Page 62 of Truths

“Don't entertain him,” Venom says. “He wants to piss you off because in his world, that puts you off your game. Don't let him.”

“And who the fuck are you?”

Laughing like a maniac, Venom steps closer to him. “I'm the type of man pathetic guys like you have nightmares about. If Cannon gives me the word, I'll make you cry out for your non-existent daddy. Let me guess, he left to go get milk and nevercame back? No... cigarettes. You seem more white trash than that. Actually, no, your mother never knew who your father was, did she?”

“Keep my mom out of your mouth!” he shouts.

“Why? No one else ever had to. Did you watch her while she whored herself out for drug money? That where you learned that drugs can make the bad times a little duller?”

He cracks his neck as he glares at Venom. “I'll fucking kill you.”

“No, you won't,” Venom says as he laughs. “If this wasn't Cannon's fight, I'd have you completely toothless with every fucking joint in your body broken. I'd watch you lying on the ground, flapping around like a fish out of water. All I need is the word, and you won't know what fucking happened to you.”

Cannon stares at Venom, and the look on his face tells him there's no exaggeration in his statement. The man really would do something that crazy.

“I vote we let Venom do what he does best,” Nelson says. “Make this asshole regret ever coming here to Sutton's home.”

“She doesn't deserve to walk out to see him still alive,” Cannon says. “Come at me, asshole.”

Without additional coaxing, Ryan rushes to Cannon. Cannon catches him, flips him around to face away from him, and puts him in a headlock. Moving into the kitchen, he holds out his hand for the knife Venom took, and he stabs Ryan repeatedly in the chest, conscious not to shove it deep enough to hit his own chest.

Venom grabs a towel from the oven and shoves it into his mouth as he screams out in pain. Cannon never stops stabbing until the asshole falls limp and becomes dead weight.

“Do me a favor and try and get the blood cleaned up, so it doesn’t stain.”

“Got it,” Venom says. “My way would have been more satisfying, but this was fun to watch, too.”

“Sutton!” Cannon calls and runs into the bedroom through a broken door. The bathroom door is still intact, but there are slits from the knife he used as a weapon. “Sutton! It's me, baby.”

“Dad?” Sutton cries and opens the door.

“It's okay. He can't hurt you. He'll never hurt you again,” he says as she falls into his arms.

Sobs take over, and he guides her to the bed to find the one spot that has minimal broken items on it. His hand rubs her back as she clings to him, and he loves the feeling of hearing her call himDad.

“I'm so sorry, Dad. I'm sorry. So, so sorry.”

“For what?”

“For thinking you're not my dad. You're my dad. You'll always be my dad. I'm so sorry!”

He holds her as she sobs and rubs her back. “Sutton, how did all of this happen?”

Nelson and Venom appear in the doorway as she sobs. “He just showed up. He got in from someone leaving, and he forced his way in here. Started talking about how he and Mom were in love, how I was named after his grandma, and I knew he was lying. Everything he said was just a ruse, but he was already inside. Everything in me screamed he was here for a bad reason, but I couldn't do anything.”

“It's not your fault,” he says softly, his hand still rubbing her back.

He sees Nelson look almost sick as he watches Sutton, and she refuses to release Cannon's arm. It feels like he's an anchor keeping her from floating away, and he doesn't even care that her nails dig into his skin.

“He wanted money. Said he wanted to get to know me, but he needed money. That I could help him with that. I tried to get himout of the apartment, but he shut the door and locked it. I threw my cards at him, and I saw the pepper spray I had. When he was distracted, I sprayed him and locked myself away. He said he'd kill you if you tried to hurt him, but I needed you. I'm sorry!”

“Never be sorry for needing me, baby,” he says and kisses the top of her head. “Never, ever.”

“Is it all broken?” she asks and looks to Venom and Nelson. “I could hear him breaking everything. Is there anything... is there anything left?”

“Stuff can be replaced,” Venom says. “But you're not hurt? He didn't get to you?”

“He stabbed the fucking door,” she says and points at it with a hiccup. “I've been scared before, but this was... terrifying. Worse than clowns.”

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