Page 29 of Judge's Justice

The Viper from last night is groaning on the ground, both hands pressed to his face, blood seeping between his fingers. His phone is shattered on the pavement, screen cracked beyond repair. No recording. No proof for Demon except what they saw with their own eyes.

Saint releases the gray-bearded one with a shove. "Get them and get out. You've got thirty seconds before I change my mind about letting you leave."

The gray-bearded one straightens his vest. Looks up at the window where Grace is still watching. Looks at Nora on the porch. Then at Saint.

"Wait till Demon hears his baby brother's back in the game," he says with a vicious smile. "Protecting civilians. Just like old times. Just like when you left. Some things never change, do they, Saint? You're still the same weak piece of shit who couldn't stomach real club business."

Saint's jaw clenches so hard I hear his teeth grind. But he doesn't respond. Doesn't give the bastard the satisfaction.

The gray-bearded one looks at me. "We know where they are now. We know what they look like. What the kid looks like. Demon's going to be very interested in this. Very interested in why the Iron Phoenix VP nearly died protecting random civilians. And even more interested that his traitor brother is involved."

"They saw your faces too," Saint says flatly. "They can identify you. Which means if anything happens to them, anything at all, we know exactly who to come looking for."

The gray-bearded one's jaw clenches. But he doesn't argue. Just walks over to the Viper from last night, hauls him to his feet. The Viper's barely conscious, swaying, blood still pouring. The baldone gets up slowly, favoring his left leg where I kicked him, his face already swelling from Canvas's hits.

They walk to their bikes. Mount up. The bald one and the Viper from last night can barely hold themselves upright.

The gray-bearded one looks back at the house. At Nora still standing on the porch, pale and shaking. At Grace's face in the window. Then at Saint.

"I’ll give Demon your regards," he says with a sneer. "I’ll tell him his brother misses him."

Saint takes a step forward, and the gray-bearded one starts his bike quickly. The three bikes roar to life. They pull away, slower than they arrived, limping back toward wherever they came from.

The second they're out of sight, I collapse.

"Judge!" Nora's voice. Close. Too close. She shouldn't be near me, shouldn't be seeing me like this.

Hands on my shoulders. Gentle. Saint's face swims into view, his expression concerned behind his usual composure.

"Easy. Don't try to move. Let me check—" He presses on my ribs and I bite back a scream. "Yeah, broken. At least one, maybe two. Your shoulder's dislocated. Need to pop it back in. This is going to hurt."

"Do it."

Canvas appears on my other side. "On three. One—"

He pops it back before he gets to three.

The world goes white. I hear someone screaming, distantly realize it's me. Then Canvas is pressing something against my face, saying something I can't process through the pain.

When I can breathe again, when the agony recedes to merely excruciating, I open my good eye. Nora's kneeling beside me. Tears streaming down her face. Her hands hovering like she wants to touch me but doesn't know where it's safe.

"You idiot," she whispers. "You absolute idiot. Why didn't you fight back? Why did you just let them—"

"Had to." My voice is wrecked. "They had your picture. Grace's picture from the security camera. Said if I fought back, they'd go looking for you. I couldn't… I couldn't risk it."

Her face crumples. "You took that beating for us."

"Would do it again."

"Judge—"

"Is Grace okay? Did she see…"

"She saw some of it through the window. She's inside. She's terrified, crying and asking if you're dead." Nora wipes at her eyes furiously. "You have to be okay. You have to be. She's five years old and she thinks you're a superhero and you can't… You can't die on her. On us."

The door bursts open. Grace runs out, her face wet with tears, still in her pajamas. She sees me on the ground and screams, a sound I can barely hear but feel it in my bones.

Nora tries to catch her, but Grace is too fast. She throws herself at me, wrapping her small arms around my neck, sobbing into my chest. The pain is out of this world, but I raise my good arm and hold her anyway.