Page 43 of Spike

"I get it, Spike," Nitro said, walking towards the exit. "Just remember, if you need my help, call me. I have your back."

With Nitro gone, the clinic felt stifling, the walls closing in on me. I was and angsty, Micah eventually discharged me at the end of the day.

"Thanks as always, Micah," I acknowledged, grateful for his care.

"I don't want to see you back here so soon, you hear?" Micah grumbled in his usual gruff tone.

"I'll do my best," I assured him, offering a small smile before stepping out of the clinic.

The cool breeze outside felt refreshing against my skin as I made my way back to the MC clubhouse.

Along the walk, I checked my phone and saw a text from Gray, asking how I was.

I immediately replied with the good news of my discharge.

As I reached the clubhouse, I sobered up. I had one more important task to handle before I could focus on planning our date tomorrow.

I made a quick trip to my room to retrieve my revolver, a cold weight in my hand as I headed downstairs to the basement.

This was the place where the MC detained both unruly members and prisoners.

Entering the cell where we were keeping Burt, I greeted him with a nod. The leopard shifter paled at the sight of me, then mustered up a scoff.

He couldn't do much tied to a chair with silver chains.

"Your buddy already gave me a makeover," he quipped, his tone dripping with defiance.

"I'm here to finish his work," I replied coolly, raising my gun.

Burt's bravado faltered, and he swore under his breath.

Despite a flicker of pity for the guy, knowing he was just a flunky hired by Jack Roth, the thought of his intentions toward Gray quickly extinguished any sympathy I felt.

"You guys picked the wrong employer to work for," I said, my voice firm. "Any last words?"

Burt's sneer faded into a grimace.

"Well, Roth has been mighty persuasive. Even you would find it hard to say no when you have that monster staring down at you," he retorted bitterly.

I didn't have time to dwell on his words. With a steady hand, I ended him and turned away, only to find Venom waiting for me outside the cell.

He nodded toward the stairs leading upstairs.

"Spike, let's talk," Venom said, his tone unreadable.

I nodded, bracing myself for what was to come.

To my relief, Venom chose to have our conversation outside the clubhouse, away from prying ears. It was close to dinner time, and plenty of our mc brothers were returning from their jobs.

We headed to an empty area of the parking lot, where Venom lit up a cigarette and offered me one. I shook my head, too jittery to think about smoking.

"I'll get straight to the point," Venom said, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "I'm sending you and Nitro on a delivery job."

I braced myself, knowing there was more to his request than met the eye.

Orders from Venom usually carried weight, especially when they deviated from the usual routine.

"Okay," I replied cautiously. "Where to?"

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