Page 64 of Torch
“I don’t think anyone knows right now, Grace. When we found Tommy, he was pretty badly beaten up, but otherwise okay. He was royally pissed, but was forcibly taken to hospital to be checked out.”
“I thought I was going to help with him. Why didn’t you wake me? Stitch said your doc guy could use my help.”
Ryder snorted. “Doc’s words were ‘I don’t need any fucking help’, and then he promptly sent him to get checked out, because he said someone had been in the infirmary, and he wasn’t sure what had been tampered with, so he didn’t want to risk using anything on him. Micro has used all sorts of tricks, even some kind of chemical that caused mild burns when it came in contact with bare skin.”
“Yeah, and he did that to himself, one of many fucking things he did to make it look like he wasn’t the bad guy,” Has muttered, but Grace suddenly waved her arms at us.
“Quiet! Oh god. He thought someone tampered with the kit in the infirmary?”
Ryder nodded, holding up a hand like he thought she was worried about safety or something.
“It’s okay, it’s probably just some basic stuff we need to toss and replace.”
“No! Don’t do that. I mean, it was me. I was in there. I went through his setup, to make sure it was suitable for whatever might be coming when we found this Tommy guy, and-”
“You were in there?”
She glared at Ryder next. “Stitch told me to check out the infirmary to make sure we’re prepared, and to see the doc. Doc wasn’t there, so I did the other thing he asked me to do. For the record, I think some upgrades are needed, but if I moved something out of place, I’m sorry. Nothing was tampered with that I saw.”
I fucking loved her so feisty and strong, and I kinda wanted to provoke that side of her out more often, because I wanted to fuck her when she was glaring at me like that. It shouldn’t be so fucking hot, but it is.
“If you’re planning on playing doctor, let us get out of here first,” Ryder said, rolling his eyes at us, but Grace slapped my arm, like I was the one suggesting it. Mind you, she could probably feel my boner poking her, so maybe I did deserve it after all.
“I need to meet with this Doc person, don’t I? I mean, two heads are better than one, and if I’m going to be around here more, I can help with medical care for the club.”
Grace
Torchgroanedandtightenedhis hold on me.
“I’ve got something that needs some medical attention right now, babe.”
“Perv.”
“Planning on sticking around, huh?” Has-Been asked me with a kind smile, looking over my shoulder at Torch. Oh god. Should I not have said anything? Was I making assumptions I had no right to make?
“Fucking right she is. Gonna be my old lady, aren’t ya, doc? Gonna be my fucking woman forever. Can’t wait to see you wearing my ink.”
“Ink?” What the hell? It involved tattoos? I’m no wimp, but I had a serious concern about health and safety, and hygiene in tattoo places. The same with piercings. Some of those places were appalling. I’d treated plenty of infected attempts at image modification over the years.
“Don’t worry, doc, I’ll be gentle,” Has-Been said, winking at me. Wait, what? Has-Been was the one who did the tattooing for the club? Here? Or was there a nice sanitised clinic somewhere? Did tattoos happen in clinics?
Torch was arguing with Has-Been, something about whether he wanted his fucking hands on his old lady, while I was thinking back to every case I’d treated, and realising that a tattoo wasn’t something I’d relish the thought of.
“No!” I finally said out loud, wincing as the room fell uncomfortably silent, and Torch tensed, even as he still held me in his lap.
“No?”
The other two got up, and glanced around them awkwardly.
“We should probably let you two talk, and we should all get some sleep. It’s uh… it’s late,” Ryder said as he nodded at us and headed for the door, with Has-Been sending a worried frown in our direction, before he left with him.
When we were alone, I wriggled out of Torch’s lap, and he let me, his arms dropping away immediately, when I started to move. The look on his face wasn’t one I’d seen before. He looked guarded, defensive, almost intimidatingly so.
“Torch-”
“I’m not about forcing anything. You don’t want me, you know where the door is, doc.”
I reached for him, and he backed up, getting up onto his bed, and out of reach.
