Page 71 of Torch
He turned as he pulled the door open.
“No, the fucker got away somehow, and he’s managed to steal the club van. We’re gonna chase him down, and fucking kill him for this.”
“What about the police?” Please, please, leave it to the police. I didn’t want him getting killed in a ridiculous bikes-versus-van chase now.
“They can try and get in our way, but this is our fucking business, not theirs.”
The door slammed again, and I slumped against the wall, staring at my trembling hands, as I realised that whatever happened now, it was more my fault than anyone else’s, and if they figured out what part I’d had in it, I’d be the next one in that chair downstairs, wouldn’t I?
Torch
HowthefuckdidMicro overpower two fucking guys, especially Ry and Rocket, right? Well as it turns out, he didn’t. He fucking worked the ropes loose, when they were rushing him back to the tunnels, then he shoved free of them, and legged it.
By the time they caught up with him, he was in the van and, because we keep the keys in the glove box for emergencies, it was no trouble for him to get it started, and get the fuck out of the compound, what with the gates being open, because of the police. What’s it they say? A perfect storm. All the right fucking elements in place for him to make his escape, and get away from his fate at the club.Fuckthat.
At least seven of us got on our bikes, and headed out after him, including myself, Has, Ryder, Ice, and Stitch. There were several others behind us, but I was firmly fixed on that dark blue van, that was fast disappearing, because of the head start he had. There were sirens behind us, but here’s the thing about our club bikes.
We’re not usually in high speed pursuits, but our bikes were not only fast enough for cruising around, and heading to meets, but also for a fucking car chase. The cops couldn’t get past us, without risking knocking us off bikes, and causing more injuries, so there was a lot of criss crossing, as people tried to pass each other, but there was no way the fucking cops were getting to Micro before we could. Then we left them in the fucking dirt, as we gained on him.
I’d been on the fence about killing him, but that moment had passed, because I had a whole new fucking betrayal to worry about now, and that had taken the edge off of the way I felt about Micro’s actions. Hurt the club, pay the price, those are the rules, right?
Now the fucker thought he was going to make a break for it, and escape retribution, and there was no fucking way I’d allow that. He was driving like a fucking prick too, taking bends too fast, and almost hitting a couple of pedestrians at a crossing, but it was when he took the road up dead man’s hill that I realised he was being more than reckless. He was taking his fate into his own hands, and stealing justice from us. He wasn’t planning to let us finish him off, any more than he was planning to spend the rest of his life in a jail cell. He was taking the coward’s way out.
Stitch yelled something from beside me, and yeah, as the VP, I should be riding behind him, but this wasn’t a normal situation, and the rules were fucking out the window right now. The uphill ride was slowing us all down a little, and the cops were starting to gain on us, but as we rounded the next bend, we just saw the van disappearing, and when we all got off our bikes to peer over the steep side of the hill, we saw the van rolling, crashing into the hillside over and over, and then it finally stilled right at the bottom. Police cars were already turning and heading back down the hill, but we all stood there and stared.
Micro just deliberately took a fucking nosedive off the local equivalent of a cliff, all to escape his brothers, and his fate, at our hands.
“Fuck!” I yelled, but Stitch was more focused on what else might have happened.
“You, you, and you, fan out that way, and you three the other way. If that fucker jumped out before he trashed our van, find him.” Jesus, that had never even occurred to me, because as I watched that van bouncing over and over, all I could think was if that didn’t kill him, nothing would.
I was in shock, I think, as I moved closer to the edge, peering over it, and watching police cars swarming down the twisting road towards the van. Smoke was rising from it now, like maybe there was fire somewhere, but I couldn’t see flames from so far away. A tight grip on my arm tugged me back a few steps.
“Don’t go joining him, brother. If he was in there, he’s dead.”
Micro dead? He was alive just seconds ago, so how can he suddenly just be dead? Wasn’t that how it always happened though? People were usually alive seconds before they died, right?
“I’m sorry, Torch. Hey, brother, look at me. This isn’t what any of us wanted, okay?” Stitch looked as shocked and horrified as I felt.
“We all wanted to catch the culprit, and when it turned out to be him, it threw us all. We’ve all had to deal with how it felt to have a brother we all knew and liked sitting in that fucking chair, waiting for death at our hands. I know he did this to take control back, and choose his own fate, but maybe he did us a favour too, especially you. He knew it’d kill you to be involved in killing him.”
“Wasn’t I, though?” I pointed back down the steep drop beside me. “I was part of the fucking hunt for him, chasing him down, and fuck… yeah, I wanted… no, I knew he had to die, but I didn’t expect it to happen like this. I feel like someone just changed channels, and I don’t know what show we’re watching anymore.”
I stared over the cliff again, and yes, that was definitely a fucking fire. If he hadn’t died in the crash, he’d burn to death before anyone reached him. The police were closer, but they had no firefighters with them, so once it was on fire, they’d have to stay back, right? They’d just stand and watch him burn. Did he deserve that? Weren’t we just standing here watching his demise too?
“Let’s get back to the clubhouse, brother. This is done with now. We’ll have to get a new van, but that’s hardly a priority right now. Get back to your old lady, and let her offer you some support tonight.”
Support. Comfort? Fuck, just seeing her would help soothe my fucking pain right now.
Thirty-Six
Lissacametoseeme after they all left for the big chase, and she looked upset, panicked, just like me.
“Ice went with them. He’s barely able to ride with his shoulder the way it is, and he’s out there risking it. Risking his damn life!” Oh my god, more consequences for my stupid actions! Should I tell her what I did? Will she hate me too?
“What happens next?”
She was wringing her hands nervously.
