Beautiful Venom: A Dark Hockey Romance (Vipers Book 1)

After I return from feeding my father to the sharks, Dahlia’s disappeared.

Again.

She’s vanished right from my grasp.

Fucking again.

I came back to tell her the truth. To assure her that everything is forgiven. In fact, there’s nothing to forgive.

After last night, after the way she slept peacefully in my arms, I figured it was time to start with a clean slate. I can’t force Jude to like her, and he probably never will, but I can protect her from him.

She has nothing to do with his obsession anyway.

Her sister does, but her sister is practically dead.

It might hurt, but she’ll eventually accept that reality.

She’ll accept that I’m all she has.

The only one she can have.

But she’s not here.

She even left her phone behind.

Julian goddamn Callahan came by and talked to her, and she left with him. That’s what my mother and Samuel said.

That’s what I watch on the house’s security footage over and over again, on a damn loop. I can’t stop looking at the way she trudges behind him, her movements lethargic, her eyes soulless.

Her fire completely extinguished.

She didn’t even have that look when Grant had her chained up in his goddamn dungeon.

A dungeon I spent the last hour blazing through with a machete, as if that will extinguish the torturous memories or the image of Dahlia hanging from the chains while bleeding.

And now, Julian has taken her away.

Julian is interfering in my fucking business.

He definitely didn’t learn a lesson from Grant’s murder. If I can kill my own father, nothing and no one will stop me anymore.

Not Julian, not the rules.

Not even fucking Vencor.

My steps are wide as I walk to the secondary annex, where my father’s lackeys reside, followed by Samuel. He already informed them about their new owner, and this new owner has his first mission for them.

As we’re walking, I pull out my phone and text in the group chat.

Me

@Jude Callahan, I’m informing you that your brother is getting in my way and I might or might not have him killed.

Jude

Not before I do. He kidnapped Violet. Again.

Fuck. That must be why Dahlia went with him.

Preston

Whoa. Messing with Julian, are we? Count me out. I’m just gonna stay here and get high.

Me: Is Julian at the main house?

Jude

At his wife’s house.

Me: Even better. Remember when I said threatening him was risky? Forget about that. I’m bringing our men.

Preston

Hey…let’s take a deep breath. Inhale. Exhale.

Jude

I’ll bring the men I have access to.

Preston

Jesus fucking Christ. Slow down. You want to get killed?

I am now the head of the Davenport family, and Julian came onto Davenport property and took what’s mine. He needs to pay.

Jude

It’s long overdue. He needs to stop his fucking meddling.

Preston

Sounds dangerous. I’m in.

A few hours later, we’re all gathered in front of Julian’s wife’s house on the outskirts of town, far away from Ravenswood Hill, bordering where the poor people live in the neighboring town.

After Jude and I direct our men to surround the house, we take out the security in front and we head to the second floor, where the bedrooms are. It’s almost midnight, so the motherfucker should be sleeping.

Despite the lack of light, Jude, Preston, and I move with ease. We’ve been plunged into the darkness our entire lives. This is child’s play.

“So…” Preston walks backward in front of us so that he’s facing us. “We’re risking my precious life for pussy?”

“Shut it, Armstrong,” Jude says without even looking at him.

“I’m just setting the record straight. I’d never do this for pussy. It’s so fucking lame, I’m thinking about throwing you out of Preston’s Privileged Close Circle Club.”

“Consider me thrown out,” I say, my muscles bulging with tension.

“I never wanted to be in it in the first place,” Jude adds.

“Liars. You love me and can’t survive without me. If I were a woman, you’d be fighting over my beautiful self.”

“Fighting over who gets to chop your head off first,” I say. “Which we’re already doing.”

“I’d be playing so hard to get, Dallas would have nothing on me.” He grins, ignoring my words, then headlocks Jude. “I think I’ll still pick big man, though. His dick is bigger.”

Jude elbows him. “I’ll stab your dick if you don’t take this seriously.”

“Not my precious dick. How the fuck am I supposed to unwind?” Preston lets go with a pout and continues to walk backward. “Besides, this whole thing is stupid, and Julian will probably light our asses on fire. You shouldn’t even be this invested, Jude. Your brother would be doing you a favor if he kills that nobody.”

Jude glares at him, his eyes nearly shooting daggers. “No one but me gets to kill my targets.”

“Shh.” I raise a hand to my mouth and pull out my gun at the sound of Julian’s cool voice.

Jude motions at the door behind him, and then the three of us inch closer.

I kick the door open, gun in hand, but we freeze upon seeing Julian sitting in a chair, reading out loud from a book as his wife, Annalise, lies in bed, sleeping.

She startles at the loud kick and sits up, her eyes unfocused, her face pale.

Annalise Callahan is the greatest mystery in this town. She’s barely seen, less than my mother, and rumor has it that Julian’s using her as a subject for his latest experimental drug testing.

No one really cares, though.

“Julian…?” she asks, her voice low, almost scratchy.

He strokes her hair and smiles. Didn’t know the motherfucker was capable of that.

“Go back to sleep. I’ll be right back.”

She grabs onto his shirt and shakes her head, but he releases her grip and looks at us, his smile dropping in a blink.

“Let’s talk outside.”

Preston jumps out first. “I was dragged here against my will. They did it!”

We all step out. Jude doesn’t really want to hurt his sister-in-law, and he made it clear that threatening Julian with her life is fine, but she’s not to be touched.

“Annalise is not to be harmed,” were his exact words as soon as we arrived here.

The de facto leader of the Callahan clan casts one last glance at his wife, then closes the door and runs a hand through his hair. “Now, I have to maim you.”

“Not me.” Preston raises his hand. “Against my will, remember?”

I jam my gun against Julian’s temple. “Where’s Dahlia?”

He doesn’t even flinch. “Somewhere far away from you.”

“We have the house surrounded, Julian. If you don’t tell me where she is right now, I’ll blow your brains out.”

“Be my guest. In the event of my death, my people will blow both Dahlia and Violet up.”

I freeze.

Of course he’d have such a backup plan. It wouldn’t be Julian if he didn’t.

Jude grabs his brother by the collar of his shirt. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“Putting your heads back where they belong. On the game, on your roles. Without distractions.”

Preston claps. “Thank you! That’s what I’ve been saying.”

“You think I won’t find her?” I breathe close to his face. “I have all the resources to, and those promises of investment I made to you? Consider them canceled and divided between Serena and Atlas.”

“Doesn’t matter whether or not you find her. She knows everything about your involvement in her sister’s attack and how she ended up in Graystone Ridge. Poor girl was shaken at the reality that you’re the mastermind. She really tried to defend you as well. Until she couldn’t deny the truth.”

“You…told her?”

“Yes. How else would I get her to leave?”

I raise my hand and punch him in the face. “You had no right to tell her. That wasn’t your conversation to have.”

“It’s up to me how I use the information at my disposal.” He wipes his bloody nose. “As for business matters, you’ll come to your logical senses. Neither Serena nor Atlas can help you maintain the Davenports’ shaky foundation like I can.”

“I don’t need you for that. I have my uncle.”

“Kayden can’t come back so soon, even if Grant is dead, and you know it. You need to get stronger and enforce your own rules first.”

“Julian,” his brother growls. “Don’t make me hurt you.”

“You can try.” Julian stares me down. “Here’s the deal, Kane. If you manage to bring Dahlia back willingly, I won’t touch her again, and you won’t throw a tantrum regarding business matters.”

My jaw clenches.

“Now, get off my property. If you barge into my house again, I’ll kill you.”

Then he turns and goes back into the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

“Night, Julian!” Preston says in a singsong voice. “Sorry for the late-night visit! Will send flowers in the morning!”

Jude strides toward the door, but Preston holds him back. “I’m not disposing of your corpses tonight.”

“Forget it, Jude.” I let my gun fall to my side. “I’ll find them myself. Even if it’s the last thing I do.”

Preston snaps his fingers in my direction. “Now, that’s the spirit. I still hate where this is going, but anyway. We’re out of here.”

He starts to drag us out, joking about how we escaped with our skin unscathed while Jude hits him upside the head.

When we’re in the driveway, my phone vibrates and I pull it out, expecting Samuel.

Unknown number.

I pick up, and as soon as I hear harsh, fractured breaths from the other end, I go still, my fingers tightening on the phone.

“Dahlia?”

“Is it true?” Her voice is weak, hoarse, as if she’s spent hours crying.

“Whatever Julian has told you is massively blown out of proportion. Where are you? I’ll pick you up⁠—”

“Just tell me. Did you know all along about Violet? About the connection to Jude’s mother? About me?”

“It’s not as it seems⁠—”

“Yes or no.” She speaks over me. Again.

My jaw tightens. “Yes.”

She laughs then, the sound piercing my ears as sobs echo through it.

I can’t help but remember the first time I saw her laugh.

That day, from the top of the roof.

“God, you should be proud of yourself. You played me so well, Kane. I hope I entertained you enough.”noveldrama

“You were never a subject of my entertainment,” I snap, then rein it in and breathe calmly. “Let’s meet. We need to talk.”

“So you can finish the job with Violet?”

“I won’t harm her.”

“But Jude will. Like he did a few months ago.”

“He didn’t⁠—”

“Stop lying to me!”

Fuck. If she talks over me one more time, I’m grabbing her throat through the goddamn phone.

Why the fuck isn’t she letting me speak?

“Just so you know, if Jude comes near her, I’ll kill him.” All her sniffles disappear and she sounds stone cold, far away. “Don’t let me see your face again or I’ll kill you too.”

The phone goes dead.