Page 26 of Judge
“You’ll always be my baby boy,” I tease, his eyes rolling so hard I’m afraid I may never see the bright green orbs ever again.
I stare at the TV screen, knowing full well that if Leo is in the house I won’t get a glimpse of him. Flicking through the screensI can’t help but feel a sense of pride at the sheer chaos that the DRMC has managed to rain down. I know that it’s only been a few days, but regardless of what happens from here on out with Leo, I think these might be my people.
A metal on metal scraping sound has my back stiffening. Jax drops the cookie in his hand and flies across the room, standing with his back to the wall, next to the door, ready to pounce. Taking the cue from my son I move to stand directly in front of the door opening, feet planted, crossbow loaded and ready.
In my periphery the women, Sage and Annie-Bella gather up the babies from the play pen and move the Littles to the safe room deeper in the bunker. Flicking my eyes to Jax he gives me a tight nod. A gut dropping “click” rings out, the door disengaging. There is an agreed password that will be called out if it’s one of the DRMC, and yet the silence is deafening.
Breathing out slowly, I try to calm my racing heart. I almost laugh when I notice Jax doing the same thing. It’s funny how adrenaline screws with you like that. The door inches open slowly before big boots stomp in, coming to an abrupt stop.
“Hands up, motherfucker,” Jax growls.
“It’s me, Son,” Leo’s raspy voice fills the room and my crossbow drops, as if my arms couldn’t hold the weight of it any longer.
My breath whooshes out of me before it rushes back in on a gasp, “Jax! Where the hell did you get that gun? Put it down, now!” I growl, burning a goddamn hole into my son’s head.
Leo turns slowly, his large hand wrapping around the muzzle pointing directly at him. He holds it in his hand, not daring to move until Jax does first, dropping the gun quickly as if it’s burnt him.
“Good man, you did good,” Leo murmurs, resting this large hand on Jax’s shoulder. My boy slumps into him and I can’thelp but rush him, hitting his stupid teenage boy shoulder before wrapping him in my arms.
“You are so fucking grounded for pulling a gun,” I growl. He nods into my shoulder as I hold him tight.
“What did you think I was doing?” he mumbles.
“I thought you were going to hit him over the head with something! What the hell, where did you even get a gun?” I push him away from me, but not too far as my hands are fisting in his shirt so I can shake some damn sense into the boy.
Before I can get started on treating this kid like a rag doll, a heavy weight wraps around me, pulling me and my son into a warm solid wall, Leo’s scent surrounding us. He stands there, holding us, until Jax and I feel as if we can stand on our own two feet.
“Where is Annie?” Leo asks gently.
“Shit!” I move as fast as I can to the safe room, hitting the intercom button, “It’s safe! It’s just Judge.”
The door disengages and everyone comes flooding out, talking over each other for an update from Leo. Annie runs straight to him, wrapping her arms around his waist once she sees that he’s fine. He looks momentarily shocked, before his posture softens and he wraps a large arm around her small body.
“What’s the damage? Any casualties? Are our men OK?” Nat takes the lead, holding her daughter Rosie tighter, for comfort.
“The men are all fine, apart from Rider who got shot in the nipple.”
As a collective we all stare at Leo. “He got shot in the chest? Is he OK?” Mama Debs asks, her normally tan face, pale.
“Not the chest. The nipple. It grazed past sideways or something. I actually have no idea.”
I let out a breath, feeling better about that. Still puzzled, but at least no one got hurt.
“Roman’s men and Moss Davies are doing clean up now. Someone will come get you when it’s safe to let the kids up.”
I nod, taking in the words. “Wait, Moss Davies, as in Sergeant Moss Davies?”
Leo gives me his crooked smile, but doesn’t say a word. He gently removes Annie’s arm from his waist, dropping a kiss to the top of her head, before handing her over to me. I wrap my arm around her and watch him walk out the door.
“Well, we better eat these cookies before Rider gets down here and acts all pitiful because his nipple got blown off,” Mama Debs sighs.
A giggle bubbles up in my throat and bursts out before I can stop it. I snort and the giggling gets worse when my friends join in until we’re all in a heap, leaning on each other, cackling.
“Ah shit, you heard the news already, didn’t you?” Rider’s voice booms over the sound of women losing their shit.
“Sorry ‘bout your nips, Uncle Rider.”
“Thanks, sweetheart. Can I have a cookie?”
