The Legion.
1703 Words
"Been a while."
The deep voice made me freeze.
My eyes widened as I looked up.
Ken.
I was standing a few feet away from Ken, watching him swing a leg off his motorcycle before parking it to the side. The engine rumbled for a few seconds before finally dying.
For a moment, I could only stare.
He had changed so much since high school.
Back then, he had already been tall and intimidating.
Now he looked even bigger.
His broad shoulders stretched the red leather cut he was wearing, and his muscular arms were covered in tattoos that disappeared beneath the sleeves of his black shirt.
My gaze dropped to the back patch on his cut.
A skull with two crossed bones beneath it.
The emblem of the Devils Fountain MC.
Then my eyes moved to another patch stitched near his chest.
President.
I nearly choked on my own breath.
President?
I knew Ken and his brothers as the sons of the Devils Fountain Motorcycle Club.
But now they weren't just members as they held powerful ranks.
Aria stepped beside me and smirked at my reaction.
"You look like you've seen a ghost."
I pointed at Ken's cut.
"He's the President?"
Ken glanced down at the patch before looking back at me.
A corner of his mouth twitched upward.
My mouth opened and closed.
I still couldn't believe it.
Back in high school, Ken and his brothers had practically ruled the halls.
Ken(Sniper), Benji(Wrecker), Henry(Shadow) and Greg( Havoc).
Everyone knew who they were, their road names and stayed out of their way.
They were cold, intimidating, and completely untouchable.
Nobody dared mess with them and with the girls they dated.
I remembered watching those girls walk through the hallways with their heads held high, knowing nobody would dare look at them the wrong way.
At the time, I had been ridiculously jealous.
Not because of the attention but of the protection.
Because while those girls had people willing to fight for them, I was going home every day to a family that couldn't wait to hurt me.
A wave of embarrassment washed over me.
Ken had also been one of my biggest high school crushes.
Actually...
Not just Ken.
All four brothers.
Though I would rather jump off a bridge than admit that out loud.
Ken’s eyes swept over the bruises on my face. My breath caught as his ocean-blue gaze met mine for a brief second. Then he started walking toward me.
The closer he got, the harder my heart pounded. He smelled of leather, gasoline, and a hint of cologne that shouldn’t have affected me, but it did.
"Aria explained everything," he said calmly, stopping in front of me. "You don’t need to worry. He won’t touch you as long as I’m here."
If he recognized me from high school, he didn’t show it. Part of me felt relieved while the other part felt strangely disappointed.
Ken nodded toward the house. "Go get your things."
I hurried through the gate and into the driveway, my eyes scanning for Connor’s car. It wasn’t there. Relief washed over me. He was probably at the bar, like always.
The house was a disaster, empty vodka bottles scattered across the living room, a half-eaten meal on the coffee table, and the sharp stench of alcohol thick in the air. I ignored it all and went straight to the bedroom and grabbed my duffel bag, quickly stuffing clothes inside. But something felt wrong. I unfolded a shirt and froze.
A jagged cut ran straight through the middle.
My stomach dropped. I checked another. Then another. Every piece of clothing had been viciously slashed with some in zigzags, others riddled with holes. All of them ruined.
Scissors. He’d used scissors.
The duffel bag slipped from my shaking hands and hit the floor with a thud. I stared at the pile of destroyed clothes as a broken laugh escaped me, quickly swallowed by pure rage. I threw myself onto the bed and screamed, slamming my fist into the mattress again and again.
"Dammit!"
He had sat here and destroyed everything I owned. Not just the clothes. It was about control. He wanted me to have no money, no confidence, no way out and the worst part? He’d already taken my savings. Every last dollar was emptied from my account.
I buried my hands in my hair, fighting back tears that finally broke free.
"Everything okay?"
Ken’s worried voice came from the doorway.
I quickly wiped my eyes and looked away. He stepped inside and froze, his gaze dropping to the clothes scattered across the floor as his eyes swept through the torn dresses, ruined shirts, jackets sliced with jagged cuts.
"Goddamn," he muttered.
He crouched and picked up one of the shirts, turning it over in his hands. His expression darkened with every new piece he examined.
I hated this. Hated anyone seeing me weak, broken, pathetic and unable to even protect my own things. I lowered my head and wrapped my arms around myself.
"Hey,"
I looked up. Ken was now standing right in front of me. He gently dropped the ruined shirt onto the bed.
"Let’s get out of here before he comes back." His eyes held mine. "I’ll sort this out somehow."
There was no judgment in his gaze, no pity, just quiet concern and somehow, that made my chest ache even more.
I swallowed hard and nodded, fighting back fresh tears.
Right now, leaving this house was the only thing that mattered.
Once we stepped outside, I told Aria everything while she wrapped a comforting arm around my shoulders and listened quietly. By the time I finished, my chest felt a little lighter.
"Where exactly do you plan on staying?" Ken asked.
I turned to find him leaning against his motorcycle, arms crossed over his chest. "I’ll drive you there. Not because I care, just in case you run into your husband while looking for a cab."
He had a point. Connor could be anywhere.
"She could stay at my place..." Aria started.
Ken shook his head. "Not a good idea. He already knows where you live, and it’s not safe for either of you. She needs to stay somewhere far from here."
I nodded. It made sense. I hated turning down Aria’s offer, but I couldn’t keep dragging her into my mess especially after Connor had already threatened her. If he came looking for me again, I didn’t want him showing up at her door.
"I’ll stay at the bar where I work," I said quietly. "There’s security there. I’ll be safe."
Ken didn’t argue. Without a word, he grabbed a spare helmet from his motorcycle’s storage compartment and held it out to me.
"Put this on."
I took the helmet and climbed onto the back of the bike. The leather seat felt surprisingly comfortable. A moment later, the engine roared to life beneath us, and the motorcycle shot forward into the night. City lights blurred past as we sped away.
The wind whipped against my face as we sped through the city streets. For the first time in forever, I felt lighter. I had finally left Connor. Maybe things would get better from here.
A sudden vibration against my thigh snapped me out of it. My phone.
I pulled it out, expecting a message from Aria. Instead, my stomach dropped as I read the words:
One month of not showing up for work and not contacting management has forced us to replace you with someone more reliable. We ask that you do not return to the bar.
The phone trembled in my grip. No. No, no, no.
I had just left my husband. My savings were gone. My clothes were destroyed. And now I didn’t even have a job.
“What?” I gasped. “Am I being fired?”
Ken must have heard me. The motorcycle slowed and pulled over to the side of the road, the engine rumbling as it came to a stop.
I climbed off on shaky legs and leaned against a nearby pole, staring at the message until it blurred through my tears. Everything crashed down at once.
Ken removed his helmet and stepped closer, gently taking the phone from my hand.
“You’re fired?” he asked quietly.
The tears I’d been fighting finally broke free. In a single day, my entire life had fallen apart.
Connor had truly succeeded in ruining my life.
I had explained everything to my manager. Why I couldn’t come to work, the bruises, the hospital reports, the doctor’s notes. I’d shown him all of it. But none of it mattered. Now I am unemployed.
I stared blankly at my phone until Ken gently took it from my hands.
“Not a big deal,” he said, slipping it into my pocket.
I looked up at him, stunned. Not a big deal? It was the only thing keeping me afloat.
Before I could argue, he jerked his head toward the motorcycle. “Get on.”
I hesitated. He raised an eyebrow. “That’s not a suggestion.”
Despite everything, I rolled my eyes. And for the first time all day a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
With a sigh, I climbed back on. The engine roared to life, and we pulled onto the road. I had no idea where we were going.
Exhaustion eventually won. The warmth of the ride and the steady vibration of the motorcycle lulled me. When I opened my eyes again, nearly three hours had passed.
The bike slowed and stopped in front of a massive building. Neon lights glowed above the entrance:
LEGION.
Music pulsed from inside. Rows of motorcycles filled the parking lot, and people in leather cuts moved in and out.
I climbed off and removed my helmet, staring up at the building in confusion. “What are we doing here?”
Ken hooked his helmet on the handlebars and looked at me like the answer was obvious.
“Your new workplace.”
I blinked. “My what?”
“We need a waitress. You start tomorrow. And trust me, your husband won’t come looking for you here.”
- Writer
