Chapter 18
LEGION
H aving spent years avoiding Keegan’s clutches while working within the cloak of darkness to destroy his world, there was one place I knew neither he nor anyone else would ever fathom to find me.
A rustic, shanty -style houseboat. Upon my return to North Carolina, I acquired another riverfront abode.
This time, I upgraded to a very secluded hunting cabin, built into the river’s edge within the Pamlico estuary. The cabin, not far from town as the crow flies, sits nestled in the woods down a barely noticeable trail. A genuine retreat, surrounded by acres of forest.
Having lived most of my life in the desert, this lush, estuarine environment is a contrast I’ve come to quite enjoy.
My home, at least for the time being, is a modest cabin, complete with a large deck which expands the length of the structure, as well as several yards over the river’s edge, providing a truly spectacular view of this remote section of river. My own private paradise. A sanctuary within a sanctuary.
Though as I approach my humble abode, I notice the sliding glass doors of my dwelling are open…
Perhaps I’ve been, or am presently being , robbed. There is no way anyone of any pertinence to my current life could know about this place. At least, not yet…
Already in the foulest of moods after Stanley’s revelation, the sinister part of myself hopes to catch the perp inside as I draw my gun and step cautiously closer.
An aroma lingering in the air I’d recognize anywhere instantly sets my heart racing, and I pause. Although I know it couldn’t be her , a false, untamable hope still flutters in my chest.
Alas, there is only one other it could be. I’d gifted her the knock-off version of Seduction that I reverse-concocted myself, over three years ago, during the height of my mad obsession.
It’s her. It couldn’t… wouldn’t be Vanna. Hope sinks like a rock tossed into the black waters of the river rushing beneath my boots, and unwelcome memories flood the forefront of my mind…
“ Y ou look at her differently,” Puppet said one night when she came to kneel before me at my desk and rested her hand upon my thigh, begging for my attention.
“What are you talking about?” I’d reluctantly asked.
“The woman…with that biker who fought the night of the bonfire… You’ve been following her.”
“What are you doing, following me? I told you to stay here at the clubhouse.”
“I don’t like it here without you… I miss the desert.”
“You’re free to return.”
“I’d miss you again.”
“Well, you can’t have things both ways!” I snapped impatiently.
“If you think this has been a vacation for me, it hasn’t.
I’m here, executing this plan for my brother.
This wreaking, humid state is the last place I want to be.
” I’d never curse the dry heat of the desert again for as long as I lived.
“I’m surrounded by imbeciles who can barely follow the simplest orders.
Preacher’s resolve is waning, which presents a whole new set of issues that will have to be resolved in a very permanent manner.
” I clamped my jaw shut, resentful of myself for the atypical outburst.
What the fuck was wrong with me, unloading and confiding in this whore? Whores cannot be trusted.
“Why do you look at her like that?” she asked once more, seeming to have ignored the rant completely.
“I haven’t the slightest idea what you’re going on about.”
“I’ve never seen you look at any of the other girls the way you look at her. You’ve never looked at me with such…”
“ Enough , Puppet. I’m not in the mood for your jealousy,” I cautioned on an exasperated sigh. “Stalk after me again, and I will make you regret your disobedience.”
“I fear that I’m the only one who cares for your safety, Master,” she whispered. “There are hungry eyes upon your back at all times. These promises you’ve made…to such dangerous men…”
“ Are none of your concern .”
“ You are my concern, Sir…”
I scoffed, “Is the taste of my spunk really so addicting? I suppose you would be the expert.” The wounded look in her eyes further grated my nerves.
“I fuck who you tell me to fuck,” she whispered once more, as if suddenly ashamed of her chosen station in life. “ Not because I want to fuck them.”
“That is your purpose.” I shrugged with malicious indifference.
Her eyes lowered from mine, shoulders sinking, and her hand slid limply down my leg. “You can be a cruel master.”
“Something you shouldn’t lose sight of… You’re my favorite whore, Puppet. But you’re still a whore .”
She seemed to stew on my words for a while before speaking again. “I can be of greater use to you, Sir.”
“That would require a certain level of trust, would it not? You must know by now that’s an impossibility between us.”
Had I not been glaring at her, I would have missed the microexpression of defiance in her hazel eyes. “You’re going to receive a call from the Blue Devils crew out of Bender County within the next few days. They’re working out the logistics of your assassination.”
Honestly, I hadn’t been all that surprised by the revelation. “ Really ? Is that what they’re calling it?” I asked with mock glee. “ An assassination attempt …how very …deep state .”
“As it stands, you will be asked to meet somewhere within their territory, where you will be shot like a dog and discarded.”
“ Fascinating .”
She frowned at my display of nonchalance. “Two members of your crew are growing impatient. They suspect there’s more going on than what they’ve been told.”
They weren’t wrong…
Aside from Reaper and Vein, everyone involved in my plans to avenge my brother had been kept in the dark, under the impression we were setting up shop for an organized takeover that would benefit all within the network I’d been cultivating.
Had they known I was setting up a house of cards from the start…
“Well, we mustn’t allow a few bad apples to ruin our barrel, hmm? Name them and how you happened to privy yourself upon such a duplicitous plot.”
“Havoc and Malice…they were talking, afterwards… I overheard them while cleaning up in the bathroom and lingered by the door.”
“And what prompted you to do such a thing?”
“The way they’ve been looking at you when you aren’t looking.”
“I see.”
“ No . You haven’t.” Her glare lasted but a moment before her brows lifted in an expression I’m sure I was meant to interpret as concern. “ But I have … There will be a signal, right before they blow your brains out. Thanks to me , you will see it coming.”
I didn’t bother concealing the suspicion I harbored for her. “And I am to believe they aren’t the Hinckley’s to your Foster?”
She stared up at me, lips parted, yet no words spilled.
I snatched her by the throat and leaned in closer. “ You waited on relaying this to me …weighing your options, perhaps?”
She attempted to shake her head. “No!”
I squeezed a little tighter and felt her nervous swallow shift against my palm.
“I’ve suspected them,” she spoke quickly, apparent desperation in her words. “But I didn’t know their plans until last night. I haven’t had the chance to speak with you until now! You’re rarely here!”
“And what is it you wish to be rewarded with in exchange for this pertinent information?” I was genuinely curious what she’d come up with.
“I only want you safe.”
I scoffed at her lies but released her. “Spare me the bullshit.” I spat, sitting back in the chair.
She touched her throat and spoke groggily at first. “ Choice … I want to be able to refuse your men without repercussion... I want you to make that clear to them. I’m no longer a pass-around. Make me your property, alone. That’s all I want.”
I couldn’t help but scowl at her request. Her information made sense. It was honestly to be expected at some point. Still, I wasn’t about to allow her the belief she meant anything to me, regardless. “Let’s see how this plays out,” I said instead.
The events of the night Puppet warned me about did come to pass.
Well, aside from yours truly catching a fatal bullet to the dome.
I personally carried out the execution of Havoc and Malice.
The Blue Devils were exterminated as well, which sent a bloody message through the network.
Any move against me would swiftly result in a gory death.
As was to be expected, Puppet wasn’t content for long with her advancement in status among the harlots. I’d granted her the level of autonomy she desired, but I refused to elevate her to my personal property .
However, it was only weeks later that she’d managed to turn the tables on me. I’d be lying if I claimed I wasn’t impressed by her bold move, the devious little minx…
“ Legion…” Puppet’s timid voice had broken the silence in my office that night.
I’d been secretly stewing over logistics pertaining to Jack Nero’s impending release.
The man was shaping up to be a wild card, and I knew I’d have to devise a way to keep him on a leash and do so unbeknownst to him.
When I turned to face Puppet, I was momentarily stunned.
Her long hair was no longer a shade of auburn.
She’d dyed it black. Her hazel eyes were concealed behind dark brown contacts, and her attire was something that could have been pulled straight from the witch’s closet.
Even her makeup, done up and contoured in such a way, she closely resembled the object of my growing obsession…
I had to force myself to swallow and take a breath.
“Does this please you?” she asked, turning slowly to give me a full view of her convincing cosplay. She peered over her shoulder at me, bringing her hand to her mouth to stifle a little laugh— much in the way I had seen Vanna do— before she approached me.