Page 51 of A Love Like Venom

"What is your endgame here, Snake? For her to hate you as much as you hate her?" He asks me straight out not beating around the bush.

I knew there would come a time where Oak would question my behavior, but I didn't think it would be now. Especially when we are trying to send these fuckers a message.

"No," I answer gruffly. "I want to be the one to destroy her."

"Why?" He presses.

"Why not?" I reply giving him nothing.

His nostrils flare. The muscles in his jaw flexing with anger residing tension. That's where the after affects lie. Oaky Boy is a man about control. Ever since he came home from the war it's been about nothing but control. Maybe just once I want to see him slip. Because he stands there all tall and mighty looking down at me, barely, like he's better.

He's not.

None of them are.

Us men of the Vipers MC are all broken souls pretending to be whole.

At least all of us once were.

Dex found himself again when Haven came back. When she finally devoted herself to him, vowing to never leave him. Pledging her life to him in marital bliss.

Pax has always been the lighter side to our crew, but it didn't mean the man had no darkness inside him. That there weren’t demons of his own he had to face. And of course, Stella helped silence the noises in his head.

Sticks, well I have only heard stories of the man he was before Rosa. Since I became a member of this club, I haven't known him without her.

As you all can clearly see each man is changed by a common denominator.

What's that saying?

Right, behind every good man there is an even stronger woman.

Oak and I have been burned by the women we loved. The women who once stood behind us only to be full of treachery and deceit.

Both of us have been burned in more ways than one.

And I know what you all are thinking, give love another chance. Look how it turned out for Dex. The fucker welcomed Haven back with open arms after everything she did. He was rewarded because of it but look at what happened to him because of it. She fled and left a man hardly any of us recognized. Leaving him broken and full of sorrow only to be healed by her return.

He gave her that power.

All of them did.

Well, fuck that.

I will never, I repeat never, let anyone have that power over me. Not again.

So, I fake a smile. Crack some jokes to keep civilization laughing. Drink the more than once occasional beer to ease the pain. Have meaningless sex to keep my mind from drifting to my past.

All to keep myself from succumbing to the hatred that resides in my heart.

Seeing Alice Hall laughing and smiling like she has done nothing wrong unleashes it.

She cracks the mask I have been wearing exposing the true monster she and countless others have created within.

Who am I to hide that from her? Why should I?

"I don't want any part of it Snake. I helped you before because I understood your pain but this . . . this is crossing the line," he tells me disappointedly. If there was anyone who could slightly understand my pain, it's Oak. He only knows a fraction of it. All any of them know is that Caitlin, my lying deceiving ex bitch of a girlfriend was cheating on me. They have no idea what Alice did, all that's she's done.

Alice took the stars I wished upon and crushed all my dreams from ever coming true.

---