Chapter 12 Venom
VENOM
Morning light filtered through the clubhouse windows, soft and golden, at odds with the tension coiled in every corner.
I woke tangled with Axel, his arm heavy across my waist, his breath warm against my neck. For a moment, I let myself pretend we were normal. Just two people in love, waking up together, nothing to fear but burned coffee and Monday morning traffic.
Then I heard the distant clatter of weapons being checked, and reality came crashing back. "Stop thinking so loud," Axel murmured against my hair.
"Sorry."
"Don't be sorry. Just come here." He pulled me closer, pressed a kiss to my temple. "Five more minutes."
"We should get up."
"Five minutes won't change anything." His hand slid down my side, possessive and warm. "Let me have this."
I gave him ten.
Breakfast was chaos in the best possible way.
Maria had commandeered the kitchen, turning out enough food to feed an army—which, I supposed, was exactly what we were now.
Eggs, bacon, pancakes, fresh fruit that must have cost a fortune.
The smell alone was enough to drag even the most reluctant soldiers from their bunks.
I found myself wedged between Jake and Irish at the long common room table, plate piled high, listening to stories I could barely follow.
"—so there I am, ass-naked in the middle of the Belfast docks, holding nothing but a flare gun and my dignity—"
"You have no dignity," Declan interrupted, stealing bacon from Irish's plate. "I've seen the photos."
"Those photos were supposed to be private—"
"Nothing's private when you leave your phone unlocked, love."
The table erupted in laughter. Even Tank cracked a smile, a rare break in his stoic expression. I caught Tyler watching him from across the room—a quick glance, assessing, before he returned to his conversation with Hawk.
Axel settled beside me, his powerful thigh pressed against mine. He didn't say anything, just started eating, but his presence was a comfort. An anchor in the chaos. "This is nice," I said quietly.
"What is?"
"This. All of it." I gestured at the crowded table, the laughter, the easy camaraderie. "Feels like family."
"It is family." He squeezed my knee under the table. "Your family now."
Maria appeared at my elbow, refilling my coffee without being asked. "You need to eat more," she said, eyeing my half-empty plate. "You're too skinny."
"I'm really not—"
"Eat." She fixed me with a look that brooked no argument. "You'll need your strength."
The mood shifted around mid-morning. I found Axel in the war room, frowning at an inventory list. "We're short on trauma supplies," I said, reading over his shoulder. "Chest seals, QuikClot, IV kits. I used most of what we had building the field kits."
"Can you make do?"
"For minor injuries, yes. But if someone takes a serious hit—" I shook my head. "We need more."
"Where do we get it?"
"St. Mary's." The words tasted sour. "I still have access. My badge should work."
His expression darkened. "You're not going alone."
"I didn't expect to."
"I mean it, Kai." He turned to face me fully, grey eyes hard. "There's a kill order on you. Chen's people could be anywhere."
"I know. That's why you're coming with me."
He studied me for a long moment, searching for something. Whatever he found must have satisfied him, because he nodded once. "We leave in an hour. In and out. No detours."
"Yes sir." I mock-saluted.
His mouth twitched. "Brat."
"You love it."
"Yeah." He pulled me in for a kiss—brief, fierce. "I do."
The ride to St. Mary's was tense.
I pressed against Axel's back, arms tight around his waist, watching the city blur past. Every car felt like a potential threat. Every pedestrian a possible spotter. Paranoia had become my default setting, and I hated how natural it felt.
The hospital parking garage triggered a visceral memory—Slash emerging from that van, the cold certainty that I was about to die. I pushed it down, focused on Axel's solid warmth in front of me.
"You okay?" he asked as we dismounted.
"Fine."
"Liar." But he didn't push. Just took my hand, squeezed once, and led me toward the employee entrance.
The familiar smell of antiseptic hit me like a wave.
St. Mary's. My domain, once. The place where I'd built an identity separate from foster care, from loneliness, from all the broken pieces of my past. Now it felt foreign. Hostile.
"I need to access the restricted pharmacy," I told Axel. "It's on the third floor. Badge-controlled."
"I'll come with you."
"You can't." I gestured at his cut, his tattoos, his general aura of barely-contained violence. "You'll cause a scene. Security will be called within five minutes."
His jaw tightened. "I'm not leaving you alone."
"Wait by the elevator. I'll be ten minutes, tops." I cupped his face, made him look at me. "I've worked here for five years. I know every corner, every exit. If something feels wrong, I'll come straight back."
The war in his eyes was painful to watch. Protectiveness fighting practicality. Need battling logic. "Ten minutes," he finally said. "Not a second longer."
"Deal." I kissed him—quick, reassuring—and headed for the stairs.
The pharmacy storage room was exactly as I'd left it.
Rows of metal shelving, fluorescent lights humming overhead, the faint chemical smell of disinfectant.
I moved efficiently, filling my bag with everything we'd need—chest seals, hemostatic gauze, IV catheters, bags of saline.
My hands knew this work. My mind could wander.
Which is probably why I didn't notice her until she spoke. "Kai Nakamura. I was wondering when you'd show up."
I spun, hand going to the tactical pen in my pocket.
She stood in the doorway, blocking the exit. Mid-forties, immaculate in a way that screamed money and power. Tailored charcoal suit, not a wrinkle in sight. Dark hair pulled back in a severe bun. Manicured nails, subtle makeup, pearl earrings that probably cost more than my annual salary.
She was beautiful, in a cold, calculated way. The kind of face you'd trust on a news broadcast or a campaign poster. The kind of face that could smile while signing your death warrant. FBI badge clipped to her belt. Gun holstered at her hip.
Michelle Chen.
"There's no need for weapons." Her voice was pleasant, professional. Like we were colleagues meeting in a conference room. "I'm just here to talk."
"How did you get in here?"
"I'm a federal agent." She smiled—a small, satisfied curve that didn't reach her eyes. "I go where I need to go."
My heart was pounding, but I kept my voice steady. "What do you want?"
"Straight to business. I appreciate that." She stepped further into the room, heels clicking against linoleum. "I want to offer you a way out, Kai. A chance to walk away from this mess before it buries you."
"I'm listening."
"No, you're not. You're calculating escape routes and wondering if you can reach your boyfriend before I stop you." She tilted her head, studying me like a specimen. "He's waiting by the elevator, isn't he? Loyal. I respect that. But loyalty won't stop a bullet."
The casual mention of Axel made my blood run cold.
"Here's the situation," she continued. "You've gotten tangled up with some dangerous people. Not the Phoenixes—they're mostly harmless. A nuisance, but manageable." She waved a dismissive hand. "I'm talking about Tyler."
"My brother."
"Your foster brother. Who's been playing a very dangerous game for a very long time." Something flickered in her expression—annoyance, maybe. "He's gathered evidence. Made recordings. Built a case that could cause significant problems for certain people."
"People like you."
"People like everyone." She moved closer, and I had to fight not to step back.
"Do you know what happens when federal investigations go sideways, Kai?
Evidence gets lost. Witnesses recant. Accidents happen.
" Another smile, colder than the first. "Your grandmother died of natural causes, didn't she? Heart failure?"
The words hit me like a physical blow. "She was seventy-two," Chen continued, conversational. "Living alone. Fragile health. It would have been so easy for something to go wrong. A fall. A medication mix-up. These things happen to elderly women all the time."
"You—" I couldn't finish. Couldn't breathe.
"I didn't touch her." Chen's tone was almost gentle. "I'm merely illustrating a point. Bad things happen to people who get involved in matters beyond their understanding. You're a nurse. You should know that better than anyone."
"What do you want from me?!" My patience had started to crack.
"I want you to walk away. Leave the Phoenixes. Convince Tyler to destroy his evidence and disappear. In exchange, I'll lift the kill order and let you live your quiet little life." She reached into her pocket, produced a card. "Think about it. You have until tomorrow night."
She held out the card. I didn't take it. "My grandmother raised me to be brave," I said. My voice was steadier than I expected. "She survived things you couldn't imagine. Came to this country with nothing and built a life. You think I'm going to let someone like you scare me into running?"
Something shifted in her expression. The pleasant mask slipped, just for a second, revealing something reptilian underneath.
"Your grandmother also told you stories about Japan, didn't she? About honor and sacrifice?" Chen set the card on the shelf beside me. "She forgot to mention that the brave ones always die first. It's the cowards who grow old."
She turned, walked to the door, paused. "Give my regards to Axel. Tell him I'm looking forward to meeting him properly." She glanced back over her shoulder, and that cold smile returned. "One way or another."
Then she was gone.