Page 40 of Venom
Guess he realized I was here after Fury tried to deny it five minutes ago on the phone.
I knew I should have run somewhere else.
The idiot got me kicked out, all because I said yes to a date, and yeah, okay, Dean is a sleazy jackass of a landlord who has tried to access my apartment several times because he wants me. But his rent was cheap, and now, I have two weeks to get my stuff out before he changes the locks. I can’t exactly go home because the Hyenas are watching Mama’s house to see if I’ll return there, and I won't put her in danger.
Venom side-eyes me, and the memory of the fact that I’m now homeless and the only option I have at this short notice is an apartment building he’ll have access to because the club owns it hits me, and anger rises again.
Fury shrugs and admits, “Trust me, brother, you were safer not being here,” as I storm over to Venom, and while he’s distracted, I ram my knee between his legs, causing him to cough and grunt as he bends, holding his junk, and I snap, “That is for losing me my lease, jackass!”
These past few months, he hasn’t taken the fact that he has a master key for the building I now live in for granted. I’m just surprised he hasn’t tried to enter my apartment again since Ivy told him I knew about Angel.
I sigh as I close my eyes again, and he pleads, “Please, kitten, I just, I need to know why you’d cut her out after years of ignoring my jabs, especially when you would have needed her the most.”
Tears build, those three months hitting me hard as the denial I felt for those months runs through me.
“I was hospitalized, Cale,” I finally choke out as the doctors holding me down as they sedated me blinds me and I admit, “I couldn’t accept that my best friend, my hero, was dead and I lashed out every time it hit me so they sedated me. In my mind, he was coming back to celebrate the birthday meal that him and Mama planned with Ivy, the only thing I asked for,” my tears fall fast and hard and I sob, “It was my birthday, Cale, he died on my birthday and even now, ten years later, I can’t celebrate because it hurts too much…”
“Fuck!” Venom chokes out, and I silently sob, the memories destroying me bit by bit, and the urge to go hunting consumes me.
There’s no saving me, and there is certainly no future for him and I. He broke me along the way over the years with his evilness and his nasty words. Losing my dad killed the only good thing deep inside me and that goodness will never return, not even for the man I fell madly in love with when I was a kid.
Chapter 15
Venom – Eight Days Later
I tighten my grip on Raya’s knee to keep her in the room with me as she stares at one of her best friends who is in a catatonic state, clutching Viper’s shirt while curled up in my Prez’s arms. His old lady has her head on his shoulder also watching the woman in her man’s arms along with the waiting room full of brothers and their women.
Lake came home yesterday after Viper picked her up from the center. She told him there wasn’t a future for them, that she would give him full custody of their daughter once she was born, as long as the club treats her right. Now… she’s relapsed after saving his life.
Kitty, a woman Viper only ate out months ago after he and Lake split, decided to crash her car into his bike not even two hours ago, trying to kill him when he was on his way to bring his woman home, where she belonged, whether she liked it or not.
Lake was the EMT on scene, and she had no idea who she was called to save. When she realized, despite being pregnant, she rushed over to the scene, her only focus was the man she tried pushing away because of her depression.
She shoved Fury, who saw the whole fucking crash, out of the way and gave him CPR, then again in the ambulance when he crashed again on the way to the hospital after she got his heart restarted.
She was in a trance trying to do her job but as soon as she came into the waiting room she broke down. The girls, including mine because, yes, Raya is mine, all surrounded her and I think it was the first time Raya had answered Ivy’s call in weeks who is currently sitting next to Raya with her head on her shoulder, their fingers linked.
Weeks without contact, but as soon as Ivy did their emergency dialing, Raya answered instantly, proving she’s still there for my sister, building my respect higher.
I squeeze Raya’s knee again. After the doctor explained Viper’s condition, he needed surgery and may not make it, Lake ran to the bathroom, vomited, then began to dig her nails into her scars on her wrists, managing to break the skin, relapsing.
Blade hasn’t let go of her since, and my girl has not taken her eyes off her friend.
Taking a deep breath, I turn my head and press my lips against Raya’s temple. Instead of moving away, she leans into me, settling me even if she isn’t aware of what she’s doing.
Blade shouting ‘Viper’s been hit’ in the common room echoes in my head.
I was in my office, the door open, trying my hardest to do the books for Dark Angel’s Nights, the urge to put Raya’s name in the database wanting to consume me. I heard his shouted terror before the entire clubhouse went into a frenzy.
I feel Raya gently place her hand on top of mine that’s on her knee and I close my eyes, not moving my lips from her temple as I breathe her in, lavender consuming me while keeping hold of her warmth just for a little longer. I know as soon as we get information on Viper I’ll lose this connection again, that she’ll go back into hiding from me, my sister and the rest of the girls.
Something more is going on with her, I can fucking feel it. I can understand her getting upset with Ivy, she’s her best friend and didn’t give her a heads up of my fuck up and she felt betrayed. I get it, but fuck, it’s been months so it doesn’t make sense why she’s still holding back from Ivy, from her friends, fuck, even from arguing with me.
After admitting to being hospitalized after her father’s death, she hasn’t spoken to me again. Apparently, the only person she has spoken to is Lake, something I know my sister has struggled with.
They’re sisters in every way except blood, and if I have it my way, it’ll be through marriage, one way or another, just as soon as I find out what is really holding her back.
“She’s going to be okay,” Ivy whispers more to herself as Psycho sits down next to her, handing her a cup, and she takes it, but doesn’t remove her head from Raya’s shoulder. I unfortunately have to move my lips from her temple as I take the coffee from my VP, my friend.
