Chapter 33 #3
“It’s alright, sweet one, I’ve got him,” Legion says, though I notice he’s wincing through his otherwise reassuring smile.
“Oh no, your ribs,” I wince along with him, “I’m sorry, I had no idea he would do that. Here, let me take him,” I say, stepping forward to lift Ace from his lap, who doesn’t seem to want to leave Legion.
“Are you from Hades?” Ace asks him, refusing to let go. The question broadens Legion’s smile, but I apologize anyway.
“Let go of the kid,” Ford Focus growls, suddenly beside us, “Or I’ll break those evil hands you’ve done God-knows-what with.”
Legion loosens his hold on Ace but keeps his hands hovering close enough to Ace’s back in case he should tumble again.
“Take him,” Ford Focus orders me as if I’m one of the patch-chasers they boss around. I’m not impressed with his tone, but don’t want this to escalate. I attempt to gently pull Ace from Legion’s lap again.
“No!” Ace protests, his little fingers gripping onto Legion’s jacket.
“You know,” Legion says, his voice carrying a hint of resentment as he glares at Ford Focus. “kids are generally good judges of character.”
“Sounds like something a groomer would say,” Ford Focus mutters, and my heart rate skyrockets again. I can practically feel the murderous rage radiating off of Legion.
“ That’s enough!” I snap, glaring briefly at Ford Focus. I’m afraid to even look at Legion while I gently pry Ace’s fingers from his jacket and pull him back into my arms.
“Is everything okay over here?” Cherry asks, stepping over to us on the other side of the bar.
She smiles and waves at Ace, but I can tell in her eyes, she can feel the tension when she looks at me.
“Do you want me to take him?” she asks. “The guys are in Church, I can bring Ace to the gym to play or just to Dean’s room? ”
“Sure,” I say, “I’ll handle the bar.”
“No need,” Cherry says, whistling at one of the patch-chasers. “I’m due for a break. Maxie can handle it until I come back.” Her gaze shifts to Ford Focus as she walks around the bar to take Ace from me. “You should probably go back to your post,” she says to him.
“I’m gonna have to tell Dean about this,” Ford Focus says, more so to me, like I’ve done something wrong.
“I’ll handle it.” I frown at him. Ford Focus glares at Legion once more before he walks away.
“Should I even ask?” Cherry glances at Legion as he turns back to his drink and downs it.
“ Please don’t ,” he growls.
Cherry takes Ace through the corridor beyond the bar. Once they’re out of sight, I step closer to Legion and cautiously touch his arm. He’s already tense and nearly flinches.
“ Probably shouldn’t do that … It is no doubt another transgression that will be promptly reported to the good warden .” He taps the bottom of his glass on the bar, grabbing Maxie’s attention. She retrieves the bottle of whiskey from the shelf and saunters over to him.
“Another Whiskey, neat?” she bats her eyes, but her flirtatious efforts go unnoticed. His gaze is locked on the empty glass.
“Do you want to talk?” I ask, but he says nothing, so I nod for Maxie to pour him the drink. The moment she does, he lifts the glass and downs it, then slides it back to her.
“Put it on my tab. I’m going out for a smoke.” Legion gets up from the bar, and I take a step back to give him some room.
“Let’s go to the back patio,” I suggest, not wanting to walk past Ford Focus by the front door.
“After you,” Legion gestures toward the corridor.
Once we’re clear of the bar and walking side by side down the hallway, I ask him how he’s feeling.
“ How am I feeling…” he mutters , tone dripping with resentment.
I thought getting Legion away from Ford Focus would have helped ease the tension, but as I keep pace beside him, it only seems to intensify.
I peer up at him. He’s staring straight ahead, jaw locked, hands curled into fists at his sides.
I know that word cut him. Legion may be a killer. A man who has done unspeakable things. But harming a child is not something he is, or ever was, capable of.
I can practically feel the heat rolling off of him.
The nearer we get to the back patio door, the slower his pace becomes, until we stop at the hall that leads to the gym and the War Room.
He turns to glare down it. I don’t hear Ace or Cherry in the gym playing on any of the equipment, so she must have taken him to Dean’s or her and Axel’s room.
“Legion?” I say his name questioningly.
“You’ll have to excuse me, sweet one,” he growls, then storms toward the War Room.
“ Wait!” I hurry after him, unsure of what exactly he’s going to do, but the anger in his expression is a clear indication it isn’t anything good.
He stands before the closed double doors.
I can hear the men inside talking as Legion’s shoulders tighten and he drags in a hissing breath.
“ Don’t!” I warn, but he’s beyond hearing me.
With one sharp kick, the doors burst open, slamming against the walls with a force that silences the entire room for a split second, before I hear the sound of chairs scraping against the floor as the men inside jump to their feet.
“What the fuck?” Viking’s voice booms loudest, “You’re gonna fucking pay for that!”
“I’m confident your president is well aware of the fact I can more than afford it!
” Legion’s voice dips dangerously low when he demands, “You want to tell me why your men think they can talk to me like I’m some fucking chomo?
” Though he’s clearly enraged, I can still hear the hurt in his words.
“I’ve killed men for far less than the constant disrespect I’ve tolerated from you and your crew for the sake of our truce. ”
“Is that what we’re calling coercion , now?” Dean sneers back at him.
“I murdered my own brother for you! I decimated my crew for you! I got my ass fucking pummeled for you!” Legion snaps.
“ For me?” Dean scoffs. “ Really? We both know that’s a fucking lie.”
“Damien…” I whisper, “Damien, come with me, please.”
“Who’s out there with you?” Dean demands, and I brace myself when I hear the heavy thud of his motorcycle boots round the table and approach the busted doorway.
“Vanna?” Dean’s angry expression instantly transitions to surprised concern when he steps into the hall. “I thought you were staying home with Ace tonight?”
“He…he wanted to see his uncles… I didn’t know there was a club meeting tonight,” I stammer.
His gaze shifts between me and Legion. “What the fuck happened?” Dean asks, but Legion remains silent.
“Ace tried to jump out of my arms, but Legion caught him. Your bouncer for the night had a few choice words over it,” I explain. “I wasn’t thrilled with the way he spoke to me either.”
Dean’s stare narrows. “He disrespected you?”
“I don’t know if I’d describe it that way, as far as what he said to me. But with Legion—” I begin to say when Dean interrupts.
“I don’t give a fuck about Legion.”
“Well, you should,” I press, a bit aggravated. I square my shoulders and continue. “What I witnessed was wrong, and Legion should not be subjected to that type of disrespect, especially when you all know by now what was said couldn’t be farther from who he is.”
Dean glances at Legion, and when he does, I can’t help but peer up at Legion, too. The hardness in his eyes has softened a bit, and he turns slightly to offer me a subtle nod in appreciation.
“Let’s discuss this later,” Dean says.
“With me? Fine. But while you already have everyone together, why don’t you lay down that law now? Because if I ever hear an accusation like this again…” I shake my head, giving all within earshot a moment to let my request sink in. “ I just might forget my place.”
“Alright,” Dean nods, “Legion, why don’t you give us a few minutes to wrap up and?—”
Before Dean can finish, Legion turns and brushes past me to head for the hall, but I hear his barely audible whisper as he does. A strangled, simple, “ Thank you.”
“Damien, wait,” I begin to follow him, but Dean grabs my hand, and I turn to face him. “Stop. We’ll have a conversation later. Can’t you see he’s hurt?”
Dean releases me, and I hurry after Legion. I didn’t hear the back patio door open, so he must have gone back to the bar to wait like Dean asked.
As I round the corner of the corridor, expecting to find him on the barstool being attended to by his new admirer, Maxie, I realize there’s a slight commotion in the bar.
A couple of guys are laughing, pointing toward the steel door.
I realize Ford Focus is holding his jaw, wearing a stunned, but also pained expression.
“What just happened?” I ask the blonde bartender.
“Legion slugged Ford before he left like he was punching out on a Friday night headed for a hot date!” Maxie laughs. “I thought about callin’ after him, I’m right here, baby! But he kind of scares me a little… I haven’t decided yet if it’s in a good way.”
I didn’t need to know all that. “Great,” I sigh, hurrying to the door.
Though I’m still annoyed with the way Ford Focus spoke to me earlier, I ask if he’s alright.
He nods, and I shove through the steel door.
The cool night air slaps me in the face.
Legion is already swinging his leg over his motorcycle across the lot, and he fires it up.
“Legion, wait!” I call out to him, but my voice is drowned out by the roar of his engine as he twists the throttle and takes off, barreling through the gates and into the city streets.
V anna’s sitting alone on the leather couch, staring at the Christmas tree in our living room when I step through the front door. “Ace is sleeping,” she tells me.
“Thought you were gonna stick around,” I say, shrugging out of my leather and hanging it up on the rack. I remove my boots at the door as well, before joining her on the couch. “Are you pissed at me?”
“No,” she says, leaning forward to place her phone on the slate coffee table. “Legion isn’t answering calls or texts.”