Chapter 1 - Nora #2
Judge's expression doesn't change. His hands hang loose at his sides, and he doesn't look at the knife. Just at the Viper's face. "Last chance. Walk away."
"Fuck you."
The Viper lunges.
I grab Grace and pull her behind me, turning her face into my jacket so she can't see, but I can't look away.
The Viper is fast, the knife cutting through the air toward Judge's ribs, but Judge is faster.
He sidesteps like he knew exactly where the blade would be, catches the Viper's wrist mid-swing, and twists hard.
I hear the crack from where I'm standing.
The Viper screams. The knife hits the pavement with a clatter. Judge doesn't let go. He just drives his knee into the Viper's stomach hard enough to double him over, then brings his elbow down on the back of the Viper's neck. The Viper drops to his knees, gasping.
"You made a mistake," Judge says. His voice is absolutely calm. Like he's commenting on the weather. "Coming to Millhaven. Putting your hands on civilians. Pulling a knife on me."
The Viper tries to swing wild with his good hand. Judge blocks it, grabs the back of the Viper's head, and slams his face into his rising knee. Blood explodes from the Viper's nose. He staggers back, trips, falls.
Judge follows him down. Crouches next to him. Says something too low for me to hear.
Whatever it is makes the Viper's eyes go wide with terror.
Then Judge stands, picks up the knife from where it fell, and tosses it into the darkness beyond the streetlight's reach. He looks at the Viper: blood streaming from his nose, one arm cradled against his chest, eyes wild with pain and fear.
"Go back to Demon," Judge says. "Tell him I was patrolling. Tell him I caught you harassing a woman and her kid. Tell him exactly what happened when you tried to make a name for yourself." He pauses. "And tell him if I catch another Viper in my town, they won't walk away."
The Viper scrambles to his feet, nearly falls again, catches himself against the vending machine.
For a second I think he might try something stupid, might go for another weapon, might try to attack again.
But then he looks at Judge's face and whatever he sees there makes him turn and run, stumbling into the darkness beyond the bus station.
The sound of his footsteps fades.
Judge watches until there's nothing but silence. Then he turns to me.
I'm frozen. Grace is plastered against my side, her eyes huge, her hands clutching my jacket so hard her knuckles are white. The man who just dismantled another man in under two minutes is walking toward us, and I don't know if I should run or say thank you or…
He stops a few feet away. Doesn't come closer. His hands hang loose at his sides, non-threatening despite what I just watched them do.
"You okay?" His voice is rough but gentler than I expected.
I can't speak. Can't do anything but nod.
He looks down at Grace, and his expression shifts. Softens, maybe. Or maybe I'm imagining it. "She okay?"
Grace is staring up at him with enormous eyes. She signs to me without looking away from him. “Is he nice? Did he hurt the mean man?”
“I don't know,” I sign back. “Yes. The mean man is gone.”
Judge watches my hands. Watches Grace's face. Then his eyes come back to mine.
"You're new in town."
"Yes."
"Got a place to stay?"
"Yes." My voice is barely a whisper.
"Where?"
"An Airbnb. On Oak Street."
He nods slowly. "The third house on the right?"
"How do you know that?"
"Only rental on Oak Street with a code entry. Owner lists it online." He glances back toward where the Viper disappeared. "That piece of shit is going to go straight back to his club. Tell them what happened. Tell them about you."
"Me? I didn't do anything—"
"You were here. You saw it. That makes you a witness." He stares at me with those beautiful green eyes. "And that means the Vipers are going to want to know who you are. What you saw. Whether you're connected to the Iron Phoenix."
"I'm not connected to anyone. I just got here—"
"Doesn't matter." His voice is flat. Final. "They'll come looking anyway. They're at war with my club. They'll use whatever leverage they can find."
Grace tugs on my sleeve. “Mama, who is he?”
I don't know how to answer that. Don't know what to tell her about the man who just saved us from something I don't want to think about.
Judge looks at Grace again. Then, slowly, he raises his hands and signs.
“My name is Judge. You're safe now. The bad man won't come back.”
Grace's mouth falls open.
So does mine.
He knows sign language.
Grace's whole face lights up. She signs back immediately, her hands moving fast with that fearless curiosity only five-year-olds have. “You can talk like Mama! Are you nice? Why did you fight the mean man?”
Judge's expression changes, something almost like a smile, but smaller. He signs back. “The mean man was being bad. I stopped him. That's my job.”
“What job?”
“Protecting people.”
“Like a superhero?”
This time he does smile. “Something like that.”
I find my voice finally. "How do you know ASL?"
He looks at me, and something in his eyes is unreadable. "Learned it a long time ago. Needed another way to communicate." He doesn't elaborate. Just nods toward the street. "You need to get to your rental. Get inside. Lock the doors."
"Are we in danger?"
"Not tonight. I'll make sure of it." He pulls out his phone. "Give me your number."
"Why?"
"So I can contact you if the Vipers come looking.
So you can contact me if something happens.
" When I hesitate, he adds, "You don't have to trust me.
But that Viper's going back to a club of forty-three men who are at war with mine.
They're going to want revenge for what I just did.
And you're the only witness who can tell them anything about you. "
My hands are shaking as I pull out my phone. I read him my number and watch him save it.
"What's your name?" he asks.
"Nora. Nora James."
"Judge. Warren Cole. But everyone calls me Judge." He glances at Grace. "What's her name?"
"Grace."
He nods. Puts his phone away. "I'm going to follow you to Oak Street. Make sure you get inside safe. Then I'm going to patrol the area for the rest of the night. Make sure nobody else shows up."
"You don't have to—"
"Yeah," he says. "I do. That's my job. Patrolling. Watching for Vipers trying to scout Millhaven." His eyes are steady on mine. "I was already doing it when you got here. That Viper? He wasn't here by accident. He was gathering intel about anything he could get his hands on."
"And now he's going to report about me."
"Yeah."
"I just wanted to start over." My voice cracks. "I just wanted somewhere safe and quiet."
"I know." Something in his expression gentles. "But you picked the right town at the wrong time. I'm sorry."
He walks back to his motorcycle, and I realize my hands are shaking. Grace is still staring at him, her face full of curiosity instead of fear, and I don't know if that makes me feel better or worse.
Judge swings one leg over the bike, and the engine rumbles to life. He doesn't look at us again. Just waits.
I grab both suitcases and Grace's hand. Start walking. Behind us, the motorcycle follows at a distance, its headlight cutting through the darkness like a promise.
Or a threat.
I don't know which yet.
But I know one thing: Millhaven isn't calm.
And I just walked straight into a war.