Sweet Touch of Venom (Lethal Love #1)

12. Ronan

Chapter 12

Ronan

Snake, snake come and play?…

I f it’s one thing I know for certain is that I’ve never been so sure about something in my life. Besides seeking revenge. But asking Anita to join my team never felt righter. It’s why I continue to slip the academy location device on her.

I’m betting my life that she is considering it because if not, she will constantly invade my missions, and I can’t allow that. You work with me, or you die. It’s that simple.

Alright, I take that back.

My stomach twists with the thought of killing Anita. It doesn’t put me at ease as it should, only a sour taste filling my mouth.

Instead of murdering her now, I have this strong sense to protect her with my life. I can’t deny the fact, even though I should.

I don’t want to look after her. I need to. For my own sake and redemption.

I squeeze the trigger of the metal that’s clasped in my hand. I aim it to the target, rounding it off until the clip is desolate.

Seeing the face behind the Venom really fucking shocked me more than imaginable. After the night she left, we ran a face recognition on her and the results of her past came up full force. You can change the name, but you can’t change the face.

I might have stared at the screen for hours, and even more after our little issue at Henley’s. I stared as her brown eyes seared deep into my severed soul until my eyes went blurry and stung.

Speaking of that clusterfuck from yesterday. Seeing her at the site storming to me like a wildfire shocked me. Ready to burn me alive. It’s fun getting her that way, even though she wants to kill me. Or claims she does, she could’ve pulled that trigger, even when I grabbed it and tested that theory. Stupid maybe, but I’m not afraid of death, I stopped fearing him a long time ago. But it also helped my decision to bring her here.

I grab the clip on the tray, putting it into position with a forceful slam. Memories of her as a teenager, happy and full of innocent life that I have always admired. Only for it to be turned into a life of chaos and death.

For both of us

And I couldn’t protect her from that; the guilt doesn’t have any rectitude. I didn’t see it coming, just like I couldn’t see my mother’s death coming. Or my best friend. The image of my mom’s wrist slit and bleeding out on the marble floor makes way into my brain, causing my stomach to twist and my hand to twitch against the grip of the gun. Carter’s lifeless body laid out at my feet. Vehemence of rage combs my chest.

“ I’m getting us out of here, Ronan. But if I don’t make it out.” He pauses, breathing heavy. “I need you to take care of her.”

My head shakes, the air tightening and the ache of my hands burning.

He releases a ragged breath. “ Do you promise?”

I shiver from the blood dripping down my chest. Everything stings. It hurts so much. “You’re making it out of here to your sister.” My voice trembles.

“Promise me!” He nearly shouts, causing me to wince.

My chest heaves. I can’t do that, I can’t even survive, I’m weak. And still, I give in.

“I promise.”

I purse my lips, shooting until the ache comes. Take care of her? I failed that, and now there’s nothing to protect. She’s far gone, a woman who has her own back.

You failed.

Don’t think about it. I push the thought far back, keeping it tucked and hidden from the light.

I shoot fast, making my finger ache from the rhythm. Only maybe I could’ve dug deeper, looked harder until my eyes fell out. I could’ve found what was right in front of me all along.

Now she’s older, and even more beautiful, and ten times more dangerous. I never had any urges for her; she was seven years younger than me, and I respected my morality and her brother to make any attempts.

So now when I see her, the thick and curly hair that falls past her shoulders, that was wrapped around my fingers. The bangs that fall over her forehead, the murder in her eyes when she looks at me, her wit and fiery tongue. I don’t see Carter’s little sister anymore.

I fire off another round, not caring where I’m shooting in the range, but soaking in the feeling of the gun rocking in my hand. I can’t help the shame that engulfs me from the words she said.

And now you’re going to die.

Why does she want to kill me? Does she think I had something to do with the kidnapping? These questions spun in my mind all night.

Vicious heat crawls up my arms to my neck, and my nostrils flare. I reload, shoot, and repeat the process, over and over until my hand cramps, and the muscles in my forearms burn with exhilaration.

“Something on your mind, Headman,” Mal’s voice comes in. The door closes, and I look over my shoulder, reloading the gun once more.

“The usual,” I say with a clipped voice. I load a round in the chamber and pull the trigger, blowing a hole in the target.

She sighs as her boots descend closer. She takes her steps slowly with each thud.

“Does that person happen to be the little Cinderella with the name Venom?”

“It’s Anita,” I snap. “Her name is Anita.” I continue blowing rounds into the silhouette of a person on the paper target.

She raises her hands in a teasing defense. “Boss, I think that’s done.” Now beside me and my vision clearer, she’s pointing at the target practice in front of me. A gaping hole the size of a head is in the middle. Hitting the bullseye.

I lift a brow, placing the gun down. I’m satisfied for now.

I shift to Mal, who stands next to me, her expression analytical. She crosses her arms, and an eyebrow perks. She’s almost like a little sister I never had. Ready to point out all the wrong shit I’m doing. It’s something I didn’t experience due to my brother always being so tight up my father’s ass. He wanted to be exactly like our father. Whereas me, I wanted nothing more than to be the opposite. My mother is the only one that understood that.

“What?” I walk off to take off my gloves and earmuffs, actively avoiding her annoying glare. She follows me, of course.

She still doesn’t speak, but I can tell she has a shitload to say; she’s been with me long enough to know when she’s pressed on something.

“ Falar Mal, or forever hold your peace,” I drool out, disassembling my gun to clean it.

“Oh nothing. Just the fact that you invited some lunatic to the school, and did I not mention she wants to kill you, Ro?” she huffs out, and I look over to see her nails making crescent moons in her skin.

There is a lingering itch on my heart from Mal referring to Anita as a lunatic. I shouldn’t give a damn what name she’s called, and yet I do. “You have nothing to worry about. We have the same end goal—which is to see them dead. It makes sense. Trust me.” Our situation at Henley’s only proves why we should work together.

“I do trust you. It’s her who I don’t trust. She’s an assassin, for fuck’s sake. They don’t care about anything but themselves.” A pitch-black inferno blazes in her eyes. The bias against assassins is stupid at best, but I don’t disregard her concern. If the shoe was on the other foot, I would be apprehensive, too.

“I understand.” I turn to her, stopping what I’m doing and giving her my full attention.

She shifts on her feet, her eyes darting down then back up. “You do.”

“Of course.” I cross my arms across my chest. “If anything goes array, you have my permission to kill her.” It’s a giant stretch, but it’s the least I can do to get her the hell off my back and give her a sense of control.

There will be no killing. I can’t allow that, and I can’t let Carter down. Not anymore.

A huge, wicked grin sprouts on her face. “It’ll be my pleasure.”

I give her a dry look before going back to what I was doing. “It’s not like she’ll agree to work with us, anyway.” As soon as my hand hovers over the slide of the gun, a knock transcends on the metal door. I let out an exasperated sigh.

“What!” I bark. Does someone else have demands I need to hear about?

The metal door swings open, and one of my men slides through the door with a stern look.

He lifts his hands in a ‘G’ symbol in front of his chest, lowering his head slightly, before standing up straight. I nod my head, giving him approval to continue.

“You’re going to want to see this, sir.”

Mal and I look at each other cluelessly. My brows lower, immediately walking toward him. He leads us down the long hall until we are bursting through the compound and toward the security camera set up.

“Look who we have here,” he says, pointing at the footage, displaying an image of the outside gate.

My heart thumps erratically against my ribs as my eyes zoom in on Anita standing at the gate, a duffel bag around her shoulder, black shades, and a black jean jacket. My mouth dries at the sight.

She shifts, her finger landing on the intercom button. “I know you can see me. Open up,” she sings out with a sultry tone, her face pointed directly at the camera.

My brow raises as a small smirk forms on my lips.

I guess I was right.