A Very Venom Christmas - Kristine Allen Page 0,38

“Venom, I need to look at that shoulder.”

That wasn’t the first time I’d heard someone call him Venom, and I made a mental note to ask him about it.

“When we get back to the clubhouse,” he insisted. Angel didn’t look happy about that, and I wondered if that was what he’d been talking to Decker about before.

“If things go to shit, we’d be better off if you were at one-hundred percent,” Angel argued.

“If things go to shit, I need you at one-hundred percent,” Decker threw back at him. That seemed to shut Angel up, but he was definitely disgruntled.

“My grandmother said she called you, Venom.” Voodoo broke the silence as it was starting to get uncomfortable.

“Mm,” Decker grunted but didn’t really reply.

“I think we both know what that change was now,” he said, and my gaze volleyed back and forth between the two of them. They all seemed to be speaking in code.

“Y’all are confusing the fuck out of me,” I finally blurted out.

“You’re not from around here, are you?” Voodoo questioned, causing me to roll my eyes. Obviously I wasn’t going to get any explanations for their code talk.

“No shit, Sherlock,” I drawled out, intentionally laying my accent on thick.

“She’s from Texas,” Decker rumbled out. I glanced over at him with a narrowed gaze.

“Yeah, speaking of, why didn’t you just ask me about my past instead of having a background check run on me?”

The men in the front seat faced forward and stared intently at the snow-covered landscape. They must’ve decided they didn’t want to be involved in the conversation in the back seat.

“I didn’t have it run on you. Snow already had it from when you worked at the Shamrock for them.”

“I don’t remember signing consent for a background check,” I grumbled as I belligerently crossed my arms.

He snorted out a laugh. “You didn’t have to. The Demented Sons do what they want. You chose to work for them; everyone knows they don’t hire anyone without one.”

“Well, I didn’t. Not from around here, remember?”

A lot of the anger was sucked from me when I saw how drawn Decker suddenly looked. He was also pale.

“Are you sure we should be traveling? There’s no way you’re healed enough for this,” I murmured in worry. He laid his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes.

“I’ll be fine when I get home,” he replied cryptically.

“You should’ve gone to a hospital,” I grumbled.

“No.”

“No?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because gunshot wounds require police reports. Not doing that to Snow and his boys. Not to mention, with that weather, I doubt we’d have made it there. Besides, I was in good hands, and like I said, I’ll be fine once I’m home.” He sounded tired, so I decided to let the issue drop for the time being. I hadn’t slept well either, so I decided to see if I could nap.

I pulled out my dirty hoodie, wadded it up, and shoved it between me and the door.

The next thing I knew, I was being gently shaken awake. Sleepily, I blinked and then popped upright when I realized I was staring right at Decker’s crotch. I’d obviously decided his lap made a better pillow than my stinky hoodie.

“Oh, shit! Sorry!” I whispered. Embarrassment burned my cheeks as I cautiously looked around. We were parked outside of a huge building out in the country.

“I thought we were going to Ankeny,” I said through a yawn.

“We’re just north of town. Come on, sleepyhead, let’s go inside,” he said as he tenderly cupped my cheek. I wanted to nuzzle into him like a cat, but I grabbed my few belongings and climbed out of the massive truck.

The packed snow crunched under my feet as I followed the men inside. There were several that I must’ve missed coming out thanks to being crashed in Decker’s lap. Two older men were quietly behind me as I stepped into the warm interior of the building.

Color me shocked when the industrial-looking building turned out to be a big bar. It was decked out in Christmas lights, with Christmas music playing through the speakers. Surely they didn’t get a lot of business out in the country?

Realizing the men were talking and the one named Angel was helping Decker take off his jacket and shirt, I stopped gawking around and watched. When I saw the blood-soaked bandage, I was instantly pissed.

“I knew it! I knew you didn’t need to be traveling! What the hell, Decker?”

At my outburst, all the men looked at me strangely.

“What are you all