Chapter 37
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Scout
“Daddy, what are you doing here?” I whisper sharply, eyes darting between Luka and my father.
They’re staring each other down, Luka’s body is tense, but he keeps his expression neutral.
Unlike my father, who seems to be barely holding in his rage.
His jaw flexes hard, the muscle ticking as he crushes the paper in his trembling fist. A vein throbs at his temple, pulsing beneath his flushed skin, and his usual neatly combed hair sticks up in wild tufts, like he’s dragged his hands through it one too many times.
My eyes move to Jimmy, who stands in the front row, wearing khaki pants and his father’s company-branded baby blue polo. His hands are shoved in his pockets, eyes ping-ponging between my father and Luka.
I don’t think it’s physically possible to look any more strait-laced than these two. Yet here they are, attempting to intimidate my motorcycle riding, bad boy of a husband and in front of an audience no less. This should be fun.
“We’re sorta in the middle of a closing ceremony,” Luka says, his voice cool and casual. “How about we pick this up in, say… an hour?” He flashes a sharp-toothed grin, making the vein on my father’s temple throb even harder.
He moves in closer, holding the paper just inches away from Luka’s face. “Take a look,” he snaps, jabbing a finger at the page. “Can you read that, or do you need me to sound it out for you?”
Then he turns, raising his voice to the crowd.
“This criminal you’ve all so generously appointed as your leader is about to face some very serious consequences. The police are already on their way, so I suggest you all start clearing out. Show’s over, folks!”
There’s a muffle of chatter, but nobody moves, which only fuels my father’s rage.
A moment later, I see my mother emerging from the crowd, her jaw is tight, and her lips pursed.
She doesn’t look happy. She whispers something to my father, then pulls his arm, trying to get him to leave with her, but he just shrugs her off, the force making her lose her balance as she falls to the ground behind him.
He doesn’t even bother to help her, his glare set on Luka.
A group of viewers help her to her feet, and as she stands back up, I catch her eyes.
The look of defeat on her face almost makes me feel sorry for her.
For just a moment, I think she’s going to do something, stop him, or leave at the very least, but then her eyes fall to the ground and she leans back into my father, placing a soft hand on his back. I see her lips move as she apologizes.
I shake my head, feeling a surge of disappointment. Of course she’d fall right back in line. Anything to not make a scene. A woman’s place is behind her husband after all.
“Look, I know you’ve gone through a lot of trouble to make sure justice is served here,” Luka says, as he pulls something out of his back pocket. “If it helps anything, I have this.” He passes the paper to my father, whose eyes widen.
My father shakes his head. “How did you? This isn’t possible. This permit is dated six months ago,” He cuts his eyes to Jimmy. “You said you double-checked the records.”
Now it’s Jimmy who’s stammering. He shakes his head, looking flustered. “I did. I checked at least three times.”
“All right then, now that that’s settled.” Luka makes a get lost motion with his hands. He turns his attention back to the crowd. “Sorry about that, now where was I?—”
“This permit has clearly been forged,” my father interrupts, shaking his head with a humorless laugh. “You see, folks, criminals like this little punk never change.”
He reaches for my arm, but I yank it away before he can grab me. “Come on, Scout. I’m done with this little act of defiance. We’re leaving?—”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.” I hiss. “And Luka’s not a criminal.”
My father’s jaw clenches so hard I think he may crack a tooth. His nostrils flare, and he lowers his voice in warning. “That’s enough, Scout…”
“No, I’m so tired of you and everyone else acting like Luka’s some dangerous criminal who can’t be trusted.” I stomp to the side of the stage and take the rope from Roman. I give the rope a hard yank.
The tarp falls to the ground with a heavy swish, revealing the massive Phantom mural I worked tirelessly all summer on.
A hush ripples through the crowd, and every eye lifts in unison, drawn to the vivid mural. The tarp still flutters at the edge of the stage, catching in the breeze.
Much like the original painting, the Phantom stares back at us from the wall.
His emerald eyes glowing amid his midnight leather skin, his massive wings spanning out behind him, disappearing into the darkness.
The image is hauntingly beautiful, the details adding so much depth and emotion, encompassing everything the Phantom stands for.
There’s a long beat of silence, and then…
“Oh my… will you look at that…” someone breathes.
“It’s so… beautiful,” someone else adds.
“I’ve seen those eyes before somewhere…”
I take a deep breath and direct my attention to the crowd, my eyes locking on Luka’s parents, who look equally shocked and proud.
“It was me. I was the one who spray-painted this building.” I glance back to Luka and say, “Luka took the fall for me… And my father knew the whole time.”
The rounding gasps of shock echo around us as everyone bursts into chaos.
“Is that true?”
“How could you do that to that poor boy?”
“You gave him the harshest penalty possible!”
My father’s hand latches on my arm in a bone-crushing grip as he yanks me behind him. “We’re leaving… Now!”
I try to shrug him off, but his grip is too tight. “Ow, you’re hurting me.”
He steps off the platform, yanking me behind him, causing me to lose my balance. My foot slips and I fall the short distance, landing on the side of my ankle.
The next thing I know, Luka’s by my side. “You okay?”
I nod, wincing as he helps me to my feet.
Then he’s in my father’s face. “Lay a finger on my wife again, and I’ll break every bone in your hand, so you’ll never be able to hold a pen… much less forge another signature,” Luka seethes, staring down at my father.
My father’s eyes grow wide in recognition.
“Yeah. I fucking know about all the shell companies you used Scout’s identity to hide behind.
” Luka sucks his teeth and tilts his head, making his neck crack.
“I was going to let the cops handle it, but I’m running out of patience.
So If I were you, I’d get the fuck out of here before I lose my temper. ”
“You just started a war motherfucker.” The shove that comes to Luka’s back barely causes him to stumble, pushing him only slightly forward.
A look of sweet relief washes over Luka’s face as he breathes out a sigh. “Thank God.” The devilish smile that spreads over his face is almost as terrifying as it is hot.
Luka spins around. He swings his fist, making perfect contact to Jimmy’s cheekbone with a sickening crunch. And chaos erupts around us.
The next thing I know, Guy’s at my side, “Let’s get you out of here,” he says, before tossing me over his shoulder. I lift my dangling head to watch the chaos ensue as he carries me to safety.
I watch as Jimmy stumbles on his feet, trying to collect himself. My father fists Luka’s shirt, but Luka doesn’t as much as flinch, just looks him dead in the eye, as if begging him to hit him.
He raises his fist, but before he can land the punch, Frank comes out of nowhere, grabs the back of his shirt, and pulls him back.
Jimmy dives at Luka’s waist, causing them both to fly back, landing hard against the cobblestone.
My father spins around just as Frank’s fist connects with his face. He shakes out his hand with a satisfied smile. “I’ve been waiting thirty years to do that.”
Jimmy tries to get up and run, but Luka grabs his ankle, pulling him back down. He climbs on top of him, landing blow after blow, until Jett pulls him off.
“That’s enough,” Jett says as Luka fights to get another hit. “Luka, calm down. I said that’s enough. The cops are on their way.”
Sirens wail in the distance, and my father stumbles to his feet, panic in his eyes as he tries to make a run for it. He shoves past a group of older women, but he doesn’t make it ten feet before something causes him to abruptly stop. He falls face first onto the ground with a hard thud.
Roman stands over him holding the rope tied around his feet. “Where do you think you’re going?” He drops to one knee as he loops the rope around my father’s hands, securing his hands behind his back as my father struggles uselessly.
Luka drags a teary-eyed Jimmy over to his brother, and Roman secures him with the rope just as easily as Jimmy wails.
“Wait until my father hears about this!” His protest is cut short as Roman stuffs his sweaty bandanna into his mouth.
He takes a step back, hands on his hips, as if appreciating his work.
My father and Jimmy lay on their bellies, hog-tied with their hands and feet tied together.
“Now, I may have to try that on Susan next time she tries to get mouthy,” Big Dan says, nudging the man beside him with a chuckle.
Luka makes his way over to us, thanking Guy for getting me away from the danger. He drops to his knees, already zeroed in on my swollen ankle. “I’m so sorry, baby, I?—”
“Luka, I’m fine.” I place a hand on his chest as I try my best to reassure him. I trace my finger over the bruise already forming around his eye. “Does it hurt?”
He shakes his head, his grin splitting his face. “I’ve never felt better.”
The wail of the police sirens grows louder, blue lights flashing. The gravel crunches as they pull their cars to the road.
Everyone clears a path as they make their way over, this time arresting the real criminals.
“Holy shit. That’s one way to do it,” The officer chuckles as he and his partner handcuff my father and Jimmy before cutting their ropes loose.
They read them their rights before walking them to the police car, my father shouting in protest every step of the way as my mother chases behind them.
The officer closes the police door with a loud thud, silencing my father’s screams.
He looks to Luka as he says, “I’d ask what happened, but Jett’s already given us access to the cameras. We saw the whole thing.” He gestures over his shoulder. “Why don’t you wrap things up here, and you can stop by the station when you’re finished.”
“Yeah. I’ll stop by on my way home,” Luka says with a nod, but there’s an uneasiness in his voice.
“Thank you, officer,” Frank shakes both of the officers’ hands, thanking them for their hasty arrival.
I don’t hear anything else because my attention is on Luka. I can’t imagine how triggering all of this must be for him, even if he isn’t the one leaving in handcuffs this time.
I place a hand on his chest, feeling his thundering heartbeat beneath my palm. “Hey, are you okay?”
He gives me a slight nod before pulling me into a tight hug. “I’ll be fine, Girl Scout. Just need a minute for my adrenaline to come down.”
I nod against his chest in understanding as we just stand there, holding each other.
The moment is broken when a shrill whistle rattles my eardrums. I glance up to find Miss Scarlett standing on the stage, microphone in hand. “All right, you know the drill. Everyone grab something. Let’s clean this mess up.”
Without hesitation, everyone jumps into action, stacking chairs and emptying trash cans, and setting everything exactly as it was.
I feel Miss Scarlett’s gentle touch on my back as she says, “Why don’t you two get out of here and handle your business. We’ve got this taken care of.”
I look at Luka. “Are you sure? There’s a lot that needs to be broken down.”
Luka smiles, pushing my hair behind my ear as he straightens my glasses. “I think they’re more than capable of handling it.” He scoops me up in a cradle hold. “Now what do you say we grab some frozen hot dogs to ice this ankle with?”
I roll my eyes and giggle, loving how easy life is with Luka. The way he never takes things too seriously and makes the most out of every moment.
“Sounds kinky.”