Page 60 of The Vipers' Vow

Jarl must have noticed my line of sight.

“Have you met my right-hand man, Apo?” Jarl says.

I’m not going to shake that monster’s hand, and I stay silent. Was he the one who was watching over Lex? Imagine having to look up at the damn necklace all the time and deal with the inherent threat in it while being held captive.

I’m painfully aware of the weight of the gun hidden beneath my leather jacket. Will Jarl notice the shape of it?

Jarl lets out a frustrated breath. “How about this? You hand over the cross, and then we can talk.”

“If you don’t have Lex, I don’t see what there is to talk about.”

Jarl arches his brow. “Are you sure about that, young lady? I thought you cared about your sister.”

“Reagan’s dead,” I say bitterly.

“And you promised me that you’d find out who was responsible. We shouldn’t be enemies, Ivani. You and I are on the same side, and now that you’ve brought me my cross, you’ve proven yourself to me.”

“I never wanted to prove myself to you. All I wanted was to get Lex back and learn the truth about what happened to my sister.” I don’t add ‘and learn the truth about my mom,’ though I want to.

Saint takes a step forward. “I have information for you.”

He’s talking to Jarl, and I snap my head in Saint’s direction. This is what he alluded to earlier.

Just what has he been doing?

Saint lifts his chin. “I believe I know who was responsible for pushing Reagan off the tower.”

Jarl narrows his eyes at Saint. “Are you sure you’re not just trying to cover your own back?”

“One hundred percent, but I’m not sharing it until I know where my fucking brother is.”

The shadow behind the man on the sundeck lengthens and darkens.

The sudden crack of a gunshot ricochets out across the stillness of the lake. Waterfowl take off from the surface with a flapping of wings and startled cries.

There’s a brief moment of confusion, no one sure where the shot has come from, and then the man who’d been standing on the edge of the sundeck falls as though in slow motion and lands right behind where Jarl is standing.

Phoenix appears in the place where the man had been, and he turns his weapon and takes down the guy at Jarl’s left shoulder. There’s another crack of a gunshot, and the man who’d been on the bow sinks to his knees with a shocked groan. Zoo appears behind him.

“Motherfuckers!” Jarl shouts.

Jarl lunges for the weapon he’s put on the floor, and the big guy with the cocks around his neck drops to a crouch to unclip a piece from an ankle holster hidden beneath his pants.

My dad taught me to shoot at the range, but I’m not an amazing shot. I know my way around a gun, but that’s all. Still, this is close

Zane kicks the gun Jarl is going for out of the way. It skitters across the deck and stops right beside one of the chrome poles that make up the barrier around the edge of the deck. Both men lunge for it.

I pull the weapon and aim it at Jarl’s head. “Don’t move!” I shout.

“How about you don’t move?” the freak called Apo snaps. He has his gun in his hand and is pointing it at me. Shit.

Suddenly, I spot Saint behind the huge guy. I blink and almost rub my eyes comically but instead I hold steadfast with the gun trained on Jarl before glancing fast back at Saint in confusion. How did he get there? Then it dawns on me that it isn’t Saint I’m looking at.

“Lex!” I cry. My hand holding the gun wobbles with the emotion I’m feeling so I force myself to keep it aimed at Jarl.

I have no idea where Lex has come from, but I’m overjoyed to see him. All his focus is on the guy with the freaky necklace. I’ve never seen that look in his eyes before—murderous. It’s as though they’ve darkened to match the surface of the lake.

Lex has a gun in one hand, and his other is held protectively against his body. I can see why. It’s swollen, and his thumb is at a strange angle. So that’s how he managed to slip his handcuffs. He did something to his hand. It must be incredibly painful, but he isn’t showing any of that pain on his face. All I can see is anger.

---