by Naomi West
Venus chalked it up to a hallucination at first. She’d been beaten and battered so many times, and the quick dreams she’d had when she passed out were easily confused with reality. Most of them had been visions of Blade, of making love to him, of lying next to him, of sharing her secrets with him. It wasn’t a surprise to see a vision of him coming into the room, guns blazing.
But the crack of a pistol in an enclosed space told her this was no dream. Her heart surged painfully inside her as she realized there might be a chance for her to escape after all. She’d imagined she’d never get out of Jet’s clutches again when he and his men had shown up at Blade’s house and taken her so easily. In fact, she’d nearly lost the will to even fight against them. What was the point? No matter how hard she tried, no matter how far she ran, she would never really get away.
But Blade was here now, and she had no doubt that he was here for her. The man holding her hair went down hard, crashing against her knee on this way to the floor. The pain was nothing compared to the beating she’d already received even as the man’s hand ripped out of her hair. Venus strained against her bonds, longing to run to Blade despite his rapidly firing weapons.
He took down another man just as heavy footsteps shook the floor. More of the Fangs flooded into the room, ready to fight. The Skulls tried to run, but many of them were mowed down where they stood. The guards came charging in from the other parts of the grounds where Jet had posted them, called by the sound of gunfire and ready to help their boss. They were repaid for their loyalty with death, slumping against doorposts or sliding down walls as the Fangs took them down.
One of the bullets hit Jet, sending a lightning bolt of pain through Venus’ own heart.
Blade was at her side, his sharp knife whisking through the ropes easily. “Come on, we’ve got to get you out of here.”
“I can’t go …” she muttered, not sure if the words were even coming out clearly. Her lips cracked and bled again as she tried to speak.
“It’s okay. It’s all going to be okay. The Fangs will hunt down the rest of them, but I don’t want to risk you getting hit.” The ropes around her waist and torso went slack, and he turned his attention to the thick knots around her wrists.
“No.”
“I’m not arguing with you, Venus. There’s nothing you can do to help. We just need to go.”
He’d released her completely now, and Venus felt as though she could simply float up out of the chair after being tied to it for so long. She lurched to her left, to where Jet had fallen to the floor, just as Blade’s strong arms encircled her waist.
“Come on. I’ve got you.”
“No, I’ve got to see if he’s okay!” She’d been so weak, and she’d lost so much blood, but she felt a new rush of strength course through her body. Jet had been the most horrible person she’d ever met, and yet she couldn’t help but be bound by that biological tie. He was the only family she had, and the thought of him bleeding out on the floor was one she couldn’t handle.
He wrenched her backward, pulling her close. The dark look of cold fury in his eyes was enough to make her shrink back from him for a moment, and it was just long enough that he got control of her. He pinned her arms to her side, scooped her up, and threw her over his shoulder.
Blade moved so quickly, his steps feeling like the ups and downs of a roller coaster. Venus’ long hair, encrusted with blood, hung over her face. She couldn’t see a thing, and sparks of light danced in her vision. She screamed and squirmed, trying to pull her arms free so she could beat the shit out of him like he deserved, but Blade was too strong.
The combination of being turned over again and being put in the cold back seat of the car was enough to stop her from fighting for a moment, and that was long enough for Blade to lock the doors and get behind the wheel. He shoved down the gas pedal, the car lurching as he spun it around and headed away from Jet’s house.
“You can’t do this,” Venus sobbed, no longer having the strength to fight. The pain of her wounds had caught up with her, and the effort she had put up to get to Jet had exhausted her. “You told me you wouldn’t kill him.” Hot tears ran down her cheeks and temples as she lay on her back on the car’s seat, closing her eyes against the bright light of the rising sun. Everything was wrong.
Blade said nothing, continuing to drive.
She cried in silence, not knowing what else to do. The ropes Jet’s men had tied around her no longer held her in place, but for the moment she felt as though she was still bound by them. She always would be.
They finally pulled to a stop, and Venus couldn’t tell how much time had passed. They pulled into a building, the sun now obscured. Blade turned around to look at her, pain and sympathy in his eyes. He spoke in a low, gravelly voice, like a trainer speaking to a scared horse. “Venus, we’re going to go inside my house now. I need you to promise me that you’ll stay calm. You’re only going to make your injuries worse, otherwise.”
“But what are you going to do about Jet? Is he dead?” she wailed, unable to bear the through.
Blade pressed his lips together, and she could once again see the touch of anger in his eyes. “I don’t know. I’ll have my men find out. Okay?”
It was the best she was going to get, and Venus nodded pitifully. She allowed Blade to help her out of the car, supporting her weight as she staggered into the kitchen. She was in more pain than she ever remembered being in her entire life, and Blade’s arm felt so strong around her. The amount of blood that stained the side of her shirt had her concerned, though. She hadn’t realized she was bleeding that badly.
Blade put her gently into a kitchen chair. “I’ll get you upstairs to the bed soon; just give me a minute.”
“Oh.” As he pulled away from her, Venus saw that the side of his shirt was covered in blood. It wouldn’t have even been noticeable on his leather vest, the black leather just a shade darker, but the white T-shirt underneath it had turned brilliantly red. “I’m sorry. I bled on you.”
He grunted as he headed toward the kitchen sink. “No, it’s my blood. I bled on you.”
“What?” She forced herself to her feet, pulling at his vest and tossing it aside. There was a lot more blood than she’d realized, plastering the shirt to his ribs. A fresh supply was continuing to seep into the fabric. “Oh, Blade. I didn’t realize.”
“It’s all right. Sit down.” He tried to brush her off, but Venus couldn’t let that happen. He was injured, and it was because of her. He’d come to save her, and he’d been shot.
“No, you sit down. I can live through a few bruises. Come on.” Her body hurt like hell. She was stiff and sore, and every movement she made seemed to bring on a new drop of blood or a fresh pain where she hadn’t realized she was injured yet, but she would live. Some rest and a little bit of ice were all she needed, and that could wait. She guided Blade toward a chair and turned around to find a towel.
“You don’t need to worry about me,” he grunted, clearly in pain. “I’m supposed to be taking care of you, remember?”
“Stop it.” Venus found a towel in a drawer and drenched it in cold water before returning to Blade’s side and carefully stripping his shirt from him. A fresh well of blood trickled down his ribs, and she quickly used the wet towel to stanch it.
Blade sucked air in through his teeth.
“Sorry.” She peeled the towel back, unsettled by the amount of blood that was already soaking the towel. “I don’t see the bullet. I think it might be deep.”
“Yeah, it feels it, too.”
Venus’ brain was spinning. She had treated a few minor wounds before, but nothing on this scale. She felt so helpless, not to mention extremely guilty. He’d been seriously injured, and all because of her. She hadn’t asked for Jet to abduct her and take her back to his house, but maybe if she had fought harder or not been stupid enough to answer the door, Blade wouldn’t have been put in this situation. She’d been so dumb, and for so long. She was overwhelmed with self-reproach, but it was
n’t going to help her now.
“We’ve got to get you back in the car and head for the hospital. I’ll drive.” She gingerly lifted his arm and draped it around her own shoulders, hoping she could support his weight.
Blade pulled his arm back. “No. They’ll ask way too many questions, especially when they see this is a gunshot wound. I’m not going to the hospital.”
“So we just make something up,” she said, exasperated. This wasn’t the time for him to be stubborn. “We’ll say it was a drive-by or an accident. I don’t know. We can figure it out on the way there. But I’m not going to be able to get that bullet out of you, and there’s no telling what kind of damage it’s done.” Her stomach turned over at the idea that he might be bleeding out internally, even as they debated what to do about it.
His face had gone a shade paler, and he closed his eyes slowly. “You don’t understand, Venus, even though you should. It doesn’t matter what we say. A gunshot wound at the hospital means the police will come. I’ve broken far too many laws, and I don’t doubt that they know who I am. They might fix me up, but I’ll land in jail.”
“Maybe not …”
“There’s no maybe about it, Venus. And how am I supposed to protect you if I’m locked up?” He looked her in the eye, and she could see just how upset he was over that idea. “I’ve done a poor job of it already, though.”
“Don’t say that,” she said desperately, feeling that they were running out of options. “But if you don’t want me to take you to the hospital, then what are we supposed to do?”
“Here.” He struggled as he fished his cell phone out of his pocket. “Call Needles. He’s the doc for the MC.”
She took the phone, feeling uncertain. Some biker named Needles didn’t sound like the sort of guy who could truly help them out. But she couldn’t exactly throw Blade over her shoulder like he’d done to her, and it was at least a starting point. “Okay.”
Venus made the phone call, finding it impossible to keep her voice from shaking. Needles listened carefully and promised her he was on his way. She swallowed the lump in her throat, hoping he would get there soon enough.
21
“How’s he doing?” Gator sat in the kitchen at Blade’s house, slowly sipping the cup of coffee Venus had made for him. He’d fared well during the fight at Jet’s mansion, with only a few scratches and bruises. It hadn’t taken long before the Fangs had started taking turns coming to sit at Blade’s house, and apparently it was Gator’s turn that morning.
Venus liked him. He had a calm air about him that was contagious, and he seemed like he genuinely cared about both her and Blade. “All right, I guess. Needles was quick about getting the bullet out, and he assured me there was no internal bleeding, but it doesn’t seem like Blade is getting better as quickly as he should.”
Gator scratched the shadowy scruff on his chin. “He’s a strong man, but getting shot like that isn’t easy to recover from. Give him some time.”
That was easy for him to say, since he wasn’t the one lying upstairs with a thick bandage around his middle. Venus had checked on Blade less than an hour ago, trying to get him to eat some breakfast, but he’d refused. In fact, he’d eaten very little in the couple of days since the incident, and that worried her as well.
“Have you heard anything about how the Skulls have fared?” she asked, sitting down with her own cup of coffee and stirring cream into it, focusing on the dark liquid so she wouldn’t have to look Gator in the eyes. She felt like a traitor for even asking, but the Fangs couldn’t really expect her to just completely turn her back on the Skulls. Could they?
“We won’t have to worry about them anymore,” was his answer.
It was too simple of a response. Did that mean they were all dead? Run out of town? Would they stay gone just long enough to make the Fangs think they were safe before they came flooding back to haunt them? But the Skulls at large weren’t what she was really worried about. “What about Jet?”
The look in Gator’s eyes was hard to gauge, and he paused for far too long before he answered. “Haven’t heard from him, and he wasn’t among the dead.”
She felt both horrified and relieved at the notion. She didn’t want Jet to die, no matter how illogical that sentiment might be. But neither did she want him to come back and exact his revenge on her and Blade, and that was exactly what he would do if he was alive.
Unless, of course, the attack by the Fangs had been enough to make him change his mind. Jet had been a desperate man when he’d allowed his men to beat her. He’d lost the last good business transaction the gang had going for them, and even his attack on the Fangs’ clubhouse had been a last-ditch effort to resurrect his power. She didn’t know how to feel about any of it.
Gator checked his watch. “Champ should be here any time.” The man had stayed the night at Blade’s home, and he hadn’t slept for a bit of it.
“You know, you guys don’t have to babysit us. The Skulls are gone, and Blade is on the mend. We’ll be all right.” She smiled, hoping Gator wasn’t upset by her comment. She didn’t mind their company, in a way, and it was a chance to get to know the men of the Devil’s Fangs a little better, but she couldn’t help feeling they were watching her, and not just watching over her. Did they suspect her? She hoped not. She couldn’t help her loyalty to her father, even if it didn’t go any further than hoping he was all right.
Gator pressed his lips together, his brows furrowing slightly. “Things have calmed down, and I don’t think we have any reason to worry about an attack. But none of this has been easy on anyone, not you, not Blade, and not the rest of us. He’s our leader, Venus. He’s a pretty big deal.”
She nodded and stared down into her cup once again, feeling ashamed. He hadn’t been trying to lecture her, she didn’t think, but she hadn’t really thought about Blade that way. She’d been selfish, thinking of him only as her man and not the leader of many other men. That was, if he still wanted to have her. After the way things had gone down, she wasn’t completely sure. And she definitely wasn’t going to ask him while he was recovering from a gunshot wound that he’d gotten because of her.
“That makes sense. But I feel bad. You guys are always over here, and I don’t want to be a burden on you.”
He finished off his coffee and set his mug down, leveling his pale gray eyes at her. “I tell you what: Champ will be here soon, and I know I have some errands to run. I’ll go ahead and leave and give you a few minutes to just be by yourself. I hate to, and I don’t think it’s the kind of thing either Blade or Champ would approve of, but I also understand the need to be alone. We all love the brotherhood we have, but sometimes a person just needs the space to breathe.”
She smiled at him, surprised that he understood. “Thank you.”
When Gator had gone, his motorcycle roaring off down the street, Venus tipped back her head and closed her eyes, just enjoying the silence of the house. It wasn’t as though the Fangs had been throwing parties or playing loud music, but there was something comforting about being relatively alone.
It also gave her a moment to do what she couldn’t when any of the Fangs were around. Venus opened her eyes and picked up her phone, dialing her father’s number. She’d already done this several times, sneaking off to the bathroom or pretending to look for something in the guest room. Tapping her fingers on the table, she listened to each ring, imagining those tones reaching out to Jet. Her heart leaped at the click, but it was only the call switching to voicemail. It was full, and probably from all the calls she’d made.
Blade had heard her make one of those calls, a fact that he hadn’t been very pleased with. He’d said nothing, but she’d been able to read the look on his face. She wished she could make him understand. This whole thing was a terrible mess, and it wasn’t fair.
She hung up and tapped her fingers again, thinking. She dialed another number, knowing at least this time someone would be answering on the other end.
“Thank you for calling Un
iversity Hospital. How may I direct your call?” The woman on the other line sounded genuinely happy as she chirped her mandatory greeting.
“Um, yes, I was calling to see if someone is a patient there.” Venus turned to look at the window, wondering how the sun could shine so brightly when her life was falling apart. She had no idea what had happened to her father. She was only living here at the mercy of Blade, and she had to hope he still wanted her around. Otherwise, she no longer had a home. She didn’t even dare go back to her father’s home to get any clothes. She’d already made a commitment to leave that place behind when Blade had come through her window to take her away from all the madness.
“Could I have the name, please?”
“Jet—I mean, James Marks.” How long had it been since she’d thought of her father’s real name? He’d always been Jet. He hadn’t even been ‘Dad’ or ‘Daddy’ for over a decade to her. It made her feel as though she was asking about someone who didn’t even exist.
“Hold on just a second, and I’ll check.”
The hold music blared loudly in Venus’ ear, making her tip her head away from the phone. She waited with her stomach swirling, expecting them to come on the line and tell her the miserable truth, that her father had been to the hospital but that he’d passed away. But would they even say that over the phone? Or would they just tell her that he was there? She had no idea, and it bothered her to the extreme. She was old enough she should’ve known a lot about life and how to get along on her own, and yet she felt like an orphaned child.
“Ma’am, I don’t have that name in the system anywhere.”
All the air left her lungs. “Thank you.” Her slight sense of relief only lasted a moment, as she turned right around and called all the other local hospitals in the area. She knew Jet would have to be seriously injured if he’d actually gone to a medical facility. He would avoid them for the same reason that Blade had. His record would draw far too much attention, and he wouldn’t want to risk getting arrested no matter how badly he was hurt.
