Page 16 of Venom
“Dark Angel’s Nights?” Blade questions and I reply, “We’ve had a few problems with the Hyena fuckers trying to sell their shit in there. Apparently, their usual spot near the library is no longer safe for them. Someone is killing Hayden’s men one by one. I caught a fucker last night, slit his throat, and Fury helped me deliver him to Hayden as a warning. The next person found in our club, he’s the next one to die.”
“Pesty fuckers,” my dad mutters, and I nod because yeah, they fucking are.
The old-timers, the ones who used to be officers of the club, sit in with the church and have a little bit of say, but they know we’re the ones who run the club now. They also had to deal with the Hyena’s when Talen, Hayden’s father was the leader.
“Let me know if it gets worse, and we’ll make a plan,” Blade demands, and I nod before he turns to Psycho and asks about Dark Angel’s Tats, and I begin to zone out, Raya coming to mind again.
I hate that I have feelings for her, hate that I’ve fallen for her, and I fucking hate that I can’t stop thinking about her. Now I don’t know what to do about it because I know she hates me.
Damn, I fucked up over the years.
Maybe I should show up everywhere she is and ingrain myself in her life...
Chapter 6
Raya
“Hey, Tom,” I say as I walk into the firehouse and remove my jacket, hanging it up, ready for the night shift and he smiles widely at me.
“Hey, darling, how are you doing?” he asks as he looks me over, but not in a creepy way, more like ‘is she taking care of herself’, which I get most times at around this time of year from him. I don’t really blame him after I nearly died before my sixteenth birthday.
Tomorrow will be another year since I lost my dad, and it doesn’t matter how many years that go by, it never gets easier. Don’t get me wrong, I love Gregory, and in my heart, he is my dad, but my daddy, he was my best friend, my world, and I still haven’t got rid of all his killers.
Once I rid them of this world, then maybe his death anniversary will be easier for me. I may actually remember the happier times and not the fact that I lost him, and on my birthday at that.
Tom tilts his head, and I smile at him, hoping he doesn’t see through it, especially when he knows me inside and out.
I’ve known Tom since I was in diapers. He was my dad’s best friend and an honorary uncle to me. He’s also the one who identified my dad's body just so Mama and I didn’t have to.
“I’m good, happy to work,” I lie like I didn’t just spend three hours stalking Hayden Gillies, who seems to be hanging around the MC territory the more I kill off his men, trying to recruit more. Then another two hours studying for the property law exam next week.
I only have two years left of law school before I take my bar exam and become a family lawyer, and I want to make Gregory proud.
Clearing my throat, I ask, “How was the day shift?”
“Good,” he admits, not asking more, knowing not to bring up tomorrow.
In the past ten years as of tomorrow, since losing my dad, I haven’t celebrated my birthday, and Mama understood, and so has Tom.
He ties up his boots and states, “You’re on with Hendrix, Liz, and Eddie tonight, Lee and Aubrey are on call, James and Daph will take over from you and Hendrix at 3 am.”
I nod and reply, “Okay, no problem,” and he nods again as he looks at me before sighing. He stands and walks over to me, taking me into his arms, and I hold him tightly as he whispers, “Happy birthday for tomorrow, sweetheart.”
My eyes tear and my heart pounds as I pull back and attempt the stink eye but he smirks as he walks past me and just before he walks out of the door he announces, “It’s time you started to celebrate sweetheart, your daddy would hate that you don’t,” and a few tears fall but I quickly wipe them away before any of my colleagues get here.
Not many people know my birthday, only those closest to me, so I don’t want anyone to question my emotions.
Just as the thought leaves me, I catch the light pink iced birthday cake on the counter with a massive happy birthday sign sticking out on top.
Crap.
I go to move to hide it before I can apprehend what Tom is doing, but instead I drop my head with a sigh as I hear Eddie ask, “Hey, whose birthday is it?” as he walks in.
Damn you, Tom…
“Mine tomorrow,” I admit without looking at the tall blonde haired beast of a man but before he can reply the drill bell echoes and I internally sigh in relief before rushing over to the pole, Eddie’s, “Fuck’s sake, I really wanted cake,” just hitting my ears before I hit the ground near the fire truck with a snort.
The man always thinks with his stomach, and that may be my saving grace tonight from answering any questions about my birthday.
