Viper (Second Wave Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

carry them when we start back
again.” He whispered, allowing her to help him to the ground beside her.
    Lara chuckled softly as she leaned
back against a tree. “You just keep yourself upright, and I’ll take care of the
rest. Sadly, this is nothing new to me. Same war, different location. Only this
time I know where the hell I am. This is my forest those fuckers came into.”
    Viper was taken aback by the jolt
of energy that shot from her body to his own, inches away. He could feel her
pain and anger course through him as the energy merged with his own. It took
several moments for him to realize what she had said.
    “You have fought them before?
Where? Are there others with you?” Viper asked, hoping maybe she had a team
nearby. Someone who could contact Ivint and Dread and get her out of danger.
    His hopes were dashed when she
sighed heavily before chuckling again. “No… there’s no one else. They killed
everyone else. It’s just me. But before you let that worry you, I wasn’t
kidding about this being my forest. I grew up here. I know every damn part of
it. And they don’t. I will keep my word, and keep you safe.”
    Lara didn’t wait for him to respond;
she stood up and grabbed the packs before Viper placed his hand over hers. Lara
looked up into unfocused green eyes, her breath catching at his beautiful face.
    Shaking her head slightly, she
focused again on his face in the moonlight. She could have sworn that he’d had
more bruises than that earlier.
    “Let me carry one of them at least.
I promise I will not fall or slow us down.” Viper said quietly, feeling lost in
the flurry of emotions he felt touching her. Deep, unrelenting sadness flowed
through him until she pulled her hand away quickly.
    Lara was shaken by the feel of his
hand on her own. There was something so familiar about him. But she didn’t have
time to think about it or sort it out. It didn’t matter anyway. She had two
promises to keep now, and she would.
    Grabbing the heavier pack, Lara
left the lighter one on the ground for Viper and waited until he picked it up
and steadied himself. Gently grabbing his arm again, she guided him back
towards their stopping point for the night.
    “Why are you here? How did you get
here?” Viper asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
    “Did you not hear me? This is my
forest. I grew up here my whole life. When I got back from Afghanistan, this is
where I came. It’s the only home I have ever known.”
    “The question is, why are you here?
How did you get here? What branch of service are you in?” Lara asked with an
edge of distrust in her voice. Although she felt a strong connection to the
man, she was no fool, and she needed answers as much as he did.
    Viper almost smiled at the
determination he could feel in her energy. She was certainly a feisty little thing
he thought, wondering why she didn’t recognize his energy.
    “I am here trying to kill them.
They shot down one of our transports. I came to, tied to the tree. I am not a
member of one of the military forces, although we do have members of the
military among our ranks.” Viper said, unsure what to say until he knew more
about her and what he was dealing with.
    Lara stopped, Viper again stopping
just shy of walking into her. She was tired, frustrated, confused and her
shoulder was throbbing like a bitch. The last thing she needed was this guy’s
evasive answers, and she was getting ready to tell him just that when she saw
the light flicker in the sky behind him, before hearing the tell-tale whump,
whump of the blades.
    “Come on, get down!” Lara said
pulling him down behind a fallen log in the thick underbrush.
    They both looked up as the
helicopter flew low over the trees above them.
    “They want you pretty bad to get
here this quick. How about you tell me why? Because at the moment I’m in no
mood to dig through bullshit for the truth. The only reason you are alive right
now is because I hate them more than I hate you.