Riley didn’t leave the house for the next two weeks. Unable bring himself to ruin Zoe’s expert bed-making he slept on the couch. It was one of the last things she’d done when she was alive and he couldn’t undo it. People came to the door but he kept out of sight until they’d gone. He spent his time working out, building up his strength, reviving his tired body.
The first time he left the house was to go for a jog, wearing a baseball cap pulled down low, praying no one recognised him. Unfortunately they did. Riley saw his neighbours hesitate, wondering if they should speak to him but he made the choice for them and jogged by without acknowledging them. The scars in his stomach ached but he could deal with the pain, he’d been trained to handle it.
The first thing he did was jog straight to the estate agents and put the house on the market. He couldn’t stand to live in that house of crushed dreams for much longer. He could always rent until he returned to the regiment.
His jog over, he went home and called the contact Johnno had arranged to keep track of Venom’s movements. He was ready.
The pub was smoky and seedy, a cliché with over-priced drinks but it was dark and busy, allowing Riley to blend in. Venom was sat at the bar with her cronies, both her and them sporting Lucifer’s Shadow MC patches, the sight of the grinning skull almost sending him over the edge. There were five of them altogether, laughing and joking like nothing had happened. Venom made the bar stool look like a throne as she held court, the men hanging on her every word like fawning courtiers. She wore skin-tight black leather trousers and a cut away black vest, the leather jacket hanging open to reveal the snake curling around her smooth, naked belly. It was rumoured that beneath the jacket she wore sheaths strapped to her wrists that held her knives. Johnno had been right, she was no ordinary woman, she was a criminal and a murderer who had never contributed anything useful to society and it enraged him that she was still alive and well while his Zoe was in the ground. He noted Venom drank hard but didn’t seem to get drunk while her cronies were half-cut, giggling stupidly. One of their group seemed to be getting more aggressive. Riley watched the man snap and threaten a man drinking at the end of the bar who’d been minding his own business, accusing him of giving him funny looks. Venom nodded at two of her men who suddenly became all serious and dragged their friend outside. Venom carried on drinking as though nothing had happened, lighting up a cigarette and blowing smoke into the air while she apologised to the barman for her friend’s aggression. What could have been a potentially violent scene had been quietly disarmed in seconds and that was down to Venom. It seemed she wasn’t all about war, but that wouldn’t spare her from what was about to come, she was his one chance at getting to Jasper.
Riley finished up his drink and left, careful not to look her way. He turned left and waited down the alley that ran down the side of the pub. From there he could watch the front of the building and he would be hidden from view if she came his way. He wasn’t worried if she was accompanied by her cronies. There was only one man left with her anyway and he could take care of him no problem. Lucifer’s Shadow were cowards when they were in smaller numbers.
His training kicked in and he went into automatic mode, eyes riveted to the front of the building, tuning out all distractions yet still very aware of his surroundings, hands so tense they creaked in their leather gloves.
Precisely twenty eight minutes later Venom exited the pub, lit up another cigarette and raised her face to the sky, which was dotted with stars, probably enjoying the cool night air after the stuffy pub.
From the shadows Riley watched her talk with her crony, who had followed her outside. The man nodded and raised his hand in a farewell before walking away. Venom headed in the opposite direction to her friend, Riley pressing himself back against the wall of the alley as she passed his hiding place. He let her get a little ahead before following, pulling up the hood of the sweatshirt he wore beneath the jacket, keeping his walk casual.
Venom walked tall and confident, no one dare mess with her. She would pay for her arrogance. He followed her through the city streets, Venom chain-smoking the entire way, Riley tracking the cloud of smoke that surrounded her.
They reached the busy nightclub she was known to frequent and he expected her to go inside, but instead she strolled past it. He hung back when she paused before the window of a clothes shop renowned for selling lots of black leather and chains. He hung back in the doorway of a newsagents until she continued on her way, always careful to keep a distance between them.
Riley struggled to keep her in his sights when a drunken hen night came between them. The women stumbled about, giggling uncontrollably, getting in his way.
“Oy, watch it tosser,” slurred one of the girls when he shoved her out of his way. He ignored the comment and burst out of the gaggle of girls to find Venom gone.
“Shit.”
He looked up and down the street, calculating which way she could have gone. There was only really one way that would have allowed her to vanish so completely. He sprinted down the alley that ran between a Chinese restaurant and a butchers, the stink from the bins overpowering, his boots splashing through rancid puddles towards the derelict building at the end of the alley. He sprinted up a small set of steps, cautiously entered the beaten-up door and found himself in a gloomy stairwell lit only by a single light bulb. He listened carefully but could hear nothing. The entire building was deserted and waiting to be pulled down. Riley didn’t want to go up those stairs, it would put him at a disadvantage but he had no choice. If he was right and she had come in here then up was the only way she could have gone.
As silently as possible he mounted the stairs, his boots making a quiet thud on the old wood. He kept himself pressed against the wall, fully aware the woman he was pursuing was a very proficient assassin and a cunning criminal. Anyone who got in Lucifer’s Shadow’s way she eliminated. It was a wonder she hadn’t come for him and neutralised the threat he posed. She must have thought he was finished, a spent force. How wrong she was.
Riley made it to the first floor without incident and began to wonder if he’d been mistaken and she hadn’t come in here after all. There had been absolutely no sound from above and this building was old and creaky. If Venom was here surely he would have heard her by now? He continued on, up another three floors, encountering no one.
He didn’t so much see the figure crouched at the top of the fourth floor as sense them, detecting the faint smell of cigarette smoke. Steel glinted in the light from another single watery bulb marking the top of the stairs and he threw himself backwards. The first flash of steel was joined by a second and he surmised it was true about the knives strapped to her arms. In that outfit it would have been impossible to conceal them anywhere else.
“Why are you following me?” demanded Venom, pointing the blades at him.
He drew back his hood and saw her knives waver.
“Riley Cutter,” she whispered.
Taking advantage of her shock he threw himself at her, grabbing both wrists and pushing them outwards, away from him. He twisted his body to one side as she brought up her knee, ignoring the pain in his protesting stomach, and shoved her backwards through an open doorway. She fell onto her back, one of the knives skittering from her hand. When she tried to grab it he kicked it out of her reach.
Venom rolled and jumped up, her one remaining knife held out before her.
“I know why you’re here and it was nothing to do with me,” she said. “If I’d known what Jasper was going to do I would have stopped him.”
“Where is he?” growled Riley.
“I’ve no idea. I wish I did because I’d kick the shit out of him myself.”
“I’m going to do a lot more than that when I find him. Your boyfriend’s dead. He’s fucking dead,” he yelled, the anger slipping out of his control. He heaved in a breath and reigned it in. Right now he couldn’t afford to lose control.
“I can respect that Riley and I won’t stand in your way. What Jas
per did was disgusting and I don’t condone it for a second.”
Riley was surprised by how intelligent and articulate she was. No wonder she was the one in charge of the MC because the rest of them were morons.
“You did nothing to stop him when he was causing havoc in the neighbourhood,” he spat. Even though she wasn’t what he’d expected he still had his rage and she was the only focus for it. “If you had I wouldn’t have had to pull him up about it and Zoe and Maisie would still be alive.”
“Maisie. Is that what you were going to call your little girl?”
He nodded furiously, willing the knot in his throat to go.
“I tried to talk some sense into him but sometimes he just won’t listen,” she continued in a calm, gentle tone, as though she was trying to placate a wild animal. “He was bringing unwelcome attention on the club.”
“Not good in your line of business,” he retorted sarcastically.
“Exactly.”
“You’re protecting him Venom. You know where he is.” Riley moved constantly as he talked, not letting her get a fix on him, stalking her, waiting for the moment to go in for the kill.
“I swear to you I don’t. He doesn’t deserve my protection after what he did. He raped a pregnant woman and killed her and her unborn child and I hate him for it,” she said savagely.
Riley detected something there, some past pain. His resolve hardened. Fuck her and her pain, he was only concerned with his own.
“Riley,” she said, backing up as he advanced on her. “I’ve no wish to hurt you, you’ve been hurt enough but I know what you’re capable of and I will do whatever it takes to defend myself.” The open, honest look fell away and her eyes darkened. “Whatever it takes,” she reiterated firmly.
“If you don’t tell me where he is I’ll make you,” he glowered.
“I can’t tell you because I don’t know. Now why don’t you leave? You’re still grieving and you’re not thinking straight.” Venom backed away, eyes darting from side to side, hoping to find another escape route but there was only one exit and he was blocking it.
He lunged for her, grabbing her hand holding the knife but she spun into him, her back against his chest and brought up her elbow, catching him in the left side of the face before spinning back round, her arm still imprisoned, and kicking him in the stomach. Riley cried out as pain exploded in his belly, shooting fiery tentacles out into the rest of his body and she slipped from his grasp. Once again his training kicked in, enabling him to keep going. His arm shot out and grabbed her as she ran for the door. He threw her against the wall, which she hit hard, but the decayed, disintegrating plaster folded beneath her and she was immediately back on her feet. Only she’d dropped her knife. Riley picked it up and stood before her, blocking the door, touching the blade with his fingertips, wickedness in his eyes.
“That’s mine,” she hissed.
He studied the coiled snake on the hilt. “You’ve got a thing for snakes. That must be why you hooked up with Jasper. One day he’ll turn round and bite you too.”
“He’s not fucking capable. Give me back my knife.”
“You mean the knife you tried to stab me with at the top of the stairs? Not a chance.” He turned it over in his hands. “It means a lot to you, doesn’t it?”
“Yes,” she said, her fury building.
“Zoe and Maisie meant the world to me and your lot took them without a moment’s pause. I want a lot more from you than your knives.”
“Must I repeat myself? I don’t know where Jasper is.”
Riley lashed out, slicing through the leather of her jacket with her own knife, only just missing her skin because she dodged to one side. It was then she realised he could actually kill her. Without stopping to think she threw herself at him, hoping to disable him by attacking his weakened stomach, but he was more than ready for her, his icy control fuelled by his fury. He deflected the punch she threw to his stomach but the one to his face hit dead centre, snapping his head back. Once again he waded through the pain and haziness wanting to envelop him and head butted her. Venom released a shriek and fell, blood pouring from her nose. When he got near she kicked out, catching him in the side of the left knee and he almost went down. Her vision was blurred from the blow and she scrambled backwards on her hands and knees out of his reach, kicking out at him to keep him at bay until she’d got back on her feet. As she leapt up he grabbed her but his hands closed over the leather jacket and it slid off her shoulders, freeing her. With a growl of frustration he cast it aside as she came at him again.
She fought him hard, throwing punches every time she spotted an opportunity but nothing seemed to have any effect on him. She was tiring fast while he was cool and unrumpled. Only his eyes burned with the rage he wanted to take out on her. Venom was good but she was no match for the years of elite training he’d had and when he picked her up and threw her she hit the wooden floor hard, squeezing the air from her lungs, the shock rendering her temporarily immobile. He grabbed her, flipped her onto her front and cable-tied her hands behind her before rolling her onto her back. He crouched over her, the desperation and pain etched on his face frightening.
Riley wrestled with himself, wanting to rip the bitch apart in retaliation for what had been done to Zoe and their daughter. Even though Venom hadn’t been there he wanted to inflict every wound on her that his girls had suffered because she was Jasper’s.
Venom stared up at the man looming over her clutching the knife knowing he could actually snap and kill her.
“It won’t bring them back,” she said quietly, calmly.
“No but it’ll make me feel better.”
“You’ll be taking it out on the wrong person. I’m guilty of many things but not of this.”
“Hurting you will hurt Jasper.”
“Then you lower yourself to his level. That’s why he hurt Zoe, because you hurt him.”
Riley stared at the knife in his hand, the snake’s red eyes seemed to be encouraging him to do it. “Zoe was so sweet. She’d never hurt anyone in her life. You’re a dirty murderer who sneaks about in the shadows killing people. How dare you compare yourself to her?”
“I’m not. I’m comparing you to Jasper. If you hurt me you’ll be the same as him.”
The blow knocked her head sideways. She groaned and spat out a globule of blood.
“I am not like him,” he bellowed, dragging her up off the floor by her shoulders.
“Not yet but you will be if you kill me,” she retorted, her tongue feeling thick in her mouth.
He sighed and threw her back to the floor, mashing his forehead with the palm of one hand. She was confusing him, turning his thoughts around and he was letting her. Stick to the plan, carry it through. That was what he must do.
Taking advantage of his momentary distraction she flipped herself upright in an impressive gymnastic movement and tried to kick him in the face, but he dodged and punched her in the stomach. He threw her onto her front then sat on her legs and raised the knife. Frantically she wriggled beneath him, doing everything in her power to throw him off, but he was too heavy.
The word tattooed on her left upper back surrounded by red roses made him hesitate. Cara. Did she have a daughter?
“Who’s Cara?” he said.
“My sister. She died when she was nine.”
“How?”
“Leukaemia.”
Riley wished he hadn’t asked. Venom had gone from a drug dealing assassin to a woman with family and feelings. He touched the tattoo with the tip of the knife, heard her sharp intake of breath. He followed the pattern of the letters with the blade, wanting to press down and see the blood well up. Something inside him was demanding blood be spilt, he longed to see it, it was the only thing that could soothe the agony inside him.
“Were you and Cara close?” he said, moving onto the roses with the knife.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“You loved her?”
She nodded into the floor.
She shook her head.
“You’re lying to placate me.”
“I wouldn’t be that stupid.”
“No, you’re not stupid, are you. You’re smart enough to tell me what I want to hear.”
“And you’re smart enough not to kill me. It won’t make you feel any better. Believe me, I know.”
“Who did you kill?”
“I tried to kill my adoptive mother after she and her husband abused me. I almost succeeded but it doesn’t make the pain go away.”
This sent his fury spiking. He didn’t want to hear that, he wanted to hear that hurting someone would take his own pain away, he didn’t know how much longer he could live with it.
Sensing another swing in his mood she looked over her shoulder at him, her grey eyes heavy with uncertainty but absolutely no fear. If this was the moment she was going to die then she was ready for it. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen that look.
“Get up,” he said, pulling her upright by her tied hands.
“What are you doing?” she said.
He propelled her across the room towards the rotten window frame, the glass entirely gone, knocked out by vandals.
“What are you doing?” she cried as she found herself pulled towards the gaping hole. The street lights had been smashed too, creating a yawning black chasm below. Four floors above a hard, cobbled street. He calculated it might be enough to kill her, certainly enough to cripple.
“No, no,” she cried when he tried to push her through it.
Venom planted her feet on the wall either side of the window and pushed backwards, simultaneously throwing her head back, catching him on the bridge of the nose. When his eyes teared up and his grip slackened she wriggled free and made an attempt for the door, but he grabbed her and hauled her back to the window kicking and screaming. She managed to turn in his arms so she was looking up into his savage countenance.
Dividing Line Origins (Short story anthology - Dividing Line Series) Page 12