Page 133 of Legacy

That Bea can have the life she deserves.

I wait for it all to be over, but I don’t feel the impact of it. Instead, blood blooms on Reyes’s shoulder where I must have hit him. And then I see him dropping the gun, clutching his hand, and buckling over because he’s been shot there as well.

He was shot twice, but I only pulled the trigger once.

I look over my shoulder at the small window on the far end, and I feel Jesse out there somewhere, looking over me.

Protecting me.

Commotion starts upstairs, and gunshots start to ring out like a chorus. There’s no making out one voice from another, and I don’t have time to try as I drop the gun and scramble for the keys.

Reyes drops to his knees, gripping his wrist and cursing. He’s in too much pain to stop me as I hurry to Aimee’s cell first and unlock it.

With her free, I move to the next. And then the next. Some of the girls step out but others stay frozen.

“Down here,” someone yells, and my back stiffens, thinking it could be any number of this club’s enemies.

But when the first set of boots hits the stairs and I eye the familiar skull logo with a crown on its head and wings at its back, I breathe a sigh of relief.

“Reagan?” Jesse rushes down the staircase.

Blood soaks the front of his shirt, and he’s a mess, but I run to him, not caring as I collapse into his arms.

“Jesse.” A sob breaks free.

The river I’ve held back since the blonde was dragged up the stairs swells, and I can no longer contain it. I cry into his chest and let my emotions overwhelm me. But most of all, I sink into the relief of being in his arms.

Jesse sets me on my feet, but his hands don’t stop roaming. They graze my back, my shoulders, my hair. Like he’s checking me for damage.

“I’m okay,” I choke out, looking up at him. “Nothing happened. I’m okay.”

The relief I see in his blue eyes is something I’ll never forget.

Steel walks past us, stopping to stand over Reyes. The darkness in his usually hard glare deepens as recognition settles in.

“Get him to Patch,” Steel says, motioning for the Twisted Kings filling the room. “I want him alive enough to talk. He’s got shit to answer for.”

Something about Steel’s comment isn’t the least bit comforting, and from the look in Reyes’s eyes as he’s dragged away, I get the impression he’d rather they just kill him. Which explains why Jesse didn’t go for the headshot like I know he’s capable of.

He shot his hand on purpose.

Coughing comes from my right, and I look to see a girl crouching over, puking.

“Jesse, they need help.” I blink up at him. “The girls—”

“We’ll get them out of here.” He holds my face in his hands. “Let me take care of you, and I promise my brothers will take care of them.”

I don’t let go of Jesse as he leads me up the stairs. I’m clinging to his side. Basking in his warmth. There are bodies and blood everywhere, so I keep my focus ahead of me. And while I should probably be affected by the stench of death, I don’t feel an ounce of kindness for these men after what they’ve done.

Jesse leads me outside and takes a blanket from one of the vans, wrapping it around me.

“I’m not cold.” I shiver with the words.

“You are. But the adrenaline is messing with you,” he says, tightening it around me.

Aimee steps out of the house next, but she keeps her distance. Her eyes scan the scene like she’s looking for someone but doesn’t find them. When she finally stops near me, Patch tries to hand her a blanket.

“I’m fine.” She crosses her arms over her chest, stepping back.

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