Twenty-Seven
T hey’d let Doc give me the once over in my old room, and thankfully the bullet had caught my shoulder, but there was no bullet inside me, so that was one good thing. He’d also put a special dressing over the burn on my chest, after chewing Torch out for doing it. It wasn’t because he cared about me, but because, if it got infected, we’d be darkening his fucking doorstep again.
We were finally on the road, with Sophie still recovering from her most recent injuries, and me sore as fuck, but dosed up with paracetamol and ibuprofen, because anything stronger would impair my thinking ability. Tommy was driving, but was only with us as a driver, and not getting caught up in any danger.
Apparently Reacher didn’t want to lose out on his cooking skills, so he was sitting this one out. I read it as, it’s my place to die here and not his, and that’s fine, as long as the kid and Soph got out, I didn’t care about my fate. Who knew I’d find someone who mattered so much to me that I’d die for her? I got it now. What the Pres and VP had felt. What Torch, Has, Ice, and Ryder had. Soph wasn’t even officially mine, but I felt like she was. I’d step in front of a hundred fucking bullets, if it meant she could walk away unharmed.
“It’s okay, babe, we’ll get her back,” I murmured to Soph, who was tucked in against my side, and still not herself, after getting smacked in the head by those fuckers. I’m glad Stitch and the others killed them, because they deserved it. Their VP though, Thug, he’d be spitting, and out for blood.
“They could be doing anything to her,” Sophie replied, burying her face in my neck and shuddering.
“The Pres said they had eyes on her. She’s out in the open at the moment, but looks unhurt,” Tommy said, surprising us both, and reminding me that we weren’t alone, even though, if we had been, one of us would be driving. I was glad I wasn’t, because Soph needed comfort right now, and I’d take advantage of every second I could hold her.
“That’s good, thanks, man. See, babe? She’s going to be fine. It’s all going to be fine.”
“Never thought I’d lay eyes on you again, man,” Tommy said quietly, diverting our attention back to him.
“Yeah, same, and like I said, I’m sorry I was such a cunt. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I had no choice. Well, that’s bullshit, I had a choice, but I made only bad ones back then.”
He watched the road with an intensity I admired, but he was listening.
“So you’re reformed now? That’s what they’re saying. Micro turned good guy on us. You found God or something?”
Sophie pressed closer, and I was never more glad for the twin front seating than in this moment, because after thinking I’d lost her, I was holding her close again, and I wouldn’t change that for the fucking world.
“It’s got nothing to do with God, dickhead. There was a fucking screw loose in my head, but I think someone here fixed it for me.”
Tommy kept smoothing one hand down the front of his cut as he drove, and I got it, I really did. He was wearing the club’s colours at last, as a fully-fledged member, and that shit felt so fucking good. I wished I hadn’t blown it for myself, because I understood how much it meant, only now it was too late.
“Cut looks good on ya, man. I’m glad they were smart enough to patch you in.”
Tommy grinned, smoothing the front of his cut again.
“It’s been a few weeks, and it still feels so new, but I wouldn’t change a thing that got me there. Not even what you did. I think I gained a new kind of strength going through that. That’s weird, right?”
No, because hadn’t I found the same fucking catharsis with what I’d gone through?
“Thanks for not hating me. It was harder facing everyone again than I expected, not that I expected to see any of you again.”
“Ice says you sent a warning that the Rogues were gunning for us though. Did you not think that would lead to a meet up?”
I grinned at him, knowing how dumb it seemed now, but at the time I’d thought I’d covered my bases.
“I was hoping he’d think it was Grease. I know he was a mafia guy, I mean, there’s not much I didn’t know. I had eyes and ears everywhere back then. Still, I’m really not clear on how you guys found us. I mean, I’m glad you did, because I failed, and she nearly fucking died, but how? I know I covered my tracks.”
Sophie was shaking her head, and I knew she probably thought I was being too hard on myself or something, but it was true.
“It was me,” she finally hissed, pushing against my arm so she could sit up straight, and look at me. I swear, that’s not what I expected to come out of her mouth just then.
“What was?”
Sophie
I t was scary to now be telling him this, like somehow it might make him decide not to help me, because was it snitching? Was it a betrayal? Didn’t my actions lead to him being locked up and tortured? Didn’t it nearly lead to his death?
“Babe?”
I knitted my fingers together in my lap, because I was pretty sure he wouldn’t want me touching him right now.
“I told them. It was me,” I said quietly, waiting for the fallout, for him to announce how betrayed he felt, but he just made a ‘huh’ sound.
“How’d that happen?” Tommy asked, and I sighed, meeting Micro’s eyes as I told my dastardly tale.
“You sent me off with the laptop, but you hadn’t logged off, so while I was hiding in my little cubby, I heard a message ping up, and I was worried it’d give away my position, so I opened the laptop to shut it down, and there was a message from Ice.”
Micro looked surprised, but then who could blame him? He’d left his laptop in my care, and I’d abused that trust by going on it. I mean, technically it was my spare laptop, but I’d pretty much decided it was his anyway.
“What did he say?”
I lifted my hands. “I can’t remember exactly, but I panicked and called him through the app, and when he realised it wasn’t who you wanted him to think it was, it led to a chat with him, and then Reacher, about the Rogues attacking, and them demanding my address so they could help. I begged them to save my… my boyfriend… but I never said it was you. I figured if I told them it was you, then they might have come gunning for you instead. I guess… I guess I hoped when they realised you were there, they’d see the you that I see. My Micro.”
He was watching me with wide eyes, reaching over to rest his hand on top of mine, halting the agitated twisting of my fingers.
“ Your … I’m your guy?”
I bit my lip, and nodded.
“As far as I’m concerned you are. Is that not what you want?”
“This is heartwarming as fuck, and I don’t wanna shit on your parade, but we’re approaching the rendezvous point, so you might wanna get your game faces on.” Tommy practically flinched after he said it, like he thought one of us might lash out, but he was right, and our conversation could wait until after my sister was safe. You know, before he went back to Phoenix for his own murder.
Reacher
A s soon as they’d left, I led Stitch to my office, and slammed the door behind him.
“Tell me we just did the right fucking thing, brother, because I’m lost here. We were going to put him down, and now we’re letting him out of here, knowing full well he could leg it, and escape justice again?” I’d played it the way he’d asked me to, but even though Micro seemed different, my old lady still walked with a fucking limp, thanks to him. Nothing could undo that, could it?
Stitch walked straight to my desk drawer, and dug out my not-so-secret bottle of bourbon, and both glasses, pouring a measure for each of us, and sitting down.
“It’s the right move, Reacher. We know where he’ll be, we even have eyes on him right now. If he tries to run, he dies, but if he can get into that club, and take down the leaders, without our own guys getting in the crossfire, then I count it as a win. That kid is what matters right now.”
Smug bastard thought I didn’t understand that, but I did. I got it loud and clear, and the kid was always going to be my priority, which is why we sent guys after her, the second we knew there was a possibility that she was at risk. That’s why we had guys close enough to get to the Rogues’ territory, and scope out their club from a safe distance. That’s why we had eyes on the girl now.
“What if he does it though? What if he turns up back here, with a smarmy ass look on his face, and his woman on his arm, kid safe, and everything done as we demanded? What then? It’s only gonna get harder to take that fucking asshole away from that woman who thinks she loves him.”
Stitch drained his glass, and slid it in my direction, like suddenly I’m his fucking bartender, and for some reason, I topped it up, and mine.
“If we kill him after that, who are we really punishing? Him or her? I don’t even think Torch is fully behind killing him now, and I know Lissa isn’t. She’ll win the old ladies over, and you know it. No matter how many of them he terrorised, they’ll band together, just like they did last week about the bar. They own us now, and we’ll bend to keep them happy.” Yeah, the fucking bar.
Thanks to them, it was being fucking refurbished, and smartened up, so it was more ‘old lady friendly’. Not only that, but they now had a section that was just for them, so they could have girls nights, and keep us men away from them. Didn’t stop us watching them like hawks from a few tables away though, did it?
Stitch cleared his throat, and stared at his glass, clearly mulling something over, but was he ever gonna come out with it?
“Maybe there’s a way to make this work for us, Reacher. Maybe we look at this as an opportunity to expand.”
“Expand? Jesus fuck, you think I don’t have enough shit here to worry about?” My whole body felt an extra wave of exhaustion just at the thought, and I was tired enough, what with Ally’s new menopausal crankiness if I dared to fucking disagree with her.
“Think about it. Phoenix MC, Hampshire Chapter has a nice ring to it, right? You don’t need to be there and here, though, do you?”
Jesus . “Tell me you’re not thinking of fucking off there to run shit as President. I need you here.”
Stitch chuckled, and rolled his eyes at me.
“Trust me, there’s no way I’m leaving here, and Camille would kill me if I tried to move us. She uh…” his cheeks darkened a little, “wants to have our baby here, surrounded by family.”
What the fuck! I slammed my empty glass down and gaped at him, my brother who I thought I was losing, not so long ago.
“She’s pregnant?”
“That’s generally what happens before babies come, yeah.” He was grinning wide as fuck though, so I let him have his joke, and dragged him up and into a hug.
“That’s fucking brilliant, I’m so happy for you guys. Wait, how long have you known, asshole?”
He couldn’t stop smiling. “It’s been killing me not telling you, brother. She wanted to wait until she was past the three month mark, and that’s literally today, but I couldn’t hold back. I’m gonna be a fucking dad!”
We sat back down again with a fresh drink, because sometimes you have to celebrate the big things so they don’t pass you by. Having kids wasn’t something on the cards for me and Ally, and that was fine, but I’d be a fucking dedicated uncle to Stitch’s kid.
“We decided to try a few months ago, and held back on saying anything, because… well, I didn’t think I could even make that happen what with…” he rolled his eyes, “but Camille’s response was that there’s enough ‘spunk in my junk’, and yeah, here we are.”
So much weight seemed to have lifted from my shoulders with this revelation. Life was moving on, despite all the shit we’d been through. A new beginning. A new little soul would be joining us. What was more important than that?
“So why the push for a second chapter, now especially?”
He cradled his glass and stared seriously at me.
“I need to know this world is getting better rather than worse. That my kid is going to grow up in a place that is safer for them than it was for me, for any of us. Eradicating another club of bad seeds sounds like a damn good start, and I don’t have the energy for it myself, so let Micro go in. Let him risk his life, like she says he keeps doing. Let him fix his mess, and if he does, let’s see about letting him try and resurrect a club out of the ashes of what’s left. If it works out, and we feel it’s worth doing, we can patch them over when we’re ready. We can put eyes and ears in there, to monitor how he runs things. Rocket’s been looking to get out of town for a bit, after that on again off again thing of his imploded on him. Stag is always looking for more excitement. We could put them with him. They could keep us posted. This could be a way forward, brother. If he survives.”
Well, hell. He’d put real thought into this, maybe had always been thinking about expansion, but I was just about coping with keeping shit running here. If we did have a second chapter, maybe that could take some of the pressure off of us. It’d taken months to get the cops to fuck off and leave us alone after the whole Micro debacle, so wouldn’t another chapter, and an extended family of brothers, be an asset?
“What if he dies though?”
Stitch shrugged, clearly having given that possibility some thought too.
“Plan stays the same. We get the rest of the guys to finish them off, extract the ladies, and we patch them over by force.”