by Naomi West
Both were valid options, but Blade wasn’t sure either one was right. “Attacking them openly might make them run for the hills, but it’s likely we’ll lose a few men in the process. There’s always a price to war, even if it’s with a smaller group than us. I don’t want to do that unless I have to. And while we don’t have to worry about that with a more secretive mission, the timeline concerns me. I can’t let Jet get away with this any longer than he already has. There’s no telling what he might be doing to build up his forces.”
“You just let us know what you want to do, boss,” Champ said as he finished off a strip of bacon. “You know I can have the men ready to move out anytime you say.”
But the scheme Blade was working on would have no need of extra men. “I appreciate that, but I think I’ve got another idea.”
“We’re listening,” Gator said. “I’ve still got plenty of men with their ears to the ground if you need more information.”
“Oh, I need information, but I’m going straight to the source.” Blade grinned at the thought.
“You’re talking to Jet? He didn’t seem to appreciate that very much the last time, and I’m a little surprised he let us leave with our skin intact. I mean, I know we could’ve taken them, but still.”
Blade shook his head. He was going to drive his men crazy if he didn’t just tell them. “No, not Jet. He’s not reasonable, and he’d probably be the one to start a war if I went to him. I’m going to his daughter. That’s what I said I would do when I met with her in the hospital. She was supposed to stop this from happening, and I know she’s got to have some influence.” There was still the issue of her father trying to sell her off, and that might affect things somewhat, but Blade doubted Jet would tolerate him dealing with her. It would be a good way to draw Jet out if nothing else.
“When do we leave?” Champ asked.
“You don’t. I’m going to handle this myself.” Blade polished off his sausage and washed it down with the remainder of the coffee. His men had done a good job of being there for him and helping him with the situation, and he knew they would continue to do so. But he was so irritated that he wanted to make sure he took care of it himself.
Done with breakfast, Blade headed back upstairs to get dressed. He stormed up the stairs and down the hall, wondering what made Jet think he had any right to encroach on his territory. The Fangs had worked hard to establish their boundaries, and they were respected by every other group in the city, no matter how big or small. The Fangs weren’t the kind of people you messed with, and everyone knew it. Except Jet.
He pulled on his jeans as he thought about what he would do. Venus had been vulnerable when he’d met her in the hospital, and Blade couldn’t blame her for that. Her friend had been dying. But she was still Jet’s daughter, and using her to get to Jet would dig at the other man in a way that made Blade grin.
As he tried to decide where and when he would confront her, Blade’s mind turned to that body of hers. Even in the bleak environment of a hospital room, he hadn’t missed the way her tank top hugged her generous chest or the way her waist dipped in before curving outward to her hips. With that dark hair tumbling down her back and the burning look in her eyes when she had gotten angry at him, she was like a wild animal that he wanted to tame. Even her name was sexy.
Blade smiled to himself once again as he put on his vest and bent down to get his boots from under the bed. The thought of her made his jeans a little tighter in the crotch, but he didn’t mind. If he couldn’t convince Venus to do what he said, then maybe he could just take his frustration out on her in another way.
He was momentarily distracted by the idea, sitting on the edge of the bed with his boots in his hand. He wouldn’t mind exploring those curves with his hands instead of his eyes, tracing them around the curve of a breast, a hip, or more. By the muscled look of her arms, she was a strong woman, and he didn’t mind that at all. He wanted someone who could handle him, someone he wouldn’t have to worry about hurting if he got a little rough.
It was a tantalizing thought, at the very least. Hell, Jet had been trying to sell her off according to the story Venus had told him. Maybe, if it came down to negotiating with the leader of the Skulls, he’d throw Venus in as part of the bargain. Blade liked to think he was set on what he wanted and that he wouldn’t budge, but he could give a little bit of territory up if it meant having something new to play with. And Jet would probably leap at the chance to save his own ass, compared to what Blade and the Fangs would do to him otherwise.
He shook off the fantasy and reminded himself that he needed to concentrate on reality for a bit. Blade put on his boots and finished getting ready before he went back downstairs to find Sherlock.
He first headed to the man’s room and found an array of computer parts on the table but nobody home. Eventually he tracked him down in the garage, where he was looking for a tool for his latest build. “I need you to find a phone number for me.”
7
Venus leaned over her dresser to study her eye more closely in the mirror. It’d been horrifically bruised the morning after her drunken argument with her father. While it shouldn’t have been a surprise, it’d still made her cringe when she had seen the black and blue ring around her eye. No amount of makeup had been able to cover it thoroughly, and she’d been grateful that it was going to take several days for Vixen’s funeral arrangements to be finalized. That allowed her to hide out in her father’s house, nursing her eye with ice packs until the bruise had faded enough that she could disguise it with a bit of concealer.
The hangover had been quite an ordeal as well. Venus had never been a huge drinker, not after seeing the excesses that most of the Skulls went to when they were having a good time. She’d never really understood why anybody would think they could drink their problems away, and it wasn’t like her to try to do the same herself. Her head throbbed, and she couldn’t get enough water to drink. Unfortunately, water only made her stomach churn, and she spent most of the next day hovered over the toilet and clutching her skull.
Fortunately, her father had also chosen that time to leave her alone. She’d expected him to come barreling in her door the next morning to remind her what a burden she was and how she never listened to him. He probably wouldn’t have even felt bad about what he’d done, considering it little more than what she deserved for inconveniencing him.
Instead, he’d completely stayed away. Venus guessed he was busy enough dealing with other business, and it was easier for him not to have to look at her or listen to her. Neither he nor any of his other men—who often frequented their house—came looking for her, and that was just fine with Venus. She used the time to cry and try to deal with her grief, even though she knew things were going to change.
First, though, she still had to deal with Vixen. Since there was no other family to handle arrangements, she’d done it all herself. Venus had known her long enough that she had a good idea of what she would’ve wanted, even though they’d never talked about it. Her father would be furious if he ever found out just what had drained her bank account, but she didn’t care. Vixen deserved this, at the very least.
The day of the funeral had been the first time she’d left the house since Vixen had died. It had felt oddly good to step over the threshold, and she’d even chosen to drive herself instead of getting a cab. The funeral home wasn’t far, and she was pleased to see that her father hadn’t sent anyone to follow her. Unfortunately, Vixen had been in the Skulls long enough that there were few other people who even bothered to attend. A girl who had been friends with her in high school, a former neighbor, and someone she knew from the bar scene were all who showed. It was a solemn and pitiful procession to the cemetery where Vixen was laid in the ground without the benefit of any other friends or family interred nearby. The weather wasn’t even willing to cooperate. Things like this were supposed to happen on gloomy days, punctuated by the tapping of rain on mourners’ umbrellas. Instead, it was offensively sunny.
Now that her bruise had faded to little more than a slight discoloration, and some careful attention with her makeup had made it almost invisible, she was ready to get out in the world again. Venus hoped Jet had forgotten about their argument and that he’d be ready to move on with his life because otherwise it would be difficult for her new plan to work.
She got dressed and headed downstairs, finding her father at the breakfast table just as she’d expected. “Good morning. Can I get you a refill on your coffee?”
Jet hadn’t acknowledged her as she’d come in the room, but he glanced up at her over his cell phone when she mentioned the coffee. He nudged his nearly empty cup toward her with the back of his fingers. “Sure.”
Venus picked it up, filled it, and stirred in the massive amount of sugar he always liked. She held her back straight and made sure she kept a smile on her face, even though it was mostly fake. She hated her father. She hated her life. She hated that her best friend was dead. But she was going to make the most of this, one way or another.
Replacing the mug in front of him, she gave him a minute while she made her own breakfast. He was still at the table when she sat down, but that wasn’t unusual. Jet was always slow to start moving in the morning, which made him easy prey for her. “So, I’ve been thinking a lot about this whole thing with the Devil’s Fangs,” she finally said as she cut into her waffle.
That was enough to make him set his phone down and look her straight in the eye. “You stay out of it.”
“You say that, and I completely understand why you would. I mean, I really haven’t been involved in the Skulls’ business like I should up until now. There’s a lot I could be doing to help out.” She’d rehearsed this a thousand times over, sometimes in her mirror and other times lying in bed. It came out differently every time in her mind, and even now she thought it might’ve been yet another variation. She just had to hope she could get the right reaction out of her father.
“I doubt that,” he snapped as he picked up his phone.
“Think about it. I could be doing the books for you so you don’t have to pay someone.”
“Bill is more than capable, and he knows how I want things to be done. I’m not risking something as important as that on you.” Jet flicked his finger on his phone screen.
Venus wondered if he was reading the news or playing some silly game. It was probably a waste of time either way. She’d expected a response like that when it came to the finances, though. “Okay, I get that. But there must be something else. I want to help out. I want to actually be a part of things instead of just standing on the sidelines all the time. I want a little more purpose to my life.”
Jet smirked without looking up. “I guess I finally knocked some sense into you.”
The statement was crass and offensive, but Venus forced a smile. She had to let those kinds of things go for the moment. This was going to be a matter of biding her time. “So tell me what I can do. There’s got to be something. Maybe I can work on this issue with the Devil’s Fangs.” It would’ve been a little easier—if more time-consuming—for her to start on smaller missions and work her way up until she could kill Blade. It would prove her worth to Jet and the other Skulls. If she moved up high enough, she might even be able to get out from under Jet and get away. Venus knew his hold over the gang was only a tentative one.
Her father set his phone down once again and turned his dark eyes to hers. “I’m glad you think you should be a part of this, but you need to understand something. Dealing with a motorcycle club like that is serious business. It’s not the kind of thing I’d let a rookie work on, especially you.”
She wanted to jump up from the table and yell at him. She wanted to throw his coffee in his face and tell him just what a terrible father he was. But that wasn’t going to help, and she had to remain calm. “I can understand why you’d say that, and I’m sure you wouldn’t want to put me in charge or anything. But I really think I could help. I mean, Blade is a man like any other. I’m sure I can work my feminine wiles on him and make him change his mind about how he wants to treat the Skulls.”
Jet ran a hand through his hair, making it stand up on end. It was just beginning to go gray at the tables, a few small streaks showing visibly against the dark sable of his locks. “I have a hard time believing you’d do that, considering how you acted around Pedro’s man.”
Damn it. He was right about that. Venus just wasn’t experienced enough in these things to really pull this off. “I wouldn’t actually do anything. We could just sort of dangle me in front of him, like a prize. He’d fall for it, and then you could do what you want with him. Kill him and make sure he’s not a problem anymore.”
“I’ll keep it in mind, but I’m not making any promises.”
“If you’d like, I could find some time to come up with a more detailed plan. I could even present it to your board and see what they think.” The ‘board,’ as Jet called it, was simply a collective of Jet’s top men. Venus knew each of them was itching to take his place, and she wouldn’t have been surprised if one of them tried before too long. They were just as impatient and ruthless as he was.
Jet had just picked up his mug, but her suggestion made him slam it back down to the table. Dark liquid sloshed out and over the smooth surface of the maple table. His eyes were like hot coals under his dark brows, and he completely ignored the coffee that trickled down the back of his hand. “Don’t you dare talk to any of them about this.”
“I was just trying to—”
“No!” His voice echoed in the kitchen, and the silence that came after it was even more deafening. “I don’t know what you’re up to here, but you can’t have anything to do with them. It’s only because of my protection that they haven’t killed you already, and they’re guaranteed to do it if you try to approach them.”
Venus sat back in her chair, surprised by this reaction. She knew the men of the Skulls were dangerous. Every single one of them. But that’s exactly why they were in a gang like this, and she was used to it. She’d grown up watching her back. Venus wanted to argue with him, but then she realized the truth of it all. If Jet had been willing to shoot Vixen so easily, then why would it be different for any of the other men to do the same to her?
“All right,” she said quietly. “I understand. I won’t talk to anybody. But I do want to make up to you for everything I’ve done. If there’s a mission you need me for, then please let me know.” It would have been easy then to pretend she was done with her breakfast and leave so she wouldn’t have to face him anymore, but that was what the old Venus would’ve done. She reminded herself that she was a new person, reborn because of the life Vixen had given up for her, and she was stronger than that.
Calmly, Venus fetched some paper towels and mopped up the coffee mess before sitting back down and finishing her breakfast. She had told herself she would be calm and servile, just what her father thought he wanted, and eventually it would pay off. The waffles didn’t taste like much of anything now, despite the strawberries and fresh whipped cream she’d topped them with, but she ate because she knew she had to. It was only when her plate was cleared that she stood and returned to her room.
She shut the door behind her and leaned against it, letting out a deep sigh she’d been building up on the trip from the kitchen. That had been so much harder than she’d imagined, and she really hadn’t accomplished anything. Jet wasn’t going to let her get near Blade, which meant her route to redeeming herself in his eyes was going to be a long and arduous one. He also wasn’t going to let her anywhere near the other top men in the gang, which meant her
chances of getting one of them on her side was practically nil. He was a smart man, even if he was a complete asshole.
Venus stepped away from the door and went to her desk, wondering just what she was going to do next. She’d left her cell phone there near her laptop, and the screen flashed with a missed call and a voicemail. Venus didn’t recognize the number, so she dialed in and listened to the message.
“Venus, this is Blade. I know you remember me. I’ve heard about the latest thing the Skulls have done, and it was on my territory. I don’t take these things lightly, and I warned you about this. I’m pissed, and you’ll be hearing from me soon.”
With shaking fingers, Venus deleted the message and set the phone back down. Maybe she should’ve let Jet listen to it, to prove to him that Blade was just as much her problem as anyone else’s, but she knew it wouldn’t do any good. Jet had already told her to stay out of it, and he didn’t seem to care that it wasn’t a possibility.
Venus backed away from the phone and sat down on the bed. Her best-laid plans had failed her already. Blade was going to find her, and he was going to take his vengeance out on her. She was trapped, and she could no longer see a way out of it.
8
It hadn’t taken long for Sherlock to locate Venus’ number. He was incredibly good at his job, and Blade made a mental note to be sure to give him a bonus this month. The trouble they’d had with the Savage Skulls could’ve been much worse if they hadn’t had all the info he’d managed to gather for them.
But calling Venus wasn’t enough, and Blade knew it. As soon as he’d hung up with her, he’d felt a familiar rage rushing through his blood. He’d never been the kind to take orders well or to sit passively by and let someone else run the show. He’d told Venus how serious this was and that she needed to do something about it, and yet she hadn’t even bothered to answer the phone when he called. Granted, she wouldn’t have known his number, but it had been long enough that she should’ve at least listened to his message. He’d waited a while for her response, and he’d had none.
