Page 87 of Silk Shadow

She stood up, checked her reflection, and plastered a smile on her face. Time to face Robert.

CHAPTER 36

Viper got back home around six. He'd been part of a team of men hired to guard a Chinese delegation that had arrived in D.C. for a series of important meetings. He wasn't point, but backup, equipped with an earpiece and following in a discreet SUV along with two police motorcyclists.

Now the delegation was firmly ensconced at their hotel, they'd handed over to a different team for the night shift.

With nothing to do, he paced up and down his living room and thought about Izzy. Was she okay? Did she miss him as much as he missed her? Fuck, he wanted to hold her so bad it hurt.

As he stared out of the window at his overgrown garden, he ignored the knot in his chest. Izzy was in her penthouse apartment, surrounded by stylists and photographers. He was in his run-down house in Fredericksburg, alone. The strange thing was, he'd never needed more than this.

Until now.

He sighed. They were polar opposites. It would never have worked. Except what they’d had, that had been real. He’d never felt that way about anyone before.

Fuck it.

He got a beer from the fridge, turned on the television, and sank onto the sofa. The channel it was on was playing reruns of Shark Tank. He watched as two of the judges agreed to invest in the start-up. Equal share. They'd each be putting in twenty-five percent of the capital.

Viper stared at the TV. Something Izzy had said came back to him.

A cold shiver ran down his spine.

Shit.

Of course.

He jumped off the sofa. Suddenly, he knew who'd attacked her outside her apartment—or at least, he thought he did.

Viper grabbed his leather motorcycle jacket and ran outside. His Suzuki SF250 superbike was resting on its stand in the parking lot. He jumped on, put on his helmet and started the engine. The motorcycle woke up with a low growl.

He revved it just to get the juices flowing, it had been a while since he’d taken her for a ride. Then, he zoomed out of the parking lot and down the road.

It took him just under an hour to get to D.C. As he turned into the crescent street in which Izzy lived, his pulse increased. He drove slowly past, checking out the front of the building. It was lit up, the outside lights elegantly illuminating the front steps and the two stylish potted plants on either side of the glass doors.

Where was the cop?

The Metropolitan Police Department was supposed to have an officer outside the door, but he couldn’t see anyone.

Viper pulled over, took out his phone, and called Pat.

"First Izzy, and now you," growled the former SEAL Commander into the phone. "This had better be good."

"Sir, has the police presence been recalled from Izzy's apartment?"

A pause.

"No, not that I know of. Why?"

"Because I'm outside now and I can't see anyone."

"For fuck’s sake, Viper, what are you doing there? Do you want me to fire you?"

"I had an idea, sir, about who was responsible for today’s attempt on her life, so I came by to check and there is nobody guarding the place."

"You're sure?"

Viper got off his bike and placed the helmet on the seat. "Yeah. Hold on, I'm going to take a closer look." As a precaution, he drew his gun.