Page 30 of Torch
I nodded, knowing I could help him with that part.
“Was it… was it the same person who attacked Torch?”
Stitch’s eyes widened at me then, and he glanced around the room.
“You guys keeping in touch, like?”
I nodded, knowing my blush gave me away in an instant, as he grinned widely. I had a feeling he was already fully aware of that fact anyway.
“Excellent. He’s not a bad guy, ya know. A bit brash, and kinda reckless, but decent where it counts. And yeah, we think it was. We’re on the case with sniffing this fucker out now though. This shit ends today.”
That sounded pretty final, didn’t it? I stood up again.
“I’ll get a message to Reacher for you, so he knows you’re here with him. Anything else you need me to say?”
He pressed a hand against his heart in response.
“Thank you, darlin’. Just tell him we’ve got him, and there will be one of us here the whole damn time. Also tell him we’re on full lockdown, he’ll know what I mean.”
I nodded, and headed into the ICU, passing through the coded door, and checking the patient list inside the door for Alicia’s room; A Hart was on the board and listed as being in room four, so I headed there, to find a man resting a greying head on his hands against the side of her bed. The poor guy. I tapped on the doorframe, waiting for him to acknowledge my presence.
“Uh Reacher, is it? Stitch asked me to pass on a message,” I said, feeling like I was involved in some kind of clandestine operation, when I was doing nothing wrong. He gestured at me to join him, and I took my first look at the woman he was there for. She was bandaged and hooked up to the relevant machines, but I could see blonde hair, and pale skin, and not much else.
“He’s still out there, doc?”
I nodded, checking the notes for the patient while I was in the room, because I felt like I really should. Suddenly it felt weird being in here, and intruding on his grief.
“He wanted me to let you know he’s there, and that there’ll be one of them there at all times. He also mentioned something about ‘full lockdown’? I assume that makes sense?”
Reacher rubbed a hand over his face, groaning softly.
“Fuck, I should be there with him, but I can’t leave her side, ya know?”
I nodded, replacing Ally’s notes and giving her a visual check as I stood there.
“Torch mentioned some of what’s going on at the club, so I know it’s a difficult time for you all, but they know your place is here with your… your… wife?”
He grinned a little. “Old lady, yeah, and wife.” His smile faded as he looked at her again, his fingers wrapped tightly around hers.
“We were just walking across the road to the clubhouse, and… this fucking car, it just came out of nowhere, and I couldn’t push her aside in time. I really fucking tried. I’d die for her, but I failed,” he was practically whispering by this point.
“The way I see it, you probably saved her life, Reacher, so please go easy on yourself. Right now she needs you to stay strong for her, okay? It sounds like Stitch has things under control.” I sighed then, checking my hair idly with one hand, feeling embarrassed to be speaking to a man I just met so candidly.
“Listen to me, talking to you like I know the club and your people. I don’t, not yet, but I want to.”
Reacher leaned down to kiss Ally’s fingers, and the sweetness of the gesture made my eyes burn with sudden tears. That was love right there. Pure, real, true love. How could someone try to take that away from him? Suddenly I was desperate to help the club in any way I could, to help them put a stop to this monster, to make them safe again.
“Doc? I know Torch was taken with you the moment he laid eyes on you, and I figure from your words that you two are getting close, and I like that. He deserves someone good, especially right now, but I also know that the last thing he’d want, that any of us want, is for you to be in danger. Our women are at risk because this fucker likes to hurt women. He’s not above forcing himself on them, so please, promise me you won’t go to the clubhouse, or take any risks. We need to focus on finding and stopping him, and that means we don’t need to split our focus over watching more people right now.”Oh. I swallowed hard, his words sinking in deep, hitting me right where it hurts. He tutted at me, and shook his head.
“This isn’t me being an asshole, or telling you to stay away from Torch. It’s me asking you to be safe, and not approach any other members of the club, or the clubhouse, until we can make it safe, that’s all. If your address isn’t known by anyone else, let’s keep it that way, huh?”
Seventeen
Theclubwaslikea fucking morgue when we got back, and it only got worse from there. As we passed the bar, where several brothers were sitting quietly, nursing hard liquor, Rocket yelled out to us.
“Any news on the Pres’s old lady?” All eyes were suddenly on us, and we knew too little to be of any use, didn’t we?
“ICU, man. They won’t tell us anything, and we can’t get to talk to the Pres right now,” Ryder said, slamming a fist against the wall as he headed for the stairs. There was no point in going to Reacher’s office, since neither he nor Stitch were around, so we were heading straight for Ice’s tech suite.
