by Harley Wylde
“I’ll get someone to pick up a phone for you today, and I’ll make sure you have my number programmed in, as well as my VP’s and Enforcer’s numbers.”
Talk of his VP triggered a memory from the day I first met Torch. “That day… when you inked me. There was a woman here. She said she was with the VP.”
He nodded. “That’s Ridley. They have a kid who is three now, and they have another on the way. Hell, I’m surprised they haven’t had one a year. Venom can’t keep his hands off her.”
I smiled. “Maybe I can spend some time with Ridley, once things settle down a little. I wouldn’t want to bring trouble to her door.”
“They live here at the compound. You can visit anytime you want.”
A man stepped into the room, his ginger hair streaked with white. The lines around his eyes and mouth suggested he smiled often. He was wearing the same type of cut that Torch had on, and I saw “Doc” stitched on it. I noticed the black bag clutched in his hand and wondered if he really was a doctor.
Torch stood. “She banged her head on the back of Casper’s SUV.”
“I saw him at the bar with blood running down his arm, but he sent me back here first,” the man said. He turned his blue eyes my way. “And you must be Isabella. I’m Doc.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I murmured.
He sat on the edge of the bed and rummaged in his bag. He pulled out a penlight and checked my eyes. He listened to my heart and ran his fingers along my forehead. When he was finished with his exam, he gave me a kind smile, then stood and faced Torch.
“She seems fine. She’s probably going to have a headache. I don’t see signs of a concussion, but you know what to watch for. Give her some Tylenol if the pain gets to be too much for her to handle. I don’t want to give her anything stronger unless it’s absolutely necessary,” Doc said.
“You’d better go patch up her daddy. Feel free to put the stitches in without numbing his arm first,” Torch said.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “That’s mean.”
“He put you in danger. It’s obvious there’s someone after him, and he took you away from here without enough protection. He and that man of his got lucky. Damn lucky. If that had ended any other way, if you’d have been taken, I’d have rained down hell. And Casper knows it too.”
I sighed and closed my eyes. I couldn’t be angry with him, not when he was just worried about me. I felt Torch’s lips brush my cheek, and then his booted steps left the room. The door closed behind him, and I took that as my cue to stay put. I had no doubt he wanted to talk to my dad, and he probably didn’t want me anywhere near that conversation. Hell, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what was going on. Maybe the less I knew the better.
I’d stayed safe for three years. Within hours of my dad coming back into my life, I‘d ended up injured. I had a feeling it was going to be a long few days, or weeks. However long it took for them to take care of business. I just hoped they did it fast. I didn’t really want to venture beyond the fence before it was safe, but being trapped at the compound was going to get old fast, even if I did get to see Ridley again. She’d been sweet to me, and I hoped we could be friends.
My head began pounding, and I curled onto my side. I vaguely remembered something about staying awake when you’d had a head injury, but sleep was pulling me under fast. The last conscious thought I had was that the bed smelled like Torch.
Chapter Four
Torch
“Motherfucker!” My fist slammed onto the table. “Why did you bring this shit here?”
Casper shrugged, then winced and wrapped a hand around his stitches. I hoped they hurt like a bitch. I couldn’t believe he’d brought the fucking cartel to my door, to my woman. He’d known they were following him, and still he’d come here. I wanted to kill the asshole. I’d just gotten her back, and now he’d brought those men with him, men who wouldn’t hesitate to kill her. I was beyond fucking pissed.
“I wanted to see my daughter,” he said.
“I don’t give a fuck. She was off their radar. For three fucking years, no one could find her. I doubt they knew she was here until you showed up. I don’t care what you have to do, you’re going to handle this problem.”
Casper’s eyes narrowed. “What do you care? You were forced into this anyway. You didn’t want to claim her. I should have your property stamp removed and take her home with me.”
Rage built inside me, and I knew I was about two seconds from removing Casper’s head. I didn’t think Isabella would appreciate that, so I held myself back. Barely. Remove my brand from her? Like fucking hell! That woman was mine! She’d been mine for three damn years and no one was taking her from me now.
“You even think of removing Isabella, and you won’t have to worry about the cartel coming after you, because I’ll be the one to bury your ass,” I threatened.
“Fine. Since you feel so strongly about it, she can stay.” Casper smirked.
Fucker! He’d done that on purpose, just to see how I’d react, and I’d played right into the asshole’s hands. I stared at him and wondered how upset my woman would be if I put another hole in her dear ol’ dad. The last thing I wanted to do was upset her, which meant I needed to play nice with Casper. At least for now. I still didn’t know enough about their relationship to kick his ass out and bar him from the clubhouse. Isabella didn’t need any added stress with this other shit going on now.
And there was the slight chance I’d gotten her pregnant last night.
I’d never thought about having a family, never really wanted one, but the idea of Isabella carrying my child wasn’t an unpleasant one. I was getting old, maybe too damn old to start a family, but Isabella didn’t seem to mind my age. Hell, I’d taken her twice last night and had been ready for round three this morning, and I hadn’t experienced that in a long time. Not that I’d gotten my dick wet the last three years, since I’d kept my word to Casper. Fuck, no one had even come close to making me hard while Isabella was gone. Once I’d tasted her lips, that was it for me.
My loyalty to my crew had never been questioned, and by extension, they hadn’t questioned my celibacy while I waited for Isabella to return. As far as my brothers were concerned, she was my woman, and if I’d promised her fidelity, they expected me to honor it. The club might be full of assholes, but once we settled down, we tended not to stray. Not that many of us had an old lady. Doc had been married once, but his wife was long gone. Even though he didn’t party much, he was still a favorite of the club sluts. And Venom was so head over heels for Ridley he sneered at any woman who dared touch him.
“I mean it, Casper. Clean this shit up and keep it away from Isabella. I don’t care how much you missed her, it was stupid to come here while you had heat on you. What the fuck were you thinking?”
A coldness entered his eyes, and I knew I wasn’t looking at Isabella’s daddy anymore. I was looking at Casper VanHorne the killer. If he thought it would intimidate me, he was wrong. It wasn’t like my hands were clean of blood, and I’d do anything to keep Isabella safe, even if that meant getting into it with her pop. He wouldn’t dare touch me on my own turf, not unless he wanted to take down every Dixie Reaper. The man was good, but he wasn’t that fucking good. I’d heard about him taking down six men on his own before, but no way he was taking out an entire club. Not without some help anyway, and the man didn’t have any friends, except maybe Boris.
“I want you to leave,” I told him. “And I want you to stay the fuck away from Isabella until you have everything under control again. I don’t care if she calls begging to see you. I don’t care that she’s your daughter. You brought the fucking cartel to my town, to my club, and to my woman. That shit doesn’t fly, Casper. I don’t give a flying fuck who the hell you think you are.”
His jaw tensed, and I knew he wanted to knock me the fuck out, or at least try. The man made killing look like an art form, but I hadn’t survived my shit childhood, eight years in the service, and all the crap this club had
been through in the last twenty-five years by being weak. I stared him down, and eventually he backed off. I could tell he didn’t want to, though.
“For Isabella’s sake, I’ll go. And I will take care of this. I’ll hit them where it hurts the most,” Casper said.
My brow furrowed. “It’s the fucking cartel, Casper. They don’t give a shit about anything but their drugs, whores, and money. Kill their men, or their families, and it will only piss them off, not slow them down. No offense, but killing is more your thing. You may need to call in some people for this one.”
Casper snorted. “And just who would I call? I’m not exactly known for being a team player. Yeah, there are guys who owe me some favors, but I need an explosives expert to take out the warehouses of drugs, a world-class hacker to divert all their funds, and a group of men to steal the whores in the brothels they have stashed around the country.”
Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I didn’t want this shit anywhere near me or my crew, but he was right. And while he didn’t have access to those types of people, I did. But then, he’d known that when he gave Isabella to me. I had the best damn hacker on the planet right down the hall. As for explosives… I was part of a brotherhood before joining the Dixie Reapers, and those men still had my back. They’d come if I called. The whores could be snatched by almost anyone.
“Give me some time to make a few calls,” I said. “I’ll be in touch.”
Casper smirked, gave me a salute, and left. The fuckstick. I hated that motherfucker. Admired him, but hated him.
I ran my hands through my hair and blew out a breath. The last thing I wanted to do was get in the middle of a damn war, but Casper hadn’t left me much choice, not if I wanted Isabella to stay safe. I had no doubt he’d thought he could slip past them, see his daughter, then get back out before they realized he was here. The man thought he was God. There was a knock on the door, and I knew my brothers would want to know what the hell was going on.
“Come in,” I barked out.
The door opened slowly, and Isabella hesitantly stepped inside. I rose from my chair, intent on picking her up and carrying her right back to bed.
“Baby, you shouldn’t be up,” I told her.
“I fell asleep, but I think it was only for a few minutes. Someone told me you were in here.”
I stepped around the table and walked over to her, pulling her against my body, my arms going around her waist. “I was speaking with your dad. He’s brought a lot of trouble with him, the kind that I really didn’t want around here. Around you.”
She looked at me, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. “What’s going to happen now?”
“Now, I’m going to take you home, and you’re going to go right back to bed. You heard what Doc said. You need to rest.”
“I didn’t see my daddy when I came to find you.”
She wasn’t going to be happy when I told her why, but it was for her own good. “I told him to stay away from here until this mess is cleaned up. Those men that are after him are really bad news, and they won’t hesitate to take you or kill you in order to get to Casper. I know you probably miss him, but for now, he needs to keep away.”
“Does that mean I have to stay here at the compound?” she asked.
“I’d feel better if you did, but I don’t want to keep you caged. I promised that you’d have some freedom.”
Her hand cupped my cheek. “If I need to stay here for now, I will. Honestly, after what happened at the mall, I’m not in any hurry to go back through the gate and out into the world.”
“I’ll take you somewhere tomorrow if you’re feeling better, but I’m going to take a few men with us. They’ll give us some privacy, but they’ll be near enough to help if trouble arises.”
She laid her head against my chest and that show of trust made me hold her just a little bit tighter. I needed to speak to Wire and get some balls rolling in order to sort out this cartel shit, but right now, my woman needed me. And she’d always come first. I lifted her into my arms and carried her through the clubhouse. I paused on the front porch and stared at my bike. No way in hell I was taking her home on that, not after she’d slammed her head into the bumper of Casper’s car.
A Prospect cleared his throat from the other end of the porch. “I can give y’all a ride home in the truck.”
“Get the keys.”
“Why do you have a truck?” she asked.
“We actually have three. They come in handy when we need to haul stuff, or if someone gets injured and can’t ride on the bike. Venom uses one when Ridley is riding with him since she’s pregnant.”
“Can I go see Ridley tomorrow?” she asked.
“As long as your head’s not hurting. I’d rather have Doc check you out once more before you start trying to do too much.”
The Prospect came back out, keys in hand, and I carried Isabella to the truck. The Prospect opened the passenger door, allowing me to climb into the truck with Isabella tucked against my chest. The door shut, and she rested against me while the Prospect drove us home. The house wasn’t far, and I’d have gladly walked it, carrying her the entire way, rather than put her on the back of my bike while she was injured.
When we got to the house, Isabella pushed open the truck door. I kicked it shut after I got out, then carried her up the steps onto our front porch. Holding her while digging the keys out of my pocket and unlocking the door wasn’t quite as easy as it would have been twenty years ago, but I managed. I locked up and went straight upstairs with her. The bed was still unmade from earlier, and I eased her down onto the side of the mattress. Kneeling at her feet, I pulled off her shoes and socks, and slowly undressed her. What I saw when I lifted her shirt, had me cussing.
“Baby, why didn’t you say something about your stomach?” I asked.
She glanced down and winced at the scrapes across her belly. “They aren’t bad. I think when daddy knocked me down, I must have scraped it on the parking lot.”
“Wait here. I’m going to start the shower, then I’m going to help you wash. I’ll put some ointment on those scratches when we get out. I know it’s still pretty early, but I think you should lie in bed and rest when we’re done.”
She sighed and looked like she wanted to argue. I took her chin and tilted her face up toward mine.
“No arguments. If you’re feeling better tomorrow, I’ll take you to see Ridley. You scared the fuck out me today, Isabella. I need you safe, and I need you well. If that means I have to tie your ass to this bed tonight, I’ll do it.”
“Fine,” she said softly. “But I don’t like it.”
I brushed her lips with mine. “You don’t have to like it.”
A small smile tipped up the corner of her lips, and she watched as I stripped out of my clothes before going into the bathroom to start the shower. I hadn’t lied about her scaring the piss out of me. When Casper had gotten out of the car and I’d seen the blood, my heart had nearly stopped, thinking the worst. That Isabella had made it out of that shit with no more than some scrapes and a bump on the head was pretty damn lucky.
It took me a minute to get the water adjusted just right. I knew if it was too hot, it would probably make her scratches sting like a bitch. I walked back into the bedroom, swung her up into my arms again and carried her into the bathroom. I eased her down onto her feet, my hands braced on her waist until I knew she was steady, and then I ushered her into the shower. I pulled the door shut behind us and let her have the water first. When she was soaked, head to toe, I stepped under the spray and wet myself down, then got busy washing Isabella.
I was as gentle as I could be when I shampooed her hair, knowing she had to have a headache, even if she was acting like she was fine. She tipped her head back under the water, and I helped her rinse the suds out. When her hair was squeaky clean, I slowly soaped the rest of her. Even knowing she was hurt, I couldn’t help the fact my cock responded as my hands coasted over her breasts and the curve of her body. Not that I was going to do a damn
thing about it. The last thing she needed was me fucking her against the shower wall. Or anywhere tonight for that matter.
I tried thinking of non-sexy things while I finished washing her and managed to get my cock mostly under control. She reached for the soap, but I took it from her. Isabella gave me a cute pout, but I knew if she put her hands on me, I’d be in hell. If she so much as touched my cock, I was going to be harder than a steel post. I lathered quickly, washed my hair and scrubbed my beard, then rinsed off.
There was pain in Isabella’s eyes as I shut off the water, and I dried her as carefully as I could, quickly ran a towel over my own hair and body, then set her on the counter and blew her hair dry. I carried her back to the bedroom and laid her down on the bed, then grabbed some ointment from the bathroom drawer and smoothed it over the scratches on her stomach. They didn’t look bad enough to require a bandage, and I figured they would heal faster if the air could get to them.
The covers had been kicked to the foot of the bed, and I eased them up over her body, tucking the blankets around her shoulders. I kissed her softly and tucked her hair behind her ear. Walking over to the dresser, I pulled out a pair of boxer briefs and pulled them on before turning the TV on for Isabella and handing her the remote.
“We missed lunch so I’m going to throw something together. We can eat in bed and watch a movie.”
“Why am I naked if you aren’t?” she asked.
“I try not to answer the door with my dick out. Never know when someone will stop by, and I don’t exactly keep clothes downstairs that I could pull on quickly.”
“Fine.” She sighed. “I think those should come off when you come to bed, though.”
I gave her a wink and went to figure out something for us to eat. My kitchen was fairly well-stocked, but I didn’t have a lot that could be made quickly. I found a bag of spinach tortellini and a jar of parmesan alfredo sauce. I pulled a pot from the cabinet next to the stove and filled it with water, added a pinch of salt, and turned on the burner. While I waited for the water to boil, I prowled the lower level of the house, double-checking the window locks and back door.