Page 243 of Savior
“I’m not.” I tell him, strapping on my own vest. “But you stay with Viper. Do you understand me?”
“Yes.” He nods once.
“No matter what. You stay with Viper, or you risk getting us both killed.” I don’t have to explain why. I can see in his young blue eyes, he gets it.
“I promise, Dean.”
I shift my focus to my other brothers. “This is it... And I’m sorry we’re here again… It’s my fault. I let him drag us back to this. If any of you don’t want to-”
Viking let’s out an exasperated sigh as he adjusts the last strap of his Kevlar vest. “Yeah, yeah, we get it, Dean. As if.” He mutters. “Dibs on that bitchin’ camo MP5, by the way.”
Viper removes the sub machine gun from its rack on the wall among the others, handing it over to Viking, while our other brothers select their weapons of choice.
“Should we call in the Jokers?” Diesel asks, racking the slide on a Desert Eagle before he tucks it into his waistband.
I shake my head. “No… This is a private party… Inner circle shit.”
“So, we’re talking total annihilation.” Viking grins with an eagerness for war.
“That’s right. No mercy... Tonight, we send the fucking Demons back to Hell.”
“I implore you, to keep your mouth shut!” Legion hisses at me, as he finishes strapping me with a bullet proof vest. Stepping back from me, he slips his cut over his own vest, then presses his hand against the blood-stained fabric wrapped around his side. “I can only buy us so much time before your Savior arrives… Do not provoke him.” He warns me once more.
“Why have you done this, Legion? Why shoot up the Twisted Throttle?” I don’t even know who’s hurt… Who might be dead… Oh God…
“Appearances, darling…” he says on a pain-ridden sigh.
Before I can say anything, my attention shoots from Legion, to the creaking warehouse door as a man enters… But as my mind registers what my eyes are seeing, he looks more monster than man… and Legion’s earlier words, make a lot more sense now.
He must not have arrived on a motorcycle. I can’t see how he could have physically operated one in his condition. His hands are badly scarred, and he walks slowly with a limp, his posture slightly slumped forward. One arm is bent at the elbow and pigeon winged to his side, as if it’s stuck in that position. The hood of his black sweatshirt, worn under his leather cut, is pulled up over his head, obscuring his face from my view at this angle.
As he makes his way nearer to us, he lifts his head to take a better look at me, and I gasp at the sight of him.
His pale eyes narrow at me, as if my reaction offended him. I might have been ashamed of myself, if this creature, according to Legion, didn’t want to do unspeakable things to me and my baby…
A low chuckle rumbles up his throat, as he brings a handkerchief to his mouth, dabbing at the drool pooling into his melted lip, fused by scar tissue, to his chin. The discolored flesh pulled down on one side to expose his broken lower teeth and gums. The man is covered in severe burn scars. He turns his gaze from me to look at Legion. His right ear is completely gone… Just a hole in the side of his head, sparse sprigs of salt and pepper hair in thin patches across his Freddy Kruger-like skull.
“This is his woman?” the monster rasps.
“Giovanna Vettriano.” Legion replies. “The one and only.”
A low groan emanates from the monster’s throat, as he looks me over appraisingly. Sucking in the saliva escaping his mouth, he dabs that bit of cloth at his chin again. “Shame you’re going to die tonight. I could have made a fortune whoring you out.” He reaches out to snare my hair in his scarred fist, twisting until I wince from the pain. I try not to give him the satisfaction of a whimper.
“Easy!” Legion snaps. I’d almost venture to say, protectively.
“And she’s pregnant… You neglected to mention that to me. There’s a market for that, too.” The monster sneers, shoving my head away from him. “Two for one. Imagine what we’d get for a pretty little baby on the black market. Remind me to mention that to Keegan, before he dies.”
My heart races with rage and fear as I glance up at Legion. There’s a hatred in his expression as he glowers at the monster. I see it for only a moment, before that mask of indifference veils his pale grey eyes once more.
The same pale grey eyes, as this hideous creature slobbering before me… Oh my god… This is the brother Dean believes he left for dead…
I keep my mouth shut as Legion warned me, closing my eyes and trying to regain my own composure.
“Have you taken a liking to her?” the monster asks, though his tone is mocking.
“She ain’t hard to look at.” I hear Legion say with an air of impassivity. There’s a moment of silence between the two, but I can feel the rising tension radiating off of Legion.
“She the reason why things haven’t worked out according to plan? Have you gone soft on me, little brother?” The monster seems to taunt Legion. “They’re all the fucking same. Even the pretty ones… Especially the pretty ones.”
