to keep dry as she bathed.

Entering her bedroom, she jerked back as Viper came striding inside. Ella put a hand to her pounding heart. “I need to put a bell on you.”

He raked a searching gaze over her, his eyes darkening as pure need moved over his face.

Her muscles bunched. Damn, he could make her feel hyperaware of herself with just a look. She liked it, even though it made her ovaries do a damn jig.

“I told you I’d be coming,” he said as he erased the distance between them in purposeful strides.

“I didn’t think you’d be here so soon.”

He pressed a kiss to her mouth, sweeping a hand down her back. “I wanted to check on you.”

“I’m fine. All is well. Nothing to report. I think my bodyguards are having the desired effect.”

“Yeah, I heard that Belinsky put guards on you. Good.”

“Heard it from who?”

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