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I felt the same. They were my family in Oxford, a different safety than the friends I made at uni. Luc, Max, and Steve expected nothing of me and didn’t need me to be anything but myself. They didn’t care about my name or my background; I was just ‘Kitty Cat’. At least, that’s what I thought.
But I still had to wonder how many times Luc and Steve sat there when Max and Goss talked about me. And why Max didn’t quite believe Goss could be that poisonous, even though I’d confronted him about it so many times.
A man at the bar had been staring at Luc since I’d approached him. I thought he was there for a drink, but he’d been watching us for too long. The only reason I recognised Diego Sanchez was because of the giant photo of him hanging on the wall to the left of us, alongside the other three members of The Angels. I didn’t want to respond to Luc’s soft admission, so I used him as a distraction.
“We have an admirer.” I nodded behind Luc.
He swung around on his stool. I couldn’t see his face, but I could hear the smile in his biting voice.
“Well, if it isn’t Venom’s little bitch,” Luc growled.
I tipped my head back, getting a better look at the gorgeous Hispanic man who was obviously two seconds away from exploding at that one comment. I suspected Diego and I might have a lot in common. He was shorter than me, with beautiful black hair curling down into a short beard, highlighting his firm jaw. He looked fantastic in a white T-shirt and brown bomber jacket, his abs clearly showing through the thin shirt.
“Can’t you come up with something original for once?” His accent shone through as he glowered at both of us.
“Is that what you say every time Venom fucks you in the arse?”
It surprised me that Luc would be so crass. When we were friends, there were often times he could be harsh, but he was fair and never cruel.
I was so focused on them that I didn’t notice Venom until he invaded our space. He smirked as he stood before us.
“Don’t be jealous, Luc. You can have Diego all to yourself if you ask nicely.” His voice was rich but tainted with cruelty, reminding me of Goss.
A callous sneer twisted his face, cutting through Diego before he could shoot back. He was too close, leering the same way Goss used to, a sick glare that revelled in causing pain.
He narrowed his heavily made-up eyes as I laughed at him. I couldn’t help it. Apart from the missing rings of devotion riding his ear and the extra piercings on his lip and nose, he dressed exactly the same as Max.
I saw an article where they’d interviewed the lead singers of Clutch and The Angels separately, and both Venom and Max complained about people comparing the two of them, but I swear I’d seen Max wearing the same black biker jacket and red shirt in a candid shot earlier this week. His boots were the same custom-made Dr Martens, only they bore angel wings instead of safety pins, and he was even wearing black lipstick. His face was thinner, his cheekbones less sharp, more of a boyish look, but it was still Max’s style down to a T.
I liked that his composure fractured momentarily before he snarled back. “Who are you?”
I didn’t come here to be spoken to like this, and I wasn’t in the mood to deal with assholes.
“I’m not someone you want to be fucking with.” I folded my arms, leaning into Luc as he threaded his hand around my waist.
I appreciated the gesture, glad for his support. I dealt with shits like Venom every day in court, big men who thought their strength gave them the right to be violent.
Venom’s eyes zeroed in on Luc’s touch, and he sneered. “Is she another one of your whores? You can never just stick with one, can you, Luc?” He ran his eyes over my body, and I’d already decided I was going to send a kick into his side when he continued. “She looks like she can take it hard. I bet she goes down easy.” He reached out and took my elbow, trying to pull me towards him. “Hey, honey, why don’t you —”
I jerked back in shock as Venom suddenly vanished from my sight. Max shot between us, slamming his open palm into Venom’s face, shoving him away from me with a snarl. Venom stumbled backwards, gasping. It happened too quickly for him to react. Max threw a punch into his stomach before driving his fists into his shoulders, forcing Venom to the ground as people screamed and jumped out of the way.
I leapt towards them, just in time to miss Luc hurtling to the ground behind me as Diego launched himself at him.
Max pressed his knee into Venom’s stomach, pinned down his shoulder, keeping him on his back, and raised his fist above his face. Then came the cameras. The reporters pushed through the crowd while guests whipped out their phones.
“One more word out of your mouth, and I’ll rip your fucking jaw from your skull,” Max growled, spit flying from his mouth.
His black shirt and jeans would hide the blood, but I wanted to see him dirty.
I was going to grab Max, throw him off Venom, and protect him from all the cameras shining on him, but he’d captivated me. I felt like a lioness watching her mate defend her pride. All claws and teeth and brutal snarls, taking out anything that posed a threat to our family.
Venom laughed, blood bursting from his nose and mouth, spraying Max and pebbling his face in scarlet. “You —”
Max kept his promise. He didn’t even blink as he slammed his fist into Venom’s face. Raising his bent elbow high over his back, Max brought it down again with full force, smashing Venom’s nose. Venom’s lip split and his eyes watered. His legs thrashed out as his hand pushed against Max’s neck, trying to free himself, but there was no stopping the onslaught. Max kept punching him, his body shaking with the effort.
I wanted him to keep going, to see how far he would take this, but a woman burst through the ring of onlookers. “Can you lot not rein in the testosterone for one fucking night!?” she was yelling at the four of them, striking in a purple dress that matched her mahogany skin perfectly. Her voice cut through the heavy music, amplifying her command as she shouted orders at the security guards pushing the crowd back. “Get them out of here. Now!”
She stood tall, her large afro and high cheekbones setting off her beauty, and with her stormy eyes and fierce eyebrows, it felt like she could have taken on the lot of them without a second thought.
