Page 218 of Savior
Axel smiles. “I knew it.”
“Technically, you don’t know shit.”
“I can read between the lines, bro.” He’s grinning at me, cockily.
“What if I did?” I ask. “Hypothetically, what if I did pay your father a visit?”
Axel shrugs. “My life, and my mom’s life, got a whole lot better without him around. I guess I’d say, thanks.”
I shake my head, fighting back a grin of my own as I shift my gaze back to the street.
“Do you not trust me enough to tell me?” he presses.
“Don’t start in on me with that shit again.” I mutter. “We’ve got six fuckin’ hours left.”
Axel laughs.
The next couple of hours pass via casual conversation and bouts of comfortable silence, when the rumbling sound of a pair of motorcycles cruising in the neighborhood, perks us both up.
“Could that be our guys?” Axel asks. “They’re a few hours early.”
“Could just be bikers that live in this neighborhood.”
“Guess we’ll know in a minute.” Axel says, sitting up straighter on his bike, trying to get a look down the street over the five-foot privacy shrubs lining the property along the fence.
My suspicion increases as their speed slows in front of the safe house. Two riders, dressed in black, wearing grins I can see from here. Of all the places they could turn around, they do it just outside the gates of this property. Revving their engines loudly, making damn sure our watchful gaze never wanders from them. The rockers displayed on the back of their cuts lets me know in an instant, this brewing war with Legion, isn’t as over as I’d been hoping. Fuck…
“They’re Demons!” Axel jolts, about to start up his bike.
“Stop!” I reach my arm out to grab him. “There’s nothing they’re gonna do here, right now. And we can’t take off after them, anyway.” I remind him, watching the two Demons sneer back at us as they speed off again. “This is just to fuck with us.”
“How’d they know about this place? We weren’t followed!” Axel insists. “Ain’t like this place is listed.”
“No. It isn’t.”
This is Legion’s way of reminding me he’s still around. Still a threat. He was either unable to determine the truth about his brother for himself, or perhaps, he simply doesn’t care... In which case, things are only going to get worse.
“Oh shit…” Axel mutters, looking at me with worry in his young, blue eyes. “You don’t think they showed up here of all places… because they’re gonna try to burn one of the safe houses down, do you? Revenge for burning down their clubhouse?”
“They know these places have twenty-four-hour security.” I reply. “They just wanted to put that fear in us. Make us sweat about it.” Legion’s all about the mental mind fuck.
“They’re gonna do something, Dean.” Axel shakes his head with dismay.
“I know…”
If Legion wasn’t able to find out the truth about his brother, I have no doubt he’s going to do all he can to make good on his threats.
“Get in touch with our brothers. Let them know the Demons are back, and to be ready for anything. I have to warn Vanna.”
Laura and Ethan decided to leave work a bit early today, since Ethan needed a ride to pick up his little orange jalopy at the local repair shop before closing hours.
Our shop usually slows down about an hour before closing anyway, giving me plenty of time to do a little tidying, before locking up. As I’m organizing the crystal bowls of tumbled gemstones on the large glass display table in our main foyer, my belly doesn’t allow me to reach as far across as I used to. Placing a hand over Ace, I arrange what I can on the table.
I’m really going to miss working here. I suspect Dean will want me to stay home to care for Ace, at least until he’s old enough to be enrolled in preschool.
Laura has already mentioned her dream after retiring, is to buy a little cottage near the beach. I assume she’d want to sell this place in order to facilitate that. I can’t help but wonder, how much longer will The Ametrine Cauldron really be around? And are these final weeks before maternity leave, actually my very last that I will ever be working here?
Sweeping the hard wood floors, I glance around the century old purple Victorian, and try to imagine what this magical place might turn into, when it’s inevitably rented out by another business. It’s been so perfect for our little Witchy shop, it’s difficult to picture it as anything else. A thrift shop, perhaps? I can’t really see a hair salon or a spa working out here. The plumbing would require a lot of improvements, and the inside would need quite a few renovations.
