Page 57 of Torch
The biggest question I had was why. Not all of it, but the part about me. How could he stick a knife in the back of a guy he’d hung with for two fucking years?
Micro sighed finally, lowering his head.
“That ate me up, man, it really did. It never would have been you, but you were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Bullshit.”
He rolled his eyes at me, as he lifted his head again.
“The one time I’m being honest, and you don’t believe me. I guess I deserve that. I wish it had been anyone but you. I don’t know what I thought would happen, once I took out Reacher and Stitch, but I guess I always saw us staying friends. Did I misjudge your loyalties?”
What the actual fuck? He was being real with me, and that was part of the problem, wasn’t it? He meant what he was saying. He’d really planned to take out our Club President and VP, and stupidly thought I’d side with him?
“Why the fuck would you think I’d back you for betraying our club, man? The colours you wear, you should be fucking honouring them.”
“I don’t honour cowardly fuckers who-”
“Kill people? You hypocritical asshole. You did way worse than anyone here ever has. So they killed off the bad seeds in the club, maybe they had good reason to. I’ve heard about what this club was like before I joined, and I never would have come near that club. Don’t get me wrong, I like crime. I like being a bad fucker some of the time, but I draw the line at forcing women into shit. But you? You raped Chrissy!”
Micro winced, shaking his head at me.
“I didn’t fucking rape her! We had rough sex, that’s all. She was into it, but…” he sighed heavily, staring at the wall, “she told me after that I wasn’t good enough for her. That she was lonely, and she lowered herself to get off.”
Jesus. Micro continued, without me prompting him.
“I was so into her, man. Every time I saw her go with Ryder or Has, I wondered why the fuck she wouldn’t look at me. So many times I tried talking to her, but she always blew me off. That night… fuck… that night, I thought she’d finally decided to see me for me.”
I glanced at the door, wondering if I should lock it before we had intruders. Grace loved me, but she’d also do the right thing, and she thought the right thing wasn’t this.
“So you killed her?”
Micro groaned, staring me right in the eyes, wanting me to see the truth in his words.
“I didn’t mean to. She made me mad, and I got defensive, and then she started mocking me, and I just… I didn’t mean to do it, but I guess I’m my father’s son, right? That hair trigger thing. She was dead before I realised what I was doing.”
He had the hots for her? He’d hidden it well whenever I’d been around. He might have said stuff about how he’d ‘hit that’, but he usually said that about any woman, even some of the old ladies.
“I couldn’t believe it. She’d been so full of life, and suddenly she was just silent. Still. Her eyes were open, but there was nothing left of her. I did that, and I think it broke something in me.”
His eyes were wet, like he was revealing something he’d been suppressing, and I could see the man I’d loved like a brother, sitting before me right now. A noise outside the door caught his attention, and right in front of me, I saw the walls going back up, and the bravado returning.
Stitch stepped into the room, wearing sweats and a t-shirt, with his cut.
“You guys finished your girl talk session? You shouldn’t be in here, man.”
“He came for a hug,” Micro said, winking at Stitch. Asshole. He almost had me then. He almost fucking had me feeling sorry for him.
“We were talking about-”
“Yeah, I know. He’s got a lot to answer for, man, there’s no redeeming him now. Don’t let him get in your head, because that’s what he wants.”
“Next you’ll be saying I want in his pants. Trust me, that’s not my thing. I like a nice hot pussy, personally. Don’t even care if it’s wet.” Stitch’s face turned to stone, and he turned in Micro’s direction, but I caught his arm.
“I just wanted to see if he’ll give up Tommy’s location.”
“Yeah, you really should worry about the poor little boy. Without me coming back to him, he’ll die of dehydration soon enough, and that’ll be on you. I was looking after him so nicely.”
“Where is he, you asshole?!” Stitch grabbed Micro by the throat, shaking off my hold like I didn’t have a grip on his arm.
