Page 17 of Torch
My phone buzzed in the pocket I’d just returned it to, and I thought for a crazed second it was her, but when I pulled it free and checked the screen, it wasn’t.
Reacher:Brother, I need an update. Are we picking you up?
Hell, it was like the fucker could read minds sometimes, because my legs were killing me from the walking. Being laid up in hospital for a few weeks wasn’t great for fitness and stamina.
I dialled as I kept walking.
“Hey, Pres, yeah, I could do with a lift.”
“Thank fuck. Are you still at the hospital? I can get someone on the road immediately.” Shit. I hadn’t thought of that, had I?
“Uh no. I actually started walking back home, but I’m in uh,” I looked around, and read out the street name to him.
“What the fuck are you doing out there? That’s the opposite end of town to the hospital, Torch.”
Well, isn’t that a complete shitter?
“Yeah, guess I got carried away, or got turned around, but I’m all walked out now. Who are you sending?” What if they sent the wrong person, and they tried to finish me off? I didn’t want to kill the fucker without introducing him to my particular talents. They couldn’t miss out on that agony.
He sighed, speaking to someone in the background.
“Stitch will come out there, so wait on the corner for him, and keep your eyes open. If we know where you are, maybe our enemy does too now.”
“Shoulda gone with arch nemesis. It sounds way cooler, innit.”
“Just stay there and wait. Can you just stay out of trouble for five fucking minutes?”
“As long as he’s driving a van, because I’m not riding bitch. You get that, right? He doesn’t get the pleasure of me holding him close.”
“I’m sure he has even less desire to be riding with your junk pressed against his ass, man.”
Fair. I backtracked to the corner, and sat on the curb to wait. I could see any vehicles coming from either direction here, so as long as nobody snuck up behind me with a fucking knife again, I’d be just fine. Except for the fact that I think I left my fucking heart back at that posh house, with that posh lady who clearly wasn’t mine.
Grace
Iwasexhaustedbythe time I fell into my bed last night, and then had an early shift at the hospital, but I was still at Lissa’s clinic by the scheduled time the next day. Her receptionist, who introduced herself as Cammy, waved me straight in, so I was seated across the small table from Lissa within about a minute.
She smiled warmly at me, as I settled in on the sofa, tucking my palms between my thighs nervously. She had to know now that I was interested in Torch, so how would this session play out?
“You seem more reserved and edgy than yesterday, Grace. You can rest assured that anything we discuss in here stays in this room, and I’m not going to pry about anything you don’t want to talk about.”
I rolled my eyes, because she knew that the very thing I didn’t want her to pry about, was also the same thing I was specifically here to talk about.
“Well, obviously you now know the man I was talking about, the man I need to stay away from, is Torch.”
Lissa smiled, waving a hand in the air like it wasn’t a huge deal.
“Not my business, Grace, but I’d like to talk about why you feel you have to avoid him at all. He’s not your patient anymore, right?”
“Is this the part where you tell me what a great guy he is, and how I’d be a fool to stay away from him, instead of jumping his dick?”
Her mouth dropped open for a second, and I shrugged.
“Might as well call it what it is, right? The fact is, I gave in to my impulses, and already did exactly what I was trying to avoid. I took him home with me after his session with you.”
Lissa’s eyes widened and she sat forward on her seat.
“You should know he has an appointment after yours again, so thereisa chance you’ll bump into each other out in the waiting room. Is that going to be a problem? I can rearrange his time if that would be easier for you?” Easier than seeing him? Maybe. Easier than getting a chance to at least look at him, even if I can’t have him? No.
