A Very Venom Christmas - Kristine Allen Page 0,13

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