Legend (Requiem MC #6)

Chapter Nine Well, Well, Well…

Legend

The Walker brothers stared at us as all three had their arms crossed over their chests.

Quiet settled in the main room as if this was a face off for a duel.

I wondered how her brothers would react when they found out about Glory and I. Now, we were about to find out.

“Well, well, well,” Liberty quipped as he broke the tense silence.

Glory let go of me then turned to face them. “None of you had better ruin this for me!” she warned them as she braced her hands onto her hips. “This is my life and you will play nice. You hear me?” She glared at them.

They stared at her, then looked at each other. Finally, they dropped their arms and burst into laughter.

I shook my head. Yeah, they knew. They’d always known.

Dropping her hands from her hip bracing, Glory looked a bit confused.

“We have been waiting for this, Sis,” Justice said.

“Yeah, like, for years now.” Fate nodded.

“It took you guys sooo long,” Liberty added in exasperation. “I thought you would be dating in rocking chairs, actually.”

“I agree,” Fate said. “I mean we, your brothers, got married first? Before you two even had your first date?”

“Yeah, I really believed you’d be getting a senior discount wedding.” Liberty chuckled.

Justice laughed. “Too funny. Like they would have the reception in the nursing home cafeteria.”

They laughed.

“Ok, ok…we get it.” Glory rolled her eyes.

I had to chuckle even though it had been me holding it up for so long. “So, you all, are you okay with this?” I asked.

“Damn brother, we’ve been okay with it,” Liberty replied. “But you didn’t seem to be.”

“Besides, it is NOT any of their business, now is it?” Glory scowled at her brothers.

Liberty took his cell out, then tapped the screen. With a grin on his face, he handed it to me.

Taking it, I looked from the cell up to his face.

“Hello?” a male voice asked from the phone.

“Dad?” Glory asked when she heard his greeting.

Raising the phone, I spoke into it, “Hello Jarret.”

The cell had been put on speaker, so everyone could hear, “This is Liberty’s number,” Jarret greeted me. “Why are you calling, Legend? Is everything all right?”

“Yes,” I replied. “It is. Well, I’m not sure if…” I faltered. Now that it was time to tell him, I hesitated. I felt conflicted and a little guilty as his daughter and I just spent the night together.

Liberty leaned in closer to the phone and just flat out told him, “They are finally together, Dad.”

Silence from the cell. Then a laugh sounded out as Jarret exclaimed, “Well damn, it is about fucking time!”

The Walker boys laughed again.

“I am very happy about this,” Jarret stated over the cell. “Glory?”

“Yes, Daddy?”

“You didn’t push him into it, did you?” he asked his sassy daughter.

Her eyes rounded as she sucked in a deep breath.

“Of course she did,” Fate stated loudly.

Her brothers snickered.

Even I laughed at this.

“Yeah, she probably did, but the double wedding was what did it,” Liberty added.

“I hope you got pictures,” Jarret said.

“Of the wedding?” Liberty joked.

“Yes, the wedding, son. You know what I meant. I hated missing that,” Jarret said. “Two of my boys, tying the knot and I had to miss it.”

“We got video of it, Daddy,” Glory told him.

“Good, good.”

“It was so sweet,” Glory added. “A picturesque double wedding and the place had been fixed up really nice. The Requiem men did it up right.” She smiled. “Ma would have loved it.”

Jarret cleared his throat and said, “Well, I congratulate all of you. So when are your nuptials, Glory Girl?”

“Dad!” she scoffed as she looked surprised that he’d asked. “It’s a little soon, for that.”

“The hell it is,” he scolded. “You two should have been married a few years ago.”

Glory looked over at me and nodded her head. “See?”

I shook my head.

Liberty snorted. “We just got through telling them that, Dad.”

The brothers again fell into laughter.

“Ok, ok,” Jarret broke in. “Is there anything else?”

“Yes,” I told him. “My father and brother showed up yesterday.”

Silence from the phone, then he asked in a quiet tone, “Stephano came to the clubhouse?”

I felt surprised that Jarret knew his name as I answered him, “Yes and my brother, Luca.”

“Why now?” Jarret asked.

“He said that Deacon had been asking about me. Researching my background.”

“Fuck,” Jarret stated in disgust.

“According to my father, Deacon even showed up at my dad’s estate,” I added.

“And he is going to war with Deacon,” Justice interjected.

“Well, crap,” Jarret grumbled.

“Then about an hour ago,” Justice broke in again. “Deacon’s men came here uninvited and his father’s men took them down.”

“So, he has men watching the club,” Jarret concluded. “I suppose I can’t complain about that.”

“I don’t like it,” I voiced my opinion.

“Why?” Jarret asked.

I hesitated again.

Glory leaned in and explained, “He wants to pressure Legend into moving back home.”

She was right but I felt uncomfortable with all of them hearing about this.

“Yeah, I can see him doing that,” Jarret stated quietly.

“How do you know about him, Daddy?” Glory asked as she glanced up at me. “You told him about your family?”

I shook my head.

“No, he didn't,” Jarret admitted. “He never said, so I never asked. I found them myself years ago.”

I halted and stared down at the phone. I never had any idea he knew who they were.

“Sorry kid, but I needed to know,” Jarret told me. “I trusted you even back then but—”

“I get it,” I cut in. “I do.”

“So after I found them,” Jarret went on. “I could understand why you left but I always knew they would show up again someday. Your dad isn’t known for giving up as far as his world goes. I’m not sure about them being involved in this war, but I am glad his men are watching out for Deacon’s hit squads.”

“Ok, I’m lost here,” Liberty spoke up. “Who is your father?” he asked as he stared at me.

I paused, then told him, “Stephano Descalia.”

Liberty slowly shook his head as he looked confused. He obviously never heard of him.

“The Bad Moon Mafia,” Justice added.

“The fuck?” Fate now spoke up as he looked stunned. “You mean the ones over in New Orleans?”

“That’s them,” Justice said as he looked over at me. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like—”

“The hell you didn't,” Glory snapped. “That was so mean. You made it sound like juicy gossip or something.”

I grabbed her hand. “Glory, don’t—”

“What?” she asked. “Don’t tell them how immature they sound?” She turned to again glare at her brothers.

“My family is what they call Old World Italian Mafia, Glory,” I stated firmly. “Like from Italy. No use in playing it down. According to Luca, they switched over from a lot of the underground illegal crap, but I imagine they still deal in some shady stuff. When I graduated from high school, my father wanted me to go into the family business and I chose to be something else. That was why I left. But the truth is, they are mobsters.”

“Legend,” Jarret spoke from the phone speaker. “Just remember, you are my son too. You belong with the Walkers. Just know that. I’m not saying that you have to choose, but…Our home is your home. It always has been.”

The room went quiet.

Glory sniffled as she swiped a tear from her cheek. “That was beautiful, Daddy.”

I squeezed her hand and said, “I agree.”

“I just needed to say it,” Jarret added. “Even though Legend knew that already.”

“He’d better know,” Liberty spoke up again as he looked over at me. “Dude, we don’t care who they are.”

“Yeah,” Fate agreed as he nodded. “We only care who you are.”

“Damn,” Glory said as she swiped at another tear. “I’m just glad I don’t have to kick your asses.”

Her brothers stared at her then burst into laughter all over again.

“I swear Glory, you need to calm down and act like a grown woman,” Jarret said as he too laughed.

“Oh wow, Dad,” Fate spoke up. “You don’t need to stir her up, ok? I mean she’s been looking like she’s gonna kick our asses as it is.”

“Yeah, you aren’t here to deal with her.” Justice shook his head. “So it’s easy to just say stuff when you’re far away or something.”

Fate nodded. “It's not fair that you're telling her that she needs to behave. I mean, it’s true that she needs to act like a…”

Narrowing her eyes at him, Glory raised her fist in warning.

More laughter from all of us.

When we all quieted, Jarret went on, “I’m going to be calling tomorrow with Redemption on the line, so we can all discuss the next move.”

“Move?” Glory asked him.

“Yes, I’m more than tired of Deacon ruling our lives. We need to go after him, instead of hiding all the damn time. Talon and Liv want to end this too.”

“Of course they do,” Glory said. “They’ve been haunted by his mother and then him over the last ten years or longer. But the Louisiana Walkers have kids to look out for, so that has to be taken care of before they can go after Deacon.”

“I know but now we have them as well as all the women in a good hiding spot. So, we are going to battle Deacon on his home ground…Or underground rather.”

“Home ground?” I asked. “You found him?”

“We did,” Jarret confirmed. “Fate’s girl… I mean wife…” He chuckled. “Briget had been right about that alley. We set a camera on it from the other side of the street and after a couple of days, we got him. He comes and goes from there all the time.”

“Yes!” Liberty exclaimed. “Finally.

“So we will have a video meeting tomorrow afternoon,” Jarret repeated. “I already texted everyone else about this.”

“You gonna take him on without us?” Justice asked while sounding upset.

“Yeah Dad, we can be in the fight too,” Liberty said.

“That’s what we’re going to discuss son, so settle down. But now, I’ll need to inform Redemption and Talon about Descalia.”

“Yes,” Justice said. “The mafia could get rid of the man once and for all.”

Fate nodded in agreement. “This could mean the end of Deacon…finally.”

“The end,” Glory repeated with a little awe in her voice.

I placed my arm around her shoulder. This all started for us when he took Glory. I almost lost my mind during that time. I never wanted to feel that way again. One day, she was just gone. No one knew why. Finally, Jarret got a call telling him they all had to go to the ranch in Louisiana if they wanted to get her back. That had been when his sons found out about the Louisiana Walkers.

Then it was a few more days until they rescued her. I was here tending to the wounded since Deacon had then taken Zed hostage. I now realized I should be relieved that my father and his people were in on this war. It was just that Glory and I both knew that he would want me back in the fold as a return favor. So, to have this war end meant that we could go on and live a normal life. Get married and have a family. I paused and remembered what Glory had said about going and visiting my father at the estate. “I’m thinking about taking Glory with me when I go see my family,” I announced.

“When?” Jarret asked from the speaker.

Glory looked up at me with a question in her eyes.

I met her gaze and replied to this question, “I think it would be safer to take her there until Deacon is gone.”

“Hallelujah,” Liberty stated. “I like that idea.”

“No one asked you,” Glory said as she shook her head.

He chuckled.

Fate opened his mouth, most likely to agree.

Glory raised her hand up at him to cut him off. “Look, you are my brothers but I’m a big girl now, see?” She lowered her hands down, motioning to her form. “I’m all grown up and I don’t need y’all to act like nursemaids.”

I chuckled along with her brothers and said, “What if I take that job?” I teased. I mean she could shoot better than I could and probably win in a fist fight against most guys. But she was mine now. Maybe she’d always been mine. I raised a brow at her and said, “We are officially a couple now. So it is my job to protect you.”

Silence again fell in the room.

All her brothers stared at me then at her. They looked doubtful as they waited for her to blow up on me. Cussing me down about her capabilities and strengths.

I, in fact, waited for it too.

Raising up on her tiptoes, Glory kissed my lips sweetly and said in a soft spoken tone, “Having your protection would be wonderful, Legend.”

Several gasps could be heard coming from her brothers as they wore various expressions of shock on their faces. In fact, it seemed to shut them all up for a moment.

“Well, well, well,” Liberty repeated what he’d said earlier as he looked stunned.

Over the phone, her father laughed. “Right? God damnit…I never thought we would see this day.”