Page 58 of Truths

“No!” he shouts, his eyes wide. “She'll... She's the first woman to ever think I'm worth getting into a fight for. That I'm worthy of having feelings. If you tell her, she'll never look at me the sameway again. And it scares me, but I kind of like knowing she sees me as more than a monster.”

Leaning forward again, Colt looks into his eyes. “I have to ask you a straight question.”

“Okay.”

“Do you have a thing for Lex?”

“No!” he says. “God, this is all sorts of fucked up. She's like... like a mom and a sister and a best friend all rolled into one. I don't pine for your wife. If you haven't noticed, my tastes are a little younger and brunette. Nothing against Lex.”

He holds his hands up. “I just had to ask, man. But I can tell you this... she won't think you're a monster.”

“Yeah, right.”

“She killed a man to save my life and helped me dismember him in the bathtub once.”

Jaw dropping, Venom stares at him. “You're lying.”

“Swear to God. Probably not a great choice of words, but yeah. And one of her best friends is Psycho. When we finally had her stalker who kidnapped her, she watched him force-feed the guy eyeballs. Well, one. She kind of wanted to throw up after the one she saw, but she's not one to run for the hills when it comes to... unconventional methods.”

Maybe she won't see him as a monster. “You promise she won't hate me?”

Laughing, Colt shakes his head. “No, she sure as hell won’t hate you.”

“Okay,” he concedes. For the first time in his life, he's choosing to trust people. He hopes it doesn't bite him in the ass.

Chapter Twenty-One

Summerville

Sutton

Hannah called to check on Sutton, but it wasn't to see how she was coping with the loss of her father, the newfound knowledge of her real father, or the breakup with her sort-of boyfriend. No, she called to check to make sure the Kingsmen hadn’t bothered her, considering they trashed Dani's house and broke into Rocky's. The only saving grace she has is that the rival club likely doesn't have her anywhere on their radar.

No, instead, Sutton sits in her apartment stewing. Cannon, Nelson, and even Snake called her, but she didn't answer. How can she answer when she's not part of the club anymore? That hurts the worst. The family she grew up with isn't hers anymore,and it's all because her mother committed one of the ultimate betrayals. Sutton lost the best father in the world to learn her real father is a criminal. A deadbeat. Someone she doesn't think she wants to know.

“That's kind of rich, don't you think, Sutton?” she asks herself. “Cannon's not exactly what one would consider to be a law-abiding citizen.”

It also bothers her that she's not talking to Nelson. Not only did she fall for him, she saw him as her best friend. That little voice in the back of her mind saying he couldn't be trusted and to run was right. He's incapable of loving someone, and she just became his most recent victim. The only difference between Daphne and Sutton is the fact that Daphne didn’t love him.

Someone knocks at her door, and she groans.Why do people in this building think it's a good idea to hold the door to perfect strangers? There's a reason the doors are locked and require buzzing a tenant to gain entrance for a reason, people!

Opening the door, her eyes widen. In front of her stands Ryan Hennessey.

“Hello, Sutton.”

“How did you know where I live? How'd you know my name?”

It's a stupid question, but it is what it is. Instead of telling her as such, he smiles his missing-tooth grin. At one point in time, she suspects he was a very handsome man. “I looked at your receipt from the day you came and saw me. Once I had your name from the credit card you used, it wasn't that difficult to find out where you live.”

Stupid! Should've used cash.“What are you doing here?”

“I think you know,” he says, pushing his way into her apartment. He smells like day-old grease, cigarette smoke, and beer. “We need to talk.”

Shutting the door behind him, she turns around with an uncomfortable feeling brewing in her stomach. “About what?”

“You're my kid, kid,” he says and laughs at his own joke. “Grace is your mother, and the nose and teeth are a dead giveaway that you're mine. I have the same teeth. Well, had. The prison system isn't exactly known for its stellar dental benefits. Dentists don't really come to see you every six months.”

“I think you might be mistaken-”

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