A Very Venom Christmas: RBMC: Ankeny IA Page 8

  “Buckle up!” I demanded. From the corner of my eye, I saw her make several attempts to get the seat belt around her and latched.

  I opened the center console and pulled out my piece. Ensuring the safety was on, I handed it to her. “Here! Do you know how to shoot?”

  When she didn’t answer, I chanced a glance in her direction. She was staring at the gun in her hand like it was a fucking snake, and I cursed under my breath.

  It was snowing so hard, I could barely see the asphalt in front of me and hoped I was staying on the road. If anyone came at us, we’d likely be fucked.

  Luckily, the other vehicle maintained some distance behind us. As we approached the approximate area for the turnoff for the Demented Sons clubhouse, I slowed. Chanting in my head to please not let me slide past the entrance or wreck, I watched for the lights that adorned either side of the gate.

  Spotting them, I slowed further and watched as the other vehicle closed in on us.

  As I started to make the turn, it slammed into the passenger-side rear, sending us spinning. We slammed into one of the pillars of the gate before bouncing off and ending up nose-down in the ditch. Our attacker’s vehicle was stopping as I reached over and unlatched her seat belt.

  “Get out! Run for the gate!” Like a deer in the headlights, she stared at me, unmoving.

  “Fuck!” I choked out as I grabbed the gun from her. I immediately lifted it to zero in on the man ripping her door open.

  “It’s me!” Soap shouted, and I dropped the gun from his face. “Come on! I’ve got her!”

  He pulled her from the seat, and too late, I realized she had papers clutched to her chest. No time to worry about it. I threw open my door and jumped into the knee-deep snow.

  Gunfire erupted around me as I ran in slow motion through the drifts.

  Wind sucked from my lungs, I fell face-first into the snow as a burning white-hot pain lanced through my shoulder. I wasn’t there long before someone was dragging me by my other arm.

  There was shouting, but it was muffled and carried away in the howling wind and blinding white snow that tried to bury us. The faint sound of chain-link rattling was followed by more gunshots, but I was blacking out from the pain.

  “Get him in the treatment room!” I heard shouted before I was gone and everything went silent.

  “Scared”—Three Days Grace

  My heart about to burst from my chest, I clung to the burly man carrying me and hauling ass for the building barely visible through the snow. In my scratchy voice, I screamed for Decker.

  The door flew open, and Soap ran in, followed by gusts of swirling snow.

  “Hurry,” I heard Snow shout, and I struggled to get to my feet. The giant set me down, and I pushed my way around him to see if Decker was okay.

  Before I could run to where they were dragging his limp body across the floor, Soap stopped me and wrapped his massive tattooed arms around me. “Easy girl. You get in the way, and it won’t help him a bit.”

  Desperate, I glanced up into his kind brown eyes and chose to trust a man I didn’t know from Adam. Tears poured down my face as I watched helplessly as they disappeared down a hallway.

  A woman in ridiculously short shorts came up to me with a worried expression. “I got her, Soap, if you need to go help.”

  “Thanks, Tash.” He let me go, but waited a second, I assumed to see if I’d try to run off half-cocked.

  “Hey, sweetheart. I’m Tasha, but they all call me Tash. Why don’t you come to the kitchen with me, and we’ll see if we can get you some tea or something to warm up?”

  Dazed, I blinked at her and then nodded. Unable to collect my thoughts, I shuffled after her and sat when she pointed to the bench on one side of the table. I sat sideways at the end so I could see the entrance to the hall and fought the sobs that wanted to take over.

  When she came back with a steaming cup that smelled spicy and warm, I blinked vacantly at it. She sat it on the table.

  “It’s Chai tea. I didn’t know if you’d prefer coffee or tea, but I like this so I thought maybe you might too.” She pushed it closer, and I took a shuddering breath. Dumbly, I looked down at the papers I’d had to move out of the way to buckle my seat belt like he’d told me.

  My heart sank as I stared at the words on them. It was a background check. On me. It was hard to breathe as I thought about Decker reading the words that outlined my sordid past.

  Closing my eyes, I dropped my head.

  “What’s your name? You look familiar,” she said softly.

  Looking up at her, I cocked my head in confusion. Her blonde hair was in a messy pile on her head, and she had no makeup on. A smattering of pale freckles was sprinkled across her upturned nose, and kind blue eyes studied me. She didn’t look like anyone I knew, but something was certainly familiar about her as well.

  “Loralei,” I mumbled. Still holding the papers, I pressed them to my chest and reached for the cup with a shaking hand.

  “Did you work at the Shamrock?” She tilted her head, not in judgement but curiosity.

  Surprised, I blinked rapidly. “Uh, yeah, for a few months.”

  “Mmm, I thought so. I never forget a face.”

  “Are you one of their wives, or I’m sorry, I’m not good with all this. Old ladies?” I motioned to the men that were going in and out of the hallway. It had been a while since I watched that one show, so I couldn’t remember what the proper terms were.

  Her cheeks flushed bright pink, and her gaze dipped to the table. “Uh, no. Not exactly.”

  “Oh. You’re just dating one?” I didn’t really care, but I needed something else to focus on besides the trail of blood that had followed Decker as they dragged him across the floor and down the hall.

  “No, I kind of… well, they let me stay here, and um,” she stammered, then cleared her throat.

  Comprehension dawned on me, and I felt like an asshole. I remembered there were women that stayed at the clubhouse and kind of belonged to everyone. It was my turn to blush.

  “Oh, um, how does that work?” I winced and wanted to kick myself for my stupid question. Nervously, my eyes darted to the hall.

  “I’m not a whore,” she whispered, and my gaze shot back to her.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that. Honestly,” I stammered. Soap approached us and leaned down to whisper something in her ear. Dropping my gaze, I tried to ignore how he’d casually cupped one of her boobs as he spoke in her ear.

  “No, it’s okay. I mean, I’m a stripper,” she said with a shrug and a humorless laugh. Her white tank top was loose, and ample cleavage was visible thanks to Soap’s inked-up hand cupping her. I might’ve been mistaken, but I’d have sworn Soap growled when she said that.

  Clearing my scratchy throat, I sipped the tea, finding it surprisingly good. I’d never cared for tea before. I took another sip as they spoke quietly to each other. Then I wondered if the tea was good for the baby.

  Shit, I have so much to learn.

  “Snow wants me to show you to a room so you can try to rest,” Tasha said, pulling my attention from the cup in front of me.

  “I doubt I can sleep.” I raised my eyes to Soap. “Is he….” I couldn’t finish my sentence.

  “He’s going to be okay. Through and through, and shallow entry for the other. Just a lot of blood and probably hurts like a motherfucker. He passed out. That bastard is too tough to go that easy,” Soap said with a smirk that I didn’t really understand. Relief flooded me at the news.

  “Can I see him?” I tentatively asked.

  “Let me go ask Prez. I’ll be back.” He gave Tasha’s tit one last squeeze, kissed the side of her head, and left. Her cheeks were again rosy red, and she was chewing on her bottom lip.

  “You like him?” I asked curiously. Then I realized that sounded a little juvenile and wrinkled my nose. “I’m sorry, that was a nosy and childish thing to ask.”

  She chuckled. “I can see why you didn’t stay at the Shamrock. You’re t
oo damn sweet.”

  I snorted. “Not hardly.”

  She raised a doubtful brow, then shot a quick glance over her shoulder in the direction Soap had taken. “He’s really a sweet guy, but don’t tell him I said that. Except, he’d never see me as more than what I am.”

  Sorrow etched her brow, and I wanted to ask her why she thought that, but we didn’t know each other like that. She stood when she saw Soap approaching behind Snow.

  “Can I see him?” I anxiously asked as I scrambled to my feet before they’d stepped through the kitchen entryway.

  “Yeah, but he’s pretty sedated. Apollo gave him something so he could fish out the lead and get him sewed up. After you see him, I’d like to talk to you for a second, then we’ll show you where you can sleep.” Snow towered over me as he studied me. I nodded. As long as I got to see with my own two eyes that he was okay, I’d agree to almost anything.

  “Thanks, Tash,” he said, dismissing her as he motioned for me to follow him. I folded the papers up and shoved them in the pocket of my hoodie.

  We made a couple of turns in the dimly lit corridors before he knocked briefly on a door and pushed it open. There was a guy with blond hair and a black hoodie messing with an IV bag. He looked over at us as we moved into the room.

  Decker looked pale as hell, and I had to watch closely for the rise and fall of his chest. Ignoring the rest of them, I pushed my way over to him to grab his hand in mine.

  “Decker, oh my God, I’m so sorry this happened to you. Please be okay. Please God, let him be okay.” I’d never been one for prayer, but I hoped and prayed with everything in me that he would make it through this. Not only because I wanted my baby to have a father, but because I really cared about him.

  In the few short weeks since that first night, he’d invaded so many of my thoughts and dreams. He’d been kind to me when he didn’t have to, both when I wrecked my car and when he held me because I was scared. Then he rescued me and got me to safety at his own peril.

  “He really needs some rest,” Snow said from over my shoulder.

  “Can I stay in here?” I asked, looking up at him.

  He snorted a laugh. “I don’t think that will be very comfortable.”

  “I don’t care,” I replied, giving him a pleading glance. The thought of him being alone didn’t sit right with me. He’d risked so much for me.

  “Yeah, well if he comes to and realizes I let you stay here instead of going to a real bed, he’ll kick my ass,” Snow said with humor in his tone. Glancing at him, I studied the salt-and-pepper of his beard, the laugh lines by his eyes. He and Decker looked like they could be close in age, so I assumed they’d been friends for some time. They were obviously close enough that Decker trusted him and his club to help us.

  I debated whether it was worth upsetting Decker by staying. Chewing on my bottom lip, I finally gave his calloused hand a squeeze and pressed a kiss to the back of it.

  Worry wrinkled my brow as I stood. Without a word, Snow led me further down the hall before opening a room with a key.

  “No one will come in here. You have my word. If there’s anything else you need, let me know. My room is two doors down on this side of the hall,” he told me as he pointed. I swallowed hard as I fidgeted with the edge of my hoodie. That’s when it hit me that I’d likely lost all of my worldly possessions. Not that there were many, but everything I owned was in my house.

  The loss seemed overwhelming and my chest ached with the thought. “Thanks,” I whispered.

  He hesitated, then he spoke. “Whoever was chasing you two got away. Do you know who it was?”

  I shook my head. Though something was niggling at the edge of my brain that told me I should know who it was.

  “You need to tell Venom the full story.” My brow raised as I looked at him.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked, having no idea who Venom was.

  “Why you went to prison.”

  My breath caught, and my heart stopped momentarily before it began to race a mile a minute. “H-how did you know I was in prison?”

  He smirked. “You worked in my club. We make it our business to know about our employees.”

  Confusion knotted my brow.

  “The Shamrock,” he explained, and my mouth fell open. Of course, it made sense. The men that would be in there in the leather vests with Demented Sons on the back. The way the girls always fell all over themselves to serve them. Which was why I rarely had interactions with them—I had no desire to fight over taking care of their tables like the other waitresses had.

  My eyes dropped, and I slipped my hand in my pocket to finger the edges of the dreaded papers. I may not have even noticed them had Decker not told me to buckle my seat belt, but they’d been in the way.

  “How much do you know?” I asked, wondering the extent of the information in those crumpled pages. I assumed Decker had gotten them from Snow if his club had done a check on me.

  “Now? I know it all, but it’s not my place to tell him. Do you think it could’ve been Kelvin tonight?” My eyes bugged at his mention of my ex, and my palms began to sweat.

  “But he’s in prison still,” I argued as my heart slammed against my rib cage. The thought that Kelvin might be out terrified me. It was made worse by the thought that he might know where I was. I’d moved up to Podunk, Iowa, in hopes of disappearing. I’d foolishly thought I’d be able to go to a small town and blend in or maybe even remain obscure. Yet I’d stuck out like a sore thumb. Not having come from a small area, I had no idea how small towns worked. The locals had immediately recognized me as an outsider. Despite my aunt having returned there after she’d retired from the military, I wasn’t from there.

  My mother had never returned to her hometown. She’d left after graduating high school when my father had taken a job in the oilfields of Texas. My aunt was younger than my mom and had joined the military after Mom was gone. I’d visited my aunt over my summer breaks wherever she happened to be stationed. Well, except for when she was deployed.

  The house I’d inherited from my aunt had been their childhood home. When she died unexpectedly while I was on parole and I found she’d left it to me, it had seemed like the perfect solution for a fresh start once my parole was done.

  “He got out early for good behavior.” The gravelly words sent my heart plummeting to my feet from fear. The last words Kelvin yelled at me were coming back to haunt me.

  “This is all your fault, you dumb cunt! If you would’ve just driven the fucking car right, I wouldn’t be going to prison! Then you testify against me? You’re going to pay for this! Do you hear me, bitch? You’re gonna pay!”

  He’d screamed at me as they were taking him away in cuffs during the trial. The trial I’d had to testify at, thanks to my court-appointed attorney’s advice. Kelvin had jumped over the table he’d been sitting at with his attorney and lunged at me on the stand. His screams had echoed down the concrete hallway, and I’d cringed at the hate spewing from him.

  “I-I didn’t know,” I stuttered. Suddenly, all of the odd things that had been happening for the past few weeks began to make sense. Honestly, I’d worried that Officer Edwards and his cronies had something to do with it. This option might be worse.

  “You were just a kid, Loralei. He manipulated you. There’s no shame in that,” Snow said, but it was my turn to scoff.

  “He manipulated me because I was an idiot who made stupid choices.”

  “I’m not here to argue the intelligence of your choices. What I’m saying is you were young, inexperienced, and he took advantage of that.”

  Repeatedly raking my lower lip between my teeth, I fought off the tears that threatened to fall. Remembering that time of my life was never easy. I’d been so stupid, but thought I knew everything. My parents had tried their best, but when I repeatedly refused to listen, they’d been forced to cut me out of their lives.

  Unable to utter a single word for fear of bursting into tears, I nodded. Snow reiterated that h
e was only a couple doors away if there was anything I needed. Again, I nodded, and he left me alone in the room.

  I realized I stank to high heaven of smoke and my clothes were damp from falling into the snow when we’d escaped out of my bedroom window. That propelled me to my decision to take a hot shower. Suddenly exhausted, I went into the small but clean bathroom attached to the bedroom where Snow had left me. Thankfully, there were an assortment of hotel-sized hygiene products.

  Once the water was hot, I undressed, climbed in, and let the tears run with the hot water. After I was cried out, I shut the water off, dried off, and went into the room with the towel wrapped around me.

  I draped the still-stinking clothes over the dresser and the desk chair to dry and maybe air out. A glance in the mirror told me I looked only marginally better, but at least I was warm and clean.

  Unable to keep my eyes open, I climbed between the crisp sheets and dozed off. In my dreams, Decker climbed in behind me with a slight groan of pain and snuggled into my back. Then I drifted deeper into sleep with the security of his arm wrapped around me.

  “In Fate’s Hands”—The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

  When I’d awoken in the Demented Sons’ infirmary, I’d been disoriented. Apollo, their newly patched member who had been a corpsman, was sitting there reading a book.

  “Who the fuck reads actual paper books nowadays?” I croaked. His gaze darted up to me, and he set the book aside as he came to check on me.

  The mischief on his face as he unhooked the IV had me glowering. “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing. Prez and I were wondering if you’d wake up fighting mad or whining. Guess we were both wrong, but I’d say I’m closer cuz you seem a little grouchy,” he said with a chuckle.

  I grunted in response.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked me.

  “Like I got fucking shot,” I drily muttered as I gave him an unblinking stare. He laughed, and then got busy doing shit like checking my pulse, my blood pressure, and my temperature as he asked me random questions.