Page 18 of Entombed In Sin

“I’m going to kill him,” I promise darkly through clenched teeth.

Thatcher’s entire body trembles as his expression darkens. His hands curl into fists before he lets out a snarl and kicks over the office chair.

“Wecan’tkill him, Sagan,” he says bitterly. “There’s only so many deaths and disappearances we can cover up before people get suspicious.”

I want to object. It’s there, sitting on the tip of my tongue to do just that. This treachery toward what’s oursshouldbe punished. But as much as I hate to admit it, Thatcher is right. We can’t draw attention to ourselves. Somehow, though, we’ll have to find a way to get Beatrix her revenge against him.

Thatcher glances down at his phone, his face pinching tight with irritation that I can feel through our bond.

“I warned her this morning that, if she’s upset, she needs to tell us,” he says after a moment. “Do you think she’ll mention this confrontation?”

My brother nods, sensing my skepticism as if I’ve spoken out loud.

“She doesn’t trust us, why would she,” I point out.

“It doesn’t matter if she trusts us or not,” Thatcher snarls, his eyes snapping up to my face. “There are rules in place for a reason, Sagan.”

I shrug. “And I’m not questioning them now. I’m pointing out that we erected this wall between us and her. It would be our fault that she doesn’t feel safe enough to open up.”

Thatcher’s nostrils flare in annoyance. He knows this as well as I do. Due to our negligence and Knox’s exuberance, we’veshoved Beatrix between a rock and a hard place. She can’t trust us. Expecting her to do so is foolish.

“Taking her out to hunt might rebuild that trust we’re looking for,” I tell him after a few minutes of silence. “Then she might confide in us.”

He nods. Slowly, the tension in the room dissipates.

“Alright, but we can’t have her kill someone in town,” he mutters. With a steady breath and a quick roll of his shoulders, he moves to pick up the fallen chair. “Chicago might be a bit too intimidating for her first time…”

“I know where we can take her,” I tell my brother, shifting my murderous thoughts away from the pastor. “It's close by.”

“No, not we.Youtake her this time.” Thatcher shakes his head slowly. “She doesn’t need all of us in her ear.”

A giddiness falls over me and I can’t help but smile. With a slow, measured bob of my head, I agree. “Alright, I’ll take Beatrix on her first kill tonight.”

8

SAGAN

“You want me to get onthis?” my Little Viper asks. Her brows slowly pull together as she tilts her head to regard my motorcycle. “Is there room?”

Rather than respond, I hand her the helmet sitting on the seat. She takes it tentatively, holding it out in front of her as if it’s a bomb and not protective gear.

“Sagan, I don’t… This doesn’t seem safe.”

“Put it on, Little Viper.”

Her mouth presses together into a firm line as she glares at the helmet. I know she wants to direct the heated look at me. I’ve dragged her out of the conservatory this evening, where she was trying to hide from us after work. If she had been Knox or even Thatcher, I would’ve expected a stream of endless profanities and possibly a blade to the throat or my balls. But my Little Viper isn’t like those two. Confrontation isn’t her style.

Pursing her lips, she pulls the helmet on.

My gaze travels over her figure. With mini boots, jeans, the new riding jacket I’ve gifted her with, and now the helmet, I can’t help but enjoy the sight before me. My Little Viper looks so fucking good. My dick grows hard as I watch her fiddle with the straps. When she doesn’t manage to clasp them together after amoment of struggling, I stalk around my bike and reach up to help her. She slaps my hands away.

“I can do it,” she objects, her voice muffled by the visor.

Beatrix tries to slap me away again when I reach back up, but this time I catch her wrist with one hand before hooking my gloved fingers beneath her helmet to yank her forward. Her soft gasp is almost inaudible as I tilt her head up at me.

“Don’t ever stop me from touching you,” I warn softly. “You’re mine to pet, Little Viper.”

I can’t see her glare behind the tinted visor, but this time I can feel it. My chuckle is low as I let her go to attach the chin strap. When it’s set, I step back and climb onto my bike.