Page 164 of Sweet Venom

Ididn’t like asking for permission. I never have.

Yet here I was.

About to ask another man for the one thing I always wanted.

I could give one single fuck if the world was against me and Poe but I knew her family was everything to her and so here I was.

I stepped into the dimly lit tattoo shop, the low hum of machines and the faint scent of ink filling the air. The place was a dark maze of exposed black and red brick walls, faded fucked- up art, and the distinct buzz of a needle at work. It was a far cry from the sleek, cold walls of the world I usually moved in. But here, among the ink and art, I felt the familiar weight of family—Poe’s family.

My eyes scanned the room, searching for the man who stepped inside about twenty minutes before I arrived.

I saw them in the back corner. Enzo, Poe’s uncle, was bent over a tattoo gun, working on a customer’s sleeve. His broad shoulders and dark tattoos were a clear testament to years of crime and punishment. Valentino, Poe’s father, stood with arms crossed, watching with that unmistakable intensity that made even the toughest men think twice. The twins looked just as they did when I was a boy—like two thugs, each covered in tattoos that mirrored the other’s, the same cold, unspoken understanding between them. The resemblance was uncanny, down to the way they both carried themselves. Valentino used to dye his hair the same shade of blue as Poe’s when he was younger, but now he wears it black, cropped into the same buzz cut as his twin.

They are so alike, it was almost terrifying.

I lingered on Valentino Nicolasi a moment longer. Most people say Poe looks like her mother—and it’s true, they share the same green eyes and warm skin tone. But to me? Everything else is her father. The shape of her nose. The arch of her eyebrows. Even her quiet, watchful nature. Their gift of creating beautiful stories. That she also got it from her father.

Enzo looked up first, his icy blue eyes narrowing when he saw me standing in the doorway of his shop. Then Poe’s father shifted his gaze, and the air seemed to thicken around us. There was no mistaking the hostility in both their expressions. I’d seen that look before, and it didn’t intimidate me. I wasn’t here for pleasantries. I was here to make a point.

For her.

For the woman the three of us share love for.

“Solonik,” Enzo said, his voice rough, like he’d been smoking since the age of twelve. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

I didn’t flinch. I barely even blinked. “I’m here to talk to you both.”

Valentino took a step forward, his black combat boots making a heavy sound on the concrete floor. “Whatever it is, no,” he said, his tone low, the kind of warning only someone who’d lived through enough shit like he had could give.

I expected this. Too bad I don’t care.

“I’m not leaving until you hear me out,” I replied, my voice cold and blunt. “I came here to make something clear.”

Enzo chuckled, leaning back against the counter, tattoo gun still in hand. “So you’re not here to get a tattoo.” His eyes flicked to his twin, then back to me. “What’s this all about, boy?”

The youngest twin is the one who my father can’t stand. I share the sentiment.

My jaw tightened, but I kept my expression neutral. “I’m here because of Poe. She’s mine. She has been since she was a kid.” I stared at both men, my gaze unwavering. Let them see the truth in my eyes. His daughter is my heart and I’m not leaving here until they both understand that. “I’m not asking for permission to make her mine. But I’m telling you both right now that if you don’t agree that I am the man for her then stay out of my way. You can either help me give her the life she deserves, or you can step aside and let me handle it myself. Because there’s no chance in hell, I’m giving up on her.”

The words hung in the air like a dark promise. The room fell silent for a heartbeat, and even the buzzing of the tattoo machines seemed to still. Enzo’s expression shifted from one of amusement to something darker. Valentino’s eyes narrowed, the kind of look that said I’d crossed a line.

Enzo’s lips curled into an evil smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “You’ve got fucking balls, kid. I’ll give you that. But you think just because you walk into our city, and claim her, we’regonna let you waltz off with my niece? Poe’s not some possession you get to own on a whim.”

Asshole.

I didn’t even flinch. I was unbothered, my posture still rigid and sure. “Poe’s not your concern anymore, Lorenzo,” I said, using his given name and my words sharp, cutting through the air. “She’s mine. Always has been. I’m here because I want to do right by her.”

Valentino spoke, his voice quiet but deadly. “You’ve hurt my baby once. Why should I trust you with her heart again?”

Fuck, that cut deep.

Still, I won’t give up.

Never when it comes to her.

My eyes never left Poe’s father. “I was a kid who didn’t believe he was worthy of her heart. That fear stuck with me for years. I know I don’t deserve her heart but it’s mine regardless.”

The silence between us stretched long, heavy with the weight of unspoken truths. My face was cold, emotionless—like a man who had no fear and no patience for pissing games. But the twins weren’t backing down either.

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