Page 25 of Nitro

All I wanted to do was spend the rest of the evening relaxing with Tommy.

Lately, all I could think about was Tommy, making it hard to focus on the upcoming conversation.

I knocked on the door, and I took Venom’s growl of annoyance as an invitation to enter.

The office smelled of smoke and whisky. Venom glowered at me from behind his desk.

The big boss wasn’t in the best of moods today, I noticed. I had to tread carefully. I decided for my sake, that it was better to fess up.

“Olaf refused all my calls. I tried reaching out to his third, Amelia, but she told me Olaf needs more time to reconsider,” I blurted.

Venom sighed. “I contacted Olaf on your behalf. He’s willing to listen, but he wants Spike’s personal apology,” Venom said.

I stared at him for a few moments, wondering if this was some sort of prank. No, that couldn’t be it.

Venom didn’t play around when it came to matters of business.

“Yes, we could do that,” I said, realizing Venom was waiting for my response. “Thank you for intervening.”

“I’ve known Olaf for a long time. He has plenty of pride, but he also knows he won’t get a better deal anywhere else. Don’t jeopardize this meeting,” Venom warned.

“You can count on me,” I said, relieved Venom had intervened on our behalf.

“I know,” Venom said. “It’s Spike you have to watch out for.”

“Spike has his share of anger issues, just like everyone else,” I said, feeling the need to defend my best friend.

Sure, Spike could be obnoxious at times, and he thought with his claws rather than his head, but he was a decent guy deep down.

“I spoke to him earlier this morning. Did you know what he told me?” Venom asked.

His voice sounded pleasant enough, but I could detect something else underneath that.

Amusement? Irritation? Sometimes, it was hard to tell with Venom.

“Do I want to know?” I warily asked.

“He challenged me to a one-on-one fight. It’s happening this Saturday afternoon,” Venom said rather nonchalantly.

Saturday was tomorrow. I swore under my breath.

Although we were an MC, we also functioned as a typical but sometimes dysfunctional bear clan.

Any member had the right to challenge the lead alpha for his position. No one was insane enough to do it twice, like Spike.

The last time Spike fought Venom, it was two years ago. It took an entire month for Spike to fully recover. I swallowed.

“Please go easy on him,” I said. “I have no idea what he’s thinking.”

“Go easy?” Venom raised one scarred eyebrow. “Then there’s no point to it. Make sure you’re there to pick up the pieces once I’m done.”

That was a clear dismissal as any. Dang you, Spike, I thought. What possessed Spike to resort to such a reckless action?

Was Spike bored or perhaps restless?

Venom wasn’t the kind of lead alpha who provoked his bears without a valid reason.

Venom had a mate, a kid and the entire MC to think of.