Chapter 3

Venom

I t’s been a month since we started our surveillance. We’re still no closer to finding out what’s going on, and I didn’t find anything more about the mystery woman I saw. Since the morning I got distracted and let that van escape, out-of-state vans have become a rare occurrence and hardly ever use that exit. So it’s with a heavy heart that I arrive at one of the local coffee shops to meet up with Rage.

Rage gestures to me from one of the back tables and lifts two coffees into the air. I walk straight back and slide into the seat across from him and take a sip of the warm brew he gives me.

“Damn, that’s good bro,” I tell him, genuinely pleased with his choice in coffee.

“I told the barista to add two shots of expresso.”

“I can tell this is going to be my new favorite place,” I tell him brightly.

Rage always knows when I’m faking it though. It’s like this fucker is a mind reader. “You wanna stop pretending everything is okay, and tell me what’s bothering you?”

“I’m the one who fucked up the surveillance, if I hadn’t taken my eye off the ball we might have gotten some more intel.”

“What do you mean? We’ve all been working on that. How is it that you’re blaming yourself?”

“Remember that first day when we got our assignments?”

“Yes,” he responds. “You were to go out to the exit they were all using at that time.”

“It was exit 408. I got there and was distracted by a woman—”

“Whoa! Dude, seriously it’s time you got yourself laid,” Rage interrupts.

I shake my head, “No, it wasn’t like that. I saw this woman running for her life, that’s what distracted me. Long story short, some old codger in hunting gear shot my drone out of the sky. By the time I went back and got another drone, it was too late. They must have seen the drone get shot down and changed up their pattern.”

“Fuck, Ven. I bet Siege was pissed.”

“Not really. He understood,” I say.

“So what about the woman?” he asks.

“She was being chased by his dogs. She barely made it to the interstate and jumped in a car with some woman and they sped away.”

“Oh fuck. That is seriously messed up. So what’s the story? You find anything out?”

I take another sip of my coffee, before answering, “No. I checked the local newspapers but there was nothing listed regarding crimes or attempted kidnappings. And no police reports made. We got Brent, who works at the local cop shop to see what he could find, there was a wellness check made to that address later on that day, but nothing untoward found. I’m guessing it just looked worse than it was.”

“I’m assuming he’s the one that shot your drone out of the sky, right?” Rage asks.

I nod, totally hating myself for getting distracted by a situation, “I got involved in something that wasn’t my concern, and inadvertently alerted them that they were being spied on.”

“I don’t know about anyone else but something like that would have been distracting to me as well. I would have chosen saving a woman’s life over tracking that van, if it came right down to it.”

“That was my train of thought at the time. I can’t imagine what was going on in that situation, but I’ve lain awake worrying about her more than once.”

“Yeah, I hope she’s okay too. It sucks that your favorite drone got destroyed. That was the one with the cool zoom lens, right?”

“Yeah, I spent months tinkering with that thing. It was the smoothest flying drone in my entire collection.”

“Well, if you built it once, you can build it again, maybe even better.”

“Working on it now, I wanna incorporate thermal imaging. When we rescued Haze’s old lady, I had to get Talon to scope the place out with his infrared goggles and send me the images. Hopefully if this baby works, then we got enhanced eyes in the sky.”

“Wish I had your brains when it comes to things like that. I can hardly get my computer and tablet to sync.”

Gleefully draining the last of my coffee from the cup, I tell him. “I wish I had your talent for saving people’s lives. You’re invaluable to the club, especially now Doc’s semi-retired.”

“At least the old coot still rides with us, they don’t make ‘em like that anymore. I’ve got him to thank for introducing me to you guys. After leaving the military and taking a job in EMS I was still lost—at least my battlefield surgery skills aren’t going to waste.”

I shoot him a quick grin. “Bet you ended up with more than you bargained for there, didn’t you, my friend?”

“You have no idea,” he responds grimly, before glancing at his watch. “I need to get out of here. Got another assignment to ride down by the lake. I feel like I’ve been riding that same stretch of road for ages.”

“It’s only been a month,” I remind him.

“Don’t give a shit. It’s boring as hell.”

I watch him walk out and toy with the idea of getting another brew. When my eyes drift over to the bar, I almost fall out of my chair. Working behind the counter is the woman from the cornfield. I know it’s her by the long, dark, almost hip length hair and the way she moves. She’s the most beautiful women I think I have ever seen, and for a moment I’m almost entranced.

Forcing myself to remain seated, I wonder how to approach her, she’s been on my mind on and off—more curious about what happened to her, than anything else as I hadn’t gotten a good look at her face. Back then I’d been too focused on trying to see if she got away. I can’t very well walk up to her ask why she was running for her fucking life that day in the cornfield, as there were no reports filed at the cop shop, and she’s looking bright and breezy it might have been nothing—plus telling her I was watching makes me sound like a creeper. I’m still gonna go chat her up though, I ain’t letting a beauty like this slip through my fingers.

I run my fingers through my hair, then pick up my cup and head to the counter.

She sees me approaching from the back of the room. Before I can get to her, two large men come stalking through the front door. One jumps the counter and pushes her back. I put on a burst of speed because I think they’re here to rob the place. By the time I get to the front I can see he’s got his hand clamped around her upper arm and is whispering in her ear.

As I reach the counter, the second man tries to slam into me with his shoulder. Unfortunately for him, he’s out of shape. I shove him back with one hand and send him sprawling on his ass. I lean over, grab the first guy by his shirt collar and haul him over the counter with one hand, slinging him down onto the floor with his buddy.

“Don’t know what the fuck you two are up to, but it’s not going to happen on my watch. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll get the fuck out, right goddamn now.”

Before he can get turned around to look at me, the first guy asks, “Who the hell do you think you are?” Once he sees me, his face pales. “Sorry, we don’t want any trouble from the Savage Legion.”

“If you don’t start trouble, there won’t be any trouble. Right?”

He nods as he scrambles to his feet and shoves his friend towards the door. I turn to the woman behind the counter. “Assholes move comically fast when they’re in danger of getting a beat down from an even bigger and meaner asshole.”

Her eyes narrow as if she’s trying to figure out if there’s a hidden message in my words.

I quickly clarify, “I’m a bigger and meaner asshole to men who like to harass women, not to the women themselves.”

She presses her lips together like she’s trying to keep herself from laughing.

I scratch the back of my neck with one hand, embarrassed by my awkward presentation. “Sorry, that all sounded better in my head than it did coming out of my mouth.”

“No, don’t apologize. I get it. Believe it or not, I’m the queen of awkward remarks. Just between you and me, nothing ever sounds as good when we say it out loud, as it did floating around in our heads.”

I set my cup down on the counter, wishing the floor would open up and swallow me whole. “Thanks for understanding. I was hoping for a refill for the road.”

She snatches the cup up, tosses it in the trash and pulls out an extra-large cup. “Absolutely. It’s on the house.” As she moves around, making my coffee, she glances over her shoulder to give me a relieved smile, “I should be the one thanking you for moving those assholes along.”

Leaning on the counter, I ask, “Do they come in here a lot?”

“No, this is only the third time I’ve seen them here. I guess, today they thought they saw an opportunity and took it.”

There’s a strange expression on her face and I feel like she’s not telling me everything, but I let it go. Instead, I say, “Neither of them looks too bright. If they give you any problems again, you can always call me.” I slide one of my cards across the counter for her to take at her leisure.

After handing me my coffee, she picks up the card. “You’re a member of the Savage Legion MC. Is that an outlaw biker club?”

“No, ma’am. We’re just men who like to ride and enjoy the brotherhood a motorcycle club has to offer. We truly aren’t into anything illegal.”

She’s holding my card in one hand and flicks it with two fingers of her free hand and teases me, “You mean except for roughhousing the town idiots when they get out of control, right?”

I give her a lopsided smile, “Except that, ma’am. I guess I’ll see you around.”

“It’s strange, I grew up in southern Las Salinas and I’ve not seen you around these parts before.”

“I live on the other side of the tracks, northeastern Las Salinas. My club is up that way as well. I only started coming down this way for the scenery. It makes for a nice ride.”

“Oh yeah, it is beautiful down this way, especially the southern magnolia trees. They’re due to burst into bloom over the next few weeks.”

“Well, I’d be a fool to pass up a breathtaking display like that.”

She chuckles and gives me an amused look. “Then I guess I’ll be seeing a lot of you in the near future.”

I take a step back towards the door and lift my cup into the air. “Thanks for the java. Hope the assholes stay away.”

Jesus, I turn and bolt out the door before yet more stupidity falls from my lips. I have never in my life been tongue-tied around a woman. I mean never, until today. Dammit, she was flirting with me, and I didn’t shoot my fucking shot. There’s something about this woman that turns my world upside down. She’s beautiful to be sure, with long black hair that flows down to her waist, pale blue eyes, and skin so snowy white that it makes me think of what Snow White would look like if she were a vampire.

I shake my head, hoping to shake some sense into myself. Thank God, none of my club brothers were there to witness that blundering mess. I get on my bike and get back to my assignment of putting more drones in the air to look for those vans. While it’s been all quiet near exit 408, I still think they were using that exit for a reason, so I keep concentrating my efforts in that area.

As I ride along the highway, the pretty woman at the coffee shop is still taking up space in my head. But now that I know where to find her, the thoughts aren’t nearly as intrusive. It’s strange that the old man had his dogs chasing her down, and now there are assholes harassing her at her workplace. I can’t help but wonder if the south is just asshole territory in general, or if this harassment is targeted at her for a particular reason?

Rolling that around in my head, I continue to search for vans with my drones. After a couple of hours, I’m lucky enough to catch sight of one, but it’s traveling towards the onramp to the interstate from parts unknown. I capture the footage and send it to Zen, like our club officers have instructed.

After a few more hours, I pack up and head to the clubhouse. At least the day wasn’t a total bust. As I pass by the coffee shop, I notice that it’s heaving. The windows are huge, and I can see three other employees and at least forty people inside, all laughing and worlds happier than I feel.

***

I’m one of the few brothers who lives at the clubhouse full-time. I’ve actually snagged myself Rigs’ old suite. Since he moved out, it had been used for guests, but such prime clubhouse real estate was going to waste, and Siege finally said that as the most senior resident I could move in. I could probably get my own apartment now as my drone side-business is doing okay, but I like living here, onsite. I have a bedroom, a small living room, a kitchenette, and a bathroom. After stashing my drone, having a quick wash, and changing the dish of water in Guivre’s tank—she’s my ball python, she’s currently shedding so has to have a humid environment—I meander out to the bar and start making drinks. Prospects have been assigned to run the bar now that Mel is more focused on her baby and her other business. Mel and Tracker bought the bar in town from our club and spend most of their time there. The problem is, the prospects can’t seem to mix a good drink to save their fucking lives. I lend a hand whenever I feel like it, because my club brothers deserve a nice drink after a long hard day.

Also, since I can’t pour drinks and fuck, the club girls aren’t on my tail constantly if I’m behind the counter. Brittany tries her best, though.

She slinks over the bar in a low-cut belly shirt and pouts. “Do you have to tend bar again tonight?”

“I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to do, Brit. You should know that about me by now.”

“Then why don’t you come out and play?” Sticking her surgically-enhanced tits in my face, she purrs, “I’ll make it worth your while.”

“I guess your last turn on my cock must have been magical, because it’s left you craving more. Am I right?”

Her expression turns cagy, and she glances back at Haze and Anna who are cuddling up at a table, chatting and drinking with Vapor and Trix. “You could say that. I wouldn’t disagree.”

“Look Brit, I’m not your emotional support animal, or part of the dog and pony show you trot out to make Haze jealous.”

She makes a disgruntled sound in the back of her throat. “It’s not like that. Why do you have to be so difficult?”

“I know you like to cozy up to one brother and that your goal is to end up in a property cut. There ain’t nothin’ wrong with having goals. I just need you to know that you’re barking up the wrong tree with me. I’m not looking to settle down and I don’t do relationships.”

She jumps to her feet and flings back indignantly, “There is nothing wrong with me.”

Staring her straight in the eye, I tell her, “I never said there was. You’re beautiful, smart, and know how to go after what you want. You’re gonna make some guy an outstanding old lady. That man just isn’t going to be me and might not end up being any man associated with this club. Just hang tough and your time will come.”

Her shoulders relax. “You’re real nice, Venom. I wish you and I had a spark.”

“Yeah, me too,” I fib. “I guess it’s not in cards for us to end up together.”

She leans over the bar and gives me a kiss on the cheek. “You’re good people, Ven.”

I glance around and realize no one is paying us any attention at all. I respond jokingly, “Don’t go spoiling my moody loner image. I worked hard for that shit.”

She pretends to lock her lips with one hand. “My lips are sealed. If anyone asks, you’re the biggest, meanest biker in this club.”

“Attagirl, Brit. Now go stalk your next crush like a big game hunter.”

She twirls around and off she goes. Rage slides onto a barstool out of nowhere. “Shit’s not funny, Ven. You just pumped that girl up to prey on one of our club brothers.”

I laugh out loud. “Have you forgotten where you’re at, my friend? Half the brothers come here desperate to be preyed on by one of the club girls.” I gesture around the room. “Notice how there are six or eight brothers for every woman? That’s a lot of fucking brothers going not getting sex every night.”

He shrugs, “Yeah, just because I think she’s a nuisance, doesn’t mean every man in this club does. Who knows, she might luck out and end up with one of the brothers?”

I slide him a whiskey sour across the bar, like all good bar tenders I know what all my club brothers drink. “All I know is the brothers are grown ass men. They’re capable of saying yay or nay to a club girl all on their own. They don’t need you issuing an early warning every time she approaches someone.”

He picks up his whiskey and downs it in one swallow. “You’ve clearly never dated the toxic bitches I have, and it shows.”

I laugh at his backhanded compliment and refill his glass. After the fourth drink he glances up at me. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you drink. Not even once.”

“Sure you have,” I fib. “I drink off and on all the time, just not when I’m tending bar.” Pointing off to one of the pool tables, I distract him, “It looks like two prospects are about to get in a fight over Brittany, your night off might end up being cancelled if you’ve got to patch up the fuckers.”

Luckily for all of us, Rigs is all over the situation, so we don’t have to go running over to break it up.

Rage slams his empty glass down on the bar and states loudly, “I told you she was fucking toxic, and you didn’t believe me. Now she’s turning brother against brother.”

I refill his glass, going easy on the whiskey. “Yeah, you really called that one, bro.”