Chapter Eighteen
Grace had been flat out when I went back to the van for her, and as peaceful as she looked, I just couldn’t fucking disturb her, not while there was so much shit still going on, and honestly, I wanted none of those fuckers anywhere near her, until I knew they were savvy enough to remember that they’d lose their fucking eyes for even looking at her.
I’d covered her with one of the many blankets we’d received as part of Rossi’s care package, aka mafia guys turning up to save our drugged asses, and I’d pushed the van door almost closed, since I’d have woken her otherwise.
Trust her to wake up when the cops were in a position to see her, and come running out of the van, stark naked and panicked. She’d sobered up, thank fuck, although I think that meant I was out of luck getting up that tight ass tonight.
I caught her, and dragged her back to the van before anyone spotted her, although I think Grease saw her, so who knows, maybe I’d gouge his eyes out for that later.
“Torch, oh my god, what happened? I feel like I was drugged with something. Did someone do something to me? I was naked!” She started to sob, and that’s when I realised that, without knowledge of what had happened to all of us, in her eyes, what she imagined was the kind of thing Tori used to do to guys. Irony, huh?
I lifted her up into the van, and sat her on my lap, dragging the blanket up around her shoulders.
“Shhh, baby, just breathe, and I’ll tell you everything. I promise nobody touched you, okay? You were safe in the van.”
She practically choked on a sob, and started shaking her head.
“The van door was open, Torch, anyone could have got in while you were… wherever you were…”
My poor sweet fucking lady. As if I’d have let that happen to her, or any of the fucking women in our club.
“Listen up, doc, and hear me good, yeah? I left that door ajar, so I didn’t wake you. All you did was sleep in the van to sober up. Nobody got anywhere near you, I promise.”
She hiccupped a little, lifting her head at last to fix those teary eyes on me, and fuck me, that’s the worst kind of gut punch, it really is.
“I… are you sure? I was naked, Torch. Naked and alone.”
I cupped her cheek and shook my head. “You got yourself naked, baby, when you got hit with whatever the fuck we were all dosed with. Do you feel like anyone did anything? I mean, take a moment to focus on those areas. You’d know, I promise, but it didn’t happen.
Let me tell you what the hell did happen, yeah? ”
She swallowed hard, reaching up to try and brush her tears away.
“Uh uh, baby, let me. I’m your man, and it’s my job to dry your tears. Gotta be honest though, I much prefer the ones you cry when you’re choking on my thick cock.”
She shuddered, but her lips turned up a little.
“See? You’re okay. So, basically, long story short, a few of the ousted Rogues went wild bunch on us all, drugged the beer, and tried to kill everyone.
No… shh, it’s okay, don’t panic. Everyone’s fine, okay?
I mean, we coulda done with your help patching people up, but it’s all good. We have that covered.”
She focused on me properly then, her eyes fixing on the dried blood on my face, and the swollen nose, that was honestly pulsing with pain every time I moved my face, which, FYI, is a lot.
“You were hurt. Let me check-”
“It’s okay, doc, although it’s hot when you get all bossy like that. I got punched, and thrown around a bit, that’s all.”
“The rogue Rogues punched you?” Ha rogue Rogues, I like that.
“No, that was Tori.”
Now, why my lady thought that was funny I had no idea, but I found myself grinning back at her.
“What did you do, Torch?”
I shrugged a shoulder. “Might have called her dad a mafia prick. I forgot who I was talking to, but yeah, actually, she handed me my ass because I tried to save her from an incoming helicopter. Mean, huh?”
“You were lucky she only punched you. You touched her, didn’t you?”
“To. Save. Her.”
Grace shook her head at me, but thank fuck she was calmer now, and smiling.
All I wanted was to see her happy, and feeling safe.
It probably wasn’t the kind of thing a person would expect me to want when they met me, because apparently I was the ‘scary looking one’, but whatever.
My old lady pretty much owned my ass, and I’d do anything to keep her happy. To keep her.
Grace
Iwas relieved that I hadn’t apparently been date raped, since it was incredibly disorienting to wake up naked, in a van, and with no memory of what had happened to me.
I knew that kind of thing happened to women too often, but for a few minutes, I’d had an idea of how it felt to wake up so lost, and it was terrifying.
Torch helped me get my clothes back on, and then he led me out of the van, and into the busy compound grounds. I gasped when I saw the smoking, charred remains of the building that had previously housed both Micro’s and Grease’s offices. What the hell had happened there?
“Bodies are on the van for disposal,” some guy in black barked, in the general direction of Micro and Reacher, but funnily enough, he seemed to be addressing Tori, of all people. She nodded at him, and rattled out some commands at him that he hurried off to follow, and Torch chuckled.
“She’s got her dad’s men terrified of her. It’s pretty fucking awesome.”
“Grace! Are you okay? I haven’t seen you all night!” Elise ran at me, her arms locking tight around my waist, and I hugged her back, while frowning at Torch with surprise. She wasn’t usually this tactile, not that she was standoffish, but we weren’t really the hugging kind of friends.
“Babe, I’m so glad to see you. We had no idea where you were, and then Torch said you were safe, sleeping it off,” Ally said, reaching out to pat my shoulder, before she limped back to the area by the burning firepit, where the old ladies had been huddled.
“What I can’t work out is why the fuck my chest is stinging,” Has-Been cursed beside us, dragging his t-shirt up to check it. We all froze as we stared at the reddened skin around several new tattoos, as he started losing it.
“ROCKET! You fucking asshole, you did this!” I turned to Torch, as he practically doubled over laughing.
“Did you see all the cocks, babe? Fuck me. He really did that!”
“But did you see the ‘Property of Micro’ tattoo? He’s going to need to cover that up asap!” Elise was giggling beside us, then she suddenly started checking her arms, and looking down her top.
“Oh god. I got ink too. He really tattooed people while he was out of his face?!”
I leaned closer, wanting to see what her tattoo was, but she backed up, shaking her head.
“Nope. Not showing anyone. My god! Rocket!!”
We watched the two of them charge around, hunting down Rocket, and I chewed my lip.
“Anyone else really want to know what her tattoo is?”
Lissa
It still felt weird that I’d lost most of the night, and all I really recalled was seeing Ice trying to charge into a burning building, with sparkly fairies tugging at his clothes, as they tried to stop him. Apparently those weren’t real, but his desperate attempt to die a fiery death was genuine.
As a therapist, I knew that it was a red flag, but honestly, if the situation had been reversed, I wasn’t so sure I wouldn’t have been the one trying to follow him into wherever the hell people go after life.
As a person who wasn’t a believer in religion, or gods, or afterlives, I had no idea what waited for us after we passed on, but I knew I’d want to be there with him.
Ice had been checked over, and was concussed, and in agony with his shoulder, but some basic pain relief, and an ice pack for his injury were pretty much all he could have, to try and ease his suffering.
Addiction was the curse that just kept on hurting him, and not because he’d fallen back on his old ways, but because he couldn’t even get some proper relief now.
I tried to get up, to bring him one of the hot drinks we’d been making from the supplies dropped here by Rossi’s people, but he tightened his good arm around me, and gritted out the word ‘nope’.
“Ice, I was just going to get you something to drink. You need to have something.”
“I said nope. You’re staying right here in my fucking arms… well, arm… because I nearly lost you, and I’m not ready to not be touching you. K?”
He’d cried when he realised I hadn’t died in that fire. We both did. Our connection was that intense and all-consuming, but this was bordering on obsessive now.
“I’ll be right there, Ice.”
“Nope.”
“I’m thirsty,” I finally said, the words coming out more as a grumble at this point, but my ploy worked, because he sighed heavily and released me, but caught my hand as I stood up.
“Help me up, babe. I’ll give you a hand.”
“I can do it, besides, you have to rest, remember? Concussions are not just headaches.”
He grudgingly released my hand, and watched me like a hawk, as I walked the few feet across the yard to the drinks table, and dispensed water into two cups, making tea for both of us.
Did I happen to notice the occasional glitter trails as I moved things?
Did I swallow hard, as I saw a fairy peeking out from behind the drinks urn?
Nope. At this point, admitting to such things would be tantamount to lunacy, so no. I didn’t see a damn thing.
Sophie
He was so stubborn! “You were shot, Micro. Again!” Why was he rolling his eyes at me? The whole night was terrifying, but thinking I’d lost him, again, was the worst part of it all.
“It’s not a joke!”
Micro groaned, grabbing my hand and halting my angry pacing.
“Baby, I’m fine. Look at me. It’s just another fucking scar to add to the collection, but I’m fine. Would I prefer to not get shot every fucking time something happens? Of course. It’s actually pretty painful, but it’ll take more than that to keep me away from you.”
He looked so sweet and sincere as he spoke, but that just made it worse, because that tentative grip I’d had on my emotions failed me in that moment, and the tears filled my eyes as the first sob choked me.
“Aw baby, c’mere.” He practically crushed me against his chest, his strength belying the injuries he’d taken tonight, but he winced when I pressed close and let him hold me, because yeah, he’d been fucking shot!
“You can’t… I can’t lose… you nearly died, Micro!” I sobbed out, and he cursed, cupping the back of my head as he kissed the top of it.
“Shh it’s okay, baby, it’s all okay.”
“Rossi managed to get some rooms booked at the nearest hotel, so we’re all gonna start heading out, man,” Torch said, stopping beside us with Grace tucked under his arm.
I felt her rest a soothing hand on my shoulder, and forced myself to look at them, their image blurry behind the tears still slipping from my eyes.
“Thanks for having my back,” Micro said quietly, and I caught the atmosphere between them, since I couldn’t see worth a damn. I dragged the back of my hand over my eyes, to get a better look. That atmosphere wasn’t the usual one, filled with animosity and hurt. It felt friendlier than that.
Torch sighed, pressing his face against Grace’s hair for a moment. Was this awkwardness between them a good thing? I couldn’t tell at this moment.
“Torch?”
“Jesus. Tonight was a fucked up shit show, and we’re all lucky we fucking survived it, but…”
I think Micro and I were both holding our breath at his words, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“… fuck… look, it kinda felt like old times, us working together, and having each other’s backs. I didn’t even feel like I was waiting for another knife, so I dunno. Maybe… maybe I won’t feel like killing you next time I see you.”
I could feel the tension in Micro’s shoulders, as he stared at his lost friend, the one person I knew he desperately wanted back in his life.
“Yeah?”
Torch grinned, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, just… don’t push it, let it happen…”
“I bet he says that to all the girls,” Grace said with a giggle, breaking the frozen tension of the moment, and making both men grin. Maybe one good thing had come from this crazy night after all.