Chapter 37 #3
But then he straightens, standing toe to toe with his former Sergeant at Arms. “Have you forgotten who it is you’re dealing with?
I’ve known it was you all along… And as long as you honor the truce, I won’t come to claim your patch…
The devil you know, eh?” Legion pulls another drag from his cigarette and lets his next words drift on the smoke. “Ignore the warning, inherit the war.”
Reaper scoffs. “And who said that?”
“ Me, motherfucker,” Legion snaps. “You may have reconstructed something on the frayed threads of my coattails, but I’m back now.”
“Yeah…you are,” Reaper mutters, “And that leads us to our next order of business.”
“I believe our business has concluded.” Legion pulls a final drag from his cigarette and drops it between them. “I am declining your strong-armed offer to join your organization.”
“You think that’s wise? You may have weaseled Jocsan County away from us, but the Saviors MC will never truly have your back.”
“You’re right… Which is why I joined the Joco Jokers prior to the patch-over…
They have no choice … I’m afraid you’ve just been bested by the Saviors MC’s newest Enforcer.
” Legion grins deviously, taking a step closer to Reaper as if the King of Mount Meth isn’t twice his size.
“But don’t look so put out, old friend …
You aren’t exactly leaving here empty-handed , now, are you? ”
M ost of the women and all of the kids are tucked away in the back rooms, sleeping.
It’s a little after eleven pm. Cherry, Rosita, Diesel’s wife Jaida, Maxie, and a few of the patch-chasers are waiting up with me in the bar.
Having exhausted my capacity for small talk throughout the course of the day, we’re sitting together quietly.
Quiet enough to hear the sound of motorcycles approaching from down the street.
“It’s them,” Maxie says, anxiously standing up from one of the tables and smoothing down her denim skirt. “Should we turn the oven on and heat up the trays? Put on some coffee?”
“Might as well,” Cherry says. “A few of them, in addition to Viking, are bound to be hungry.”
“Be mindful of the sleeping kids nearby,” I remind them.
While Maxie and the other patch-chasers head for the kitchen, I step outside with Cherry, Rosita, and Jaida. The prospects standing guard at the gates already have them open, and we watch our biker husbands pull into the lot.
Serene’s tires are the first to hit the gravel, and relief floods my system at the sight of my husband returning, unscathed.
While he parks Serene in her usual spot, I scan the rest of the crew to make sure they’re all here, too, but I don’t wait for Dean to dismount and come to me.
I’m already halfway across the lot before he swings his leg off the bike and closes the distance between us.
His eyes are softer than they were when he left earlier.
“Is everything alright?” he asks, just before I wrap my arms around him. He instantly holds me back in his warm, solid embrace. He presses a kiss to my temple, lingering to breathe me in as if he missed me, too, and I feel the tension leaving his shoulders the longer we hold onto each other.
“I was just worried,” I whisper. He releases me only enough to study my expression. “We’ve never had to do this before. You’ve never gone off to meet a gang wearing bullet-proof vests beneath your cuts.”
Dean lifts my chin with his finger before kissing my lips. He presses his forehead to mine for a moment, as if he’s relieved by something more than this truce. “ It’s all Aces, baby … This was just a precaution. Everything went according to plan.”
“Yeah… You’re welcome , by the way,” Legion’s gravelly voice mutters behind Dean. I hear his Zippo ping open, and his thumb flick the striker.
Dean slips his arm around my waist, and we both turn to face him. “Let’s not pretend you didn’t end up exactly where you wanted all along.”
Legion grins, pulling a drag on his cigarette while he plays with the brass Zippo in his other hand, but doesn’t comment.
The rest of the crew follows Cherry, Rosita, and Jaida inside, but Viking stops to check on us.
“Everything good here?” he asks, glancing between Dean and Legion.
“ We’ll see,” Dean says, but his eyes narrow on Legion suspiciously. “Was it all you?”
“Define, all…” Legion smirks.
“ All. Everything. Since the moment you rolled your sinister ass back into our town,” Dean growls. “Did you know it would play out like this? Did you orchestrate it?”
“If I did, you still benefited .” Legion casually shrugs. “And I’m still waiting for that thank you.”
“Fuck you.” Dean’s sharp tone makes me anxiously shift in my boots beside him. “The last thing any of us wanted to see was our rocker on your fuckin’ back after everything we know you did orchestrate.”
Legion’s wicked grin only broadens before he slides his gaze to me. With a slight bow, he winks at me. “ My Queen…”
Dean’s tightening, possessive grip on my hip almost hurts. “ My. Queen,” he warns through gritted teeth.
As Legion steps past us to head for the steel door of the Twisted Throttle, he violently jerks the Zippo in his hand before a flame ignites his middle finger. He lifts it over his shoulder as he walks away, the flame illuminating the bright embroidered skull and angel wings on his back.
“Damn,” Viking chuckles, clapping a hand on Dean’s shoulder. “Legion didn’t just flip you the bird, Dean. He flipped you the fucking phoenix.”
We watch Viking stroll into the roadhouse as well, and when Dean’s grip loosens on me, his arm drops back to his side.
I quickly slip my hand into his. Not just to ground him, maybe to ground us both.
Lacing my fingers between my husband’s, I squeeze his hand a little tighter, trying to tell him without words that I’m here.
I’m his. That I want this truce between him and Legion to hold.
Dean lets out a stress-ridden sigh as he gazes down at me, forcing a smile I know I’m meant to be reassured by. But a part of me still wonders if true peace between them is really possible… Or if I will always be the reason it never will be…