Page 30 of Venom
I thought I was her family too, but I was wrong.
Venom bangs again, and I swallow hard as I grab my phone and call 911, knowing nothing else will make him leave.
“911, what’s your emergency?” the operator states, and I choke, “I have an MC brother trying to break into my apartment.”
The operator asks more questions before getting my address and confirms a patrol car is on the way. I hang up before dropping my phone on the table, then lean my head back on my knees, allowing my tears to fall as my body shakes with my silent sobs.
Not even five minutes after speaking to the operator, I hear a phone ring before cursing echoes, and I know he’s been tipped off, his words confirming it as he snaps, “What couldn’t get your rich daddy to come to your aide?”
“Nope, rich daddy is dead,” I mutter to myself before he snaps, “This isn’t over, Raya, do you hear me, I fucked up, I know this, but once you hear me out you’ll understand, please, just, fuck, just let me tell you my side of the story.”
I hear his footsteps disappear, and I slowly lie down on my couch as I allow my tears to fall, knowing full well I won’t have anything to do with the club again as I close my eyes.
A little while later, knocking echoes, waking me from the light sleep I let consume me, and I blink a few times before I hear, “Raya, it’s Uncle Ben, open up.”
Ah, come on…
I sigh as I drop my head. I can’t catch a fricking break today, can I?
“Open up, Raya, I know you’re home, your car is out front,” he continues as he knocks, and I sigh as I close my eyes again.
It doesn’t matter how much he knocks, I’m not answering him. If he doesn’t leave, I’ll do the same thing I did with Venom and call the cops.
That man is no uncle of mine. He wants my inheritance. He believes it’s rightfully his after Daddy died and Mama remarried, but the idiot knows it was always going to be mine. While I don’t touch it except for tuition, he isn’t having it, and as far as I’m concerned, he needs to get himself a job like a normal person.
It’s not my fault he sank the family business.
“I swear to god, Raya, if you don’t open up, I’ll make your life a living hell!” he threatens, and I mumble, “Sorry, Ben, my life is already a living hell. Daddy is dead, his killers are still at large because Hayden keeps adding men every time I kill one, and the love of my life, who has hated me for years for no reason whatsoever, slept with me then his regular girl, oh, and my best friend knew and didn’t tell me.”
Ivy has messaged me several times apologizing since I messaged her that I knew about Venom, claiming she didn’t want to hurt me, but I still got hurt anyway.
“This isn’t over, Raya. That money is rightfully mine and my father's, and we will get it one way or another,” he threatens before everything goes quiet again, and I deflate.
Hayden, Venom, Ivy, and now him. Aren’t I a lucky girl?
My pager for the firehouse goes off, and I sigh loudly before I sit up and grab it to see it’s a 911 for a housefire, and I move quickly.
At least I’ve got a distraction from life, because let’s face it, staying here and moping is not the way to go. Not when I know Venom will now be happy because I’m cutting Ivy out for a while.
Chapter 11
Venom – Two Months Later
I gently bounce my leg as I watch Raya stare straight ahead, tears running down her cheeks, her once-curly hair up in a messy bun, her light pink, off-the-shoulder, long-sleeved bridesmaid dress ruffled up with crinkles while she hugs herself, her body trembling.
I have the urge to walk over to her, to lift her in my arms like Blade has hold of his woman, Psycho clutching to his, whose attention is on her friend who has barely spoken to her in two months, and Fury holding an inconsolable Skylar who is still in her wedding dress.
They’re supposed to be starting their family moon – their honeymoon, but with Tate. We are all sitting in the hospital waiting room, waiting for an update on Lake.
Viper who returned this morning adamant to sort shit out with Lake called and explained he found the love of his life, the reason why he went nomad for two months unconscious on the shower floor, covered in blood.
She slit her wrists, and not for the first time, according to the doctor. Instead of feeling the pain she was in after everything with Viper, the shit the brothers would say, and the nasty, vile words Cherri would spew, she cut to try and squash it because anger no longer helped. Only today, after Cherri lied about sleeping with Viper, then called her a whore just like her, she cut a little too deep.
She’s just lucky Viper managed to find her when he did. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have survived.
I lean forward and link my fingers as I lean my elbows on my knees, not taking my eyes off Raya, who still won’t speak to me, let alone look at me or anyone else within the MC.
I messed up sleeping with Angel, so fucking badly. I knew what Mama said was bullshit, the same Mama who is now hanging around like a bad smell, yet I allowed my fears to cloud my judgment, and now, Raya hates me even more than she did.
