Page 46 of Acceptance
“What?”
He runs his hand over his hair. “You can’t say anything to anyone.”
“I barely talk to the people who are in here, let alone outside of here. Even at work, the most personal conversation topics touched revolve around food. Mostly what was made the night before.”
“You remember my ex? Aaron’s sister?”
Ah, so he has told her. That’s something.
“Nina, right?”
“She was the most recent victim they found at the gas station.”
Her jaw drops. “How… Are you sure? I mean, he’s called the De-Identifier—”
“Her tattoo. There’s enough intact to know that it matches mine.”
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry.”
He looks lost, and Venom feels terrible for him. When Venom learned his sister had been murdered by her crazed ex-boyfriend, he went through the various states of feeling nothing but pure hatred to feeling so numb he didn’t know how he managed to move.
It took him years to find the asshole who hurt his little sister, but he finally got his revenge. As much as he thought taking the man’s life would ease the pain in Venom, it was only momentarily sidelined. He felt vindicated, but even as he watched his sister’s killer take his last breath, he knew it wouldn’t bring Samantha back. Nothing would, and he had to learn how to move on.
“Hey, Undertaker,” Brock says. “Any chance you still have a photo of Nina? I can run it through my recognition programs to see if I can find her on any of the surveillance we have access to.”
Pulling out his phone, Undertaker sends a text to Brock quickly. “There you go.”
“How long has it been since you last saw her?”
“Just over thirteen years.”
The look of shock on Jamie’s face matches the way Venom feels. The picture was right there and readily available. No searching needed for someone he hasn’t seen inthirteenyears.
Buddy, I don’t think this will end well for you tonight.
“Let’s go talk in my apartment,” Undertaker says.
She says nothing but follows. Whatever fun time he’d been looking forward to tonight isn’t happening anymore. Especially if they’re staying here.
“I know he doesn’t date much,” Brock says, catching Venom’s eye, “but that should’ve taken a lot longer to find, right? Especially with his girl standing right there.”
“Read my mind. I don’t think he’s getting lucky tonight.”
Marnie Banks walks into the clubhouse, and Venom hates the butterflies that kick up in his stomach at the sight of her. She looks a little pale with some weight loss, but she’s still gorgeous.
She moved to Griffin’s Beach claiming she was wrong and wants to prove her love for him, but he can’t allow himself to open up to her again. In Summerville, she ripped his heart out and stomped on it, and if her dad ever caught wind they were together again, he suspects he’ll either be left alone or become a dirty little secret again. Neither of which sounds enticing.
“What are you doing here?” he asks, hoping he sounds indifferent rather than excited to see her.
Two months ago, he told her he didn’t love her, and it’s the biggest lie he’s ever told to anyone in his life. He thought she’d have booked it out of town by now, but she’s still here.
“I need to talk to you. There was a woman who came into the restaurant a few weeks ago, I think,” Marnie says. “She asked me about the Drifters.”
Her eyes won’t quite meet his, and he knows she’s still hurt. It kills him, but he needs her to leave town if he has any hope of moving on.
“I told her I know you guys, and she asked me to get her in touch with someone named Frances. She didn’t know a road name, but is there a Frances here? Or maybe in Black Valley?”
Brock shakes his head. “Nope. Never had one try to prospect, either.”
