Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
TORCH
A t the compound, I sat on the bed in Lucas’s treatment room so he could patch me up. He’d started on the bump I had to the head, then the shot to the shoulder and arm. But all that was after I told him to check Wrenley over first while I’d stood close, watching everything in case she needed me. She had argued it was important I went first… until I refused to get treated before her. She’d eventually conceded with a sigh.
Now, while Lucas fixed me up, Wrenley snuggled into me on the other side Lucas worked on, content to just hold me.
She didn’t care I had blood on me. She didn’t care I’d killed, tortured, or that I would again.
All she worried about was me.
My gut flip-flopped, and my chest filled with the lightness only she could put there.
My obsession was pure sunshine, warming and lighting up my dark and cold days more than anyone had before. More than the days I’d shared with my brothers.
Wrenley’s presence was enough to bring my focus out of the darkness anytime she was close or when I thought of her.
I love her , I thought as she pulled her head back and smiled up at me.
No. It was more than love. I’d never felt this before.
But she’d always been my obsession, my addiction.
Mine.
A knock sounded, and Lucas called out, “Come in.”
Country, Death, State, Wreck, and Tech entered.
“Lucas, can you take Wrenley down to see Raya? She’s climbin’ the walls, kid. Needs to have her eyes on you.”
“Of course,” Wrenley told him, straightening.
“I’ve just finished anyway,” Lucas said. “You’re lucky they were minor, Torch, or you would be in a sling and not just have patches over the stitches.”
I nodded. “Thanks, Lucas.” I was lucky, and not just for having my life, but for Wrenley being with me.
Being mine.
She gave me a quick, shy brush of her lips against mine before she went with Lucas, closing the door after her.
Coldness seeped in as soon as she was out of sight, making me clench my jaw.
She was safe here.
The threat was minimal now.
I’d gotten to them. I’d held their blood in my hands, and soon I would have more when I went to the basement. Wrenley, my sweet, soft, and gentle obsession, had wanted me to get looked at first before I had fun torturing Tony.
I tipped my chin up at Country and waited.
“Mitch promised he’d keep his mouth shut about what happened while he’s gettin’ looked at in the hospital before being transferred to jail after admitting to the authorities he was involved in sick shit. As soon as we’re done with Tony, he’ll meet his father and Mitch behind bars. Then we’ll hunt the other friends down. After we teach them a lesson and hear their involvement, we’ll decide if they go to Jones or not. With the mic that was attached to Wrenley’s sweater, we got enough to put them away for decades. Funny enough, the feed got cut off before we arrived, so when we hand it over to Jones, they won’t hear us.”
A while ago, I’d planted devices on Wrenley’s coats, sweaters, and cardigans—things she would wear outside. I only activated it when I picked her up to carry her out of her room.
I put them on her items in case I failed protecting her.
She’s safe. She’s breathing, smiling, and happy.
It was lucky they’d been stupid enough to take me with her.
If it’d been just her…. No. We would have found her in time, even when the device we had on her, which also tracked, had dropped its signal for about an hour. It was what caused the delay in the brothers getting to us. Something that Tech promised to investigate and get fixed.
We’d informed Jones about everything. He was going to make sure nothing would blow back on me or Wrenley.
The official line was that Plank had gone rogue with Chester—his partner in his illegal activities—and Wrenley had accidently found out about them through Tony and Mitch, who were also involved. It was why they’d kidnapped her to shut her up. And of course, I got dragged into the situation since I’d been with my Wrenley when it happened.
“The father’s willin’ to give Jones all the information he has on Plank.”
Unease slid into my system.
“For what?”
“We can’t kill his son.”
“No,” I snarled, jumping down from the table. “His life is mine to take. He hurt her. He’ll die for touchin’ her. For lookin’ at her. For violatin’ her.” I fisted my hands at my side.
Kill.
Kill.
Kill.
Country took a step forward. “You can still have your time with him, brother. I’d never take that away. He will feel pain. He’ll know he did wrong. He’ll suffer for a fuckin’ long time with the torture you’ll inflict. But Chester can give us the names of who Plank works with. If we have them, we know who to take down. Our lives will be a hell of a lot easier without these toxic motherfuckers breathin’ down our necks and creatin’ drugs for the public in our own damn town.”
I used my palm to hit, then rub at my temple.
He’ll live.
He uses her and now they want him to live his life like what he did doesn’t matter.
It did, though.
“I can’t,” I bit out.
His blood would coat my hands like the others who’d hurt her, touched her.
“Brother, know this sucks. We fuckin’ hate that we have to make this happen. I know the need for vengeance. I got it, and it ain’t goddamn fair we’re askin’ this from you, but he’ll pay for what he did. You’ll have your time with him. You’ll get to make him hurt, and we can make sure he suffers every damn day behind bars. But we need him still breathin’,” Death said. “For our future. For our women and men. For the club. And hell, for the people on the streets buyin’ their product. The more we can shut shit down, the more we make everyone safer.”
My gaze locked onto him before I closed my eyes and rolled my head back, tapping my fists into my thighs.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
For Wrenley.
For our future.
“Fine,” I clipped and stormed from the room. Blaze stood down the hall, and when I got close, he gripped the back of my neck, stopping me.
In a low tone, he told me, “I don’t agree with them, and I know you don’t either. You have your fun with him, but if you want him gone, I can make it happen. I know people on the inside. We’ll get the information from his father. Make them think everything is fine, and then I’ll make the order. You just tell me when.”
Slowly, a grin pulled at my lips. He understood. I knew my brothers did, too, but they were looking at the whole picture. They wanted to take care of everyone, where Wrenley was my main priority. Blaze understood the hunger for that motherfucker’s life. Yeah, the club had people on the inside, too, but no one who would take a man’s life. That would add to their sentence.
“What’s going on?” Country asked.
“Nothin’,” Blaze said, releasing his hold on me.
“Torch?” Death called.
“Blaze was just tellin’ me he got me a new canister for my blowtorch, and I’m ready to use it on that fucker.” With that lie, I made my way down into the basement.
I wanted this cunt to suffer, but I also wanted to get this done so I could get back to Wrenley. We needed a shower and some damn peaceful sleep.
Opening the door, I snorted when I saw the puddle under Tony’s chair as Saint and Gun moved away from him.
“And here is the man of the hour now, ready to play with his tools,” Saint said with a chuckle.
Tony started screaming and pleading. This was going to be good.
Wrenley
Filth and blood still covered me as I made my way downstairs, except for my hands, which Torch and I washed in Lucas’s treatment room. But Raya didn’t care as she pulled me into a tight hug. My sore body complained a bit, but I wouldn’t weaken my hold on her. It was good to know she was safe and uninjured.
“I was so scared,” she confessed.
“Me too,” I admitted, then added, “But I knew the men would have things sorted.”
She pulled back, nodding as she wiped at the tears that escaped my eyes before starting on her own with a slight laugh. “Tell me what happened. When Leland and I got to your room….” Fresh tears filled her eyes.
I took her hand in both of mine. “I’m fine.”
She rolled her eyes and brushed fingers over my neck.
I gave her a thin-lipped smile. “Okay, I’m sore, but on the inside, I’m fine. Torch was there.”
A throat cleared, and we looked at Courtney, State’s wife, who said, “I’m sorry, but can we get a hug, and then we’ll sit and talk?”
Courtney wasn’t alone. Henri, Eve, and a few other women who belonged to members of the club were waiting to support me. I bit down on my bottom lip as it trembled from the onslaught of affection I felt for these people.
Nodding, I sniffed and opened my arms.
By the time we went over to the table, Lucas, West, and his husband, Adrick, had come from the kitchen with trays of food and drinks. Some of the women had left, after telling me they were glad I was safe, to get to work or back to their children, since it was early morning.
West gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze as he set a coffee down in front of me. “I’m glad you’re safe, Wrenley.”
“ Da , it is good, or else Torch would be still running rampant,” Adrick said.
“Adrick,” West scolded as he walked around the table to where he sat. Adrick pulled West down onto his lap.
“It’s okay,” I told West. I knew exactly what Adrick meant. Torch would still be hunting and killing if anything had happened to me. It was why I had to make sure I kept myself safe for his sake, too, while I also protected him as much as I could.
Raya gently bumped her shoulder into mine. “I know I asked you to tell me what happened, but if you don’t want to talk about it, I understand.”
Smiling tiredly, I said, “I’m okay. I’ll tell you, but first, while I eat something, can you tell me how you and Death got out of trouble?”
She nodded, and as I picked at a blueberry muffin and drank some of my coffee, Raya explained, “Leland woke to a noise, and I was forced awake when he rolled us to the floor just as our door was smashed in and they started shooting. Leland pulled the mattress over us, grabbed his gun, and returned fire. He yelled to Torch to get you out, and then he told me to crawl toward the en suite, and as soon as we were in, we shut and locked it. We got into the bath, which was what protected us when they started shooting at the room. It seemed like it was going on forever. After a while, they tried to kick the door down. Then they just left.”
Wiping at my mouth, I nodded. “They were on a timeline, but when the team on you and Death couldn’t get to you, they switched to distracting to delay you so no one could follow us right away,” I said before telling the table my side of the details.
“Um,” West said, “are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes. Lucas checked me over. Other than a few cuts and bruises, I’ll be fine. It was Torch who got shot. But apparently, they were minor.” I shrugged. “I don’t know. It looked bad to me.” My stomach churned.
“No, ah, that’s not what I mean when I asked. Wrenley, what you saw is a lot to take in and deal with.”
My mind flashed to all the killing and the scent of burning flesh.
“Maybe I’m still numb. Maybe it’s after seeing our dad kill our mom, but as of right now, what I saw doesn’t bother me. I wanted to be safe. I wanted Torch and the brothers to be safe. No one other than the men who hurt us were either killed or harmed. I can’t see anything wrong with that.” With another shrug, I added, “It might sound terrible to be so flippant about seeing what I did, but that’s just where I’m at.” I took a sip of the coffee. “I don’t want any of you to worry about me. I promise I won’t bottle anything up. I’ll seek help if I need it. I’m not even sure I’ll have nightmares over this because Torch has even protected me from my previous ones since he’s been with me at night. He’s protected me inside and out.” I smiled softly, realizing that it was all true. He was my honest-to-God knight in leather.
“Well,” Eve started, “I believe you’re going to be just fine. You and Torch. But if there’s a time that you’re not fine, I’m sure you know that all of us are here for you. Even if you just want to share what size cock?—”
“No!” I shouted, my face burning.
Some laughed around me. Raya groaned and scrubbed a hand over her face.
“I would also prefer if you kept that information to yourself,” Adrick said.
“I want to know,” Henri piped up. “He is hot like a lot of them in this club.”
When I caught West nodding, I laughed as Adrick looked at him with a glare.
West patted Adrick’s cheek. “None of them are as good-looking as you, though.”
He huffed and wound a hand around West’s throat to drag him down into a kiss, which I turned away from, unlike Henri, who openly gaped.
“You two could be porn stars,” Henri announced.
Adrick glowered. “I am sure you have said this before, but still I will answer again—no one but me sees my West naked.”
Henri gave him two thumbs-up. “ Oui , you scary ex-mafia man.”
“I am surprised you have lived this long, Frenchman.”
Henri nodded. “I am also surprised by my supreme skills of living, Russian man.”
I loved this. After everything that happened, this was what I needed. But I could also use a shower and some sleep.
“Is there somewhere I could take a shower and have a nap?”
“Torch’s room,” a prospect at the bar called. He was one of the younger guys who was trying to get patched in to the club.
“Sorry?” I asked.
“Torch’ll want you in his room,” he said, coming around the counter. “I can show you.” He suddenly stopped. “Actually, Lucas can show you. I ain’t walkin’ alone with you in case Torch sees a problem with it.”
“And I can?” Lucas asked.
“You got Wreck. Torch would prefer that, or I could get one of the club girls to show you. They’re in their main room.”
“And I suppose they’d know where his room is,” I snapped, then slapped a hand over my mouth.
The guy blanched as he cursed.
“Sorry,” I said quickly. “I’m tired and dirty and sore.”
“ Chéri , the possessiveness from you is cute. You show those women who Torch belongs to.”
Groaning, I shook my head. “That’s usually not me.” I turned to the prospect again. “I’m really sorry.”
He waved it off. “All good.”
Lucas stood. “Come on, Wren. I can show you.”
I gave Raya another quick hug and told the table, “I’ll be back down later.”
“Take your time,” Courtney said.
With a smile, I nodded and walked with Lucas upstairs, already looking forward to the much-needed shower and rest since it seemed the pain medication Lucas gave me earlier had started working.