The Redemption of Ace Merrill

Later Stell

"OCEANE!"

She pulled away from her dad as she heard a loud shout.

Another guy a few years older than her came pushing through the officers. Stella quickly pushed back from her dad retreated into Ace's arms, he was safe.

The guy stopped as he glared at the men surrounding his fiancée.

"Who the fuck are these pricks?" He snapped as he gestured to them.

"Calm down Jordan!" Her dad snapped. "These  guys found her and helped her out."

Jordan grumbled slightly as he came to the her dad's side.

"Come here sweetheart," he opened his arms to Stella.

Yet instead of moving closer to him, she took one of Ace's in both of hers and began fiddling with his fingers.

"Oceane come here." He repeated, a lot less harsher than before.

"She don't want to." Eyeball snapped as he moved closer to her, protectively.

"She's my fucking fiancée." Jordan snapped at him.

"And she's fucking nervous right now." Ace snapped as he continued to feel Stella fiddling with his fingers.

"She ain't nervous, she's with family." Jordan snapped.

"Okay everyone!" Her dad said as he clapped his hands together. "Let's just take a breather. Sweetie why don't you take a walk with me? Show me around this place aye?"

Stella slunk closer to into Ace as she pressed her head against his arm.

"Or not..." he mumbled as he noticed his daughter's tense reaction. "Let's just take a breather anyway. Why don't you go get some fresh air?"

Stella nodded quickly as she yanked Ace backwards. The others slowly followed them outside as they all let out the breaths they were holding.

"Well that was fucking tense." Billy sighed out as they all lit cigarettes and looked over to where Stella had sat on a wall.

Ace was stood beside her as his hand rested in her lap, Eyeball watched as Stella continued to fiddle about with Ace's fingers.

He looked over at Eyeball and nodded to the cigarettes in their hands. Eyeball quickly came over to Ace, placed a lit cigarette in his mouth and stepped back over to the others.

Ace let the cigarette hang from his mouth as he smoked it while Stella continued to fiddle about with his fingers, mumbling to herself over and over.

Her head pressed against his shoulder as she continued to mumble over and over.

"So, you um, helped my daughter?"

Eyeball and the others snapped their heads as Stella's dad walked out to greet them.

They all scrambled as they chucked away their cigarettes and tried to straighten themselves up as he shook his head, holding his hands up.

"Don't go all freaky on me." He said with a laugh. "I'm off duty."

"Sorry I understand this must be crazy strange for you." He said with a laugh as he waved his hands around at all the big cars, soldiers with guns and men in suits.

They all nodded slowly as her dad looked over at her and Ace.

"What's with the hands?" He asked curiously as he took a small step closer.

"Nervous habit, she used to fiddle with her own fingers but Ace didn't want her scratching herself anymore so she just kinda uses his." Eyeball answered as he accepted the new lit cigarette from Billy.