Page 3 of Viper’s Reign

The most stubborn, Millie had rolled her eyes.

Sometimes, stubborn men don’t like to take their medicine, he’d continued, no matter how sick they are. That’s where we come in. My job is to find ways to administer that medicine to those men, no matter the method. Their loved ones pay handsomely. But I’m not licensed. I need strong nurses to save the lives of these stubborn men. And if stubborn men have one weakness, it’s strong, pretty, young nurses like you. What do you say?

I shiver at the memory.

The vibes were off, and I wasn’t that desperate, so I politely declined. Millie, however, was always tougher than me, and way more adventurous.

So, she accepted. And honestly, I couldn’t blame her. The money she made from the first job alone was enough to cover half a year’s rent.

Then another job came along. And another. She kept the details close to her chest, but she never came home looking too disturbed or worn out. It was almost enough to make me reconsider. So, when the last job came in and she asked if I wanted to handle it—and get the payout—I almost said yes. But my gut wouldn’t stop screaming, and I don’t ignore that.

Millie just shrugged and took the job herself. But there were some… complications. For the first time, it sounded like the target wasn’t all that interested in having some pretty young nurse slip him his medication. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t even get close to him.

Then I learned who the client was.

Dimitri Petrov.

I’d heard the rumors whispered about him in the clinic, and I begged her to get out, but she said it was too late. Well, now it really is…

“I asked you a question.” The man’s rough voice shakes me from my memories. “Do you remember the job your friend was given?”

I blink through the tears blurring my vision and glare up at the man. “What about it?”

“It’s your job now.”

My eyes nearly bug out of my skull.

“Excuse me?”

“Either you administer the medicine to our client or your friend gets a special dose for herself.”

My heart constricts.

“I—what makes you think I’ll have better luck than Millie?”

My mind reels through a slideshow of all I learned about Dimitri Petrov after Millie finally told me he was her newest client.

Billionaire brother of the notorious Petrov family. Rich beyond imagination. Famous for dating dark-haired beauties—much like Millie, and the opposite of me, with my red hair and freckles—potentially more corrupt and dangerous than even the vilest rumors suggest.

The pictures of him online are clearly well tailored to maintain a polished image. But if you zoom in, like I found myself doing, you can sometimes find the hints of dark tattoos flickering out from the edges of his expensive suits. I guess even the best-paid teams sometimes forget to photoshop everything out. And yet they always seemed to have time for his face. Because there’s no denying the man in the pictures is gorgeous. Gorgeous enough that I couldn’t help but assume he was photoshopped in some way. No man is that hot… right?

I hear the man in front of me spit. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” He pushes his phone back into his pocket and pulls another smaller one out. “Take this with you,” he orders, shoving it in my hand. “You’ll get your first instructions soon. You have one week to finish the job. Your friend’s already been paid. If you fail, she dies.” He pauses to look me up and down. “And so do you.”

That last threat falls flat—I’d give my life for Millie’s in a second—but what he said just before that echoes in my mind.

Your friend’s already been paid.

Damn it, Millie.

“If you try to call the police—well, you’re a smart girl. Think about poor Millicent and how easy it was for me to get to you tonight. We can take both of your lives. Just. Like. That.” He snaps his fingers.

I gulp. “I won’t.”

“Good. Make yourself available this weekend. Your instructions will arrive shortly.” With that, he takes a step back, then turns around and melts into the darkness.

The second he’s out of sight, my knees buckle and I slump weakly against the grimy wall behind me.

What have you gotten us into, Millie?