“You better talk to Venom about that part.”
“You’re talking about murder, aren’t you? They’d do that?”
“Dealers take care of their own,” Ellen says behind me. “I’m sure Venom would do anything to protect you.”
“Except I’m not. I’m not one of you.”
“Maybe not officially, but anyone can see how much Venom cares for you,” Raven says.
“You don’t understand. What we have… it’s not going anywhere.”
“Let’s just wait and see what happens after church,” Ellen suggests. “I’m sure Venom wants heads to roll for this.”
Yeah. That’s what I’m afraid of.
***Venom***
“What the fuck, Tek?”
All eyes turn to him, waiting for an explanation.
“Well, basically I have a program continuously monitoring the web for mentions of us… anyone associated with the club. I added Emily that first night you brought her here. I got the notification and blasted the site where the image was hosted. It’s down, and I haven’t found it anywhere else.”
“What about the uploader?” Gage asks.
“Easy. He’s good, but I’m better. I got a location.”
“Good. Let’s move.” I surge to my feet, ready to crush someone’s larynx with my boot.
“Wait,” Gage says in his presidential voice. “I know you’re running hot right now, but we can’t go in blind. Sit.”
I bite my tongue to stop myself from saying that if it was Raven, he wouldn’t be waiting. The thing is I know he’s right. I drop back in my chair, scowling at the table’s surface.
“Tek, what are we looking at?”
“Atlanta, boss. Restaurant in Midtown.”
“Restaurant?” Gage asks, echoing my confusion. “We know the owner?”
“I don’t think so. I haven’t found much, but I’m still digging.”
“Keep on it, Tek. We need to know everything.”
“You got it, boss.”
“Venom.” Prez turns his attention to me. “This thing with Emily. Is it serious?”
“Why?”
“I’ll help her regardless, but I need to know how far you’re willing to go with this.”
“All the way… especially since I know this is somehow my fault. She may not be my old lady, but she doesn’t deserve this.”
“I hear you, brother. Has she given you anything useful?”
“Nothing. I think she’s in shock. Reeling. Fuck, this happened in my gym, Prez. What am I supposed to say to her?”
Razor gives my shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
“What? It happened here?” Gage asks, eyes wide in surprise.
“Shit,” Einstein curses under his breath, shaking his head.
“Any idea when?” Chopper asks.
“None. I would bet money her asshole ex is behind this. Probably trying to get back at her for what I did to him.”
“What the fuck did you do?” Gage demands.
“I may have used a needle to get him to sign some divorce papers.”
“Shit.” Gage jerks his head at Charger. “Charger, get Emily.”
A minute later, he returns with her in tow. She looks around nervously, walking in my direction when she spots me. I pull her down on my lap, arms circling her waist.
“Emily.” She glances up at Einstein. “We can’t possibly understand what you’re going through right now, but we need some information, beautiful.”
“What… what kind of information?”
“You have any idea who could’ve done this?”
“No.”
“How about when it was taken?”
“It was today.”
“How do you know?” I ask.
“Well, I was looking at the picture with Ellen and Raven, and I noticed that the shampoo is a new one I only started using today.”
“Great eyes, Emily,” Razor commends her.
“Okay, now we got a timeline. Tek—”
“Pulling up the security feed now, boss.”
“Darlin’.” She shifts on my lap, facing me. “You know anyone who owns or works at a restaurant in Midtown?”
“No. No one. Why?”
“Just something Tek found. We don’t know what it means yet. You think it could be James?”
“I don’t know. I’d like to think not.” She leans in close. “Venom, I’m scared,” she whispers, bottom lip quivering. I pull her close, wanting to rid her of the feeling.
“It’s all going to be okay, Emily. Trust and believe that.”
“Okay, boys,” Gage commands the room’s attention once more. “Here’s the deal. Crow and Motor, I want you two to go case out the place while Tek does his thing. When we have more info, we can make a plan.” He turns to me, speaking softly. “Go take care of your woman, brother. We got this for now.”
With a dip of my head, I stand, lifting Emily in my arms. I take her to my room, laying her on the bed. She observes me, moving over so I can join her once I’ve discarded my clothes. Placing her head on my chest, she burrows into my side,
“I’m sorry, Em. I can’t believe I let this happen.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“Bullshit. It happened under my roof.”
I grab my phone, calling Kurt and telling him to shut down the showers. That picture was taken from the next stall and from above. There’s going to be some major renovations in there. I can’t allow something like this to happen again.
“Venom?”
“Yeah, darlin’?”
“When you find the people responsible, are you going to… to kill them?” Her voice is low, shaking with fear.
“What do you want me to do?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t think I’d get caught up in this part of your life.”
“I’ll make it right. You’ll see.”
“I know you will. How you’ll do it is the problem.”
“What do you want me to do, Emily? Write a strongly worded letter?” I move away from her, sliding off the bed. She sits up, watching my flailing arms. “They came in to my business, took a nude of my woman, and posted it on the fucking Internet!”
“Venom….”
“You wanted to know about my club, so guess what? We don’t fuck around. You hit us, we hit back a hundred times harder, driving you into the fucking ground. You have no idea about the things we’ve done. The things I’ve done.”
“Like what?”
“You really wanna know?” I ask, not holding back my anger.
“Yes.”
“Benny, the boa? I watched him wrap his body around a man’s neck until it broke.”
She gasps, fingers covering her lips.
“Your asshole of an ex? Do you really think he signed those papers because I had a conversation with him?”
“Liam, what did you do?” she demands.
“Don’t fucking call me that! My name is Venom… just like what I injected him with, and then I watched as he squirmed before I gave him the antivenom.”
“Jesus.”
“Yeah, so what do you think I’m going to do to the fucker who violated you?”
She climbs out of the bed, coming straight for me. She cups my cheeks, pulling my face down to hers and resting her forehead on mine.
“You want to protect me, I get that. Just not at the expense of your soul.”
“You don’t have to worry about that, Emily. I lost that bitch a long time ago.”
“I don’t believe that. You have so much goodness inside you.” Letting out a humorless chuckle, I break our contact. “You do,” she persists. “Look at what you’ve done for me. I’m nothing like the woman who showed up in Stony View just a measly two months ago. You saw something in me and you didn’t stop until you freed it. You freed me. You unlocked the cage I was trapped in and saved me.”
“I’m no savior.”
“You’re mine. Aren’t you trying to save me right now?”
“This is different
. This is revenge.”
“Call it whatever you want, Liam. Hell, even your name means ‘protector.’”
“How do you know that?” I ask, pausing my tirade to turn to her in confusion.
“My mom told me.”
“You told your mother about me?”
I think she realizes what she’s admitted, because she turns her back to me. Her shoulders droop, head falling forward.
“Don’t worry. I haven’t filled her head with any promises of a son-in-law.”
“Emily, that’s not…. Will you look at me?” She doesn’t budge, so I spin her around to face me. “One thing at a time. Let’s just get through this, all right?”
“Not if you plan on killing anyone.”
“Emily—”
“No, Venom. I can’t be a party to that. If that’s what you and your club do, then I can’t be involved with you.”
“What are you saying?” I step back, noting that she can’t look me in the eyes.
“I’m saying… maybe it’s time to move on.”
CHAPTER 17
***Emily***
His face is a blank mask.
I told him I’m ending our arrangement, and he hasn’t reacted. There’s no surprise, no disappointment. Nothing. If this was a couple weeks ago, I’d think it’s because he doesn’t care, but I know he does. What he’s willing to do for me proves it. A part of me loves that he’d protect me so fiercely, but I can’t condone murder.
I also don’t think I can be with a man who thinks so little of ending another human being’s life.
“Maybe? You either want to or you don’t. Which is it, Emily?”
“I don’t want to. I’ve never been happier than I’ve been with you. I just can’t….” I shake my head, searching for words.
“Can’t what?”
“I don’t know this side of you. I want the man whose bed I’ve been sleeping in every night, not this… this….”
“Monster? Killer?”
“This version of you,” I offer instead.
“This is me. No two sides about it, Emily. This is who I’ve been for a long fucking time. If you can’t accept me for who I am, you’re better off without me in your life.”
“What are you saying?” I ask, heart racing a mile a minute. I don’t know why I’m petrified at the thought of losing him when I’m the one who suggested “breaking up” a few minutes ago. Maybe I expected him to protest, to try and convince me to stay, but I should have known better.
“Me? You’re the one who wants to leave.”
“So that’s it? This, you and me… we’re done?”
“I’m not going to beg you to stay if that’s what you expect,” he sneers, inciting my anger.
“No, ’cause why would I expect any kind of emotion from you?”
“That wasn’t the deal.”
“The deal. It’s always about the fucking deal! Grow the hell up, Venom.”
“Fuck, Emily!” He runs his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Look, your emotions are running high right now. Just try to get some sleep and we’ll talk tomorrow.”
“Fine. I’ll go back to Uncle Jeff’s.”
“You’re not leaving the fucking clubhouse,” he growls. “It’s safer here.”
“So I’ve heard. Bulletproof walls and all.”
I grab my bag from the floor, taking it with me to the bathroom and slamming the door behind me. He better know he’s not coming anywhere near me tonight.
Shit. I only hope I can resist him if he does.
The only thing in the bag that can be used for sleepwear is one of Venom’s T-shirts. Go figure. However, it does cover more of my body than what he likes me to wear to bed, so I’m thankful. I’m not feeling particularly sexy right now. In fact, I’ll see if he has some sweatpants I can borrow. Returning to the room, I find him already in bed, hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. He’s naked under the sheet; I can see the outline of his dick on his thigh.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“What does it look like?”
“Do you really expect me to sleep in the same bed with you?”
“My room, my bed. With everyone here, it’s not like I can go sleep somewhere else.” I cross my arms over my chest, ready to argue. “I ain’t sleeping on the floor, either. Fuck that shit.”
I roll my eyes, holding myself back from stomping my foot like a petulant child.
“I have some clothes in the chest of drawers if you need anything.”
“I….”
I can’t find any words. How does he know? How can he infuriate me with one sentence, then make me want to kiss him in the very next one? Trying to hold on to my anger, I search the drawers until I find some gray sweatpants. I pull them on, trudging to the other side of the bed, then lie down with my back to him at the very edge, dangerously close to falling off.
“What are you doing all the way over there?”
“In case you didn’t notice, I’m mad at you,” I reply.
“You need to get fucked, Em?” he asks in that annoyingly sexy voice that’s both exasperating and arousing right now. Especially since he’s laughing.
“No.”
“You sure?”
“Positive,” I reply through gritted teeth.
“You could sit on my face.”
Images of the first time he made me do that flash in my mind. I was nervous, but the hunger in his eyes as I stared down at him made everything disappear.
“Or you could hang your head over the side of the bed so I can fuck your throat.”
I cross my legs under the covers, memories of that very act attacking my brain. God, the way he’d slid into my mouth, gripping my breasts as he went deeper each time. Closing my eyes, I try to block the mental images. I know exactly what he’s doing and I won’t fall for it. I will stay mad at him, goddamnit!
“Or… you can come over here and let me hold you in my arms and comfort you.”
There it is, the sentence that begs me to plant my lips on his. I turn to face him, lips trembling, tears brimming in my eyes. His tattooed chest calls to me and I answer, giving in and letting go of my anger. As usual, he knows exactly what I need. I settle against him, breathing in his scent. He strokes my hair, the action calming me even more.
“I’m sorry this happened to you, darlin’. If I could take away your pain, I would. All I want is for you to be happy.”
“I know. I’m sorry, too… for snapping at you.”
“I don’t care about that. Do whatever it is you need to do to feel better.”
I wiggle closer, making him shift slightly to his side to better accommodate me. Both hands wrap around me, filling me with the now familiar sense of safety I’ve only felt in his arms. Regardless of the things he’s done and will do, that hasn’t changed. He’s still my safe place. My sanctuary.
“Raven told me what happened to her. Ellen, too.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m not sure if they wanted me to see my situation could be worse, or that you’ll sort everything out. That I should trust you the way they trusted Gage and Einstein.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s the latter. If anyone knows what we’re capable of, it’s those two women.”
“Liam, I think we should talk to the police.”
“No, Emily. No cops.”
“Why?”
“Because they start digging into you, it leads them to me. Then they start digging into the club, and that’s a shit-ton of problems. We’ll handle it.”
“Okay,” I agree, not wanting to cause trouble for him.
“It’s late. Try to get some sleep.”
I close my eyes, but all I can see is the image of me in the shower. Eventually I fall into a fitful sleep, haunted by dreams of flashing cameras and snakes biting off the heads of men.
***Venom***
I stare at the computer screen, watching a dark-haired woman look around cautiously before entering the showers with a cell phone in hand. She�
�s definitely the one who took the picture, because no one else went in or out while Emily was in there. I’ve also never seen her in the gym before. Tek brings up the information he found on her using facial recognition software, but there’s not much to go on. At least we have an address.
Gage’s phone rings and he puts it on speaker, laying it on the table. “Crow,” he says.
“I’m here, Prez.”
“What did you find?” I ask, leaning over the table and closer to the phone.
“You’ll never guess who rolled in for lunch,” Crow answers.
“Who?”
“That asshole from the fight.”
“Interesting,” Gage says. “You find out anything about him?”
“Yeah. Name’s Luigi Vitalli. He owns the place.”
Tek starts clacking away at his computer and I know we’ll have every piece of information about this fucker in a few minutes.
“Stay on him, Crow. We’re going to check out the girl on the security footage.”
“Got it, Prez.”
Gage disconnects the call and turns to me. “How’s Emily?”
“Not good. She’s scared and confused. Talked about going to the police last night, but I convinced her that wasn’t an option.”
“Good. Last thing we need is the cops snooping around.”
“I know.”
“Who’s this Vitalli asshole?” Razor asks. “That night at the fight, he knew who we were. How the fuck don’t we know him?”
“Tek?” I prod him for an update.
“Luigi Vitalli. Big-time loan shark operating in Atlanta. He also owns a couple other places. Got a laundry list of charges, but nothing’s stuck. He’s gotten away every time.”
“Loan shark? I’ve never even heard of this asshole. What issue could he have with me?” Gage leans back in his chair, his question directed at no one in particular.
“Think it has something to do with The Pharmacist?” Rico asks.
The fucking Pharmacist. I’m getting tired of hearing that name. We already dealt with that motherfucker, so I doubt this involves him.
“There’s something here about his son, Luca, being arrested for murder,” Tek adds. “Looks like he was daddy’s muscle. Trial’s in a couple weeks.”
“Where’s he being held?” I ask.
Renascence: Death Dealers MC Book 5 Page 20