Page 49 of Hammer

The door creaked open behind me.I tensed instinctively, then forced myself to relax as Venom’s imposing figure emerged from the light.He came to stand beside me at the railing, not so close as to invade my space, but near enough for conversation.With practiced ease, he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his cut, tapping one out before offering the pack to me.

“No, thanks,” I said.“I quit when I got pregnant with Chase.”

Venom nodded, tucking the pack away after lighting his own.“Smart woman.”He took a deep drag, exhaling smoke that curled away on the light breeze.“Ridley made me quit in the house years ago.Said she wouldn’t raise our kids in a cloud of smoke.”

I smiled at that, imagining the petite blonde laying down the law to this intimidating man.“She seems like someone who gets her way.”

“You have no idea.”He chuckled, the sound rumbling deep in his chest.

We stood in companionable silence for a few moments, watching moths dance around the string lights.The distant thump of bass from inside provided a steady heartbeat beneath the night sounds.

“How you adjusting?”Venom finally asked, studying the cherry of his cigarette.“To all this.To Hammer.”

I considered my answer carefully.“It’s… different.From what I’m used to.”

“Different good or different bad?”

“Good,” I said without hesitation.“The boys seem… lighter here.Less afraid.”I hesitated, then added, “But I still worry.About Piston finding us.About what happens then.”

Venom took another drag, his expression thoughtful beneath his silver-streaked beard.“You know what makes this club different from outfits like the Devil’s Minions?”

I shook my head.

“Loyalty,” he said simply.“Not just to the patch or the lifestyle, but to each other.To our families.”He gestured with his cigarette toward the compound.“Every man who wears this cut would die for his brothers.But more importantly, they’d kill for their families.”

The blunt declaration should have disturbed me.Instead, I found it oddly comforting.“Piston has a lot of connections.In law enforcement, in other clubs.”

“So do we,” Venom countered.“Difference is, our connections are built on respect, not fear or blackmail.”He turned to face me directly.“The minute Hammer claimed you, you became Dixie Reapers’ family.Your boys too.That means something here.”

I believed him, yet doubt still niggled at the back of my mind.“Hammer and I… our arrangement… it’s complicated.”

Venom’s mouth quirked upward beneath his beard.“Aren’t they all?”

“I just mean…” I struggled to explain without revealing too much.“I don’t want anyone fighting battles for me if this… if we…”

Yes, I wanted them to protect us, but I hadn’t really considered what that might mean.These people could get hurt or even die.

“Listen,” Venom interrupted gently.“Few decades back, one of our Prospects fell for a woman with baggage.Ex-husband, mean son of a bitch who thought divorce papers were just suggestions.He tracked her down, showed up at her workplace.”

I tensed, the scenario too familiar.

“Know what happened?”Venom continued.“Before he could even get to her, he was met by three Reapers who happened to be ‘passing by.’They explained, very clearly, that the woman was under club protection now.”Venom’s eyes darkened.“When he didn’t take the hint, they arranged a more permanent solution.”

The implication hung in the air between us.I thought about how horrified I should feel at what he was suggesting.Instead, I felt only a cold satisfaction.

“Did she know?”I asked quietly.“The woman?”

“Some things are better not knowing the details of,” Venom replied.“But she understood that her problem had been handled.She’s not with the Prospect anymore, and he’s not part of this club either.They broke up, and several months later, he took off.”

I nodded, absorbing the weight of his story and what it meant for my own situation.“Thank you,” I said simply.

“No need for thanks.Just wanted you to understand how things work here.”He flicked his cigarette butt into an empty beer bottle with practiced precision.“We protect our own, Amelia.You and your boys will always have a place here.”

A lump formed in my throat at the casual certainty in his voice.“Speaking of Hammer, I haven’t seen him tonight.”

Venom’s smile was knowing.“Club business.He should be back soon.”He studied me for a moment.“You know, I’ve known that ornery bastard for thirty-plus years.Never seen him tied up in knots over a woman before.”

“Tied up in knots?He’s barely been home all week.”

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