Page 39 of Secrets

Swallowing, she shakes her head. "He approached me a while ago and said he'd have me on my knees soon enough. He has a video of Dad burying a body out in the desert."

"That's why it can't be a club problem," Venom says.

"He's going to the police," Marnie says. "You should've just let me-"

"Like hell I'd let you do that, love." The man stirs on the ground. "What's this fucker's name?"

"Chuck."

Chuck. Fitting name for a man about to become ground meat. "Hello, Chuck," Venom says, his eyes glaring hard at him. "I think I'll put that little dick you seem to think is something special through the meat grinder first."

Chuck quickly adjusts himself back into his jeans. "Look-"

"No, you look, motherfucker. You made a nasty assumption. A few of them. First being that Marnie's a club whore when she's not. She's the daughter of the club, and we protect women like they're our own. Second, you tried to commit sexual assault against her, and that just pisses me the fuck off."

"I have a video-"

Grabbing the phone that fell out of Chuck's pocket, Venom slams it against the building and shatters it. "And?"

"I sent it to others-"

"Good thing I got a tech wiz who can get information off the sim card. Plus, I think I'll go to your place and grab your computer. Anyone you sent this to will be dead right along with you."

"Okay, I lied. I only have the video on my phone, and I never sent it to anyone. We can just walk away from this-"

"You may or may not be telling the truth. Either way, I'm going to find out. And if you think I'm going to let you live after what you did," he says, crouching down in front of Chuck, "you're fucking dumber than you look. You made the biggest mistake of all. You hurt someone I've grown rather fond of."

"Venom," Marnie says, her hand shaking as she touches his shoulder.

The touch sends a shockwave through his body, and he almost shutters. "Don't try and stop me, love. He can't get away with this."

"Let me hurt him first," she whispers.

Chuck's eyes widen. "Marnie, you can't be serious!"

"You were going to force me..." Her face turns away from him and looks at Venom. "Can I have your knife?"

Pulling his kutte away from his body, he lets her pull the large knife from its sheath. "Are you going for the kill, or are you just planning to maim?"

"I want him to hurt," she spits out, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I want to cut it off."

A smile spreads on his face, and he grabs Chuck, holding him upright tightly with his hand over Chuck's mouth to muffle his screams. "Do whatever you please, love. The knife was just sharpened this morning."

Chuck struggles against Venom as Marnie undoes his jeans, but her gag reflex takes over, and she drops the knife as she runs to vomit next to the dumpsters.

"I can't," she says. "I can't."

The man relaxes in Venom's arms. "I'll take care of this, love."

"I'm sorry," she whispers. "I should be able to do this. I'm a daughter of the club, you know?"

"I'll take care of this out here. I just need you to grab the pieces of his phone and put them in my saddlebag. Then I just need thirty minutes or so out here, so keep anyone throwing out trash inside."

Nodding, she walks back to the door. She turns and wipes her eyes. "Thank you."

"Anything for you, love," Venom says. The moment the door shuts, he shoves Chuck behind the dumpsters and forces him onto his knees. Pulling out his gun, he holds it to Chuck’s head. "Time for a little payback."

"What?" Chuck asks, and Venom smiles at the panic in his eyes.

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