Page 74 of Beautiful Venom

The slap or punch doesn’t come.

Letting my arm drop, I shift sideways with painstaking effort.

Jude.

He’s standing by the door, his large frame blocking the exit. Leaning against the wall, he casually slides both hands in his pockets and crosses his feet at the ankles.

My heartbeat doesn’t slow down, and no sense of safety overwhelms me upon seeing him.

What if he’s in on it, too?

My blurry eyes sweep over the space behind him, looking, searching, scanning the door for someone else.

And I’ve never searched for someone to save me before.

I’ve done the saving.

For me and Vi.

“How…” The taller of the guys faces Jude as the other keeps me down. “No one knows about this place.”

“That’s what you think.” Jude’s voice is an effortlessly scary rumble without his having to do anything. “Since when do pawns like you think you have agency?”

“We’re just acting on orders.”

“Whose orders?”

Both guys remain silent.

“No matter who they are, they won’t protect you from what will happen in exactly…” Jude checks his watch. “One minute.”

The guys stare at each other, but the one who’s grabbing my thigh, half leaning on the bed, doesn’t release me.

I try to wiggle free, but I’m too weak. My heartbeat is so loud, I think I’ll have an attack.

Through my blurry vision, I see the door slamming against the wall with so much force, I’m surprised it doesn’t come off its hinges.

At first, I can’t see correctly—my vision is slipping in and out of focus.

But I know it’s him.

A sense of peace befalls me, and my heart slows down.

Kane.

He’s here.

The quiet click of his footsteps echoes through the haze, steady and calm, but there’s something dangerous lurking underneath.

There’s a shift in the air, and the room contracts around him, bending to his presence. He doesn’t rush, doesn’t shout. He’s too composed, too controlled, like the stillness before a storm.

“Less than a minute. Impressive.” Jude’s voice echoes around me, but he’s far from being the center of my attention.

I blink, still trying to focus, to hold on to that anchor, but the drug drags me under again.

My body’s fighting me, my thoughts drifting away like sand through my fingers. I barely register the cold ice-blue of his eyes landing on me. There’s no warmth there, no softness.

Just a lethal edge that sends a shiver through the room.

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