Torch (Tarnished Souls MC Book 1)

by Dusty Lassetter

  “Hello.” I holler out in the empty building. There are three desks in the place, all having papers scattered across them, and the smell of coffee is strong. All signs point to someone being here, just not in sight.

  “He must be in the restroom.” I say more to myself than anyone else, walking further into the room.

  “Wrong.” I hear, from behind me. I don’t bother turning around, I don’t need to. I know that voice. The deep, gravelly, tone that sends chills down each one of my nerve endings.

  “Rebecca, Sammy, Scarlett the guys are waiting for you out back.” Torch explains.

  “We can’t leave without Mia.” Scarlett states, stunning us all.

  “You have my word that Mia won’t be far behind. Now go.” He commands, barely able to contain the annoyance in his voice.

  “Mia.” Scarlett says my name, the desperation in her tone causing me to turn around.

  “We can’t go back with you, Torch.” I declare, turning around, coming face to face with the man I thought I would never see again. I don’t know how he found me, or how he managed to get here so fast, but I have to make him understand why we left. “It’s not safe for us to return.”

  “That’s bullshit, Spitfire, and you know it.” He shouts, taking a few steps toward me. He stops when all the girls rush to my side. We all look to one another, silently agreeing with what I’m about to do. Torch would never physically hurt Scarlett, this I know. I would’ve liked to avoid telling him. Maybe once he knows he will let us go.

  “We can’t go back with you, Torch, because Scarlett’s last name is Rhodes. As in the daughter of Gavin Rhodes, the old President of Blacktop Sinners. She was taken by Slasher after he killed her father. Sent to live with Carlos to learn obedience and training. If he finds her he will kill her for running.”

  Torch stands silent for what seems like forever, but can’t be more than a few minutes. When he does finally decide to talk, I’m floored by what he says. “So we don’t tell anyone except, Buck. He is the only one that needs to know.”

  “You would do that, for me?” Scarlett asks, her voice clogging with emotion.

  “I would do anything to protect you, Scarlett. Not only because of, Mia, but also because I would never willingly sit back and let a woman be hurt. You can’t help that you were born into a biker gang known for treating women like slaves. As long as there is a breath left in my body you will not be going anywhere near Slasher or his men.”

  Before I can process everything, Torch, has said. Rebecca is rushing forward to hug him. He takes her in his arms, giving her a hug like a big brother would, patting her on the back. “I’m so glad we have someone like you finally fighting for us.” She states. Torch then leans his head down, whispering something in her ear.

  “Come on Sammy and Scarlett.” Rebecca commands, giving each girl a warming smile. I had no idea leaving the compound was affecting her so much, if I did I would have given her the choice to stay. Rebecca has made friends there, especially with Hammer, so I can see why leaving would be hard.

  As the girls, all exit the building, Torch, takes several steps in my direction. The look he sends me makes it impossible to move. Glued to this spot, my luggage now sprawled out at my feet, I watch as a predator stalks his prey. Butterflies have taken root in my stomach from the knowledge that I’m the one he is hunting.

  “Why did you run, Mia?” He says in a calm voice. It reminds me of the eye of a hurricane. Right now, he is composed, but what will happen if I admit I ran from him. The way he is looking at me allows some hope to bloom in my chest, maybe he doesn’t see me as that dead man’s whore. Maybe the news of being raped by him never changed his opinion of me.

  “Stop thinking, Spitfire, and answer the question, honestly.” He commands in a harsher voice this time. With the end of the storm approaching I mentally prepare myself for any damage that may occur. Squaring my shoulders, taking a deep breath, I look him right in the eye.

  “You.” I say, “you are another reason I left. You’re a proud man. Excuse me for not wanting to stick around to witness your reaction to finding out I was raped by one of your enemies.” No matter how hard I try the last part is sad on a whisper. It irritates me that I’m acting like a scared little girl. This is not who I am, not who I want to be. I don’t want to feel bad for shooting that pig, I don’t want to feel like I can’t do this alone, and I don’t want to crave Torch’s support as much as I do.

  His facial expression never changes, his breathing stays even, and by all accounts he looks to be calm, but I know better. His blue eyes are shinning with anger and disbelief. Taking the two steps he needs to be in my personal space my feet finally get the memo and start moving. With each one of his forward steps I take two backwards. I really have no way of knowing what is behind me because no matter how hard I try his eyes won’t release mine. When my back finally makes contact with a wall I start to realize I’m now stuck between a rock and a hard place. The wall stops me from going backwards allowing Torch’s rock hard body to deny me any chance of escape.

  “I was wrong.” He reveals, “I’m not a patient man when it comes to you.” I do nothing as his hand slowly makes its way up my side, grazing my breast, until it comes to rest around my throat. Torch never squeezes, just holds me captive. Another step forward and his body in now pressed against mine, not even a sheet of paper could fit between us.

  “You no longer have a choice, Mia. You’re mine whether you like it or not.” He whispers, biting down on my bottom lip. He eases the sting away with his tongue before trailing a path from my neck all the way to my hair. I can hear him smelling me, inhaling deep, like he is trying to memorize my scent. “You smell so fucking good.” He hisses out, “I can’t wait to have you smelling like me. No other man is ever going to touch you again.”

  “T..Torch.” I stutter out, my mind no longer working right. He is consuming me. I can think of nothing more than his hands, his smell, his words. He has effectively broken my last bit of resolve, there is no going back. I believe him when he says I’m his.

  “Mia.” He answers my plea, now removing his hand from my throat bringing it to rest on my waist. His thumb is grazing the soft skin under my shirt making it more difficult to concentrate. The back and forth movement is sending shivers down my spine.

  “Make me yours.” I state, my voice full of confidence. I don’t want him to think I’m saying this out of force. I want him to know I mean it. Like everything else in my life this may come back to bite me in the ass, but if there was ever a time to take a chance it’s now. Deep down I know Torch is worth the risk.

  He never replies to my statement with words. Instead he chooses to take my lips in a hard-passionate kiss. His tongue demanding entry, gliding across mine in a rough, commanding way. This is Torch raw and uncontrolled. His hands are grabbing at any flesh they can feel, setting my body on fire. When he takes a step back, lifting me in his arms, I wrap my legs around his waist. Allowing him to effortlessly carry me to a desk. Just like you would see in the movies he swipes his hand across the surface, knocking everything to the floor. Sitting me down, Torch still standing between my legs, he starts removing my shirt.

  “Lay down.” He commands, desire shining through his gaze that is lingering on my exposed breast. Immediately doing as he asks, I lay my bare back on the desk, loving the way the cool wood feels against my heated skin. Torch is going to take me here and now. There’s not one single part of me that wants to deny him anymore.

  Chapter 15

  Torch

  As I start removing Mia’s jeans she lifts her hips from the desk, eagerly anticipating what is to come. Her, barely there, thong is the next thing to go, causing a low growl to escape from my chest. I’ve waited months for her to admit what we both knew to be true, she is mine.

  “Who do you belong to, Mia?” I question, as I start trailing rough kisses across her delicate skin. Mia starts withering, already becoming impatient, but I’m not giving in until she is telling me everythin
g I’ve waited to hear.

  “You, Torch. I belong to you.” She states in a low voice, wiggling her hips beneath me. Taking her left nipple into my mouth, I bite down enough to cause a sexy whimper to escape, then soothe the sting away with my tongue.

  “Who’s pussy is this?” I ask, running my fingers through her folds before finding the bundle of nerves that’s sure to have her moaning. Making slow circles with the pad of my thumb, keeping her hips pinned to the desk, the feeling of ownership grows in my chest.

  “It’s yours.” She moans out, begging me with her eyes to send her over the edge. Deciding to be a bastard, making her wait like she’s done me, I remove my hand and go back to leaving tiny marks on her skin. The inside of her neck seems to be the spot to drive her wild, anytime I bite down, or barely kiss her there, she tries to come off the table. Her hands are now ripping off my clothes. My shirt gets thrown to the floor before her delicate hands start struggling with my jeans. The button and zipper can’t come down fast enough to please either of us, but once I’m free she makes fast work of grabbing my cock with a tight grip.

  “I want you now.” She demands, “make me yours.” I know the last part is said so she can get what she wants, when she wants it. I’m not delusional, but I’m also a man. The time for foreplay and exploring every inch of her is not now. Without another word, I line myself up with her dripping pussy and slam myself all the way in. I can feel her warm walls tighten around my cock, like a vice grip, so I gather some self-control, stopping myself from moving.

  “Did I hurt you?” I ask, watching as she takes a few deep breaths.

  “No.. No..I just need to get used to your size.” She states, wiggling her hips. Getting her silent message to continue I pull out slowly, before inching my way back in. I can tell when she is no longer uncomfortable, because her heels start digging into my ass. Keeping my pace steady, pulling out slow just to thrust in her harder, I start driving us both mad with the need to cum.

  “Harder.” She demands, meeting my thrust. Grabbing onto her hips, I forcefully stroke her inner walls, feeling her tighten around me every time I pull out, begging me not to leave. When the tingling sensation starts climbing its way up my spine, I know I’m not going to last much longer.

  “Play with your pussy, Mia.” I demand, knowing my concentration needs to be on lasting until she cums. The first touch of her fingers nearly sends me over the edge when her pussy clamps down. She is close, and within a few more strokes to her clit she tumbles over the abyss with me.

  Both of us are panting, out of breath, but we clean ourselves up, as best we can, before getting dressed. “What happens now, Torch?”

  “We go back to the club, find the girls, tell Buck everything he needs to know. You will move your stuff into my room.”

  “I can’t leave my sisters.” She says, taking a step back from me. Reaching out, forcing her back into my personal space, I give her no choice in the matter. “Your mine now, Mia. You don’t get to decide.”

  ##########

  The club house is overflowing with family members, again, because of the lock down that is in place. One of our men, that is undercover as a prospect for the Blacktop Sinners, has heard nothing from the official members about DeWayne’s disappearance. As of right now all we can guess is they haven’t figured out he is dead, or they just don’t care. Considering the club, and its members, the latter is probably true.

  Walking in with Mia’s hand tightly grasped in mine, I decide to throw my arm across her shoulder as well. There should be no doubt to anyone, anymore, that she is mine. Instead of making a snide remark, like I expected, she snuggles closer into my side. Just thinking about almost losing here makes me want to hurt someone, but I manage to reign in my anger. Instead promising to make her regret it later. Mia hasn’t asked how I found her so quickly. Probably because she knows that I’m a criminal, and so are my brothers. Hammer did a quick search through Buck’s computer and knew exactly where they were going. Not only was he pissed that they had stolen his truck, without anyone’s knowledge, but I think he was starting to grow close to Rebecca. He was one of the guys I asked to ride out with me knowing he would’ve gone whether I invited him or not.

  Making our way through the crowded room I see two of the girls I’m looking for. Sammy and Scarlett are quietly sitting at the bar, staring wide eyed at all the commotion going on around them. Scarlett seems to be the less curious one. It seems like she is trying to fuse her body into the wood of the bar, so no one notices her. Not much has changed since she’s been here with us, now I know why. She has probably witnessed and experienced more pain than anyone here. Her constant weight loss, and exclusion toward anyone, other than Mia and the girls, is one of the reason’s I agreed to only tell Buck about here situation. If the girl doesn’t start to feel protected soon she’s eventually going to starve herself. Sammy on the other hand has gained enough weight to show everyone what an amazing figure she has. It causes some of the men to stare, the wanting clear in their eyes, but they have all been warned. None of these girls are to be touched, talked to, or treated like club sluts. I think the knowledge of that helps Sammy more than it does Scarlett. When they both look up, finally seeing Mia, Sammy grabs Scarlett’s hand, leading her to us.

  “Where’s Rebecca?” I question them, wanting to find her quickly so we can get all this done and over with. I could have convinced Mia to let Buck and I talk in private. Instead I’m doing it with them, so they can witness his reaction. I know he will be surprised, just like I was, but when they see that he’s not going to sale her back to Slasher or kill her himself I think they will begin to trust us more.

  “She’s with Hammer. They were arguing and he walked off. She followed.” Sammy replies, giving me no choice. I’ll have to do this without her. Making sure to keep the annoyance out my voice, I tell the girls to follow me, making my way to Buck’s office.

  “Come in.” Buck hollers through the wood when I knock. Holding the door open for all the ladies to enter, I let all the other members know they need to leave. Taz and Saint give me a questioning look but say nothing. They both know I hardly keep secrets, so when I have to it’s for a damn good reason.

  “What’s going on, Torch?” Buck asks, sitting up in his seat. Readying himself for whatever information I’m about to throw at him. That’s one of the things that make him a damn good president. I’ve never seen his anger cloud his judgment. He’s known for thinking first, reacting later.

  “Turns out we misjudged the Blacktop Sinners. They are far worse than we thought. Scarlett is the daughter of Gavin Rhodes. Apparently, Slasher, killed him and put a claim on Scarlett. She was sent to Carlos for training.” Opting to tell him everything at once, not wanting to drag this out any longer than need be, I continue. “They were running from us because they knew Blacktop Sinners were our enemies and thought we would harm Scarlett. I’ve given them my word that you will keep their secret, at least until we figure out what is going on.”

  Buck’s facial expression never changes, but I can tell he is shocked from his lack of response. Staring into Scarlett’s eyes he seems to be looking for something. Maybe confirmation that I am telling the truth.

  “You have his eyes, and nose.” Buck announces. Our clubs haven’t always been at war. When, Gavin, was president we had a mutual respect for one another. Don’t get me wrong, we weren’t friends. There was just a line neither side would cross. Now that Slasher runs the MC that line has all but disappeared, along with half his members.

  “Why would the club allow Slasher to kill your father and still let him run it?” Buck asks, Scarlett. This is something I was wondering as well. When I first heard, what Mia had to say I wanted to ask questions but I knew Scarlett would be better off only answering them once.

  “They don’t have any proof it was him. They all assume but anyone that questions him is shot and killed where they stand.” Scarlett answers after an encouraging nod from Mia and Sammy. She is standing between both girls, taking
in their strength.

  “Your father has been dead for years, four if I’m remembering correctly. Is there anything you can tell us about the MC or Slasher that could help us take him down before he finds you?” I ask, anxious to end this once and for all. Mia will not easily relax if there is still a threat out there to one of her new family members.

  Scarlett visibly pales, her eyes getting a faraway look in them. Sammy pulls her closer into her side whispering something in her ear that eventually gets her to talk. “Slasher stabbed my father to death in front of me, then he took me as his prize. A week later he said I wasn’t pleasing enough for him. I was sent to live with Carlos not long after.”

  The room falls silent, all of us, including Mia, coming to terms with what she just shared. Four years ago, Scarlett couldn’t have been more than twelve years old when Slasher forced himself on her. The sick bastard then feed her to the wolves when he wasn’t impressed with her innocence. For four years, she was abused and assaulted by who knows how many men.

  “We’re done here.” I declare. This girl has been through hell and doesn’t need to share the details. There must be another way for us to get the information we need. “Mia take the girls back to their room. Gather your stuff and bring it to mine.” I command, not leaving anything up for debate. There is no way I’m letting her sleep another night outside of my arms.

  After she has shut the door, and it’s just me and Buck in the room, I turn to him. “Those girls are officially under my protection. If anyone, and I mean anyone, member or not, harms them in any way I will be the one to kill him.”

  “I’ll help you track down the brave bastard that tries.” Buck says, obviously just as haunted by the news as me. We both agree that we need to take out Slasher, and any of his loyal soldiers as soon as possible. The world will be a better place without that club.