Page 249 of Savior
“Everyone caves under the weight of greed, Keegan.” He adds.
“I’m still struggling to find a reason not to pull this fucking trigger. The shit you’ve done… The shit you tried to do… You deserve to die.”
Legion lets out a pained chuckle as he sneers up at me. “You’re right about one thing... I’ve orchestrated everything… Including your victory here tonight.”
“This location didn’t make much sense, I’ll give you that.” I say. “That is, until your backup arrived and tried to close us in.”
“That wasn’t my doing…” he coughs now, clutching his side tighter. “The explosion, that was to take out my guys and clear you a way in.”
“Or was it the signal for your reinforcements?” I glare at him.
“An unfortunate coincidence, I’m afraid.” Legion replies. “My brother is dead, because I wanted it… I gave you that gift! You know this location wasn’t happenstance… I made sure this little showdown took place where you and your crew would have the advantage… Fuck…” Legion winces again, twisting his head to spit a mouthful of blood out beside him. “I knew you’d be vastly outnumbered, which is why I rigged the van to blow. To take out a few of them on your behalf… I made this entire situation easy for you.” Legion smiles a bloody smile. “Like shooting fish in a barrel… You know it’s true.”
“Why?” I demand. “Why go through all the trouble of trying to ruin me, only to change course in the end?”
Legion let’s out a long breath of air, his eyes shifting momentarily towards his deceased brother a few feet away. “He wasn’t who I thought he was. And…” he hesitates, his gaze drifting back in Vanna’s direction now. “Things change… So do plans.” He seems to stare longingly at her for a moment, before his tired, pale gray eyes land back on me. “Our War is over. All the evidence against you, has been destroyed... I’m no longer a threat to you, or your future… with her.”
“And I’m supposed to take your word on all this? Tell my men to stand down and just let you waltz out that door? You are insane.”
“Do you really want to live the rest of your life looking over your shoulder? Wondering when someone is going to hurt her, to hurt you, for what happened here tonight? You got a lot of them… but not all of them. Allow me to live, Keegan… and I will hunt them down and kill them all myself. I’m the only one who can get it done... You’ve got a child coming any day now. You need to stay with her to keep her safe… We’ll meet again and hash this out between us.”
“If the war is over, what is there left between us?”
“I haven’t harbored any ill will towards you since I learned the truth about who… and what… my brother really was.”
“Then if I allow you to keep your life, you should take it and never return to this fuckin’ state. Ride back to the desert, Legion. There’s nothing for you here.”
“Oh, on the contrary, Dean Keegan… We’re in love with the same woman.” Legion glances at Vanna once more, before he brings his gaze back to me. “And if you truly believe in her love for you, you’ll let me live… To protect her from a distance. I love her, too… That’s reason enough to trust me on my word. For her, I’ll end the rest of them.”
“And then what? Challenge me to some duel when you return?”
“I said I’m in love with her, not that I’m fucking delusional. I know you own her heart.” Legion mutters almost bitterly. “You should know, despite all of my workings… Her love for you never wavered… But that changes nothing for any of us in this situation... She needs us both. You by her side, and me… out there. Ending the ones that got away.”
“Let him go,” Vanna whimpers behind me, almost a whisper, before she lets out a little strangled gasp. The concerning sound immediately pulls my full attention to her. “Oh God… something’s wrong…” she’s clutching her lower stomach with both hands now, wincing in pain as she slowly begins to sink back to the floor beside Cherry.
Fuck…
I rush back to her side, dropping the gun to quickly grab her before she hits the cement.
“Dean…” she clings to me, “I think he’s coming early…” her voice, her tear brimmed eyes, are riddled with fear.
“You’re alright,” I try to assure her.
The faint rattle and scrape of a gun being lifted off the cement floor, then a magazine clicking into the mag well, stops my heart for a moment. My eyes shift back towards Legion. My Desert Eagle and his Chromed Sig Saur, are both in his bloody hands...
We stare at each other for a brief, tense moment. I can’t help but wonder if he’s considering blowing my brains out, and making good on the threat he made in the shed behind Janie’s old place… He’s certainly regained the upper hand, and he knows it.
His gaze breaks away from mine, landing on Vanna. “Get her out of here.” He growls, those pale grey eyes wrought with worry for her. “Take her and go…”
Vanna let’s out another gasp of pain. There’s no time to think this over… I sling her arm across my shoulders, grabbing her around her waist. Adrenaline and fear of my own, coursing through my veins as I make a mad dash, hauling her outside.
As I’m helping Vanna get on Serene, Viking and my brothers are rushing towards us.
“Stay down!” Viper shouts. “No way to tell if there are any others out there!”
“Cherry’s still inside, unconscious, get her out of here and get her to a hospital! I have to leave, now!” I shout back.
Viking makes it to us as I climb on behind Vanna, reaching around her to hit the starter on Serene.
“What’s wrong?” Viking demands, immediately mounting his own bike. He tosses the submachine gun to Viper as Axel and Diesel rush into the warehouse for Cherry.
“Ace!” Vanna gasps.
“Fuck!” Viking shouts, firing up his Iron Horse. “Let’s go, I’ll cover you!” he says, removing the Glock from his cut.
We barrel down the tight trail through the forest, back out onto the service road.
“You’re okay, baby.” I try to assure Vanna, while silently praying that is the case. She’s already in pain, and it can’t be comfortable for her to have her stomach pressed up against Serene’s tank, my body hovering over her in order to grip the handle bars and speed us to the nearest hospital. I did not want to chance her riding behind me. I press another kiss to the back of her head, breathing in her scent. “Everything is going to work out Ace’s for us, baby. I promise.”
God, I just got her back…. Please don’t make a liar out of me...
