Page 13 of Legacy
“You motherfuckers best be on your way before Little Dempsey dispatches of you, too,” Dagger says to the friends.
They back away, not taking their eyes off me. My glare is unsympathetic—a promise to do to them what I did to their filthy hideous friend. They apologize as more of my teammates circle around, now a hoard of muscular men who look like they deliver evil as a profession. Tattoos lick up their necks, their jaws are sharp, and their gazes glint just enough to let everyone know what they’re capable of.
Even though he stinks like stale beer and unwashed hair, I lean down and whisper into the asshole’s ear. “Don’t ever touch a woman without her permission.” I put my foot in the center of his back and kick him forward unexpectedly. He doesn’t catch himself. He lands on his chest, arms splayed on the cement floor in front of Luke’s feet.
My heart is hammering. Not because of what I just did, I’ve done that before unfortunately. The nerves are because I’m surrounded by people who I desperately want to consider me an equal. I don’t see how it’s possible when I have to fight off lechers during a night out. I breathe out long and hard and realize my shoulders are lifting and lowering with each breath. Luke’s stance is wide and commandeering as he peers down at the dude on the floor. He tilts his head to the door.
The man gets up, palms facing Dagger and Luke, and now Sanders and Hoffer. He explains he’s here on vacation and was looking for a good time. Marissa barges in, a huge bite of food stuffed in her cheek.
“I miss everything,” she exclaims, throwing her hands up. “You okay?”
I nod at my friend. Dagger fidgets with his perfect hair and tells the guy, “Bro, it’s the twenty -first century. Don’t fuck with women. They fuck back. If they want a good time, they’ll ask for it.”
That brings a smile to everyone’s face, and he storms off, the woman from the bathroom behind him. Did she do this? Did she set this up? My mind floods with the possibilities. I didn’t even see her exit because I was so preoccupied with dealing with this bullshit. I should apologize to the guys. For ruining their night. The music dies down, and it is probably security—dealing with the three men who Marissa chased toward the security guard. These guys have me in their circle now, and they’re now experiencing a taste of what it’s like to be in my world. I’ll report this man. I will make him rue the moment he laid eyes on me, and that’s one more burden I have to bear.
Sanders comes over and extends his hand to shake. “You’re a badass, Little Dempsey.”
I scoff. “Shut up, Sanders.”
“I mean it,” he counters, eyes earnest.
“He’s right,” Luke says as Dagger drains another beer. “You’re a badass.”
Dagger wipes his mouth, belches, holds his empty mug in the air toward me. “A dime who can commit some crime. My type of chick.”
Luke cringes. “That’s probably not too PC either.”
I laugh though, shaking my head. “It’s not PC, but it’s okay. He’s not trying to grope me.”
Swallowing hard, I let my eyes skirt away from Hart’s. A camera flash makes me retreat a few steps. The bile rises from my stomach up to clog my throat. The ping of horrific familiarity forces me to wrap my arm around my stomach. The guys turn where the loud flashes are originating. Big cameras, trained on me.
“Fuck,” Luke whispers. “Block her,” he orders, positioning his wide body in front of where the group of cameras are facing.
They do. Even though I need their help, and I don’t like feeling this way, it means I’m part of something. They’ve accepted me. The guys form a tight circle around me to block the camera’s view. There are guys surrounding me who I haven’t met yet. Men who have no skin in my game. My stomach flips when Luke turns to glance at me over his shoulder as we walk as a group toward the exit.
“They won’t fuck with our woman,” Luke says. “You’ve done enough fighting tonight. We got this.”
He smirks.Dimples. My heart skips a beat. Not good.
