Page 19 of Saving Chains

Mac smiles a blood-stained grin, “You and who’s fucking army?”

He looks Mac dead in the eye. “I don’t need an army, Mac. They don’t call me Chains for nothing. Now,” he yanks him by the collar and drags him to the doorway, “while you can still walk, I suggest you get the fuck outta here, before I put a hole in your fucking head.” He brandishes his gun and shoves it in his face, right between his eyes.

Again, Mac grins, “I’m a patched member, you can’t kill me.”

I can’t see the look in his eyes from here, but just the tone of his voice tells me he thinks he has the upper hand. “You willing to take your fucking chances, Mac? If you’re not out of here in the next minute, we’ll be putting that theory to the test.”

Mac scrambles backwards then drags himself to his feet and in his half-bent state, holding his ribs he runs out of the door.

Levi is at my feet and on his knees in seconds. His large hands cupping my face to lift my eyes to his. “Luna,” his hand palms the back of my head as he brings it to his chest.

I unwrap my arms from myself to wind them around Levi’s hard body and cry into his chest. He moves to sit down, and with an arm wrapped around me, he holds me as tight as he can against him. Right now, I don't feel betrayal, I feel comfort; I feel shelter.

Most of all those old feelings make their way back… In his arms, I feel safe.

CHAPTER 10

CHAINS

Her sobs begin to simmer down but every now and then her breaths shudder through her lithe body. My hand gently strokes her hair, I shush her softly as I try to comfort her.

“I’m so glad you turned up.” she admits softly.

I bury my face into the softness of her hair and inhale the vanilla scent. “So am I.”

After I left Reaper, I drove out and visited a couple of bars. I needed to kick back and calm down. I wasn’t sure what I'd do if Mac had said the wrong thing while I was strung out. Once I felt calm enough to get back on my bike, it was already late, so I started to make my way back. I don't need a drink-drive charge on top of my bail conditions, my parole officer would have a fucking coronary. I knew if I could get back to Luna’s and had too much to drink there, I could just get a cab or get one of the prospects to pick me up. But when I got here the place was quiet, almost eerie. I crept around the perimeter but couldn’t hear anything, or anyone. I moved back around to the front, but the door was closed. When I pushed on it, it didn’t budge. Maybe she’d locked it while cleaning or doing the cash, which would be sensible at least. I banged on the door but got no reply. Then I tried my luck and grasped the handle, with one turn the door opened. Maybe not so sensible after all. I called out and still got no reply, I knew Mac was still here, his bike was parked out front, but I’ll be honest, I thought the worst. I hoped I wouldn’t find them together because I’d have been crushed, to say the least. But then I heard her. I could hear the fright in her voice and instantly it put me on edge. I looked in the restrooms but found nothing, so I went back into the bar. As I raced around, I shouted to her again trying to track her down. When I stepped into the kitchen, a red mist clouded my vision. I couldn’t believe what was taking place right in front of my eyes. And to Luna. I didn’t think, I just attacked. Fucking Mac, the piece of shit. I fucking knew.

“We should get you home.”

She held onto me a little tighter and tilted her head back. “I need to finish up here,” she said in a small voice. Luna has never been this timid, even when she was a fourteen-year-old and approaching a boy who would do anything for food and money.

“No. You’re going home.”

“Levi,” her voice shakes, I hate hearing the fear in her tone, “what if you hadn’t have come back here tonight, would he have raped me, or worse, killed me?”

I palm her face softly and hug her tighter, resting my lips on the top of her head. I don’t want her to think about that now. “Come on, babe.” I stand with her in my arms. “Where’s your purse?”

Her head falls to my shoulder, and she points to the bar. I put her on her feet for a minute, she leans her shoulder against the wall while I search behind the bar until I find it. Then I skip back around the bar and lift her back into my arms.

As we leave, she hands me her keys, I take them from her, pressing my lips together with a brief but tight smile and open the car first to seat her inside. I then run back over to the bar, lock it up and make sure it’s secure before jumping into the driver’s seat to make our way to her place.

There was no conversation in the car, not that I thought there would be, but apart from her muffled directions to her place, that was as much as I got out of her. She lets us into her apartment and as I look around, I smile at how homely it looks. The clatter of her keys hitting the table by the door has me turning my focus back to her instantly. I don’t miss how she pulls the two halves of her shirt closed and crosses her arms over her chest. Her gaze settling on me as her lips lift at the corners in a sad smile, “Thank you, Levi.”

“Hey, always,” I step up to her, tenderly brushing some of her hair out of her beautiful eyes. The strands of her hair stick to her face from all the tears she’s been crying. “I’ll always protect you, darlin’, no matter what.” I murmur softly.

She breathes out slowly, nibbling on the corner of her mouth and after a slight hesitation, she walks into my arms. I don’t wait any longer; I wrap my arms around her with no question, holding her tight and for as long as she’ll let me, trailing my finger up and down her back in a gentle caress. When she eventually unwraps herself from me, I breathe, pushing through the need to keep her as close as possible. I run my hand through my hair before tying it back with the elastic on my wrist.

Seeing her tear-stained face causes the rage to reignite, and as much I’m keeping it relatively calm, I spot a red cut sitting between her collar bone, and as I look closer the start of a bruise is forming on her throat in the shape of fingers. With my fingers soft on her face, I lift her chin and turn it to the side slightly. I’ve got a full-on fire raging inside of me and I want to fucking kill him. I wish I’d shot the bastard in the dick and then blew a hole in his fucking disgusting face. Patched member or not. “That mother fucker wants to think himself lucky I let him walk away.”

“Levi, please just leave it.” She whimpers.She glances away, probably to give herself a small reprieve from me staring, “It doesn’t matter now.”

“Of course it fucking matters. The cunt had you pinned to the wall. I can count the fingerprints on your neck, and he fucking cut you. It matters, Luna.” I didn’t mean to spew all that out and let her see how fucking pissed I really am, but I can’t just leave it. Her deep pools of green stare into my own. If eyes are windows to the soul, then all she can see in mine are dark clouds. I have nothing in my soul but darkness. I blink as her gaze falls to my lips. I don’t usually hesitate where a woman is concerned but fuck, this is Luna. The girl that had always held my fucking heart in the palm of her hands, before I even knew what love was. Or should I say before she taught me what love was. The lesson I had from my younger years were misinterpreted. Small sharp spurts of air escape my lips and hers do the same, her chest rising and falling as we gaze at one another.

“Please Levi, just for now?”

I’m so fucking angry. Right now, I want to find him and finish him, but as I stare at her, the broken look in her eyes has me thinking twice. I stroke the backs of my fingers down her cheek, my tongue rolling over my lips as I curl my fingers around her head and bring her forehead to meet my lips and kiss her, lingering my lips that little bit longer. Just then, a door bangs somewhere in the apartment and breaks us from the trance we’re in. Luna’s body jolts at the sudden sound but she plasters a smile to her lips and swings around, “You’re back…” I look around Luna to see who’s the voice is and am greeted by a redhead, “…early.” She finishes but smiles through her sentence. “And who is this?”

Luna sighs and closes her eyes, shaking her head, “Chains.”

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