Page 51 of Venom's Sting
I suggest, “My mom and I can take her. I’m not sure the three of us want to see what’s going to go down here tonight.” Ven’s arm closes tighter around me as if he’s reluctant to let me go. When I glance over my shoulder, my mom gives me a curt nod of approval.
Siege rubs his chin, “This might be the best solution. We don’t need women here to see justice done.”
“Just don’t go on a killing spree,” I grumble as Ven lifts his mother into his arms.
Ven counters with, “We’re not like that.”
When Siege clears his throat, Ven clarifies, “Not normally like that.”
After Rage stabilizes her ankle, he and Ven help us move Meli into the backseat of her vehicle and strap her in. My mom gets into the passenger side, and I climb behind the wheel. Ven lingers at the window on my side while Rage fusses over Meli, making sure she’s comfortable and her injured ankle won’t shift.
When Rage finally closes the door, Ven bends down to claim a short but fierce kiss. “Drive carefully sweetheart, and keep me posted, okay?”
I swallow thickly and nod. “Of course. Just… just don’t let this situation turn you into someone you’re not.”
He gets what I’m driving at and tells me, “They’ll probably cut off the lackeys with a stern warning and detain the rest at the clubhouse. Siege won’t make any decisions before calling a club meeting and allowing all of us to give our input.”
I feel the anxiety drain from my body. Just knowing they aren’t going to make any rash decisions tonight goes a long way towards setting my mind at ease.
He cups my cheek in one hand and lowers his voice. “We’re not monsters, you know.” His lips brush across mine and then he presses our foreheads together for a brief moment.
When he pulls back, I murmur, “I never thought you were.”
“Good. We always try to be fair, even to our enemies.”
“I’ll let you know when we get to the hospital,” I tell him awkwardly. I can still taste him on my lips, and I’m thoroughly shocked that after everything we’ve been through, his touch still affects me.
He taps the top of our car and says, “Off with you. I’ll talk to you soon.”
I start the car, feeling worlds more confident that the Savage Legion wasn’t going to kill anyone tonight. When I glance in the rearview mirror, I see Ven standing there staring at us drive away.
“My Serp has love in his heart for you,ma chérie.”
My mother turns to look at me, curiosity shining in her eyes. “It this true? Are you seeing this young man?”
I nod, giving her a tired smile. “Yeah, I most certainly am. Ven and his motorcycle club are the only reason I found you. They sifted through mountains of information, scoured the internet for signs of your whereabouts, and put up a good fight when Rufus hired a bunch of thugs to stop their investigation.”
“Do you love him?” her voice is low, but I can tell she’s getting excited.
I nod again, my smile getting a little bigger.
“As in maybe one day in the distant future getting married? That kind of love?”
I smother back a laugh. “Yeah, mom. It’s the kind of love that’s filled with romance, property cuts, and wedding bands. I want it all with Ven.”
I turn briefly to make eye contact with Meli in the back seat. “How are you holding up? Are you in a lot of pain?”
“As long as I do not move, it is good,” Meli says.
“Did you know about this love and marriage thing?” my mom asks her.
Meli makes an inpatient sound in the back of her throat. “Oui, oui. I seen it with my own eyes. They way they look at each other tells the tale, my son said it was not real, but I see.”
My mother looks pleased as punch. That’s all it takes for the rest of our journey to the hospital to be filled with chatter about weddings, babies, and the like. After what she’s been through for the past eight months, I let her talk away. I don’t know if anything she says will come to pass, but if I’m honest, the thought of walking up the aisle with Ven one day makes me feel like the luckiest woman alive.
I don’t know if Ven or Rage phoned ahead, but before I can even get out of the vehicle, medical staff come running out of the emergency room with a gurney and whisk Meli away. My mom runs behind them, shouting for them to be extra careful not to accidentally bang her foot into something. I can’t believe the change in my mom, I had expected her to have collapsed in on herself after the months of being held by my grandfather and her brothers. But it’s like a new woman came out, one who’s not afraid to speak up and make herself be heard.
I park up and go inside the ER. They allow both my mom and I in the bay to wait with Meli. Fortunately they aren’t very busy, so the wait times are short. We step out to get coffee when the doctor comes to examine her. I try to talk to my mother about Rufus, but she doesn’t want to discuss her abusive deceased father. I know she just needs a few hours to get used to the idea that he’s gone. Wanting to gab about everything except the elephant in the room feels like some form of denial, which we allknow is the first stage of grief. I just cut her some slack and give her a hug.