Page 80 of When He Hunts

“I liked you where you were,” he grumbled.

She needed to see him better. This was a better angle. Fear had her practically vibrating. “So you were facing death one way or another?”

“Not all the snakes were venomous. A point the leader made of saying. We were being judged. If we weren’t worthy, we’d be taken out.”

“That’s…that’s insane.”

“Don’t worry, my handlers promised they had antivenom at the ready for me.”

Uh, yes, she worried. “How were they supposed to get it to you in time?”

“You don’t die right away from a snake bite. That’s just in the movies. A lot depends on the type of snake that bit you and where you were bitten. Best case, you have two to three days before organ failure and death set in. So I knew I had time on my side.”

That wasn’t time. That was horrific. She sucked in a deep breath and then shoved it out. “I feel like you might be sugarcoating here.”

“Even with a black mamba, it can take up to twenty minutes for a man to die.”

Her breath got stuck on the second long exhale. She choked, gasped, and managed, “You’re a snake expert?”

“Had to be. I knew what I’d be facing. Knowledge helped to increase my odds of survival.”

Her temples began to throb. “I know what will now be on my nightmare reel over and over again.” For eternity.

“I got treatment during the golden hour. I was fine.”

“What is a golden hour?” It actually sounded like he was a snake expert.

“The first hour after a bite.” His head rolled a bit on the pillow so he could see her better. “That’s when antivenom is most effective.”

Most effective, check. “Really good to know.” She was on his arm. The arm with the snake tattoo on his wrist. She squirmed and twisted and brought the arm in front of her. “You shoved your arm in a tub of snakes.”

“Honestly, it was more like a big, glass aquarium. They dumped all the snakes in and got them in a striking frenzy.”

OhmyGod.“And the tattoo?”

“After the bite, you were initiated. The tattoo proved who I was. The gang had a reputation. Just having the tattoo opened doors. Made a certain set of people trust me.”

“And then the hitman was born.”

He nodded against the pillow. “Born from a pile of twisting, hissing snakes.”

And he hates snakes.She sucked in a deep breath, then let it out. No choking this time. Bonus for her. “Have you saved them?”

His eyes narrowed.

“Your parents. A hit was placed on your parents, and now you go out, over and over again, and you save people who’ve had bounties put on their heads. Are you saving your parents, over and over? Trying to atone for something that wasn’t your fault?”

“It’s not about them.”

“No? It’s not exactly a typical job choice, Ronan. You saw firsthand how devastating a hit can be, and now, you stop hits. You couldn’t save your parents, but you’re saving other people.”

Silence. A little too long. Then, “Didn’t realize you were a shrink. Thought the analysis BS was Gray’s area of expertise.”

Now that was interesting. “Has Grayson told you the same thing?”

“I don’t have a fucking hero complex. I have a killing complex.”

“With you, they just might be one and the same.” She wet her lips. “Your parents’ deaths weren’t your fault. You were a kid, Ronan.”

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