Page 136 of Legacy

“Hi, Bryn. You might remember Reagan.” Jesse squeezes my hand.

Bryn nods. “Good to see you.”

“Good to see you too.”

“Reagan’s going to be coming by to help out with anything you need, so we’re giving her the tour.”

“I’ll get the other girls.” Bryn gives a gentle smile before heading upstairs.

By the time the Twisted Kings showed up that night, it was just the four of us in the cages in the basement: Me, Bryn, Kimberly, and Aimee. There were no signs of theblonde we saw them drag upstairs, and I still wake from the nightmares of what might have happened to her. I’m just glad the remaining girls stayed and are accepting the club’s help.

I expected Aimee to bail the first chance she had, but surprisingly, she stuck around. Even if she has refused to leave her room every time Jesse has stopped by these past two weeks.

That’s one of the reasons Jesse finally agreed to bring me here, hoping my presence would help the girls feel more comfortable.

Kimberly is the first to come downstairs, and Bryn is at her side. She gives me a hug, which is surprising since she didn’t even look at me when we were in the basement. Still, it feels right to hug her and know she’s okay.

We made it.

I don’t doubt it will take time to heal that kind of trauma, but we aren’t alone in it.

“We were just about to make lunch. Are you staying?” Kimberly asks.

“Definitely.” I smile. “I’ll be right there.”

Kimberly and Bryn walk in the direction of the kitchen while I wait for Aimee. I twist my fingers in front of me, surprisingly anxious to see if she’s okay. She protected me more than once in that basement, and I’ll always owe her for helping me.

We met under the worst circumstances, but I feel a connection to her that extends beyond friendship.

When a door creaks upstairs, I breathe a sigh of relief that Aimee is willing to leave her room to see me. Jessemust notice me pulling my shoulders back because he squeezes my hand.

It takes a moment for Aimee to appear at the top of the stairs, and she moves in slow motion, walking down them once she does.

The gash from where she was hit across the face with the gun is healing, but it’s going to leave a scar through her eyebrow. I haven’t seen her in person since that night, and cleaned up, she’s somehow prettier and colder all at once. Her features are softer when not covered in dirt, but there’s nothing to bury the hard, chilled look in her eyes.

Her short brown hair is down. It brushes her shoulders with every step, and when she reaches the bottom one, she finally lifts her chin. But her gaze doesn’t meet mine; it moves past me—to Havoc.

Her face pales. An equal mix of anger and surprise washes over her face.

"Aimee?" Havoc sounds so unlike himself that my attention moves to him.

He steps forward, and he towers over Aimee. But just like when we were in that room, she doesn’t back down. Her spine straightens, and her backbone adds bite to her presence.

“Levi.” She tilts her chin up, narrowing her gaze. “You came back.”

He doesn’t respond. They just silently stare at each other. Faces drained of color and static humming in the air.

Aimee hinted to a past with the Twisted Kings, and I’m pretty sure I just figured it out. Because Havoc absently brushes his thumb over the hourglass tattooed on his knuckle, and I swear he's seen a ghost.

Epilogue

Jesse

Three Weeks Later

The only way Ican explain my attraction to Reagan is that it’s a gravitational pull. Something stronger than all other forces inside me when she stands in a room. I have to be near her. She’s my center.

Reagan laughs, talking to Tempe and Luna, and I find myself orbiting. Drowning in the sight of her while my brothers drown themselves in shots of whiskey and tequila.

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