Torch (Tarnished Souls MC Book 1)

by Dusty Lassetter

  .

  Chapter 17

  Mia

  My ears instantly start ringing and the force caused by the gun going off nearly breaks my wrist. Ignoring it, I continue to aim while repeatedly pulling the trigger. I remember the feeling of his hands on me, while others were holding me down, the smell of his breath that still makes me gag. That cruel look in his black eyes while he took whatever he wanted. This bastard hurt me, my sisters, and countless other women. He doesn’t deserve to live, doesn’t deserve to wake up every morning with a smile on his face because he enjoys being evil.

  The trees outside start to melt into themselves, the gun I’m still squeezing between my hands becomes nothing more than a melted wax in my grasp, running through my fingers, until it’s dripping at my feet. The ground has disappeared, replaced with a blackness. Looking up I notice the rest of the room is the same, nothing but darkness.

  “Amelia.” I hear his voice say. “You’ll never get rid of me, Amelia. I’m still here.”

  Standing frozen, my eyes start roaming the entire area, trying to seek him out.

  “Are you scared, Amelia?” He laughs out. Proving again what a sick bastard he is.

  Am I scared? How I would love to say that he doesn’t have that kind of power over me, but it would be a lie. Not because of what he can do, or what he did do, no this is a new fear. The realization that I can easily kill, without a second thought, I can take a human life.

  “Mia…Mia..” He says with a bit of urgency in his voice. NO!! He shouldn’t call me by that name. To him I am, Amelia, the girl that struggled growing up in a state home. The woman he tortured. Mia is the woman that is strong and independent.

  “Mia..Mia..”

  “NOO!! NOOO!!” I scream when I feel his touch on me. I won’t allow this to happen. I’d rather die than go through that again. With as much force as I can, I swing toward the direction I hear his voice. I know I’ve landed a shot when my knuckles sting and I hear him grunt. A burst of adrenalin races through my blood when I realize it’s kill or be killed. I don’t know if I have it in me to take his life again.

  “Mia… Damn it, Mia wake up.” Torch is saying above me, as he shakes my shoulders. I wake with a start, shooting out of bed, raising my fists. If there is one thing I learned in the state homes, I grew up in, it’s to always be prepared when awoken by someone. My eyes are starting to adjust to the room, but I can still feel my heart trying to pound out of my chest.

  “Another dream?” I whisper, not really needing Torch to confirm what I already know. Every night since we saw, Dewayne, by the lake I’ve had a nightmare.

  “Tell me what you need, Spitfire.” Torch says, forcing me to turn my body, looking him in the eyes. His navy irises staring back at me, full of concern and anger. I know he isn’t mad at me. Torch hates the idea that I’m haunted by what happened.

  “Just hold me.” I whisper, only needing to feel the weight of his arms around me, where I feel protected, sheltered. He gives me a small smile, before laying down, draping me across his chest. I can feel the warmth seeping into my body. My heart starting to slow to match the rhythm of his.

  “You didn’t kill him.” He declares, in a soothing voice, rubbing small circles on my back. Concentrating on the patterns he makes on my skin; I listen to everything he says. “He was dead before you pulled the trigger, Mia. I took his life, not you.” This is what, Torch, does. Every night after waking me up from the hell I put myself in he holds me close, chasing away the demons.

  “He can’t hurt you anymore, Mia. No one can. You’ve got me now; I’ll kill anyone that tries.” Usually I let him continue to whisper to me until I fall back to a peaceful sleep, but tonight is different.

  “How do you do it, Torch? Take a life without guilt, without remorse.”

  “I was twenty-two the first time I killed a man. I had just become a member. Buck sent me to the house of another member we proved to be a rat. I was told his family wasn’t there, but when I arrived his daughter answered the door. I couldn’t do it, so I left. The next day he went on the run. It took us several months to find him, and one of my close friends lost his life when we eventually did. Had I killed the bastard when I was supposed to, Trip, would still be alive. In this world Spitfire, the world that you now live in, it comes down to you or them. Never feel bad for someone’s soul when it’s been blackened by the path they’ve chosen.”

  “I don’t want to live with a tarnished soul, Torch.” I say, finally understanding the meaning behind their name.

  “You don’t have to, Mia, that’s why you have me.” He finishes, squeezing me tighter to his body. The gesture sends warmth flooding through my veins. Torch has become what my body craves, my heart wants, and my soul needs. How can I be okay with the things he does, knowing I could never do them? Deciding to put the question on the back burner, I snuggle in closer, and fall asleep protected in his arms.

  ##########

  Walking into the kitchen, hand and hand with Torch, Rebecca and Scarlett walk up to us. The look on Rebecca’s face, when she pulls me in to whisper in my ear, has my stomach dropping. There’s something wrong, and I’m betting it has something to do with Hammer.

  “We need you in the room.” She rushes out, already pulling me from Torch.

  “Is everything alright?” He questions, knowing it’s not, but trying to give Rebecca the opportunity to tell him rather than forcing her.

  “You might as well come too.” She urges, continuing to drag me out of the room. The hunger I felt before walking in is gone, replaced now with a sense of dread. It seems as soon as we get through one emergency another one occurs. Seriously, I can’t make this shit up.

  “Slow down, Rebecca.” I shout, just before she barrels through the door to their room. Walking in I see nothing out of the ordinary, so I look at Rebecca, and Scarlett who just entered in front of Torch.

  “What is going on?” I ask.

  The bathroom door slowly opens, in walks Sammy holding her stomach, face pale, with a look of fear etched on her face. Her grey eyes are shinning with unshed tears. “Something’s wrong, Mia.” She mumbles, a single tear escaping her eye, rolling down her cheek. “Something’s wrong with the baby.” She manages to get out before stumbling out of the doorway. I move quick enough to catch her body before she falls. With her in my arms, I gently bring us both down to the floor. I start to panic when she won’t wake up. Torch is hollering in the background, Rebecca and Scarlett are crying, and I’m rocking my sister in my arms. She said something was wrong with the baby before she passed out. Then the world around me starts to dissolve as I realize Sammy is pregnant.

  ##########

  Like most hospitals, this one is no different, the walls and floors are to shinny. The smell of sterilization is overwhelming. I don’t know if it’s the temperature or the feeling of why we are here that’s sending chills down my spine. Torch is giving me space, which I appreciate, while I pace the floors waiting for them to call me. They wouldn’t allow me to go back there with her, because I’m not family, when we arrived. Sammy had already woken but she was still very pale. That’s why I didn’t argue with the doctors. Instead I opted to stay out here. Sammy doesn’t need the added stress.

  “I’m looking for, Mia.” A young woman says. Her white lab coat suggests she is the doctor I’ve been waiting on.

  “That’s me.” I state, walking over to her. Rebecca and Scarlett not far behind.

  “Sammy is asking for you, but first I have a few questions.” She says, her eyebrow arching. Torch is at my side, putting space between me and the doctor, “I’ll be the one answering the questions.” He orders. On the way to the hospital I heard him over the phone with someone. Trying to figure out what they were going to tell the hospital staff. Sammy has no identification, no social security card, or anything stating who she is. The members of the club knew they could get in trouble if Sammy were to mention who she really was, if anyone has reported her missing, but they also knew the doctor they’v
e got on their payroll couldn’t help her. Apparently, they have worked out something, because Torch seems confident.

  “Alright.” The doctor says, giving Torch a look of annoyance, “Mia, she is in room one twenty-two, only two visitors at a time.”

  “They’re all sisters,” Torch declares, “I’m sure the hospital will understand if all three of them would like to stay together.”

  The doctor says nothing, just nods her head, obviously smart enough not to argue with someone like Torch. Not wanting to stick around in case she changes her mind we all rush down the hall. We find the room on the left side, halfway down. Entering, Sammy lifts her face having heard us, and surprises us all with a smile.

  “Look.” She says, holding up a piece of paper. The black and white pattern on the picture is hard to digest at first, knowing it’s a picture of a baby that was conceived in the worse of ways, but the joy on Sammy’s face is too contagious.

  “It’s a boy.” Sammy tells us, “pointing to the arrow that is showing off her unborn son’s anatomy.”

  “Are you alright, Sammy?” Rebecca asks, taking the words right out of my mouth. “First you tell us your pregnant, then you pass out, and now your acting as if all this is just normal life events.”

  “The doctor says I was dehydrated and malnourished. She thinks I started panicking. That’s what caused me to pass out, but me and the baby are fine. I’ll need to see an OBGYN for a follow up and take some vitamins.”

  “How long have you known?” I ask.

  “About a week after we were brought to the compound.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us?” Rebecca follows my lead and starts questioning her.

  “We were already so paranoid as it was, I didn’t want you guys to have to worry about me too.” Noticing that she is starting to lose some of her happiness I gently take the photo from her. While taking a seat on the bed. I’m starting to think that life is going to keep throwing these surprises at us, but this seems to be one that has lightened Sammy’s heart.

  “Are you okay with this?” Rebecca asks Sammy, all of us knowing what she is referring to. The baby she is carrying is not from a man she loved or trusted. There is really no telling who the real father is. Anyone of those monsters could be responsible.

  “I wasn’t at first, but then something amazing happened. I felt him kick and I realized this little baby, my baby, was innocent in all this. He’s the only good thing to come out of that nightmare.” Realization dawns on me, Sammy already loves this baby. Not planned, just like the four of us, this baby is still a blessing. I will help her with whatever she needs, because she is my sister now.

  “I’m going to be an aunt.” I declare, placing my hand on her rounded belly. How did I not notice how big she was getting? All the signs were there now that I think of it. Morning sickness, fatigue, cinnamon candy cravings, and mood swings.

  “We are going to raise him to be nothing like the asshole that fathered him.” Rebecca declares, placing her hand over mine.

  “We can spoil him rotten.” Scarlett agrees, placing her hand over Rebecca’s.

  “I love you girls so much.” Sammy says, getting emotional. Together we all start laughing and teasing her about her hormones. That’s when Torch decides to enter, carrying nothing other than a box of cinnamon candy. Placing them on the tray by Sammy’s bed.

  “Well the good news is the doctor bought everything we were selling her. The bad news is we have a waiting room full of bikers that are starting to get restless.” The look Sammy gets on her face when she is told there is a waiting room full of people that care about her is priceless. Growing up she never had this, and I’m happy she is now getting everything she deserves. Rising from my spot on the bed, I walk toward Torch. Taking his hand in mine, I tell him the good news. In just under four months there will be another member to this group born. Lord help us all.

  Chapter 18

  Torch

  It’s, Friday, I’ve talked to everyone, and made all the necessary arrangements for, Mia and I, to have a weekend, by ourselves, at my house. She was reluctant to leave Scarlet and Sammy for that long but I’ve given her no choice. There are certain things I’ve got planned that cannot be done in a house full of club members and whores. Buck has lifted the lockdown, but a lot of the members decided it would be best to send their loved ones out of state to visit family.

  When we arrive at the house, Mia, tries to walk through the front door, just to be lifted into my arms. Striding through the living room, into the kitchen, I keep all the lights turned off, and head to up the stairs to the master bedroom. Her laughter from my impatience sends a feeling of warmth through my chest. Every day I feel her opening up to me more and more, allowing the bricks she’s built around herself to crumble.

  “Careful old man, you might break a hip.” She giggles out, making fun of my age. The last time she talked to, Piper, my annoying little sister made a point to tell Mia about my upcoming birthday. I turn a young, thirty-three, at the beginning of December, and Mia finds it funny.

  “This old man can still outlast you.” I state, tossing her body onto the bed. She chuckles when her body hits the soft mattress, no doubt trying to think of something to say. I never give her the chance, choosing to shut her up by way of taking her lips with mine. As soon as I bite her bottom one, all humor disappears, and she starts attacking my mouth. I let her set the pace, handing over some of the control before I decide to take it all away.

  “Clothes off.” I mumble against her mouth. When she rips those perfect lips from mine I see the excitement playing out in her gaze. I lick my lips in anticipation, watching as she quickly removes her clothing. I wonder if she would still be just as eager if she knew what I had planned. We’ve played around in the bedroom a few times. I’ve used rope and handcuffs to tie her down, but tonight I have something else in mind. She’s about to find out one of the two reasons I earned my nickname. Attached to the headboard and footboard I have cuffs, with a velvet lining, to keep her safe. She doesn’t hesitate to give me her wrist, but when I move to restrain her ankles a look of fear crosses her features.

  “Trust me.” I state, placing a soft kiss on her leg. A few deep breaths later, she nods her head, so I continue, making sure to gently rub my hands over her skin to help calm her further. When I’m satisfied, she can’t get loose, I walk to the side table, by my bed, taking out a silk blindfold.

  “Mia, remember when you asked me why they call me Torch?” I ask, paying close attention to her response. She nervously nods her head, speechless for the moment, as way of answering. Walking to the head of the bed, I slowly run my hand up her stomach not able to help myself, explaining to her what I’m about to do.

  “Ever since I can remember I’ve been fascinated with fire. The feeling of the heat, the way the flames dance across whatever it comes in contact with, and the glow it leaves in their wake. There is something about it that soothes me, makes me feel at ease. Tonight, I’m going to share my fascination with you, show you that one of the most dangerous elements can become something arousing. Do you trust me to do that?” I ask, looking her in the eye, hoping she can see the confidence in mine.

  “Yes.” She whispers, apprehension lining her tone. Of course, she is going to be nervous, but knowing she has complete faith in my ability to keep her safe, brings me a satisfaction I’ve never felt before. Bending down to place the blindfold over her eyes, I also plant a soft kiss to Mia’s lips, showing her how pleased she is making me.

  “Your only job is to relax, Spitfire.” I state, grabbing the mousse I hid in the drew as well. Some people don’t know this, but VO5 mousse is very flammable, and it’s the safest thing to use on someone that is just starting out with fire play. I don’t want to overwhelm, Mia, her first time. The mousse will only warm her skin slightly, allowing her to feel the warmth, but not nearly as much as she would if it were isopropyl alcohol.

  The first touch of the cold foam to her skin has my woman wiggling on the bed. I run a trail up
her inner thigh, to the outside of her hips, making sure to keep it away from her sensitive areas. Forming a circle around her belly button, I continue my path to her breasts, making a spiral design stopping right before her nipple. Walking away, I turn off the lights to the room.

  “Torch??” She questions sounding on the verge of panicking.

  “I’m here, Mia.” I reassure her, grabbing one of the candles, making my way back to the bed. “You look beautiful, Spitfire. Laying naked in our bed, your body begging me to do whatever I want.” I whisper against her lips, right before lighting the foam closest to her left nipple. The flame dances across her skin, in the design I laid out, before reaching the end. Just when you think it’s over, it flares up again, flames scattering across her body. Mia stays quiet, until I run my hands down her side, inching my way toward her folds.

  “Auuughhhh..” She moans, making the sound long and drown out. Her pussy is wet, proving she’s just as turned on as me, making it easy to glide my finger toward her entrance. Watching as her diaphragm rises and falls with her breathing, I’m fascinated by the way her body seems to love the heat. Thrusting a single finger into her, I light the mousse again, watching as the left-over foam once again blazes over her skin.

  “Do you like this, Mia.” I ask, wanting to hear her say it. Slowly easing my finger out, I love the way her walls contract, begging me not to leave. Placing my thumb on her clit I start a slow rhythm of circles around her hood.

  “Please…” She cries out, already begging me to make her cum. I’ve noticed every time the flame dances across her breast, she arches up, her body begging for more. The mousse is starting to dissolve, leaving behind a thin layer of moisture. Instead of relighting it when it goes out, I release her legs and arms from the restraints. Spreading her wide, I start nibbling my way up the inside of her thigh, grazing over her folds with my breath. Enjoying the moan of frustration that rips from her throat. I don’t let, Mia’s, impatience rush me. Taking my time, tasting every inch of skin on display. I let the sounds she is making encourage me. The way she wiggles her hips, arching them up, in hopes of encountering my mouth. My dick is begging for the same thing, wanting nothing more than to be in her tight pussy. The perfect pink pussy I’m currently sliding my tongue through, lapping up the juices, loving the taste. Adding two fingers, tilting them at just the right angle, Mia’s, fingers wrap themselves in my hair, pulling me closer. With a chuckle, I suck her clit into my mouth, rubbing it with the tip of my tongue.