Sweet Venom (Crazy in Love #1)

by Kirsty-Anne Still

  “You said you’d love me at my darkest,” I say, forcing the comment from me.

  “And I did,” he admits, and I know the cold truth will torture him.

  “No, you didn’t,” I tell him, flaring my nostrils as the tears beckon. I look at him, allowing him to see he never could. “You never loved me at my darkest because I never hit rock bottom when I was with you.”

  He doesn’t dare speak. He just watches with eyes so wide, taking in all of me. At last, he sees the girl he loved and every crack upon her surface.

  “She’s changin’ you,” I confess, forcing the conversation away from hearing his reaction to that, but it’s hard not to let the hurt escape in my words regardless. “In a way, I never could.” He goes to speak, and I shake his head. “Regardless of what you say, I won’t back down, Lawson. We’re not done here.”

  “Why can’t you just admit you ruined any chance we still had?” he asks, his tone clipped. “Why can’t you see what you made of me?”

  Words clog my throat, stealing any easy breaths away from me. The bitter truths of my past are fallen angels I’ll carry, but they fuel me, guide me on this sinful path.

  “Doesn’t change the fact that I love you,” I tell him, grousing on the fact. “Whatever I did … it’s not as important as what I’m going to do.”

  Cocking a brow, Lawson fixes me with a look. “And what are you goin’ to do, Eden? Because so far it’s a whole lot of child’s play.”

  That comment alone ices my heartbreak and brings my resolve back into play. Instead of fighting the current, I allow it to capture me.

  I release a sardonic chuckle, relax a little as I give into my wicked ways. “I’m goin’ to bring this city to its knees.”

  “And how do you expect to do that?” he asks, dubious to fact.

  “Why don’t you hang around to see?” I ask him, preparing to walk away. “You’ve already watched the start.”

  I leave him, unable to keep myself from continuing this conversation. I can’t deal with the weight of his hatred as it clashes with his unease to distance himself from me. I saw the inner battle he enlisted being near me, and I knew he wanted to sin.

  Love doesn’t just forget love.

  Love has to die because hate isn’t enough to blacken a heart completely.

  Navigating the crowds outside the club, I force my way away from the people gathering to see what happened and walk freely away. I make it to a walkway just down the street and watch the carnage I started.

  In the chaos, Lawson got Ashley out of the bar with strict orders, and I only left when the owners started to move everyone else – I was in the clear, and if Lawson had it his way, Ashley would be too.

  Turning on my heels, I look down the small path and remind myself of where I am. If I hurry, I can be on Bourbon Street and get lost into the night within minutes. I’m not prepared to finish my night up yet and I’m willing to get lost in the jazz music before the sun rises.

  I’m knocked sideways, pushed into the shadows with a thuggish strength. I barely catch my breath or find a chance to fight back as he throws me harshly into the building. He pins me against the wall, and I slow my breathing, trying to keep my swarming panic at bay. It’s as I pant in fear against the brickwork of the building I feel the pain sear through my arm at the angle he’s twisted it.

  “Miss. Johnson told me to say hi,” he says, twisting my arm harder against my back.

  Just hearing her name causes rage to erupt, it burning far hotter than my terror. I allow every negative emotion to fuel me at that moment and I buck – in vain – against his hold.

  “Get off me, you fuckin’ prick!” I say, my voice holding strong.

  “She said you’d get mouthy,” he says, his body pressing against mine as his lips come to my ear. “Told me to solve the issue.”

  I feel him pull back, my body no longer pushed into the wall with brute force, but while he pulls back, my arm twists more and then the wind is knocked out of me completely as a fist collides with my kidney. My legs buckle, and he relents his hold, allowing me to fall to the floor. I can’t stop the tears from lining my lashes, threatening to enter freefall. I fight against the enormity of pain, not paying enough attention to see his foot coming to collide with my exposed ribs. I cower to the assault, not sure what will come next in his haphazard beating.

  He pulls me back up by my hair, pressing me back against the wall with just a step forward. I stand flush against the cold surface and catch his predatory glare through the shadows. He places a hand around my jaw, pushing ever so slightly against my throat, preparing to cut off my airwaves.

  “I was told you were free game,” he says, a callous hand hitting the skin on my thigh.

  I close my eyes, breathe a little deeper against my growing disgust and hate the vulnerability he’s driving into me. I turn my head away as he runs his hand up further, pushing against the hem of the dress. My reaction evidently displeases him as the hand around my face shifts, his fingers pinching down either side of my mouth as his thumb rubs across the lipstick on my lips.

  “Don’t react much, do ya?” he asks and loosens his hold a little. “What if I take you from behind?” he questions and to exact his words he spins my until I’m back in the original stance – face grazing the brickwork, his body pinning mine. “Like it rough, Sweets?”

  I feel my body shudder as I try my hardest not to allow the sob to uncurl from my throat. I can’t stop him, no matter what I try. I’m defenseless and if anything, this moment really shows how alone I am in this world now.

  The last time something like this happened, I had a savior.

  As his fingers work their way under my skirt and my panties I know, I’m truly alone in this world.

  But as quickly as he assaults me, his weight disappears from my body, and I’m in free fall. I can hear a scuffle, hear a grunted voice, but I barely take in what’s happening before me. Instead, I sink against the wall, the entire world around me blurs, slowing to a complete halt as my hands come to my head, tearing at my hair. I don’t care about anything but getting lost in the shadows. I reach around for my bag, blindly trying to find it in the darkness. I catch the feel of the corner of my bag and tear it from the floor, opening it to delve inside, searching for the pills I’ve grown accustomed to trusting more than anything else in life.

  “You don’t need those,” Liam’s voice calms me, his hands stopping me. I look up, finally taking in my hero. His hair is a mess, a reddish mark starts to show on his check, but his expression is soft enough to drag me from the darkness I want. “You don’t need to pop them while I’m here.”

  I look up at him, lost and dazed. My mouth opens, but no sound comes from me. I feel him pry the bottle from my hand and I let him – no matter how badly I want the tablets, I allow human comfort to rank higher.

  “Your face,” he says, his hand coming to my cheek.

  “I-I’m okay,” I say, trying to shake the shock. “Honest … h-he caught me off guard.”

  “You’re not okay,” Liam admonishes, correcting with a small smile. “Not even remotely close.”

  I take a few moments, letting it sink in. “You saved me.”

  “Isn’t that my job?” he asks, offering me a crooked smile. “No matter what happens, I pledged my life to protect yours.”

  I take comfort in that thought, letting it remind me of how I used to feel by Lawson’s side, safe and protected by men who enjoyed playing guard dogs. It’s been a long time since I had that feeling.

  I look to my right, trying to see the full face of the man who just accosted me, but it’s mangled with blood and my heart pangs. Liam killed for me.

  “Who was he?” Liam asks, hopefully, that I’ll know.

  “Ashley sent him,” I say, swallowing hard on that bitter pill. I meet his gaze and nod to help shift his disbelief. “Didn’t realize she was that well connected.” I went to move but gritted my teeth at the pain in my leg. I look down seeing the side of my knee bleeding. “Wel
l, fuck.”

  “Stay there a moment,” he says, getting up to rush to the edge of the opening to the walkway. “Frazer! Stop fuckin’ around and get over here!” He comes back to my side, crouching down by my side, blocking my view of the body behind me. “He’s not dead … I saw that look on your face. He’s not quite dead.”

  “He looks it,” I say, trying to look around Liam but he won’t let me.

  “Nah, I just rearranged his face,” Liam tells me, making me laugh, but I cringe as my ribs flare with pain. “Where did the fucker hurt you?”

  “He punched me and kicked me,” I simply state, not giving all the details.

  I hear footsteps, but they abruptly stop. I see Frazer stand in shock horror. This evening isn’t turning out how any of us thought it would.

  “What the fuck?” Frazer asks, looking at the unconscious brute on the floor.

  “I don’t know what’s going on,” Liam starts, standing up, but remaining close to me. “He was attacking Eden.”

  I watch him now notice me sat on the floor, pushed as far into the wall as possible.

  “Are you okay?” he asks me, a concern bursts into his eyes, one I didn’t think I’d see. “Your face is a little grazed, little lady, so is your leg, but are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” I say, softly, unable to find my voice. “Thank you for askin’, Fraz.” I look down at the gash on my leg, the blood running tracks down my legs. “I’m going to kill that little bitch when I get my hands on her.”

  “No, you’re not,” Liam tells me, quite sternly too. “You’ll leave her to me, but right now, I want to get you back to the loft to clean you up.”

  “The loft?” I ask, slightly wrapped in a gasp. Then the realization hits me that Liam could be there with Ashley. “Will the cow be home?”

  Liam laughs, shaking his head but not in confirmation. “Before I tell you, do you want to maybe shed some light on why you hate the girl so much?”

  I shrug. “She’s a threat.”

  “To you or us?” he asks, his left brow slowly raising.

  “To everyone,” I grouse, watching them closely. “You’ve known her how many days, and you’re all sleepin’ under the same roof? She could be a murderer.”

  “Girl’s had too much shit to be a murderer,” Liam states.

  “No … it means she has her triggers,” I tell them, trying to rationalize. “And Lawson … he’s keepin’ her around because she makes him feel somethin’. What a pile of bullshit that is.”

  “Look … I feel for the girl, and while I don’t trust her I don’t think she’s capable of anythin’,” Liam adds, looking slightly on edge. “So, until we do, we need to be careful.”

  The man behind Liam grunts and I hear him move against the gravel upon the floor.

  “Told you he wasn’t dead,” Liam states, giving me a bright smile. “You okay to sort this while I get her cleaned up?” he asks, looking up at Frazer, but doesn’t shift from his crouching position. “I don’t think she’ll need Doc, but I’d rather not let her out of my sight.”

  “Liam,” I start, a heavy sigh weighing my words.

  “Don’t want to hear it,” Liam stops me. He fixes me with a look, his eyes full of so many emotions that I can’t even decipher one. “It’s been too long since I got to look after you.”

  “Let him do his job, Little Lady,” Frazer says in a tender tone. Being a lot older than the rest of us, I always found him to be a father figure in the absence of both Lawson’s and mine. “I’ll make sure this bastard is sorted before midnight.” He shifts around us, pulling out his cell phone. “The boss isn’t goin’ home, so the loft will be vacant for a little while yet.”

  “Two against one,” Liam tells me, finally standing. He extends a hand to me. “C’mon, Sweethawt, let’s go get you cleaned up.”

  He pulls me up, trying not to exacerbate the pains in my chest as best he can. He apologizes, and I can sense Frazer watching me worriedly from the sidelines while he makes his calls. I ignore it all to focus on the rage manifesting in me. Leaving me, Liam picks up my clutch bag and turns to face me.

  “I meant it … I’ll kill her when I get my hands on her.”

  He chuckles, putting his arm around my shoulder as he starts to lead me to the edge of the walkway. It feels like not even a day of separation has happened and I sink back into the familiarity of it all.

  “Eden, I don’t even doubt it for a single second,” he quips, a mirthful tone in his voice.

  “Whoa, Eden!” Nate says, stopping just short of the entrance to where we are and immediately starts to hold Tess back.

  “I’m not goin’ to kill you, Fuck Face,” I grouse, rolling my eyes.

  “The situation is a bit worse than Eden,” Liam states, moving us to the side as Frazer hulls the blooded man up a little. “Found him tryin’ to rape Eden about ten minutes ago.”

  “Why?” Tess asks, stepping around Nate. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” I feign, forgetting the pain in my ribs.

  “You don’t look it,” Tess comments, giving me a pointed look. “I know how well you lie.”

  “I’m fine,” I reiterate. “Just a little scuffed and shame-faced, but I’m okay.”

  “Honestly?” she asks, pursing her lips. “Because I swear if you lie to me, Eden Roberts, I will let hell loose on your ass.”

  “I’ll be okay,” I tell her, soothingly. “There is no need to worry about me.”

  “We’ve all been worried about you,” Nate says, getting quick agreement from Tess. “You came back like a bat out of hell.”

  I laugh and feel unease enter my body. This feels almost too easy – to fall back into old ways with old banter.

  “If I have it my way you haven’t seen the end of that.”

  I walk passed them both, wanting to get away from this place.

  The moment I feel Liam by my side, I know I can escape.

  I look around the loft; memories assault me as I walk toward the main living space.

  “Take a seat; I’ll grab the first aid kit.”

  I don’t say a word and do as he says, occupying the spot I always used to when I lived here. I look forward, my eyes fixated on the unlit fireplace and feel my mouth dry as nostalgia settles thickly. While the layout is the same, the décor in the house has become bland, nothing like I remember.

  “A lot changed since you’ve been gone,” Liam says coming back into the room, first aid kit and a towel in one hand, bottle of whiskey in the other.

  “So, I see,” I say, turning my gaze away from the fireplace. “Bet he still sits out on the balcony when he’s stressing the fuck out.”

  “Oh yeah,” Liam confirms, laughing. “Especially since you dropped back onto the scene.”

  I smile, but it has no happiness behind it.

  “You’re nowhere near happy, are you?” he asks, picking up on my mood as he drops onto the coffee table opposite me.

  “What made you assume that?” I question, cocking a brow.

  He pats the table top, telling me to pop my foot up so he can clean my leg up. I listen, and he doesn’t immediately speak, rather grabs the whiskey and the towel and pours the brown liquor onto it. He dabs his knuckles, that I now realize are cracked with cuts. He shakes his hand off, folding the towel another way and douses it again. He reaches over, pulling my leg his way a little and doesn’t warn when he presses the towel against my wound. I hiss, try to pull my leg away but Liam holds it still.

  “Well, besides the obvious which is you’re a complete bitch,” he starts, ignoring my hissing. “You seem to forget that while Lawson may know you like the back of his hand, so do I.”

  “Shit,” I say, watching him finally pull away to wipe the wound. “A lot happened.”

  “I know it did,” he tells me, sitting back to toss the towel down and grab a long gauze. “I was one of the only ones who you let see you.”

  “Wasn’t the prime of my life,” I grumble, crossing my arms over my chest. “Still
isn’t.”

  “Isn’t the prime of any of our lives anymore,” Liam tells me, a nonchalant tone. “You should’ve listened to Alex and me and come home sooner … and less bitchy.”

  “I know what I should’ve done, but I didn’t do it,” I say, trying to make light of the situation, but know I’m failing miserably. “Hey,” I start, forcing the conversation away from me. “What is your issue with Ashley?”

  Liam shrugs. “It’s stupid.”

  “No,” I say, stopping him from covering my cut. “What is it?”

  He looks at me, like really looks at me. “I don’t see anyone else but you by Lawson’s side.”

  My heart slows into heavy thuds, each of which radiates with such harsh potency I fear I’ll break.

  “It’s a bit late for that now,” I tell him, giving him the bravest smile I can master. “He made his choice.”

  “He hasn’t,” Liam argues. “He couldn’t even make up his mind between you and her when you were still listed as missin’.”

  “What else makes you hate her so much?” I ask, letting my head fall sideways as I watch him. “You don’t usually hold a grudge against anyone but from what I hear you don’t trust her one bit.”

  “Why would I?” he asks, leaning forward, so his arms lay flat against his thighs. “She’s a stranger … still is, but we’re forced to keep her with us. She says she’s some part of some old-time debt that her ancestors did, but Seamus wasn’t able to find any information on it, and that got my back up all the more.” He shrugs before sitting up. “And she got hurt on the first time we met her, and she hasn’t leave since. Then Lawson got handed with some contract showing they were contractually bound.”

  “Where is this contract?” I ask, pulling my leg down regardless of it still weeping blood. “In the office?”

  “Eden,” he says, trying to stop me.

  “No, don’t Eden me,” I say, shaking my head. “Some chick comes onto the scene and says she’s part of some ancient unpaid debt and no one even hesitates over the fact. Leo wasn’t always the smarts behind the corporation, but I thought he would have seen straight through this bullshit and sent her packing.”