by Naomi West
Jet smiled, an expression that was carried out only with his mouth and didn’t even come close to reaching his eyes. “That’s my girl. Now let’s get home.”
“I want to stay here with her.” The words bubbled out of her before she could stop them. Venus flinched, knowing another slap was coming. It didn’t, and she turned to him uncertainly.
“I don’t like where things are headed with you, Venus. You were always such an obedient child, and I had high hopes for your position in the gang. I thought you could rise through the ranks just like I did, and not just because you were my daughter. You’ve been nothing but a disappointment though. Your behavior last night with Pedro’s man only proved my theories about you. I suggest you give some serious thought to how you’re going to live your life.”
Venus swallowed. That wasn’t a reference to whether or not she would stay with the Skulls. It was a thinly veiled threat that she would end up just like Vixen if she didn’t straighten up and fly right. “I understand. I do need to stay with her, though. There’s nobody else to do it.”
“I cut you a lot more slack than I should, and I see this is where it’s gotten me. That’s not going to happen anymore. You can stay for a little while longer, but you’d damn well better get your ass back home tonight. You’re causing too much trouble, and you’re not worth it.” He turned on his heel, strode around the hospital bed as though it was nothing more than an obstacle in his way, and disappeared out the door.
Venus laid her head down on the edge of the bed and cried. She cried for the childhood that had been far from normal or healthy. She cried for her best friend, who might not live, and even if she did, she’d still have Jet to contend with. She cried for herself, because she had no idea how she was ever going to get out of this situation.
4
Maybe he shouldn’t have, but Blade had taken off on his own that morning. He needed some time on his bike to clear out his mind and get his thoughts straight. It could be difficult to make all the right decisions when he was surrounded by so many people who needed his opinions or wanted to talk to him. The position was one of honor, and he knew that. They wouldn’t have let just anyone lead the Devil’s Fangs. They had elected him as president and kept him there because he was the most qualified. He listened, and he kept his people happy.
But the news about the Savage Skulls had made him worry about the future of the Fangs. He never would’ve admitted that to someone else. He wasn’t in a position where he could afford to look weak. But a war with the Skulls could mean losing a lot of people. As confident as he was in the skills of his members, it could also result in the loss of territory or even the disbandment of the club. That was something he simply couldn’t let happen. There were too many people relying on him.
The sun was warm on his shoulders, and the wind combed through his thick black hair like the cool fingers of a gentle woman. His arms were loose and limber, relaxed in their comfortable position where he rested on the handles of his bike. The gentle hum of the engine between his legs and the swift passage of the road beneath him made him feel as though he was truly flying, and it took so little effort. There had never been anything in Blade’s life that had made him feel better than a long ride on a nice day. He felt bad for anyone who’d never had the chance to experience it.
But even the best and most needed rides couldn’t last forever, and he returned to the clubhouse by midmorning to find Gator waiting for him in his office. Blade came around toward the back side of the desk, the scent of fresh air still wafting off his skin as he sat down. “I take it you have some news for me?”
Gator nodded. He was one of the older generation that might not’ve liked having a man barely past thirty as his president, but always treated Blade with the respect he deserved. If he had any sort of problem, he’d never made it obvious. “I do. I’m sorry to bother you so early in the day, but I thought you’d want to hear.”
“You were right.” It was too early in the day to start drinking—not if he wanted to get any work done, anyway—so Blade settled for a bottle of water out of the mini fridge behind his desk. “I’m surprised you have something for me so early, though. I imagined the Skulls would be working hard to cover up anything they’d done. They’re not exactly the most forthcoming bunch I’ve ever met.” Blade had only had a direct run-in with their leader a time or two, and neither had been a pleasant experience.
“They are,” Gator agreed. “I have a man keeping an eye on all the media in case something comes across that might serve as a good clue. Sherlock has some police connections he’s taking advantage of, and I’m hoping I get something a little more solid out of that. But the information I have is more of a rumor on the street than anything.”
Blade nodded to let the other man know he still wanted to hear it. Rumors could sometimes be the best source of information on the streets, and they were usually started for a reason.
“Okay. It’s all a little jumbled, but from what I can make out things took a turn for the worse when the leader tried to give a woman over to one of Pedro’s men for some sexual favors instead of actually paying him for his goods.”
“And this is the woman who was shot?” It was terrible, but it wasn’t unheard of. Women were just another form of currency in the world of street life and black-market drugs.
“I’m not sure. There’s still some confusion there. The most concrete intelligence I have for you is the woman is still alive. She’s in the hospital over at Township Memorial. Her name is Vixen, and she’s in the ICU.” Gator glanced at his boss, unsure of how he was going to take this information.
Blade leaned back in his chair, mulling it over. The name was familiar, but he’d never made it a priority to memorize all the outlying members of his rivals. Only the leaders had been important up until this point. “It’s not like them not to do a thorough job of things. We’ve heard of other dead bodies they’ve left in their wake, so I’m surprised anybody Jet would go after would still be alive.”
Gator nodded. “I guess she got lucky.”
“I don’t think I’d put it quite like that. If Jet wanted her dead, then she’d probably be better off that way instead of fighting for her life. He might just go after her again if she makes it. Or there was some sort of accident. That might mean some of the gang members might be there at the hospital with her, hoping she’ll pull through.” The police were going to get involved in a matter like that, but Blade doubted Jet and his people would worry about that too much if they were concerned for one of their members.
“I can send someone from my team over there, see what we can find out,” Gator offered. “I’m sure someone has a connection with the hospital since there are so many people who work there.”
It wasn’t a terrible idea, but Blade shook his head. “No, don’t bother. I’m going myself.”
“You don’t have to do that, boss. You’ve got other stuff to handle. I can take care of this.”
“I know you can, and that’s exactly why I put you on the assignment in the first place. It’s not that I think you’re doing a bad job or that I want to take you off the mission, I’m just ready to get my hands dirty on this. I want to get involved and get this taken care of as quickly as possible.” If there was anything Blade had learned in his years as the president of the Devil’s Fangs, it was that quick action was always the best option. “I’m heading over there right now.”
“Do you want anyone to come with you? Even if we just wait out in the parking lot, I think it would make me feel better. I’ve talked to several people about the Skulls, and everyone says they aren’t men to mess with.”
Blade passed a hand over his mouth to hide a smile. His men cared about him. He knew he could handle himself, but Gator wasn’t completely wrong. It wasn’t safe to do this on his own just in case they ran into a large contingent from the gang. “All right, but I think staying in the parking lot is a good idea. I don’t want to call any attention to ourselves by leading a whole group of bikers into the ICU.
” The picture this created in his mind was an amusing one, even if the situation was serious.
“Good. We’ll be ready to go in five.”
Sure enough, a group of Fangs left the clubhouse five minutes later with Blade in the lead. He should’ve been happy to be on his bike again, but it was for a completely different purpose this time. This was no pleasure cruise, but a business trip.
The hospital was practically deserted in the middle of the day, with most people waiting to visit their loved ones until after-hours. Blade parked his bike toward the back of the lot and strode toward the entrance. He didn’t need to give instructions to his men. The quick briefing they’d gotten at the clubhouse would be enough for them. They would wait patiently for him unless they got a signal there was trouble.
The automatic doors slid open to allow Blade into the building. At the front desk, an older woman with a cloud of white hair gave him a pinched look of concern as he breezed by and headed toward the elevator, confident of his destination. The thick smell of antiseptic was all too familiar. Blade couldn’t count the number of times he’d been in this building, and only a few times had been because he was a patient. Some of his fellow Fangs had fallen over the years, either due to conflicts with other organizations or from fluke motorcycle accidents that never should’ve happened. Old Snake had finally passed away after he’d retired from the club, and Blade had been at his side when he’d passed. The Fangs had given his coffin a full escort that fully interrupted the city’s traffic and would’ve made Snake very happy.
But even though there had been plenty of occasions for him to be here, the one that seemed permanently lodged in his brain and that always crept to the forefront was his stepfather. He’d been so mangled when he’d fallen off that stepladder. The doctors and nurses had swarmed him as soon as he’d arrived in an ambulance, with a very young Blade at his side. The experience had been surreal, both exciting and horrifying, and even though Blade knew things had happened as they should’ve, it was hard to reconcile his memories and his emotions.
Shaking off the old images, Blade concentrated at the task at hand. He’d completely ignored the sticker on the front door of the hospital that said weapons weren’t allowed, and he touched his pistol in its holster under his vest just to be sure it was still there and ready for him. ICU or not, there was no telling what he might walk in on. Jet himself could be sitting there, also having disobeyed the hospital laws.
Gator’s information had been as thorough as possible, which prevented Blade from having to check in at the nurses’ station and ask where Vixen could be found. That would no doubt make them wonder what a man like him—tall, muscular, tattoos, and clothes in leather—was doing coming to see a young woman, and the nurses and doctors would no doubt find excuses to make their rounds. Blade needed private time with whoever might be there to visit the woman.
Still, the ward was constructed out of mostly glass walls so the men and women at the nurses’ station in the center could easily see what was happening with their patients. He would need to be careful, regardless.
The door to Vixen’s room was open, and Blade stepped inside. He braced himself for the onslaught of Skulls, ready to kill him or at least drive him away, but he was met only with the soft words of a woman. She sat in the chair next to the bed, leaning close to the bed as she read out loud from a magazine. Every now and then she would turn to the patient and add her own remarks to the article, her long dark hair shifting on her back. It fell nearly to her waist, with gentle waves that give it a thick, enticing volume. Blade watched for a moment, seeing that there was nothing here that was any threat to him. He could see the visitor’s face in profile, the curve of her cheek, the sleek lines of her nose and chin. When she turned to him with brilliant blue eyes, Blade nearly took a step back.
“Who are you?” the woman asked tartly. Her eyes shifted downward quickly, taking in his leathers, and her brows drew together when she met his gaze once again.
Blade had expected to find other gang members here, not someone who was just part of the victim’s family. He didn’t know who this woman was, but she could still be a good source of information. He slowly closed the door behind him, the click of the latch echoing against the hard walls. “The name’s Blade. I’m the president of the Devil’s Fangs, but I don’t suppose you’ve heard of us.”
The woman was instantly on her feet, the magazine abandoned on the edge of the bed. “I have, but I don’t think that explains what you’re doing here.”
Blade gestured toward the bed with his head. He’d only gotten a glimpse at the patient, but judging by all the equipment hooked up to her, she was in no position to interfere. “You wanna tell me how this happened?”
The fire in her eyes was enough to entice Blade, even without the curves of her body. She looked fierce and determined, like an angry cat backed into a corner, and he found he rather liked it. If she didn’t want to cooperate with him, maybe there would be a way to coerce her.
“I don’t think it’s any of your damn business,” she retorted with a nervous glance through the glass wall toward the nurses’ station. “Now you can get the hell out of here.”
“No, that’s not how this works.” Blade took two steps forward, letting her know he meant business. He was over a head taller than her, but he kept his chin in the air so that he looked down his nose at her. “What’s your name?”
“Also not your business,” she fired back.
“It is, if you’re in here and if you know what happened to this woman. You see, I happen to know she belongs to the Savage Skulls and that she was shot by one of her own. It happened on my territory, so everything going on in here is my business.”
The woman flinched at this information, and the spark of defiance in her eyes turned to something else. She still kept her enticing lips in a firm line though. “It sounds to me like you already know everything, then.”
“I’m sure there are a few details you could fill me in on. It might pay off nicely for you. Why don’t you start by telling me who you are, why you’re here, and what you know about this situation?” Blade smiled. He couldn’t have lucked out any better than finding this woman here, instead of Jet and his seconds. It wasn’t that he minded the confrontation, but this was more fun.
She looked for a second like she was going to argue with him again, but her shoulders sagged slightly and she conceded. “I’m Venus, and I’m Jet’s daughter. If you know so much about the Skulls, then I imagine you already know who that is.”
Blade raised his eyebrows. “I do, but I didn’t know he had a daughter. Good. Then you know what happened with this woman.”
“I do, but like I said, it’s none of your damn business.” Venus sat back down in her chair with a huff, picking up her magazine and pretending to read it.
She could ignore him all she wanted to, but that wasn’t going to get Blade to go away. He strode forward and snatched the issue easily from her hands. She tried to grab it back, but he held it just out of her reach. “Uh-uh. You’re going to talk to me. You’d be foolish not to.”
The anger in her eyes was palpable. It was too bad there were all these glass walls here, or Blade would have a little more freedom in what he wanted to do. “How’s that?”
Blade pointed to the woman on the bed. “As I said, she was shot on my territory. That’s not the kind of thing I take lightly. Right now, I’m considering whether or not I need to bring the full vengeance of the Fangs down on the Savage Skulls. If you’re involved in that, then you’re going to suffer the consequences just as much as anyone else is.” She was damn good-looking, and he didn’t mind standing in here talking to her, but she was awful stubborn. “Once I know all the details, I’ll make a decision from there. Or maybe you don’t want to tell me what happened because you were the one who shot her.” He knew that wasn’t likely, but it got the reaction out of her he’d been hoping for.
Venus shot out of her chair. He was close enough now that she was only a few inches away f
rom him, her face defiantly tipped up toward his. “No, she’s my best friend! My father shot her.”
Blade smiled again. He knew it made him look arrogant, but that was what he was going for. “That’s a good start. Now tell me why.”
She pulled in a deep breath through her nose. “She was trying to defend me. Things weren’t going down the way they should’ve, and Vixen pulled a gun on Jet. He shot her before she could do anything.” There was a hint of a sob on the back end of her statement.
He started to respond, but he clamped his mouth shut instead. Blade wasn’t surprised that Jet had run into an issue on one of his missions. He didn’t seem like the kind of guy who was really qualified to lead an organization, and now he was putting even the women of the gang at risk. Blade had the whole story now, but he found that it didn’t make much difference on what he was going to do about the whole situation. “All right. You tell your father he better stay off my territory. I’ve warned him before, but this is the final warning. This,” he pointed to the bed, “isn’t the kind of publicity I want.”
To his surprise, Venus gasped and fluttered for a moment. Her chest heaved with her breath, making it hard not to notice the way her cleavage looked over her tight purple tank top. “It doesn’t work like that.”
“You know, you seem dead set on arguing with me. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way.” Blade touched his gun instinctively, though he knew he wasn’t going to pull it on this defenseless woman. She didn’t know that though. “You give him the message, or there’s going to be hell to pay. You’re his daughter, so I’m sure you’ve got enough pull to at least tell him that. If anything else happens, I’m coming back for you personally.” He turned to leave, but not before he saw the utter fear in her face.
