Page 175 of Making Choices

Good riddance to them both.

My gut twinges at the idea of never seeing Venom again.

Can I truly be that cruel?

If it meant that I had my duchess for my own, I think so…

“Zeke!” Cherub raises her voice as she exclaims, “You don’t get to hold this against me. I did nothing wrong… there’s no way you’ve been living like a monk since we split.”

“I haven’t touched anyone since you.”

“You touched Honey.”

Silence invades the main bar.

I brace for Venom to defend himself.

Instead, he does something that I never expected.

He continues walking away.

From his Lily.

From the club.

“You know what?” Venom tosses his cut on the floor—an act that dishonours his patches—then threads his arms through his leatherjacket. “I’m fuckin’ done. With the club. With everything and everyone—” A heated look burns across Cherub’s face as he declares, “I’m ’specially done with you. For good.”

“Okay.” My duchess rallies, straightening her shoulders as she taunts him, “I’m not sure how I’ll tell the difference, but I’ll give it a try.”

“You do that.”

Helmet in hand, Venom grits his teeth.

I hold my breath, mentally willing him to follow through on his threat. His reluctance wins and he’s posed to take a step toward Cherub instead of away from her when the doors Bebe left through are pulled open and Brutus swaggers inside with Joseph Kingsley right behind him. A bunch of cops holding rifles flood the front of the bar in their wake. They block the exit, then look to their leader for his next order.

Joseph surveys us with a smirk.

Brutus chuckles as he takes in the situation. He dismisses me with a sneer, then settles his attention on Venom. “Goin’ somewhere?”

“Yeah… any place but here.”

Venom’s flippant response is met with more laughter, then Joseph Kingsley says, “Maybe I can offer a suggestion? The Perth lockup is a fine establishment where you’d fit right in.”

The second the veiled threat is out of the corrupt motherfucker’s mouth, I’m in motion. I rally our faction, and as one, we step forward with violent intent.

Then things go from back to worse, and every scenario I’ve thought through disappears in the space of a solitary sentence uttered by the Minister for Police. “Ezekiel Asher Miles, you’re under arrest for the murder of Alexander Joseph Maddison Kingsley.”

Venom laughs like he’s lost his mind.

My brothers and I surge in his direction.

Our VP stays us with a flick of his hand. “Don’t.”

When he takes off his jacket and puts his cut back on, I find myself breathing a sigh of relief. It doesn’t make sense. I should be filled with resentment right now, but I’m not. It’s obvious that I’ve been left out of the loop. Whatever went down in the chapel between Venom, Cherub, and Brutus has knocked our plans off their axis and set in motion a new scenario that’s put us on the back foot.

Still, I can’t make myself truly begrudge Venom’s place in the Shamrocks.

Ensuring Brutus’ defeat is primeval.

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