12. Spike

12

SPIKE

“I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Gray said, kissing me on the cheek.

I couldn't resist the urge to pull him close and steal one more kiss. His lips were soft against mine, and for a brief moment, time seemed to stand still.

"See you," I murmured as I released him, reluctantly letting him go.

As Gray walked away, I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. He had taken a day off just to be with me, and here I was, selfishly wanting him to stay longer.

When he mentioned promising his manager an extra shift, I immediately reassured him that he could go back to work.

After all, I would be fine here on my own. But as soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted them.

I wanted nothing more than for Gray to stay by my side the entire day, fussing over me, but that was the selfish side of me talking.

I slept for a few hours. Around noon, the scent of pizza invaded my senses, coaxing me back to consciousness.

Nitro stood nearby, holding two box of steaming pizza.

"Gray's not here?" Nitro asked, raising one eyebrow.

I finished one slice, then explained Gray left earlier, and that I persuaded him to go back to work.

Nitro's expression morphed into a mixture of disbelief and amusement.

"You let him go?" he asked. “He probably would’ve preferred to stay here.”

I groaned in response. "Don't remind me," I muttered between bites of pizza.

Nitro shrugged, seemingly unfazed. "Well, maybe it's for the best. At least now we can focus on some MC business without interruptions."

I nodded in agreement, but then held up a hand, signaling for him to wait.

"Let me finish eating first," I said, not wanting to ruin my appetite.

As I finished my last bite of pizza, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, ready to dive into the more serious conversation Nitro had brought up.

"What do we do with the mercenary?" Nitro's question was direct, as always.

He had a knack for cutting straight to the point.

"It's my, our—Gray's and my problem. I'll deal with it," I asserted, my tone firm.

I couldn't let anyone else shoulder the burden of this mess.

"You can probably guess, but Venom would want to talk to you in private,” Nitro pointed out, his expression grave.

I nodded, not surprised by the news.

"I'll handle him too," I stated confidently, though I could see the skepticism in Nitro's eyes.

"It's not what you think," I clarified, running a hand through my hair in frustration. "I'm not a fool, Nitro. The last thing I'll do is fight the boss, especially now that Gray's in my life. But I don't want to lose Gray. I can't, so I'll still do everything in my power to protect him."

Nitro's gaze softened, understanding dawning in his eyes. He knew how much Gray meant to me, and he respected my decision to keep him safe.

"I get it, Spike," Nitro said, walking towards the exit. "Just remember, if you need my help, call me. I have your back."

With Nitro gone, the clinic felt stifling, the walls closing in on me. I was and angsty, Micah eventually discharged me at the end of the day.

"Thanks as always, Micah," I acknowledged, grateful for his care.

"I don't want to see you back here so soon, you hear?" Micah grumbled in his usual gruff tone.

"I'll do my best," I assured him, offering a small smile before stepping out of the clinic.

The cool breeze outside felt refreshing against my skin as I made my way back to the MC clubhouse.

Along the walk, I checked my phone and saw a text from Gray, asking how I was.

I immediately replied with the good news of my discharge.

As I reached the clubhouse, I sobered up. I had one more important task to handle before I could focus on planning our date tomorrow.

I made a quick trip to my room to retrieve my revolver, a cold weight in my hand as I headed downstairs to the basement.

This was the place where the MC detained both unruly members and prisoners.

Entering the cell where we were keeping Burt, I greeted him with a nod. The leopard shifter paled at the sight of me, then mustered up a scoff.

He couldn't do much tied to a chair with silver chains.

"Your buddy already gave me a makeover," he quipped, his tone dripping with defiance.

"I'm here to finish his work," I replied coolly, raising my gun.

Burt's bravado faltered, and he swore under his breath.

Despite a flicker of pity for the guy, knowing he was just a flunky hired by Jack Roth, the thought of his intentions toward Gray quickly extinguished any sympathy I felt.

"You guys picked the wrong employer to work for," I said, my voice firm. "Any last words?"

Burt's sneer faded into a grimace.

"Well, Roth has been mighty persuasive. Even you would find it hard to say no when you have that monster staring down at you," he retorted bitterly.

I didn't have time to dwell on his words. With a steady hand, I ended him and turned away, only to find Venom waiting for me outside the cell.

He nodded toward the stairs leading upstairs.

"Spike, let's talk," Venom said, his tone unreadable.

I nodded, bracing myself for what was to come.

To my relief, Venom chose to have our conversation outside the clubhouse, away from prying ears. It was close to dinner time, and plenty of our mc brothers were returning from their jobs.

We headed to an empty area of the parking lot, where Venom lit up a cigarette and offered me one. I shook my head, too jittery to think about smoking.

"I'll get straight to the point," Venom said, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "I'm sending you and Nitro on a delivery job."

I braced myself, knowing there was more to his request than met the eye.

Orders from Venom usually carried weight, especially when they deviated from the usual routine.

"Okay," I replied cautiously. "Where to?"

"Blue Vale Valley," Venom replied evenly.

The mention of that name ignited a firestorm of anger inside me. I couldn't contain it. I lost all reason.

"Venom, Jack Roth just sent mercenaries to kidnap my mate. And you're still providing weapons to Olaf's pack?" I demanded, my voice sharp with frustration. "What's wrong with you? Unless, of course, you don't believe me. You still think I took Gray from Roth?"

My words came out bitter, laced with a desperation I couldn't hide. I wished Gray was here, his calming presence a balm to my frayed nerves.

Despite promising Nitro I wouldn't do anything rash, all bets were off now. Venom calmly lit another cigarette, his demeanor unwavering.

"You need to do something about your temper, Spike. I'm sure your mate won't want to see you like this," he remarked casually.

His words cut through my anger, forcing me to pause and reconsider. Venom called Gray my mate, which meant…

"You believe me?” I asked, surprised by the shift in his tone.

Venom scoffed, but there was a hint of understanding in his eyes.

"Wait, so why are you sending Nitro and me back there?" I pressed, needing answers.

Venom remained silent for a moment, his gaze distant. As my head cleared, the pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place. Nitro was right, I really should think before I acted.

"Delivering a fresh cache of weapons... that's just a front, isn't it?" I ventured.

"I want to know what's going on with that pack," Venom admitted finally.

"The Olaf I knew wouldn't let something like this happen. He wouldn't risk jeopardizing our business relationship. And if it came to a war between our groups..." Venom trailed off, leaving the implication hanging in the air.

We both understood the consequences. If tensions escalated, the MC would come out on top, and Venom knew it.

"Then Nitro and I will gladly do it," I affirmed. "I'm sure you won't complain if I accidentally off Jack Roth in the process."

"If he's causing friction between our two groups, no one would miss his absence," Venom confirmed.

Well then, that was all I needed to know. It was then I remembered something important.

"Venom, there was something interesting that the mercenary I just ended said," I began.

"What's that?" Venom prompted.

"He implied he and his partner were forced to accept this job because Roth had some kind of monster, or maybe he's the monster himself, but I can't imagine other alpha shifters quaking in their boots at the sight of him," I pointed out.

"Something is definitely going on with the Blue Vale Valley wolf pack," Venom concluded. “Find out what it is and Spike? Try not to cause any additional problems while you’re there.”

“Nitro and I will do our best,” I promised.