Thirty
W ith the NHS being as pressed as they are, I was probably released far too early, but it was a relief to get out of there and back home with Reacher, because it was home. My home. Anywhere Reacher was, and that was where I wanted to be.
He wasn’t back to his usual strength, and I struggled to move without pain, so we were a right mess, both laid up in his bed, in his room at the clubhouse. Prospects came and went with food, and helped out where needed. Otherwise we were left to ourselves to rest, except for those moments when his well-meaning brothers stopped by to ‘visit’.
Stitch was the first to stop by once we were settled in. It was so strange to be in bed with Reacher, and have his VP pop in and sit at the end of the bed to chat with him.
I noticed that he sat on the side Reacher inhabited, and suspected that nobody would get away with sitting on my side.
“How you guys doing? Promise me you’re not naked under those covers, yeah?” Stitch smirked at Reacher’s gruff mumblings.
“Just wanted to update you, man. We still have ass-face downstairs, waiting for his uh… interrogation. Might feed him later, probably not though. He’s already pissed on himself, so might have to hose him down just for the sake of our own comfort.”
I grimaced. “Is it Raoul?”
He met Reacher’s eyes again before he looked at me.
“Yeah.”
“Let him stew in his piss. He deserves it.”
Stitch threw his head back as he laughed.
“I knew I liked you. I don’t think I’ll be able to handle the stench, if I’m honest. He’s already a sweaty bastard.”
I felt a shudder run through me at the thought of that sweaty bastard on top of me, my nose filled with the foul stench of him, and then Reacher was dragging me closer, his arm tight around me.
“He’s never touching you again, woman, and if you want to watch him die, I have no problem with that.”
“Damn right I do.” My tone was grim, but I needed to see it. I needed to know that he was gone, and could never come after me again.
“Maybe just hand her a knife, Reacher, and let her do her thing.”
I shuddered at Stitch’s words. Could I? Could I do that to a living human being? If it was Raoul? Possibly.
“Let’s leave that for now, brother. Anything else to report?” Reacher’s arms were tight around me, as he held me against his chest, and showed me that his strength was returning rapidly. Thank god for that. The thought of him collapsing like that was terrifying. I mean, I often joked about his age, and stuff, but only because we were both a little over the hill, and it always fired him up. It didn’t mean that it didn’t scare me too.
I wished we’d met twenty years earlier. That we’d had a whole life together. People think finding your perfect other half late in life is romantic. It isn’t. It’s devastating, because we’d wasted a large chunk of our lives without ever knowing each other, and we could have been together that whole damn time.
“You okay, woman?” I blinked, lifted from my thoughts, and worrying, by Reacher’s gruff tone. I noticed then that Stitch had left the room while I’d been dwelling.
“Sorry. Miles away, I guess.”
“You don’t really have to watch him die, or take part, if it’s too much for you. It’s your call.” I was actually glad that he’d mis-read my silence, because I wasn’t ready to put a voice to my fears.
“I’m kind of on the fence, but I do need to know he’s gone. I need that to feel safe.”
Reacher lifted my face, cupping it in both hands, so he could kiss my forehead.
“You’re never going to have to be afraid of anyone again, woman. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
“You mean you won’t let anyone near me,” I half-joked, and his grin spread wide.
“Same difference, Ally. They can’t hurt you if they’re kept away, right?”
That was good enough for me. I pressed my face against his chest again as his grip loosened, and he stroked my hair until I fell asleep, lulled into a relaxed state by the slow, steady beating of his heart.
Reacher
O ne day of rest at home, and I was back to my usual self. I was a little wary of everything I did, but I felt strong again. The old ticker was still beating in my chest, so I had to get back to things. Keeping Ally in that damn bed was enough of a challenge though. Stubborn woman that she was, she’d actually become a bit clingy. I could understand it, but I also couldn’t let her move around with me.
“Reacher, I… I’m fine really. Look.” She tried climbing out of the bed, and gasped, clutching at her stomach, her eyes meeting mine slowly.
“Jesus, woman. I’m only going to be in my office for half an hour or so. Just gotta run through some club stuff with Stitch.”
She groaned, and tried again to climb up out of the bed, before I cursed and headed back, easing her under the covers again.
“Please, I know you want to be up and about, but you’re not healed yet.”
She chewed her lip. “I… I’m afraid to be alone, Reacher.” Her eyes filled with tears, and she angrily rubbed at them. Fuck. I’d needed a change of scenery, a return to the norm, but I wasn’t leaving her like this.
Digging my phone out of my pocket, I rang Stitch.
“Change of plans, brother. Bring lunch up to my room, we’ll meet here.”
He agreed, and ended the call. No arguments. No questions. Just accepting that I needed to be here, with my old lady. It was part of the reason why he was my perfect VP.
The relief and gratitude in her eyes told me it was the right decision. I sat on the bed with her, rubbing her palm with my thumb.
“We’ll sit over at the window so you can have some peace, woman, but I’m not leaving you, okay?” I had a sneaking suspicion that part of her fear was being alone, and part of it was literally being away from me. Like she still wasn’t over thinking I’d died, and that feeling I could totally understand.
When Stitch tapped on the door and poked his head in, I waved at him. He brought a tray with him containing lunch for three, and three coffees. He loaded our plates and drinks onto the dining table, and returned with the tray, handing it to me, so I could set it up for Ally. Tommy, our prospect in charge of food and drinks, had outdone himself. It was a stir fry of some sort, and smelled amazing. Once Ally was set, I kissed the top of her head, and joined Stitch at the dining table.
“Thanks, brother.”
He nodded, glancing at Ally.
“She needs you here, Reacher. I can understand that. You did the right thing.”
Never misses a trick, this boy.
“Thank you. So… apart from our uh… guest downstairs, anything else I need to know about?”
Stitch nodded. “Ice is improving, and they think he can come home in a day or so. Not that he’s acting at all like himself, but then… when was the last time any of us experienced him without some kind of chemical intoxication? He’s edgy, he’s snappy, and he’s scared of something, or someone. I don’t know. Maybe a residual paranoia from all the shit he’s been on, or the detox. He’s gonna need some serious support either way though.”
Hell. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I guess I was na?ve enough to imagine him slotting right back into his place here, and our stress levels reducing straight away.
“Shit. Okay, we’ll deal with that. Whatever he needs. Any luck on members to help him out on tech? Assuming he’s even still capable?”
Stitch nodded. “Two of our brothers have stepped forward, offering to take on the job. Has-Been is one of them.”
I felt my jaw drop. “Has? Has is offering to work with Ice? What the hell is going on there? They fucking each other or something?”
Stitch snorted, pushing his empty plate aside.
“Not that I’m aware of, but then, it’s not like they’d face judgement for that, right? Not now we’re in charge.” Hell no, but under the old leadership? They’d probably have been beaten to death for being ‘fags’. Another reason I was fucking relieved we’d disposed of the old ‘leadership’.
“Okay… this could be really good though, Has is seriously smart, and kinda anal about details.” We both snorted at the unintended pun.
“I just mean that he’ll do well. I’m glad he stepped up actually. Who’s the other?”
“Micro. Turns out he has some limited experience with some of this shit, so he’s a little ahead of Has, but not quite as smart.”
It was more than I’d hoped for.
“Excellent. Some good news at last, huh?”
Stitch took a breath, pressing his hands against the table, and hesitating just long enough that I knew my brief reprieve was over already. What the hell had happened now?
“About Ryder and Tori…”
Jesus. “I’m not sure I’m ready for this discussion. Any decision we make could destroy their lives.”
He stared at his drink, wrapping his hands around the mug.
“That’s why I’m not sure we should get involved at all.”
“Seriously? She’s drugging him for sex.”
He met my eyes steadily. “ With his consent. Surely what they do in the bedroom is their business, and none of ours.”
“Something you want to tell me, brother?”
He snorted, rolling his eyes at me.
“We all have… uh… likes in the bedroom. I’m just saying, you’re always gonna offend someone, right? If they’re getting off, and they’re happy, who cares how they’re getting there? It’s a dangerous precedent to set, if we start dictating to people about how they can fuck behind closed doors.”
He definitely had a secret, but I wasn’t going to pry. His sex life was his business, and wasn’t that the point? He was right, and his business should stay his business, and that meant theirs should too.
“Get Ryder up here. Let’s tell him.”
Stitch reached for his phone, then glanced at Ally.
“You want to do this somewhere else?” She looked like she was dozing off, but I knew if I tried to leave, she’d move.
“Nah, I don’t want her alone right now. Just tell him to keep it down.”