Chapter 13 – VENOM
Chapter
Thirteen
VENOM
“That was really unnecessary,” Ivy says from the passenger seat.
“I assure you, darlin’, it was necessary and even if it wasn’t, I sure did enjoy it.”
I don’t need to have the gift of mind reading to know what that disgusting ball of grease was thinking while staring at my little beast. “I might prefer killing women, but I will end a man just as quickly for letting his eyes roam all over what is mine.”
“What the fuck? I’m not yours.”
“Make no mistake, beast. You are most certainly mine.”
“I’m not some damn property, ya know.”
“You are under my care; therefore, you are mine.”
“More like under your captivity. I’m still a prisoner if I'm not free to leave.”
“Would you have preferred to run off with that man?”
“Ew. No.”
“Alright then.” I finally toss the bag of gummy bears into her lap.
“Why’d you grab these?”
“They are your favorite.”
She stares at me suspiciously as if I poisoned them.
“They are.”
“You’re welcome.”
Scowling at me, she opens the bag and pops a few in her mouth. “So now what? We didn’t get anything for Evelyn's cake.”
I pull out my phone, quickly typing in something, then hand it to her. “Order what you need. I’ll have it delivered.”
“You mean, we could have done this in the first place?”
“You said you needed to get out of the house.” I glance at her; she looks surprised. I can feel her gaze on me as I grip the wheel tighter. “I do hope you enjoyed your outing,” I add, sarcasm dripping from every word.
A gummy bear pokes near my eyes, bouncing off my cheekbone. I slowly look over at her with a raise of my brow, and she simply smiles and looks away.
She really is so fucking beautiful… and infuriating.
Barely suppressing my smirk, I continue clenching the wheel in an effort not to touch her right now.
Strange that most of my thoughts throughout this whole excursion have been about touching her.
I almost wish she would attack me so I could wrap my hands around her throat and feel her frantic pulse beneath my fingers.
We’re almost home when Ivy finally speaks again.
“So, you kill for fun?”
“That’s part of it.”
“Money too?”
“It’s a nice bonus.”
“Does the target matter? Or is it just as long as you're getting paid and can have a good time?”
“Like I said, I prefer women. I don’t usually accept hits on men.”
“You gonna tell me you kill children and puppies too?”
“I’m certainly not that evil.”
“It doesn’t matter if they didn’t do anything wrong?”
“According to who?”
She huffs out a breath and looks back out the window. “That’s fucked up,” she says, crossing her arms.
“I never claimed to be a good man. I told you from the beginning, I am the villain.”
“But why? You hate us that much?”
“Not exactly.” I sigh. “Women are beautiful creatures, but I learned from a very young age that they can also hide viciousness behind a pretty face.” I glance at her before continuing.
“Sometimes, beasts need to be tamed. Sometimes, they need to be put down. I love women too much to let the fakes stand among them. Those who mask their monstrous side with a soft smile don’t deserve to breathe the same air as the true beauties.”
I look over to her once again and she seems to be considering what I just said. Then she turns to me. “Who hurt you?”
“What makes you think I’ve been hurt?”
“Do you want the whole list?”
“You’ve been making lists? For me?” I ask with a grin.
“I’m being serious. No one becomes how you are without a troubled past.”
“You know a lot about troubled pasts, don't you?”
“Quit deflecting!”
“Are you worried you might be next?” I know I’m riling her up, but I can’t help it. She looks more beautiful when she’s angry with me. It’s certainly more comfortable than when she’s looking at me like she might actually… care.
“Should I be worried? You could have let me die twice now. But really, how much longer are we gonna do this? I don’t think you’re ever going to trust me. So am I just going to be a prisoner forever or are you finally going to grow some balls and kill me?”
“And now you’re thinking about my balls.”
“Dammit, Venom, can you not be serious for more than five minutes?”
“Do you want me to kill you, little beast?” I ask as I pull into my driveway.
“I just want to be free one way or another.”
An admirable answer. One I didn’t expect to hear. We truly have a lot more in common than she realizes.
Before she exits the car, she says, “Don’t you know villains don’t get happy endings?”
“Maybe I’ve accepted that long ago.”
“You could change. Be the hero instead.”
“I don’t think I have that in me, darlin’.”
“Well, that’s disappointing.” She climbs out and walks into the house.
I drop my keys in a dish by the door before making my way to the small bar located near the kitchen to pour myself a much-needed drink. A moment later, I hear the all too familiar rumble of my car starting back up.
No.
I run to the front, noticing my keys missing in the dish as I throw open the door. Ivy just backed out of the spot in front of the garage and turned the car around the half circle driveway, throwing her middle finger out the window at me.
Oh beast, big mistake.
She begins to drive off down the path when I flip open my jacket and launch multiple small knives at my tires. They land true. As always.
She continues driving, but she won't get far.
I open the garage doors, grab a set of keys off a hook and start up my Corvette, sliding into the dark green custom seats with black stitching and a viper sewed into the back. The engine rumbles as I give chase to her.
She makes it down my long driveway, past the gate and a half mile down the road before she’s driving on rims.
I fly past her, maneuvering directly in front of her path and then slam on my brakes. Ivy hits hers at the same time and swerves, nearly colliding with a tree. I quickly exit my car, straighten my jacket and stride over to her, casually leaning against the car and giving a hard knock on the window.
She looks at me through the glass, nostrils flaring.
I try the handle, but of course it’s locked.
“Open the door,” I demand as I tap on the glass.
“Fuck you!” she yells, then tries to step on the gas, only to realize she’s stuck in the dirt.
She bangs on the steering wheel and screams.
“I’ll ask one more time. Open the door.”
“No!”
Fine.
I walk back to my Corvette, finger the small tool in the glove box, then return to Ivy. I press the device to the window; the glass shatters and she screams.
I shove my hand through the jagged hole, unlocking the door despite a cut ripping along my arm. The door swings open and I grab Ivy by the hair, hauling her out of the car.
“I’m disappointed in you, darlin’. I thought you’d try this sooner.”
“Oh, fuck you! Let me go! Just let me fucking go!”
I tsk. “You broke the second rule. I can’t let you go now.”
I pop open my trunk and lift her up, then stuff her into the small trunk.
“No! Don’t you dare!” she yells before I slam the trunk closed.
I make a quick call about my damaged Mercedes while she hollers and bangs inside the trunk. Then I slide back into my Corvette and drive home, taking my time.
The beast doesn’t stop screaming, burning through her energy fighting metal, probably hurting herself more than the trunk.
Did I expect her to try to run? Sure. But I thought it would be sooner, and lately I’d started to believe we’d moved past these antics.
Once home, I take a deep breath, smooth back my hair and open the trunk. I’m all too prepared when she nearly pounces on me, clawing and hitting wherever her hands land. It takes some effort, but I finally drag her back inside and toss her on the floor in the entryway.