Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Midas
I lay into the bag like it has the answers to all the fucked-up questions in my head. I block out everything else around me and focus on my jabs and staying light on my feet. I hit it until my knuckles split and my arms feel like fucking Jell-O.
I don’t stop until someone grabs the bag, stopping it from moving. Wiping the sweat from my brow, I glare at Capone, who glares back.
“What?”
“What the fuck do you mean ‘what’? Enough’s enough, man. Look at the fucking state of your hands.”
I look down at them. And sure enough, the wrapping’s soaked with blood.
“Fuck.”
“Go get cleaned up. If they need stitches, I’m taking you to the ER.”
“They won’t need stitches,” I grunt.
“Yeah, we’ll fucking see.”
“I thought Havoc was gonna convince Lil to take over the clinic.”
Capone shrugs, so I let it go. Right now, I don’t care. Turns out I don’t care much about anything anymore.
I start unwrapping my hands as I head to the changing room, the blood drying and the fabric sticking to my skin. The sting doesn’t register. Not anymore.
The asshole follows me.
“Planning on holding my dick for me?” I snap, pulling off my T-shirt as I reach my locker.
“Even if I swung that way, you’d be the last dick I’d be interested in.”
I ignore him and strip off the rest of my clothes before grabbing a towel and heading to the showers. Turning the water on, I stand under the spray and tip my head back, letting it wash over me. It doesn’t matter how many showers I take, though. They never wash my sins clean.
When I’m finished, I turn off the water and dry myself, wrapping the towel around my waist. Walking back to my locker, I curse when I see Capone still there waiting for me.
“Did you just come to watch, or did you actually want something?”
He grits his teeth as I get dressed and then pull my cut on.
“Something’s going on with Havoc.”
I look at him sharply. “Like what?”
“Don’t know. Not my business unless he makes it that way. But he and Tink are heading up to see Hannibal. They’re taking Circus and Kruger with them,” he adds before I can ask.
“Probably something to do with Lola.”
“You don’t know that.”
I snort. “Trust me, it’s always fucking bitches causing issues.”
He shakes his head, looking pissed. “I don’t even know who the fuck you are anymore.” He turns and walks away, finally.
I slam my locker shut and grip my hair in frustration. I know I’m being a dick, but I don’t know how to be anything else right now. I’m just pissed—pissed at Legs, pissed at myself, pissed at the whole fucking world.
I storm out of the gym, past Capone, who ignores me, and head over to my bike.
Climbing on, I start the engine and ride to Au.
I’ve been opening up late because, without Legs, I don’t have anyone to open.
I could grab a prospect, but with Dice still recouping, we’re down a man.
I’m hoping the two new recruits will help.
I open the door and stand there for a minute as a million memories slam into me.
Legs sitting behind the counter laughing, Legs bent over my desk with my dick inside her.
Legs walking around with a duster in her hand, putting out new stock, smiling when I walk in.
She’s everywhere I look, burned into every corner, and I fucking love it just as much as I hate it.
I swear to fuck I can still smell her. I don’t know if it’s real or if I’m losing my goddamned mind.
Shaking my head, I throw my backpack in my office, which is a fucking mess now that she’s gone, and slam the door shut. I head out front and wait. An hour passes before my first customer comes in, and by then, my thoughts have been eating me alive, and my patience is shot.
A woman walks in, and for a moment, I freeze. She has her head down as she looks for something in her bag, her long blonde hair covering her face. I stand up and hurry around the counter.
“Legs?”
She lifts her head, and disappointment hits me in the chest.
“What?”
“Sorry. What can I help you with?”
She pulls out a ticket and hands it to me. “I’m here to buy this back.”
I check the item number and head over to the showcase. I pull out an antique gold locket and flip it open—inside is a photo of an old woman and a little girl holding hands.
“That’s my grandmother and mom,” she says, and I grunt as I find a bag and ring it up.
“It’s not something I ever thought I’d have to pawn,” she adds nervously. “I’m just so glad I was able to get it back.”
Instead of keeping my mouth shut like I should’ve, I look up at her and shake my head. “You’re not the first to hock a family heirloom for cash, and you won’t be the last.”
She swallows. “No, I guess not.”
“Maybe make better choices. Next time, you might not get it back.”
She glares at me, her mouth dropping open. “Wow. No wonder you usually have a woman working. If people had to deal with you, they’d never come back.”
“Yeah, well. She’s gone too. So I’d think twice before pawning something else.”
“You manage a pawnshop.”
I cross my arms. “I own it.”
“And you judge the people that bring you business.” She nods to my cut. “I thought you’d know better than to judge people.”
She’s right, but don’t offer her an apology.
She shakes her head, suddenly looking sad.
“My ex-husband beat me. But when he hit our son, that was it. I took him and left in the middle of the night with a bag of clothes and that locket. He tried to get full custody. The money from hocking my locket—as you put it—went to paying my legal fees. Now my son sleeps safe at night, knowing he never has to put himself between my unconscious body and his father’s fists again.
So go ahead, judge me. I don’t give a single fuck,” she snaps, her chest heaving.
I stare at her, my stomach twisting with disgust at the man I’ve become. I hand her the locket, and when she tries to pay, I cross my arms.
“Keep it.”
“No, thank you. I don’t need your pity.”
“It’s not pity. It’s penance. Go treat your kid. Hell, treat yourself. I think you both earned it.”
She swallows, looking confused, and I can’t say I blame her. Half the time, I don’t understand myself either.
“Um…are you sure?”
I cock a brow. “What do you think?”
“I’m not sure you want to know what I’m thinking right now,” she mutters.
Despite myself, I crack a smile. “Probably not. Better leave before I change my mind.”
She nods, still looking confused but also grateful. She heads for the door, stopping with her hand on the push bar, and looks back over her shoulder. “Thank you.”
“No, thank you.”
“For what?”
“For reminding me that not everything is what it seems.”
She nods and leaves, the door closing behind her.
Like she’s broken the seal, I get a steady stream of customers over the next few hours, mostly keeping me too busy to think, which is just as well. It’s hard enough keeping Legs outta my head on a good day, let alone when every other customer asks where she is.
Finally, when the last person leaves, I flip the sign to CLOSED, I take a deep breath, and lean back against the door. A knock on the door has me looking over my shoulder, ready to turn them away, until I see it’s Lil. I quickly open the door and pull her inside.
“What are you doing here? Is it Legs? Is she okay?”
She looks up at me in surprise, and that’s when I see her pale face.
“Lil—”
“It’s not Legs. A prospect was supposed to pick me up but he wasn’t answering his phone, and—”
I press my hands to her shoulders. “Take a breath and tell me what’s wrong.”
“I think I’m going crazy,” she whispers, her eyes filling with tears. “I swear someone’s following me.”
My expression hardens. I pull my gun and yank the door open. “Stay here. Lock the door. Only open it for me.”
Before she can say anything, I step outside and close the door behind me. I head to her car, scanning the area for anything suspicious, but everything seems quiet. Too quiet. I pull out my phone and call Ambros.
“Midas? Not to be a dick but can you make it quick? I’m running late to pick up Lil—”
“Come to Au. She’s with me.” I hang up as he starts cursing.
I knock on the door and wait for Lil to answer. When she does, I step inside and lock it behind me. “Come on.” I take her arm gently and lead her to my office. I clear one of the chairs and ease her into it before pouring her a shot of whiskey. “Drink this.”
She downs it like a pro and hands me the empty glass.
“Alright. Start from the beginning.”
“I felt like I was being followed, but I never saw anyone. It was just a feeling. I mentioned it to Hannibal, and he arranged for Kruger to meet me at the shelter when I’m working and follow me home, or a prospect would cover me if something came up.
Tonight, I couldn’t get hold of anyone. I was gonna stay, but then there was a gas leak, and we were evacuated and told to go home. ”
She swallows. “I thought I’d be okay. But then this car started following me. Every turn I made, it followed. If I sped up, so did they.”
“What kind of car was it?”
“A dark Ford Bronco. Black or navy blue, maybe. One of the older models.”
“You get a look at the driver?”
She shakes her head. “I couldn’t even tell if they were male or female. I was trying to make it back to the clubhouse, but then I remembered Sunshine mentioning she was run off the road, and you were the closest person, so I came here.”
“You did the right thing. I called Ambros. He’s on his way here to get you. But we need to bring this up with the club. A car tailing you is more than a feeling, Lil. It’s proof.”
Her shoulders slump, but she nods. “Okay.”
“We’ll keep you safe.”
“I know.”
“You have any idea who this asshole might be?”
She shakes her head again. “I don’t have a clue. I don’t know if I’ve pissed someone off, if its someone from the shelter or something completely random. I really don’t know.”
“Alright, don’t worry about it. But just to be safe, we need to let the others know, in case it’s club-related.”