Torch's Torment Royal Bastards MC Los Angeles, CA Chapter

by J. Lynn Lombard

  Chapter 12

  Torch

  Beautiful Mistake

  I awaken and find Daisy curled against me, softly snoring. A smile breaks across my face at the memories of what we did a few hours ago.

  Vibrations from the floor draws my attention. That’s what must’ve woken me up. I carefully slide out of bed, trying not to disturb Daisy and pull my phone out of my pocket. Several texts from Capone about Church in fifteen.

  I’ve neglected the club trying to figure my own shit out and guilt eats away at me. This cannot keep happening or Capone will strip me of my title and colors. I take a piss and then slip my clothes back on. Daisy rolls over seeking me out and the sheet draped across her body falls, revealing her perfect tits and scar from being shot back almost a year ago. I almost lost something I didn’t know I was missing at the time. Never again. I’ll never take her for granted again.

  I shouldn’t wake Daisy up but I don’t want her to think this was a fuck and go.

  I sit on the bed and cup her tit with my hand. She groans and my mouth replaces my hand. Daisy runs her hand over my bald head. The sensation sends a shiver down my spine.

  “Daisy.” I release her tit and kiss her lips. She flutters her eyes open and a smile appears until she notices I’m dressed.

  “What’s wrong?” She sits up and the sheet slides further down.

  “Not sure. Capone called a nine-one-one meeting. I wanted to tell you instead of you waking up and I’m gone.”

  “I appreciate it, Torch. Go do your thing and hurry back. I’ll be right here waiting for you.” Daisy rests her hand on my cheek.

  “You’re too good for me.” My brow wrinkles in frustration.

  Daisy soothes it with her touch. “No, I’m not. But I do understand the club comes first. Go do what you do. As long as you come back to me, whatever illegal shit you do, doesn’t matter.” She swallows hard before continuing. “My feelings for you won’t change.”

  That’s not what she wanted to say. I can see it written all over her face. I kiss her again before standing up. “I’ll be back soon. I promise.” I unlock and open her door.

  “I know you will, Jase. I trust you.”

  I leave without looking back because I know if I do, I won’t leave and my club needs me.

  I walk down the hallway and pass Rose’s room. I can hear muffled voices inside but can’t make out what they’re saying. I pick up Jax’s voice and instead of being jealous and pissed he’s in there with Rose, I’m happy for them. She was never meant to be mine.

  The door opens and Jax almost runs into me. His face is red and I try to hold back a laugh. Rose is giving him a run for his money. Jax shakes his head and closes the door behind him. “Man, she’s gonna be the death of me.”

  “That she will be, brother.” I slap him on the back.

  “Yeah, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.” Jax looks over his shoulder at her door longingly.

  “That’s good to hear.”

  “Is this weird?” Jax points between us.

  “A little, but it’s all good. We’re fucking twins, man. It probably would’ve happened sooner if we grew up together.”

  Jax barks out a laugh. “You’re probably right.”

  We walk together toward Church and I raise an eyebrow. “Capone asked me to come. No idea why unless it has to do with Razor.”

  We both toss our phones in the box Rose and Nina bedazzled. I point to it. “That’s Rose’s handy work. She did it with Capone’s daughter, Nina.”

  “She’s always been good with kids.” We walk into Church together and everyone’s eyes land on us.

  “Fuck. That’s creepy.” Trigger says from his seat.

  “The double mint twins.” That comes from Red.

  “Better than the Bobbsey twins.” Blayze chuckles from his seat.

  I raise my eyebrow.

  “Bro. Don’t do that. It’s creepy as fuck that you two are identical. But the same facial expressions too?” Tiny grumbles from his seat.

  I take my spot at the table and Jax stays at the end. Bear is staring at the side of my head when I turn toward him. “What?”

  “Are we sure this one’s Torch and not Jax?” I swat Bear on the back of his head and all the brothers laugh.

  “Fucker, he doesn’t have all my tatts you dumbass.”

  Capone slams the gavel on the table silencing the room. Tension rolls off him in waves. “Red found some shit out.” He motions for Red to speak.

  “I traced the shipping containers Koyne sent us and they’re owned by a shell corporation which turns out is owned by Valdimer. The Russian fuckhead working with Razor.”

  Back before Capone and Danyella were married, Koyne sent us a video of Razor and Valdimer at a shipping dock moving women in and out of the country. We’ve been tracing them ever since, trying to find a connection.

  “So, lets blow the fucking thing up.” I voice.

  “We can’t. Not yet. It turns out Razor is low level. If we take him and the containers out, Valdimer will get new ones and go elsewhere. We need to recon and see when they’re moving their product, how often and how much.” Red says leaning back in his seat. He isn’t happy about it either.

  “This asshole is kidnapping and selling women. I thought we were done with this shit when we took out the Bloody Scorpions in our area.” Blayze is pissed. We worked so hard at eliminating the threat in our city and now it’s back.

  “So, we eliminate Valdimer and cut the head off the snake.” Trigger responds.

  I watch Jax in fascination. Emotions play on his face that have my brow raising. “Something you want to add, Jax?” I call him out. “You have a shit poker face.”

  Jax clears his throat and splays his hands on the table. “Razor tried contacting me months ago and I didn’t respond. He said he has a job for me that’d be worth the money if I agreed. I’m now thinking he was trying to bring me into their business. I don’t want anything to do with him or Bloody Scorpions. I have a family to think about. When Rose came here to hide out against the threat to her family, Razor called nonstop. I’ve ignored him.” Jax looks at Capone. “Do you want me to reach out to him?” Jax’s hands are digging into the table.

  “No. No offense, but I don’t know you nor do I trust you. You might look like my Enforcer, but that’s as far as it goes. My club will handle this.”

  “Then what am I here for?”

  “You’re here because I fucking said so. You have info I need and you’re gonna tell me.” Capone’s voice is low and deadly. “And if Torch decides he wants a relationship with his long-lost twin brother who he knows nothing about, but you know him, you bet your fucking ass I’m gonna protect my men and my club. I was going to wait until later but since your panties are in a wad up your ass, you have the floor. Speak before I rip out your tongue and beat you with it.” Capone leans back in his seat; his black eyes are deadly and his jaw ticks.

  Jax shifts uncomfortably in his seat and grabs the back of his neck. “Where do you want me to start?”

  “The fucking beginning would be a good start,” Capone responds.

  “Back when I was old enough to realize these men my father left me with only wanted to use me, I left. I lived on the streets until I met Rose’s dad. I tried robbing him and he caught me. He must’ve seen something in me and brought me into their family. It’s how I met Rose. After a while I went from doing the shit work and started climbing the ranks until I became head of his security. That’s how I discovered the threat against Rose.

  “While I was doing jobs and climbing up the ranks, this guy approached me. I didn’t know who he was but he had a cut on like yours. This was several years ago. Said he needed a place to lay low for a while until the heat died down and I owe our father for leaving Bloody Scorpions. He pulled out his phone and showed me a picture. Then explained. If I don’t give him a safe place to stay, my twin will be rotting in jail for a crime this guy pinned on him. All it’d take was a phone call and Jase was going way
for murder. Something about a brush fire turned deadly.

  “So, I put him up in a safe house and haven’t heard from him since. Until a few months after Rose came here and he offered me that job.”

  “I did some digging into the brush fire and that’s when I learned my mother was killed in that fire.”

  “She wasn’t just your mother, Jax.” I snarl. Bringing up these old memories has me on edge. I remember that night crystal clear.

  “Yeah, I realized that, Torch. Which is why besides bringing Rose home, I’m here. I wanted to meet my twin and get his side of the story. Hear what really happened that night.”

  “Why the fuck should I tell you!”

  “Because you owe me!”

  “I don’t fucking owe you shit.” I snarl from my seat. “You think I had it easy? I was the laughing stock of my school with a mom who wasn’t married. I was the outcast and I fucking hated her for it. She tried to make me understand. Tried to tell me so many times that my father loved me. Wanted me but his wife wouldn’t let him leave. Come to find out that was a lie. My father wanted nothing to do with me. I was a cast away, the part he wished he pulled out instead of fucking my mom. He felt I was the scum on the bottom of a lake and if he had it his way, that’s where I’d end up.”

  I stand with agitation rolling off me in waves. “So, you think I owe you, Jax.” I lean my hands on the table and glare at my identical twin. “How’s this for an answer. On the night of my patch party, Razor started a fire and then called me, telling me my mom was hurt and needed my help. Instead of fucking pussy and getting shit faced, I left my party. Dropped everything and went to her house. Only to find it up in flames and spreading fast. Little did I know, Razor was hiding and taking pictures of me there, making it look like I was admiring my handywork. Before I knew what was happening, the fire spread through the neighborhood and Five-O was on my ass. I didn’t start that fucking fire but I sure in fuck was blamed for it. And I was blamed not only for the death of my mother but my baby sister too.”

  I sit down and Capone speaks up. “That’s the problem with half-truths, Jax. It’s only the person speaking the truth. I can vouch Torch didn’t start that fire. Blayze and I were with Torch the whole night.” I raise a brow at Capone but he isn’t looking at me. He’s glaring at Jax.

  “Prez. Thank you but you don’t have to defend me. If Jax can’t see the truth and wants to blame me instead of Razor, that’s on him. Not me. Not you. Him.”

  Capone waves his hand, “Jax, you’re dismissed.”

  Jax rises from his chair. His mouth opens and closes several times before his shoulders slump and he leaves.

  “Now that’s out of the way, Torch I have some other news.” Capone speaks up when the door shuts.

  “Fuck me, why?” Capone cocks an eyebrow. “Sorry, Prez, go on.”

  “It appears the reason Daisy’s kidnappers didn’t touch her and JJ wasn’t supposed to is because she was worth more money as a prestige virgin than a rape victim.”

  My heart is pounding so hard in my chest it’s making my ears ring. “What does that mean? Daisy’s parents were drug addicts using her for state money.”

  “That’s what Daisy thought. Turns out her parents are very well off but were kids when they had her. Her mother’s parents made her give Daisy up for adoption. Only it wasn’t through the normal channels. They sold her on the dark web so Daisy’s parents couldn’t find her. It’d ruin their parent’s reputation if anyone found out.”

  “So how did she end up with drug addicts?”

  “They stole her as a toddler from the people who bought her.”

  “None of this makes sense. If she’s missing, how can her parents collect money from the state for her?” Bear speaks up.

  Red raises his hand like we’re in fucking grade school. “Because Daisy isn’t her real name. It’s what she called herself when the addicts wouldn’t call her by her name. They stole all the documents along with Daisy. Not to mention, they left with her and moved to bumfuck town thousands of miles away.”

  “So, what’s her real name?” I sigh. Can anything else throw me for a loop?

  “Her real name is Stormy. Stormy O’Brian. Her grandfather is Alan O’Brian.”

  “As in the Deputy Prime Minister O’Brian of Ireland?” I’m shocked. I’ve seen him on runs to Ireland we’ve done for the Savage Saints MC.

  Red nods his head. “As far as I can tell, Daisy’s parents think Daisy was adopted to a good family and has a happy life.”

  “Holy fuck.” I scrub my hands down my face. “Do we tell her?”

  I look to Capone for direction. “Are you claiming her?”

  I think about it for a moment. DO I want to claim Daisy? The answer is yes. “Yes. Without a doubt.”

  “Then brand her and patch her,” Capone smirks. “I think she needs to know. I’ll leave it up to you to fill her in, Torch.”

  I nod my head and feel sick to my stomach. Not about making Daisy my Ol’ Lady but about telling her the news about her birth parents.

  Fuck. My. Life.

  Chapter 13

  Daisy

  Bad Habits

  After Torch left, I couldn’t sleep anymore so I climbed out of bed and got into the shower. Wishing he was in here with me, a dull ache forms between my legs bringing a smile to my face. I ache in places I didn’t think was possible but in a good way.

  What Torch did to my body makes my head spin. I turn off the shower and step out of the tub. After drying off and getting dressed in a pair of ripped jeans and a Royal Bastard tank top, my stomach growls, reminding me it’s been over twenty-four hours since I ate and I need a cup of coffee. I throw my blonde locks up in a ponytail and leave my room, locking the door behind me.

  Making my way to the kitchen, I pass Jax as he heads down the hallway toward Rose’s room. He nods at me but doesn’t say a word. The tension rolling off him in waves makes me want to hang around to make sure Rose will be all right. I’m conflicted when it comes to Rose. On one hand I’m pissed she wanted my man but on the other I understand.

  Torch is a man who’s hard to resist. He’s kind, sweet, funny, sexy as hell and lethal. I’m not dumb. I’ve been around for a while and know he isn’t full of sunshine and roses. He’s an MMA fighter when the club doesn’t have him on other jobs. He likes to shed someone else’s blood by his hands and that’s part of the attraction I have toward him. It’s one of the things that draws me to him.

  When no screams or whimpers of despair leave Rose’s room, I walk into the Commons room and find Nina, Aerial, Monica and Danyella sitting on the couch watching what looks like Frozen on the T.V. Kensi is sitting in the chair and smiles when she sees me. Which draws the attention of the other girls since Kensi doesn’t smile very often. She had it pretty rough with Bloody Scorpions MC. Worse than what Danyella and I did. We gave her the opportunity to go home, but she didn’t want to and wouldn’t say why.

  I smile and wave before going into the kitchen. The movie pauses and little feet stomp across the floor getting louder and louder. I turn so I’m facing the swinging door and wait with my arms out, ready to catch the two monsters that’ll come barreling through any second.

  “Daisy!” Nina squeals before throwing herself in my waiting arms.

  “Daisy!” Aerial follows right behind Nina and I’m on my ass being tackled by two little Linebackers. They’re laughing like crazy.

  “We’re watching Frozen. Do you want to watch?” Nina asks when she pulls herself off me.

  “Oh! She can be Elsa because of her blonde hair!” Aerial excitedly exclaims. They both clap their little hands and wait for an answer.

  “Girls, give Daisy some room,” Danyella commands from the doorway. “Sorry, Daisy. I tried to stop them but they’re too damn fast.”

  “I was expecting them.” I shrug and stand up. The scar from where I was shot is aching a little but I don’t let on it’s hurting. “It’s OK.”

  “How are you holding up?” Danyella asks wit
h worry in her eyes.

  I can’t help but grin. The last time we talked I wasn’t in a good head space. “Pretty sore but doing really good.”

  “Sore? Why are you sore?” Danyella asks, confused.

  “It’s more of an ache than sore.” I grab a cup from the cabinet and slide it under the Keurig machine. I pop a pod in and click the button for it to brew.

  “Is it your scars? Did something happen? What’s going on?” Danyella rapid fires questions at me while I grab a s’more pop tart from the cupboard and eat it.

  “No, it’s not my scars. Yes, something happened. And if you can’t figure out what’s going on, you’re blonder than me.” I answer with a shrug.

  “Daisy.” Aerial tugs on my jeans and I bend down to be eye level with her. “Is Torch living with you now?”

  I smile and Danyella’s green eyes grow wide when she finally connects the dots. “Bitch! Why didn’t you tell me? Are you two together? Is it just a one-time thing? What about Rose?” Danyella rambles.

  “Danyella, you ask a lot of questions before I even have a cup of coffee. Damn girl.” She giggles as I fix my coffee with three spoons of sugar and take a sip, letting the caffeine do its job. I’d rather get my morning fix from Torch, but this’ll have to do for now.

  Once I’m fully caffeinated, I lean against the counter and cross my left leg over my right. “I didn’t tell you because it happened last night. I don’t know where exactly we are but I want us to be together. From what Torch said and his actions, tell me he wants more too. I hope it’s more than a wham, bam, thank you ma’am.”

  Nina and Aerial burst out laughing and start shouting, “Wham, bam thank you Ma’am!” They giggle uncontrollably and I’m trying not to laugh but they’re so cute.