Page 6 of Ace

“You know about them? I mean… what a Little is?”

She shrugged, and avoided the question, wetting a washcloth and applying it to his bloody bruised knuckles. Once the blood was wiped away, they were scraped and swollen, but not as badly as she’d thought. “This doesn’t look too bad.” She voiced the thought out loud.

“You should see the other guy,” Ace quipped.

“I did see him,” she deadpanned. “I peeled you off of him so your dumb ass didn’t catch an assault charge… or worse.” Her mouth went dry thinking about it. Just because she’d dragged him away from the scene didn’t mean he was in the clear.

Ace scowled, his eyes dark and his voice hard. “It would be worth it. Piece of shit deserved it. Somebody had to do something since the asshole jury didn’t. It’ll be all over the news tonight. They’ll roll the tape of him smirking while they read off the not guilty verdict and paint the victim out to be some kind of villain who seduces older men in positions of power.”

Lizzie just let him talk. She’d been in the courthouse today. She’d followed him in, watched as he sat in full biker regalia behind the accuser, a young woman of about thirteen, in a polka-dotted dress, her dark hair pulled into a french braid. She’d known he did stuff with BACA, protecting victims of child abuse, and she’d guessed from his former profession that he was good with kids, but watching him in action in the courtroom had been a different beast entirely. She’d gained a whole new level of respect for him during those few hours. The details of the trial had surely been gruesome, she’d missed the first several days, but just from the closing arguments she’d heard, it was easy to tell the girl had been through hell.

The jury deliberated for barely an hour. She’d been so sure a guilty verdict was a done deal, and from the gasps all over the courtroom, she hadn’t been the only one shocked by the outcome. But she knew she shouldn’t have been. The accused, no, the rapist, was a prominent political figure, and the young woman’s mother’s boss. The case had been heavily publicized, and even though the media had tried at first to keep her name out of it, less scrupulous tabloid reporters hadn’t afforded her the same privacy. Lizzie wasn’t sure what they had done was legal, but it wasn’t her fish to fry.

She hadn’t meant to stay for the whole thing, but it had been so nice to see Ace again, and so heartwarming and panty-melting to see him in the protective role. He’d lean forward and put his hand on the girl’s shoulder, exchange glances with her older brother, hug her mother all while shooting death daggers from his eyes at the perpetrator.

While she cleaned Ace’s wound, spraying it with Bactine and coating it in antibiotic ointment before applying a layer of gauze and a wrap bandage, he continued to rant. “I love what I do. I love BACA, I love the brotherhood, I love the kids, I love the families, but sometimes it’s just so goddamn disheartening.”

“Like today,” Lizzie agreed. “The verdict was hard to hear. I imagine it was even harder if you’d been there for the whole thing.”

At her reply, his gaze cut to her, sharply. “You were there? What were you doing there?”

Shit. She hadn’t meant to reveal that. She’d sat in the back, behind some tall, nosy, loud reporters, and snuck out before Ace could see her. And now he wanted to know why she was there. What could she say? Admit that she’d followed him like some sort of creepy obsessed stalker? She’d die of humiliation. But what else could she say? She racked her brain and said the first thing that popped into it.

“She’s my niece. The little girl…” Shit what was her name? “Angela. She’s my niece.”

She held her breath, hoping he wouldn’t ask for further details, but he accepted the lie with a nod of his head.

“I’m sorry.” He squeezed her hand. “That must be hard.”

“Oh. Yes. It’s been…” she gulped, feeling like the biggest loser on the planet. “She’s a very special girl. I just hope with time, and love and support, she can move past what’s been done to her and lead a happy and fulfilling life.”

“Amen,” Ace agreed. “Do you need to go? Be with your family? I’m sure she could use the extra support tonight. I’d go myself, but I’m not family.”

She ignored the question and took the opening he gave, turning the conversation around to him. “It’s so great, the work you do with BACA. Such a wonderful organization, such a worthwhile cause. I know Angela and her family really appreciate your support.” It wasn’t a lie or even an exaggeration. She did know that because they had to.

Ace smiled, and then smirked. “I’m sure I didn’t make things easier for them by going rogue like that. I just…” He balled his bandaged hand into a fist and squeezed as if flexing it. “I couldn’t help myself. And truthfully, when there’s a bad outcome like that, I’ve always wanted to. My job was the only thing stopping me.”

“What about your new job?” The owner of Utopia was a billionaire hoity-toity businessman. Surely he didn’t want a bunch of thugs working for him. He didn’t seem the type.

“Baze doesn’t care. As long as it stays off of the property and doesn’t blow back on him, he seems okay with the vigilante shit.”

“Really? Vigilante shit? Is that how you got your bar burned down and lost your job?”

“We kicked some guys asses, shaved their heads and gave them some unfortunate tattoos. It’s not like we cut their dicks off, even though we should have. They overreacted.”

“Did they?”

“It was for Axel’s Little girl, Jilly. She’s well… the owner here, Baze, they’re family. So yeah, as long as it’s something like that, he actually is okay with it.”

He rapped his bandaged hand on the counter. “We should get you home.”

Her heart broke with five simple words. Sucking in a breath, she puffed out her chest, called on her inner brat, and took a step forward, telling herself to be brave. “I don’t want to go home,” she whispered thickly, looking into his eyes.

He blinked. Hard. Twice. “I… you don’t?”

Chapter 3

Ace