Page 79 of Micro
I lowered my head, unable to look him in the eyes right now, despite my bravado of mere seconds ago.
“I know. I can’t ever fucking undo that. I can’t take that night back, but I wish I could.”
“I don’t care!”He roared, slamming both hands against my chest, and knocking me down on my back, the site of the stab wound flaring with pain again. His fist hit me in the face as he landed on top of me, and the women started to scream, but nobody was stopping him.
“Let them get this out of their systems,” Reacher barked, and everyone fell silent, watching as Torch tried to beat the crap out of me, and only the fact that he was pulling some of his punches made the difference between trying and literally beating me to a pulp. I wasn’t defending myself, or fighting back, because this was his moment to take what he needed from me, and if it was my life, then so be it. I at least owed him that.
“I’m sorry, brother,” I croaked out as he punched me again, my entire face throbbing with pain from every blow I’d taken today, and before. If I survived this, I’d look like mincemeat.
“It doesn’t change anything!” He hissed back at me, sitting back to glare at me as his fingers locked around my throat, and he started to squeeze.
He was going to kill me, and the one thing I was thankful for was that it wasn’t by his usual methods. One touch of his torch had shown me what agony he could cause.
“Torch, come on, you don’t want to do this,” a soft voice said, and he ignored it, tightening his fingers further, and choking me harder. He wanted me dead, and nobody would stop him, not even me, even though it was taking everything in me not to start fighting for my life. Fight or flight, I swear, it’s damn near impossible to ignore.
“Mr North, get your hands off him and let’s go!” A sharp voice suddenly rang out, and Torch froze, groaning and squeezing his eyes closed.
“You’re gonna pull that on me?”
There were a few scattered chuckles around us, but Torch’s fingers loosened, and I was able to drag in a ragged burning breath, and another, as he sat back completely, lowering his hands to his sides.
“You know this’ll destroy you,” Grace said, leaning over to wrap her arms around his neck. She did that? She barked at him like that, and he just folded. Gave up on his vengeance, for his woman? How the fuck did that just happen?
“Alright, you lot, show’s over. Start loading up, we’re heading out,” Reacher called, and I sensed people shifting away from us, until hardly any remained. Torch hadn’t moved, and neither had Grace, and I was still trapped on the ground beneath him, my face a beaten, throbbing mess, and my throat still burning with every breath.
“Can you let him up, please?” I heard Sophie begging Torch, not for the first time, I don't think, and then she was on her knees beside me, her cool hand against my forehead.
“Come on, brother, either finish him, or get up. It’s time to move on,” Reacher said, leaning down to rest a hand on Torch’s back. Grace kissed her man, and backed up, and then it was just me looking right at Torch, the brother I’d tried to kill, when he was the last person I’d ever have wanted to hurt.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, wishing he could see the truth in my words, hear it. That he could fucking feel it.
“Same,” Torch said, getting up and staring down at me, “we were brothers. I’d have backed you through anything in life, except what you did. You had everything, and you pissed it all away.”
I nodded, wishing we were alone so I could really fucking talk to him, and try to get him to hear me, but it was too late. It was all too late, and I’d known that for a while.
Torch turned to look at Reacher, and then looked back at me, reaching down with one hand to help me up. When I stood again, biting back a groan at the way my head and face pounded as one, to the rhythm of my heart, Torch dragged a hand over his shaved head and sighed.
“Can’t forgive ya. I tried, I really did, but when I look at you, I can still feel the knife in my back, just like I hope you will now. I won’t be back, but I won’t stand in your way either.” He turned to look at Soph, as I felt my fucking soul dying inside me. I never expected forgiveness, but I hoped we’d have a chance to try and be civil again at least. I missed the fucker more than he’d ever know.
“Good luck, love. I really hope you get to see what I once saw, but there’s always a way out if you need it. Any one of us can make that happen.”
He didn’t even look at me again as he grabbed Grace’s hand, and headed for the rest of the crew.
“Harley saw the cops off for you earlier, but I’m sure that’s not the last you’ll see of them. Hang onto that one, he’s a keeper. Grease is on his way back in, having stopped to see Rossi, so try to keep him out of trouble too.”
I nodded at Reacher as he rattled off his orders, and Soph stood beside me, wringing her hands together again. I caught them, and tucked one firmly in mine, so she’d stop hurting herself.
“Gotcha, Pres. Thanks for stopping by.”
“Don’t be a snarky prick. This had to happen, and I can’t guarantee there won’t be more retribution from individuals you fucked with, but I know that keeping you here, where I can monitor you, is the best option for now. Lissa’s going to start her video calls with you tomorrow at three, and you’ll make sure you don’t miss a single fucking one, or that’s a strike against you. FYI, you only get one.”
“Do you have to be so unreasonable? He’s doing everything you’re demanding of him!” Soph snapped at Reacher, trying to pull free of me to approach him, but I tugged her back.
“It’s okay, babe. This is just how it works. This is what I deserve for the shit I did. It’s all good. I’ve got this, Pres, I won’t let you down. Just give me a few days to get shit sorted, please.”
Forty-Three
Microwassubdued,bythe time we were home again, and I was once more patching up cuts and swelling on his face, and feeding him painkillers. The stab wound in his back was small, and he told me just to bandage it, that it wasn’t deep. Apparently he thought it was barely a wound at all, despite how much it bled at the time, and when I was trying to cover it up. It was the act that was significant, the literal stab in the back from the man he’d done the same to.
