A Very Venom Christmas: RBMC: Ankeny IA Read online

  Okay, none was more like it.

  If Mel was my father figure, then Margaret was probably my best friend. In over a year, I hadn’t made a single friend my age in the small Iowa town. I didn’t trust many people. I also worked hard at trying to quietly blend in. It was bad enough I was delivering pizzas, but I didn’t really socialize with the customers. Just dropped off their pizza, collected their money if needed, and left.

  “No, we can’t. I’m leaving this afternoon.”

  “Then when you get back,” I replied with a shrug. I was easy to please. It wasn’t like my calendar was full.

  “I’m moving to Ankeny with Decker. I need to have surgery, and my doctor thinks it would be better if I was closer to family. Decker has limited time because his business is really busy right now. My daughter is in Florida, and her time off would only be temporary. With all that, it looks like I’ll be relocating. I’m so sorry. I’ll miss you something fierce, but maybe you could come visit,” she finished up with a hopeful lilt.

  Chest caving, I fought the wave of loneliness that was slowly engulfing me. I wouldn’t be able to go visit her, because there was no way I could afford to take time off work. Losing everything and everyone that had been important in my life nearly eight years ago did a number on my head that I hadn’t realized until that moment.

  “Oh. Wow” was all I could get out. “I didn’t know you needed surgery.”

  She huffed before she grumbled, “Because I didn’t want to have it.”

  When she didn’t elaborate on what type of surgery, I didn’t pry. After all, it wasn’t really my business.

  Decker cleared his throat before he placed a key on the table. “Since your car is out of commission for now, Grams is leaving her SUV here for you to drive. We can pick it up once your car is ready.”

  “What? No. That’s too much,” I argued and pushed the key back toward him. The truth was, I had no idea how long it would be before I could afford to fix my car or, God forbid, get a new one. I knew diddly shit about cars. Then again, I didn’t have any other option, and it would buy me a little bit of time. Maybe I could get a third job—go back to waitressing at the strip club in Spirit Lake.

  They didn’t stay long before Decker was ushering her across the road again without a backward glance.

  It shouldn’t have hurt, because I knew exactly what last night had been. He’d boldly told me in no uncertain terms that we were two consenting adults fucking each other’s brains out. There had been no whispered or implied promises of more, and I had greedily accepted whatever he’d been willing to give.

  I told myself I was okay with things being that way, but as I stared out my bedroom window, I knew I was wrong. Watching them pull out and take off down the road felt like I was watching my future drive away.

  Since I didn’t have my lesson with Ms. Margaret, I took the opportunity to get some laundry done, then went into work. The shitty weather that had been so out of character had disappeared, leaving behind sunny skies and melting snow.

  “Of course. You couldn’t have done this yesterday before I wrecked my car, right?” I cursed the blazing sun.

  On Saturdays, I did after-hours cleaning. I’d picked up the oil change business next to the bookkeeping office. I planned to use a bit of that extra money to treat myself to dinner and a movie, but I would add the rest to my meager savings. It would have to be put toward getting my car fixed as best as I could. As long as it ran, I’d be fine. It didn’t need to look pretty.

  When I got home from work, the light over my back door was illuminating the back stairs. “What the hell?”

  There was a note with a business card stuck to my door. The handwriting was bold and scrawled with a heavy hand.

  Fixed your light. Come see me tomorrow about your car.

  Snow

  “The fuck?” I glanced up at the light again, then let myself inside and dropped my purse to the counter. Then I read the info on the business card.

  “DS Customs?” I’d heard of them. There was no way I could afford anything they did. They specialized in custom bikes and cars. Not pieces of shit like my old beater. Tired beyond my twenty-six and a half years, I rested my forehead on the top cabinets and fought breaking down.

  My phone rang, and I dug it out of my purse. The number was unavailable, but I thought it might be Ms. Margaret calling to let me know she’d gotten settled.

  “Hello?”

  When there was no one there, I figured it was one of those recorded calls. They always had that stupid delay when you first answered.

  I’d wanted to soak in the tub, but I was too tired. I fell into bed and was out like a light.

  The next day, bright and early, I was at DS Customs.

  “Hello. My name is Loralei Barnes. I was told to stop by about my car?” I asked the guy behind the counter. He had dirty-blond hair and a million-dollar smile. His name tag read Hollywood, and I wanted to laugh at how fitting it was. Who knew that Podunk, Iowa had guys that were prettier than most movie stars?

  I needed to get out more.

  “Sure, but I’ve got bad news.” He grimaced, and my heart sank. Shit. I knew it.

  “Yeah?” My shoulders slumped, and I sighed.

  “Well, unfortunately it’s totaled.” Poor guy looked like he seriously hated to have to tell me that. No more than I hate hearing it, buddy.

  “Are you sure?” It was a dumb question, but I was at a loss. I had no idea what to say or do. I had no doubt he was right, but damn.

  “Yes, ma’am. The airbags deployed. In a car that, um, year, it costs more than the car is worth to replace them.” He was trying his damnedest to be diplomatic about my car being a piece of shit, and I had to fight off hysterical laughter.

  My head dropped. I had nothing else. My mind was in tatters, and I wondered what else could possibly go wrong.

  “Hang on a minute, okay?” He held up a finger and went into the back. I heard him yell for someone, and then he and another guy came back out front. My mouth had to be hanging open, because this guy was even hotter but in a darker, grittier way.

  The sleeves were ripped off of his shop shirt, and his name tag read Reaper, which didn’t surprise me. He had a quiet but dangerous aura about him. Ice-blue eyes held me entranced, and I said, “Huh?” when I realized he’d said something to me.

  The blond was covering a smirk with his hand, and the dark-haired guy had a raised brow, waiting for my answer. “I’m sorry?” I asked as my cheeks burned with embarrassment.

  “I said that I have a truck I’m supposed to show you.”

  “But I can’t….” I trailed off, because it was too much to talk. Tears were threatening. I nodded, figuring I’d look at the damn truck I’d never be able to afford, then go home to cry.

  Fuck. My. Life.

  Resigned, I followed him into the bays of the shop. Rock music blared from the speakers mounted on the walls, and a few guys glanced my way as I followed along behind Reaper. Most went right back to what they were working on, but a couple followed our progress through the shop and out the back door.

  There was another shop behind that one with several closed bay doors. He walked over to one and rolled it up. There was a smaller four-wheel drive Toyota truck parked in there. Though it was easily from the nineties, its condition was impressive.

  Reaper opened the door, flipped down the visor, and a set of keys dropped out that he caught and reached out to hand me. They dangled there for a minute before I gingerly took them from him.

  He chuckled. “Won’t bite, darlin’. Go ahead and start it up.”

  Humoring him, I slid the keys in the ignition and started it up. It wasn’t a roaring beast by any means, but it seemed to run smooth. Blinking like an idiot, I sat there a minute, then shut it off. Reluctantly, I slid out of the seat and handed him the keys.

  “You want it?” he asked.

  “I, uh, I don’t think, I mean, I’ll have to look at my finances. How much do you want for it?”

 
When he rattled off almost exactly what I had in my savings, I narrowed my eyes at the coincidence. Surely they couldn’t see what was in my bank account. Shaking off the ridiculous thought, I bit my lip.

  “Can I think about it?” I’d been saving that money for a new fridge and stove, but I could get by with the old almond-colored one a little longer. They worked fine, they were just cheap and ugly.

  “Sure thing,” his deep voice drawled. “Now, just so you know, that price includes taking in your car for parts,” he added. Like I cared. The car was absolutely no good to me, and they would be doing me a favor, because I wouldn’t know what to do with it.

  “Okay,” I murmured before I nervously shoved my hands in my back pockets. “I’ll call in the next few days.”

  He nodded, then showed me out.

  I drove my borrowed SUV home and sat in my driveway chewing on my lip.

  My entire life had shown me that if something seemed too good to be true, it likely was.

  “Meaning of Life”—Disturbed

  One week before Christmas…

  “Hey, Venom, how’s your grandmother doing?” Sonja asked as she rubbed her tits on my arm and leaned into my side.

  “She’s good. Real good. Thanks for asking,” I murmured with a half-hearted smile. It didn’t pay to encourage the club whores unless you wanted them climbing in your lap. I hadn’t been in the mood for that since bringing Grams down to Ankeny.

  I chalked it up to stress.

  Voodoo and Blade had just finished a job that I had to personally oversee. The client had come to me directly to hire us, which was rare, but her ol’ man had been a Royal Bastard before he’d died in a freak electrical storm.

  Their fourteen-year-old kid had been abducted and held with several others awaiting transport out of the country. Thankfully, the fucking feds, with our help, had discovered the location before the kids left, but they’d been traumatized as hell. I wished we had someone that could help with that shit.

  Raptor and I had served in the army with JoJo, so his ol’ lady came to us for payback. She didn’t want those responsible getting away with what they’d done. Namely, the kid’s boyfriend. He was a twenty-fucking-year-old dickwad who had sold her out to the traffickers for five hundred bucks’ worth of coke. Fucking idiot.

  “How about if I help you out with a little stress relief,” Sonja whispered in my ear. She trailed her nails down my chest and to my crotch. Her hand teased my dick, but when I felt it stirring, I clasped her wrist and brought her hand up. To soften the blow, I kissed her inner wrist.

  “Not now, babe. Got some shit on my mind.”

  “I hear you. Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me.” With a coy smile, she sauntered off to lean over Chains where he was playing pool with Blade. When that happened, I noticed Jasmine’s back go ramrod straight where she sat at the end of the bar. Angel was next to her with his ol’ lady on his other side, and his eyes narrowed as he looked from his sister to Chains.

  Shit was going to come to a head with them if I wasn’t careful. I’d keep an eye on them, but my head wasn’t in it at the moment.

  “You want another one, Prez?” The prospect behind the bar was wiping down the polished surface as he asked me.

  “Nah, I’m good.” I needed to drive home. The place just down the road from the farm, toward town, had gone up for sale, and it had a little guest house in the back. I’d bought it because I wanted Grams to have her own space, but to be close by in case she needed me.

  She’d had her surgery and was recovering well. Angel had offered to help her heal quicker, but Grams had refused, stating if it was her time to go, it was her time to go. Mom had come up for the surgery and stayed the first couple of weeks before she had to head back to Florida. The doctors were pleased with Grams’s progress, and my worry had actually lifted. What I couldn’t figure out was why I was still tangled up and on edge.

  “You taking off, Prez?” Angel asked me when I stood.

  “Yeah,” I replied and grabbed my truck keys from the bar top. We’d had almost a month of nice weather before it had gone cold again and the snow returned. It had been mild so far, with only a day or two where it snowed heavy but mostly flurries here and there that didn’t really amount to much.

  Forecast called for a white Christmas like we hadn’t seen in years though. Worse than the crazy-ass snow that had blown in over a month and a half ago. Snow that precipitated a night I hadn’t been able to get out of my mind.

  Raptor stepped out of the hallway with Pooky looking well-fucked. “You leaving?” he shouted across the common area to where I’d grabbed the door handle.

  “Yeah, I’ll see you all tomorrow.”

  Everyone waved or called out their farewells, and I stepped into the cold night.

  The drive was short, and once I’d parked my truck I walked over to my grandmother’s little bungalow. After knocking once, I opened the door and went inside. She was on the phone talking animatedly and smiling.

  “Well, you take care of yourself. They say the weather is gonna get bad.”

  She paused, listening.

  “I know, but I still worry about you.”

  I could still hear the muted voice talking on the other end, just not the words.

  “Of course. You don’t have to keep thanking me. I was just cleared to drive yesterday, so it’s been sitting around collecting dust anyway. I’m glad I could help out. Once this weather gets its shit straight, I expect a visit.” She laughed, and I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge to give me something to do. Somehow, I knew exactly who she was on the phone with.

  I’d sent Squirrel and a prospect up a couple of weeks ago to pick up my grandmother’s SUV. Now that she was recovered, I promised her we’d head up to get the rest of her stuff.

  Tomorrow was my only day to go, but the weather was supposed to get bad. She was pissed because she’d wanted to go up to see Loralei, but I didn’t want to risk having her with me on the roads. In fact, I was seriously considering leaving tonight so I could come home earlier tomorrow and beat the weather.

  Grams had agreed to stay behind if Raptor kept her company. Of course, Raptor being a dick and wanting to fuck with me, he jumped at the chance.

  My phone vibrated with a text message. I pulled it out to see that it was regarding the job we had set up for next week. Facet had run the final security checks, and everything was a go.

  Knowing all that was settled, I was more comfortable with leaving that night. I shot off a reply to Raptor acknowledging the information he passed on from Facet. Then another letting him know I’d decided to leave early and what time I was heading out.

  Grams ended her call and was silent. I looked up from my phone to find her staring at me.

  “What?” I asked cautiously.

  “You had them sell her your old truck,” she accused. I set my phone down with a sigh.

  “Yes.” It was all I gave her, and I knew it wouldn’t satisfy her. As expected, she frowned.

  “Why didn’t you just give it to her? It was only sitting there rusting away.”

  “First of all, it wasn’t rusting away. They kept it in covered storage and started it regularly so it didn’t go to shit. Second, if I’d tried to give it to her, she would’ve refused.”

  With pursed lips and narrowed eyes, she gave a snort. She knew I was right.

  “Why did you hold on to it so long if you were just going to sell it for pennies on the dollar?”

  The real reason was one I wouldn’t discuss with her. When I was younger, I’d planned to keep it for my first kid. It had been my old man’s truck, and he’d given it to me for my first vehicle. When my life went to shit after the army and I realized the issues of the gift I had, I had it stored away. That was easier than facing the fact that it would never get passed down.

  “She’s your friend, and she needed a vehicle” was all I would say.

  “Hmm” was her reply. “I’m a little worried about her. That’s wh
y I was looking forward to seeing her.”

  My attention was piqued, but I tried to play it cool. “Oh, yeah? Why’s that?” I took another drink of water and casually picked up my phone, acting like I was scrolling through something.

  “Nothing specific. She mentioned that her back porch light was busted out after it got fixed. There were other things, but you’d have to know her to know it was… oh, I don’t know… off, I guess you’d say.” My grandmother’s forehead pinched as she tapped her fingertips nervously on the table.

  “You want me to see if Snow can have his boys check on her? Or I can check on her when I get there. If you think you’ll be okay until Raptor gets here, I was thinking about heading out tonight, packing the rest of your stuff up early in the morning, and burning home.” I made the offer sound casual, and as if it was a favor to her—not personal.

  Truth be told, I wanted to check on Loralei myself. Since our night together, she’d plagued my thoughts. Hell, she lived in my dreams. I did my damnedest to convince myself it was due to the strange fact that she hadn’t responded to my empathic abilities.

  That was bullshit, though. It didn’t matter that she was an enigma. She was too fucking young, and I didn’t do goddamn relationships.

  “No, Decker. Don’t send Luke by. I wouldn’t want her to think someone was following her or checking up on her that she didn’t know. I’m not sure she would appreciate that. She’s very private. If it was you, it would be like family was stopping to say hello. Right?”

  My eyes narrowed at her overly innocent expression. Deciding maybe it was an incredibly bad idea to see her, I set my phone down. “Grams. They can be discreet, you know. She’d never have a clue. But if it set your mind at ease, I’d have them do it. The doc said you need to keep your stress down,” I countered. It was true, but also a conveniently applicable reply.

  “Well, if you think they’d have time. It would actually make me feel better. As far as I know, the poor girl has no one. Though I’d really feel better if it was you,” she insisted on tacking on.