Macy's Corner Cafe

Chapter 8

Jackson gets out of his black F350 truck and crosses the street to the Dancing Coyote Bar. It's a place where they meet on neutral ground. Since John left the g**g, he's been taking a hostile attitude towards The Black Dragons. What is he protecting?

He'll have to approach John with caution, though. Since he started to work at Macy's, John turned into an overprotective guarding dog. He sees John's blue truck in front of the bar. Good, at least he came. Jackson thinks as he walks into the bar.

He spots the big man sitting at the bar. A few girls passing by, eyes him with longing in their gaze. Jackson smiles. Wonder if the woman who will win John Lance's heart, is born yet? With that in mind, he walks closer to the ash blond.

"John..." He says as he takes a seat next to the man. "Jackson, how are you doing? I see you're still following Mason around like a leashed pup." John smirks as he takes a sip of his whiskey, wincing as the golden liquid burns down his throat.

Jackson growls, but says nothing. Witty as ever. Wise a*s. He orders a beer and settles on the seat. "Geek gave us some interesting info about Miss McCullen." Jackson says, noticing John going still beside him. "And what info might that be?" He simply asks. Jeez, this man is thick skinned.

"What do you know? Maybe I can fill in some blanks." Jackson pushes and finds John eyeing him suspiciously. John sighs. He doesn't like the direction this is going. Macy's privacy is important to her. To him as well. She wouldn't appreciate it if someone is snooping in her business. The circumstances under which John found her when she was kidn*pped, rose a lot of questions. Everything was off. Things didn't add up.

"John, what happened to her?" Jackson asks, sounding desperate to make sense of something. "I am not sure myself, Jack. I'm also still trying to figure things out. She may look tough, but that girl is broken and I am not sure if she can ever be mended again." Jackson looks at John who is staring into his tumbler, rotating the ice cubes. Questions running through his mind.

A huge commotion by the door gets their attention. "MACY! I just want to talk, please...!" A man's voice booms across the room from outside the bar. The next moment, a small figure darts into the door and make a beeline in their direction. John gets up and the girl tackles him, her arms around his waist. "Please, John. It's Derek. He's after me!" She cries in hysterics. John grabs his jacket from the chair, pulls it on and settles on the chair again. The girl between his legs and her face buried in his chest. He turns slightly to hide her from any passersby. His arms protectively around her tiny frame.

Jackson also acts normal, taking a swig from his beer. Catching a glimpse of her stalker. Jackson recognizes him as Derek Hill, the son of The Crouching Tigers' Second in Command. What does he want? Spoiled brat.

John pulls Macy tighter to his chest. She's shivering like a leaf. Her breath racing. He knows about Derek and her. He knows about their breakup and the pain it caused Macy. He also knows about the stalking and the calls. If he did not care about his life or that of Macy's he would've taken Derek out a long time ago.

Derek and his minions walks around the bar, pulling peoples' shoulders to see their faces. "Where is she? I am sure she came in here." He says. John feels Macy cringe at the sound of his voice, sinking deeper into his embrace.

Derek approaches the two men at the bar. Reaching his hand to touch the ash blond's shoulder. "If you love your mother, you will leave this man alone. He's quite ruthless and you are treading in his personal space." The older guy next to him says, his voice a calm rumble, before making eye contact.

Hesitating, Derek pulls his hand back. Today is not the day to cause a ruckus. He's already in the red with his old man for an incident that happened last week. This will only worsen his standing in the pecking order. He goes to the door, glancing back one last time and walks out. Motioning for his goons to follow.

John makes sure the men are out of sight before he releases Macy from his embrace. "What are you doing out, Macy?" He scolds her. "I..I..." She swallows, looking around. "I needed something from the shop and ran into them along the way. I turned around and they chased me. I saw your truck out front and came here. Sorry for the disturbance I caused." She says, looking at her feet. John sighs. " It's okay. I'm just having a drink with a friend. Let me introduce you. I am sure you'll recognize him." He says as he motions in Jackson's direction.

"Jackson, meet Macy McCullen. Owner of the cafe where I work. Macy, meet Jackson Turner." With the mention of his name, Jackson notices a clear shift in Macy's demeanor. Her eyes go wide for an instant, but she recollects herself and extends a hand. Jackson takes her small hand in his, and he feels it shivering. She can remember the last name. Vince called it out before he died.

"Nice to meet you, Miss McCullen. Care to join us for a drink. I think after the bit of action, something other that water will be good." He says, glancing in John's direction. The man's face is straight as ever, but he has not let her entirely out of his grip. She is still standing, guarded, between his legs. Almost leaning against him. They look good together. Maybe the woman who will tame John Lance is born and she is standing right in front of him.

"Thank you, I'll take a cider then." She says, giving a small smile in his direction. John also orders another whiskey and Jackson a beer. "So, Mr. Turner. What do you do in a place like this?" She asks, looking him straight in the eye. He can see the Palmer resemblance. The nose, the eyes. She's got Ella's mouth and hair. The eye color is a mix between Ella's and Mason's. The shape of her face, a more feminine version of Mason's. "I'm a driver." He simply states, leaving most details out.

The conversation he wanted with John will have to wait till another day. He watched the two people in front of him. He's known John Lance for at least sixteen years, and he has never seen this side of him. He is totally relaxed around her. Looking at her with adoration and respect. She's at ease with him. Joking and laughing, not the feisty woman he sees in Macy's Corner Cafe. The little cat that gives Mason a hard time.

Mason will not be happy about the report he's going to give, but he has to be patient. He has to give things time. Meanwhile, they can figure out what to do with Derek and his minions. They are posing a threat to her and that has to be dealt with.