by Jenika Snow
I knew I was one of the meanest motherfuckers around.
“You know, I’m starting to wonder if you’re thinking of leaving the club,” Venom said, surprising me as he sat down across from me.
I sat in the diner, waiting for a call.
Waiting to know more about Bryn’s situation.
There was a time I could go weeks, months without hearing from this man, but now everywhere I turned, he was there. Like a fucking shadow, drowning me in guilt. I could do without all of this.
“What do you want, Venom?”
He laughed. “I want a coffee. You’re alone and seeing as I’m the Prez and the boys are asking questions about what the fuck is going on, I thought I’d check up on you. What’s going on?”
“I’ve got shit to do that doesn’t involve the club.”
Venom held his hands up. “I’m not the enemy here, Rooney.”
“I just want to eat my food and do what I’ve got to do.”
“You know whatever it is that is clearly bothering you, we’re all here for you, man. All of us. That’s the point of the club. You know that, right?”
I nodded.
What else could I fucking do?
Just then, a cell phone rang, only it wasn’t mine, it was the burner I’d been given.
“I’ve got to take this.”
Venom got up and left me to answer the call.
“What?” I didn’t have time for politeness right now. I wanted to end this, whatever the fuck was going on, right now.
Staring at Venom, I saw he was watching me.
He knew something was up.
I didn’t know how he did, only that it was clearly written on his face.
“Is that any way to speak to your boss?” Vincenzo said.
“You’re not my boss.”
“You’re working for me and I’m checking in with you. The last check I did, Venom was still walking around without a care in the world. I want to know why he’s not dead.”
“You want an entire MC on your ass, that’s fine. I’m doing this my way or no way.”
I heard Bryn’s soft voice in the distance.
Clenching a hand into a fist, hatred flooded me. I couldn’t do anything to help her. This kind of helplessness was killing me.
“Let me talk to her,” I said.
“Wait? What?” Vincenzo laughed. “You think I’m going to do as you ask? You’ve got three days. If you don’t give me what I want, your precious girl is never coming home.”
The call disconnected.
I closed the cell phone and threw it on the table, annoyed with myself.
I was better than this.
I didn’t allow myself to be controlled by assholes.
Looking up at Venom, I saw him on his cell. He was no longer looking at me, but I knew deep down, he was aware something was up.
He might even know what it was.
“I’m heading to see Rebekah. We’ll talk when I get back home,” he said to me a few moments later when he was close enough.
He held his hand out to me. I couldn’t just push him away. I shook the hand of the man I was going to kill.
Did he even realize he’d just given me the best opportunity there was?
With him away from home, open, and exposed, anything could happen. I was also one of the few people who knew where Venom went.
I watched as Venom left and went over to his bike. He climbed on, straddling the machine. He was a good man and it just so happened that I wasn’t. I was willing to kill for my woman.
Getting to my feet, I dropped some notes onto the table and left the diner.
Venom rode past and I signaled to him.
I watched him go as I straddled my own machine.
Killing him wouldn’t be fun. It would eat at me, destroy a part of me. Once I ended his life, I’d have a set amount of time to get Bryn and to leave town.
I was good at hiding and even though this wasn’t the life I wanted for her, it was the only one she was going to get.
Venom
* * *
I wasn’t in Rebekah’s apartment door two minutes before she was attacking me. Within seconds she had me on the chair with her straddling my lap, her lips on me.
This long-distance relationship certainly helped with her appetite for sex and I, for one, was loving the rewards of it.
Running my hands down her ass, I cupped the cheeks, spreading them.
I relished her moan. The sweet sound echoed around the walls, going straight to my dick.
It had only been a couple of days since I was last here, but clearly that was more than enough for my needy woman.
“I’ve missed you, Venom. Please, I need you inside me.”
I chuckled.
She was already attacking my jeans and I did no more than let her have what she wanted. I loved it when she was like this. When she didn’t hold back.
Having her in my arms made me feel very fucking lucky.
With Rebekah, I went about claiming her the wrong way. I shouldn’t have stolen her off the streets, but then life never went according to plan.
She was in love with me and that was all I cared about.
“Fuck, babe, you’re desperate tonight,” I said.
“I know. I don’t know what it is but I need you, Venom. I don’t like this distance between us. I feel like I don’t get to see you and when I do, the club is always there. Always needing your help.”
I knew she didn’t hate my club.
Rebekah understood that the club needed me. Without me it would fall apart and no matter what, I couldn’t let that happen.
However, thinking about the club reminded me of Rooney.
He’d been acting strangely for some time.
Rebekah paused.
“What is it?” she asked, sitting back.
“It’s nothing.”
She laughed. “I’m not stupid, Venom. I know that look in your eye. You’ve got something bugging you. Tell me.”
“It’s probably nothing.”
“It’s enough for you to think about it.”
“Rooney.”
“Okay,” she said. “What about him? I thought you and he had an understanding.”
“We do. I think he’s in trouble.”
I told her what I knew and she sat back, looking so cute and fuckable.
“What do you want to do?” Rebekah asked.
“I want to know what the problem is. I want him to be straight with me.”
She leaned over me and grabbed my cell, holding it out between us. “Then call him. Tell him to meet you here and you can find out what the problem is.”
“No, it’s fine. It can all wait until I’m back.”
“Venom, this is my time. You love your club and your guys. Phone him and we’ll figure this out. That way I can have you all to myself.”
Chapter Seven
Brynleigh
I stared at the white box on the bed, the black silk ribbon making my stomach clench in distaste. One of the servants had dropped it off, the card tucked between the ribbon from Vincenzo.
* * *
I’d love your company for dinner tonight. Wear this for me.
* * *
I’d tossed the card on the floor, but had yet to actually open the box.
And I wouldn’t.
I picked up the box and tossed it aside, the white square sliding on the hardwood floor before banging into the opposite wall.
That little outburst felt good.
Fuck him and everything he stood for, everything he wanted. I wasn’t going to make this easy, wasn’t going to submit to him. I sure as hell wasn’t going to dress up and play nice to have dinner with him.
I sat on the bench by the window, and before I knew it twenty minutes had passed. The little ticking noise of the wall clock made my presence here absolutely clear.
There wasn’t a knock on the door, just the knob turning before the door was pushed open.
In the reflection, I saw it was
one of Vincenzo’s goons standing there. I refused to make this easy for him, to make him think that I would comply. He had a big gun strapped to his side, the weapon catching the light and glinting for just a second.
“You’re wanted downstairs,” he said in a deep, scratchy voice.
I didn’t answer and instead looked back out the window. My silence was response enough. I could see him in the reflection, saw his eyes narrow and watched him walk over to me. My entire body tightened at his approaching arrival.
“Don’t make this hard on yourself,” he said and I looked at him then, narrowing my eyes before lifting my hand and giving him the finger.
“Fuck. You.” I looked back out the window but saw him charge forward, grabbing me by the upper arm so painfully I couldn’t help but gasp out.
He hauled me off the bench and all but dragged me out of the room, across the hallway, and pulled me down the stairs. I had to hang onto the banister so I didn’t fall, but I didn’t have time to fight back, not with the rage pouring off of him, and the roughness in his touch.
We got to the landing and he let go of me. He placed his hand on my lower back, shoving me toward the entrance of the dining room. I stumbled forward, my arm burning where he’d grabbed me. My arm was on fire, as if he’d been holding it in a tight vice, squeezing the bone until it almost cracked.
I stood there staring at the long polished oak table, Vincenzo sitting at the end, the dinner spread covering the top. Candles were lit, fruits and vegetables, covered dishes all part of the menu tonight. I was hungry, but I refused to show any kind of pleasure in the company of this man.
He’d ruined my life, and was ruining the life of the man I loved.
Vincenzo reached out and grabbed his wine glass, bringing it to his mouth and taking a long drink from it. He watched me the whole time.
Then he leaned back in his chair, his gaze on mine.
A fire crackled behind him, his body blocking the hearth but the light illuminating his form. He reminded me of the devil sitting on his throne, the flames of hell burning brightly behind him.
He set his wine glass down and stared at me, not speaking. I had come to learn that he was not a man who liked to ask for something twice, and certainly didn’t want to wait for anything. So, the fact I’d refused to come down for dinner, that I wasn’t submitting, had no doubt pissed him off.
Good,
“Sit down, Brynleigh.” His voice was void of any kind of emotion, deep and husky, as if he were trying to restrain himself.
Fear instantly consumed me and I found myself walking toward him and taking a seat in the chair beside where he was. It was as if my fear propelled me, the knowledge that this man could hurt me beyond repair causing me to obey.
I wanted to fight him, wanted to lash out, but the fear of being hurt, the very real possibility that he would take it out on Rooney, was too much for me to bear. I sat there and stared at him, neither of us speaking, the air so thick I felt like it was suffocating me. A servant came in and started dishing the items onto our plates.
I leaned back, feeling so uncomfortable in the situation, wondering if these people knew the kind of man they worked for. Did they know I was here against my will? Did they know that their employer was a bastard?
I looked up at the young woman who was serving the food, her eyes downcast, her focus intent. As I looked at her hand, I saw it was slightly shaking, and knew that she was very aware of the man she was in the room with, his presence so thick it affected everyone.
Then we were left alone.
“You’re unlike anyone I’ve met before,” Vincenzo finally said.
He didn’t wait for me to respond, and instead leaned forward and started eating, his fork and knife clanking against the porcelain plate, the fire intermittently crackling behind him.
My stomach growled in that instant and I cursed it, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing I wanted to eat.
“Your stubbornness isn’t hurting anyone but yourself,” he said and looked up at me, not saying anything else for a prolonged moment as he chewed a mouthful of food before swallowing it. “Might as well eat.”
When I didn’t move and didn’t say anything, he set his fork and knife down and leaned forward. I found myself retreating slightly back, his very presence having the hairs on my arms standing on end.
“I can make you eat, Brynleigh. Because this bullshit you’re doing is going to stop.”
His gaze was dark, like a bottomless pit sucking me in, swallowing me whole.
“I warned you, didn’t I?” He didn’t wait for me to continue. “And because you ignored my warning, I’m going to send a little message to Rooney, let him know that his girl isn’t cooperating.”
The very air left my lungs, my heart seizing.
He leaned back and picked up his fork and knife again, about to cut into a steak but stopping and looking at me once more. “And when I give you a gift, I expect you to fucking wear it. Don’t disappoint me again.”
God, Rooney.
I knew that I had to start acting like this wasn’t literally hell on earth.
Chapter Eight
Rooney
It was done. Venom was gone, dead, and I felt nothing but relief that I’d finally get Brynleigh back.
It had all been too easy.
One phone call was all it had taken to finish Venom, to end this, to have Venom where I needed him. The only problem left was Rebekah. Staring down at the burner cell phone, I pressed Vincenzo’s number and waited.
“Well, hello, Rooney. I’m surprised to hear from you so quickly.”
“It’s done,” I said. I wasn’t going to allow myself time to come to grips with what I’d done. “Venom’s dead.”
“You do surprise me. I’m going to need proof.”
“Already texted a picture. Check your phone. It’s already fucking there. All the proof you need. If that’s not enough, come and find his body.” I gave him the location as I stared up at Rebekah’s apartment. Now I just needed to get rid of her and all would be well.
“This is good news, Rooney. Really good news. I just want you to know that this very image has been forwarded to your club right now.”
“What?”
“You heard me.” Vincenzo laughed. “Your woman is a little firecracker, isn’t she?”
“You better keep your fucking hands off her.” I thought about Bryn and instantly, I needed to know that she was okay.
“Oh, at this moment my hands are off her. I don’t know how long that is going to last. How do you do it, Rooney?”
I looked around the street. For now, it was deserted. I didn’t have time to be here talking to Vincenzo. If he’d sent the image to the club, it wouldn’t be long before they were coming for me. I needed to get to Bryn, fast, and then kill Vincenzo.
I wasn’t going to let that motherfucker walk, not now.
This was personal.
“How do I do what?”
“Keep your hands off of her. She’s so young, ready for the taking. I’ve heard about you. How you visit her and walk away. You’re not going to get her back a virgin.”
“Listen to me closely, Vincenzo. I did it. Venom is dead. You will let Bryn go or else—”
“Or else what? I think I like her, Rooney. I like her a lot and I want to play with her. I want to take that virgin pussy and destroy it. You’ve not made any use of her and it’s time she got used and used well. I’m going to fuck her good.”
“You piece of shit.”
Vincenzo hung up.
Staring up at Rebekah’s apartment, I knew I didn’t have the time. The only way to get to Bryn was to leave Rebekah. I needed to go up there and keep her out of harm’s way, but the club was going to be on my tail soon. No doubt about it.
“Fuck it.”
I started my bike and was about to kick off, to ride back to where Vincenzo was located when my cell went off again. This one wasn’t the burner.
I saw it was Vice.
; Fuck!
Accepting the call, I put the phone to my ear.
“Yeah,” I said.
“Is it true?”
“Is what true?”
“We got the message, Rooney. Cut the bullshit. Is this true?”
Silence met his question.
I was buying time.
One more look up at the apartment.
My choices were limited.
“Yeah, it’s true. Venom’s dead and gone. I killed him.” I gave him the location. “I suggest you come and get him before the animals do.”
“You fucker!”
I heard him telling the rest of the guys and I didn’t care.
“You might want to tell Rebekah. She’s still expecting her man home.” With that, I hung up, pocketed my cell phone, straddled my bike, and started back toward Vincenzo.
I didn’t give a fuck that I was outnumbered.
There wasn’t anything I could do about that.
I needed to get to Bryn.
Thinking about what Vincenzo would do to her drove me insane, fucking crazy. I needed to go and protect her.
She didn’t deserve this. Not even close.
Gripping the handles of my bike, I broke every single speeding law as I headed back to my woman.
Brynleigh
* * *
Just because he had a thing for me didn’t mean he wouldn’t hurt me. With my arms chained above my head, I stared around the basement where I was locked up.
There was a man in the corner, watching me. He’d already hurt me once, using force to make me comply, using fists to my body.
Vincenzo wouldn’t hurt me himself and he had strict instructions. He didn’t want my face in any way marred while I was being punished for being a naughty girl.
“Please,” I begged.
I didn’t know what it was I was begging for.
