Torch (Tarnished Souls MC Book 1)

by Dusty Lassetter

  “You can relax, Spitfire, your completely safe with me.” He whispers, looking down at me.

  “Let’s just get this over with, Romeo, I need to get back to Sammy and Scarlett.”

  “Pull up your nightie, so I can see how bad the bruising is.” He commands, his hands lying still at his sides. I do as he ask once again, it’s not like this damn teddy is leaving anything to the imagination. I have on a bra and thong underneath it, but they are too small for me, showing off more of my C cups then it should. He moves his hand slowly to my side, carefully grazing his fingers over my sensitive skin. The bruise is the size of a grapefruit, and is already blue in color. “Can you take a deep breath?” I suck in as much air as I can, but it sends a sharp pain through my ribs, causing me to let out on a whimper. “I don’t think they are broken, most likely fractured, which still hurts like a bitch. I should go back there and put another hole in that’s bastard’s skull.”

  “You’re not fooling anyone.” I mumble, “if you weren’t evil like them, why in the hell did they try to barter with you, using us as your prize?”

  “Let’s get one thing straight, Mia. We’re nothing like those animals. That was a business deal that went wrong. We had no idea they were into human trafficking.”

  “Say I believe you, why would you hold us here? Instead of letting us go.” I reply, missing his hand that’s no longer on my side.

  “That is club business, none of your concern. Now get in the shower and I’ll bring you back some clothes and pain medication.”

  Shaking my head at his demand, I pull the nighty up and over my head, fully expecting him to do what any other man would do, try to take advantage. He surprises me when he mumbles under his breath, before turning around and leaving the bathroom. I’m left standing by myself, completely dumb founded by his response.

  A few minutes later, while I’m soaping up my hair, I hear the door open again. I instantly know it’s Torch, because all the oxygen seems to get sucked out of the room whenever he is near. “You know you shouldn’t be ashamed of who you are.” I state, “I actually think it makes you more likeable, and it makes complete sense, all the hot ones are gay.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” He yells over the sound of the water, “I don’t fuck dudes.”

  “You don’t have to worry about it Romeo, your secret is safe with me.” I declare, popping my head out of the shower curtain.

  “What in the hell gave you the impression I suck dick, Woman?” He asks, with a scowl on his handsome face.

  “You walked away from a half-naked woman. I don’t mean to beep my own horn but I’m not ugly. Most guys love my body.”

  “Just because I didn’t jump your bones you think I play butt darts in the dark with guys. I walked away so I wouldn’t make you uncomfortable, but I can rectify this situation. Move over, I’m showering with you.” He starts to walk toward the shower, raising his shirt, showing me a glimpse of that perfect body.

  “No…No…NO! Alright I believe you. Just take a step back, Romeo. This shower is only big enough for one.” I regret it almost instantly. I should have let him at least get his shirt off all the way.

  “You just turned me down, which could mean only one thing. You must like the taste of pussy.” He says turning his back to me, but not before I catch a glimpse of that sexy dimple.

  Chapter 3

  Torch

  We bring the girls into Buck’s office. It’s at the end of the club house, so they had to walk through the main party space. Being it is only a Wednesday night, the activities going on are not as bad as they will be on Friday and Saturday. There are still a couple of club whores hanging around, trying to find a warm bed to sleep in tonight. Just as we’re walking through, one of the whores I have fucked on occasion walks up to me, “I’m glad your back, Torch. How about we go catch up in your room?”

  “I’m busy.” I say, not stopping to talk. She knows if I needed her I would’ve found her.

  “Oh I see, well from the looks of your little group, you should bathe in rubbing alcohol afterward.” She sneers, just as Mia is walking by her. I move to get in between the two girls, before the shit can hit the fan. We really don’t have time for this, but part of me wants to see if Spitfire would rip this bitch in two.

  “That’s enough, you need to leave Mandi. Go home to your kids.”

  “What? Your kicking me out. I’ve been here for years, Torch. These bitches look like they just came off the streets.” She tries to plea her case, while staring at Mia.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me. Now I see why you are playing for the other team. With pathetic whores like her walking around.” Mia speaks up, trying to step around me, going after Mandi. She looks fierce with her long black hair, and dark brown eyes. “Listen skank, you keep talking shit and I’m going to yank you by your hair and throw you out myself.”

  “Torch you’re going to let her talk to me like that?” Mandi questions in a whinny voice.

  “Leave Mandi, I’ll see you on Friday.” I command as I pull Mia behind me, while making sure the other girls are following me as well. When I finally enter Buck’s office, I hear everyone laughing while discussing cat fights. They must’ve been watching everything from the large glass wall that allows Buck to keep a watchful eye on everyone. By the press of a button the glass becomes a one-way mirror. It was a lot of money, but worth every dime.

  I lead the group of girls to the empty chairs across the desk from my brothers. Mia chooses to sit in the middle between the blonde, with the green eyes, and the youngest one of the group according to Carlos. They all look terrified, watching every movement we make.

  “No need to be nervous ladies,” Buck offers leaning further back in his seat, “we just want to ask a few questions then Torch will show you to the rooms you’ll be staying in.”

  I see the red head look at Mia, desperately, making my fury grow. There is no telling what happened while they were with Carlos. He was a new client of ours, from Mexico, who bought guns from us. We went into this deal expecting everything to go smoothly. When he brought out these girls, blindfolded and bound, I knew the shit was about to go down. The youngest one reminds me of my sister, that just turned sixteen, and just thinking about what was probably done to her makes my blood boil with rage.

  “Let’s start with names, as you know I’m Buck.” He then turns his head looking at every one of the members standing around, silently telling us to introduce ourselves.

  “You ladies already know me as Taz.”

  “We haven’t met yet. I’m Saint, the prettiest one of the group.”

  They all look to me waiting for me to introduce myself, “Torch.”

  Buck clears his throat, then looks to the girls. With a grunt of irritation. Mia looks up at us. “I don’t see how this is important, if we are your prisoners, our names are irrelevant.”

  “Who said anything about prisoners? You’re not being held captive woman.” I explain to Mia. The disgust, I feel toward the allegation, present in my voice.

  “I’m glad to hear that. We’ll just be on our way then. Thanks for the food and shower.” Mia stands up, but before she can take a step toward the door, I’m in her face. Our bodies so close, if she were to take a deep breath we would be touching.

  “Sit back down and answer our questions like you agreed to do.” I command, hoping like hell she argues back. I would love nothing more than to have to take her over my knee to get the answers I want.

  She must see the unspoken promise in my eyes, because she does as she was told and sits down, “I’m Mia.” She offers with a slight trimmer in her voice. I walk back over to my spot with the guys, hoping like hell this doesn’t take all night.

  “Rebecca.” The brunette says, looking at me with curiosity in her light blue eyes. They probably see me just as they did Carlos and his buddy, but right now we need answers so I’m fine with playing the bad guy.

  The blonde, with grey eyes is the next to speak up. She says her name is S
ammy. She looks young, just a few years older than the red head that’s name is Scarlett. Rebecca finally peers over at the rest of the group, convinced I’m no longer a threat. Mia still hasn’t looked my way since our little exchange.

  “Ask your questions, so we can be on our way.” Mia speaks up.

  “Do you know where you were being held?” Taz asks.

  “I heard them say something about Puebla, many times when they would talk to one another.” Rebecca answers. Mia looks over at Rebecca, giving her a slight nod of her head.

  “I can speak some Spanish, so I would listen in sometimes. That’s how we knew we were going to be traded for guns, before we were thrown in that van.”

  “How many men were there at any given time?” Buck questions, now leaning over with his elbows on his desk.

  “Two sometimes three. Vienna was the one we usually dealt with. That sick bastard loved to remind us he was the sole reason we were still alive.” Mia says.

  “Do any of you know how long you were there?” I reply, trying to put a timeline together.

  “To the best of my memory I was there for a month. Give or take a few days. Sammy and Rebecca were there about two weeks before that. Scarlett was the first to be abducted.” Mia responds with finality, making me realize just how hard this is on her.

  “Do we need to worry about anyone that could be looking for you?” Buck asks.

  “If you mean family, no. It’s really none of your business but we all grew up in group homes.”

  “No one is judging you, believe it or not, we just want to help.” I say to her, guilt eating at me for the shit life they’ve lead. My life hasn’t been all rainbows and lucky charms, but I did have a family growing up, and I have my brothers now. These girls only have one another, and it took being kidnapped and tortured to find that.

  “It’s been a long day, if you don’t mind we would like to be shown to our rooms now, that is unless you are going to let us go.” Mia says.

  “I’m sorry, Mia, but it’s too risky to let you go right now. Those men that took you have more friends than you may realize, not to mention the cops would want to know how we found you. We’re nothing like them assholes, but we are not exactly law abiding citizens.” Buck declares to her.

  “Mia he’s right, we have nowhere else to go, no one else to keep us safe from Carlos’ family.” Scarlett says. I don’t think she realizes the mistake she just made. None of these girls have said the name of their capture. I’m positive it’s because they didn’t know it. How is it the youngest of the group, that also was there before anyone else, know that information? My gut is telling me that’s not the only thing Scarlett is hiding.

  Chapter 4

  Mia

  We are lead back into the room that I can only assume is the main gathering space. There are several couches placed throughout, along with a huge entertainment center that takes up one wall. With the size of the speakers that are placed strategically around, one would assume their parties get pretty loud. There is also a huge bar, that looks like it holds any kind of liquor one could ask for. With a few bikers sitting on the bar stools drinking. Part of me was wishing the tramp, that looks like a worn down version of Brittany Spears, would be here, so I could take my frustration out on her. This whole situation has my nerves and anger on edge, and trust me, no one wants to be around when mount Mia blows.

  “We have two rooms available, so that means you’ll have to pair off.” Torch states. I don’t know why they have deemed him our babysitter, but I should start a petition. He is just too bossy and moody.

  “We don’t mind sharing one room, actually that is how we prefer it.” Rebecca speaks up, making me smile. Finally, she is coming out of her shell, which she rarely does. That must mean she feels safer here then she did in that basement. The way I see it, I went from one prison to another, the only difference is I wouldn’t mind getting my rocks off with some of these guards. Torch could be an option if he kept his mouth shut more often.

  “Suit yourself, but it’s only a queen size bed.” Torch replies, walking us down another hall way across the room. How many passage ways does this place have? It didn’t look that big from the outside, but I guess looks can be deceiving. “This is the rooms we use when some of our brothers from other chapters come through. There are a few being used right now, but you have nothing to worry about. No one around here is going to mess with you.” He finishes as he pulls the door to our right open. After we are all in the room, he closes it. The sound of a locking mechanism just proves my point, we are prisoners, locked up once again.

  “Don’t worry girls, I’ll figure out something to get us out of here.” I whisper to everyone, trying to reassure not only them, but myself. Sometimes it’s hard being the strongest one of our group, but they are my family now, and I would willingly die to protect them.

  “Maybe we should listen to the guys, they don’t seem that bad.” Sammy mumbles, sitting on the edge of the bed.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me Sammy, they have us locked in this room, and need I remind you they are criminals.” My voice goes up an octave, making her flinch. “I’m sorry I raised my voice, I just want to be done with this nightmare, but we can discuss this tomorrow. For now, let’s get some sleep.”

  “I can’t believe we’re sleeping on a clean bed, I never thought this would happen.” Rebecca says. “Now that we are out of that basement I can breathe a little easier.”

  I smile at her before walking to the wall and turning off the lights. I wish I could lay my tired body on that bed, but someone needs to keep watch. So, I pull a chair to the far corner of the room, and take my post, ready for anything. It doesn’t take long before I hear the quiet snores of the girls. My mind wanders back to the times we were in that basement begging for food and water. On several occasions, they would take us off by ourselves, bringing us to a dirty bedroom. There was only one time I couldn’t fight off the inevitable. They grew tired of me beating the shit out of two men, and brought in a third. The only thing that kept me sane was the belief that I would get my revenge on the guy that raped me.

  I hear the lock on the door, before it opens slightly. A large figure enters, closing the door behind him. I’m on my feet, and jumping on him before he can take another step. Pure adrenaline is pumping through my veins the entire time I’m pounding my fists onto the back of his head.

  “What the fuck.” The man yells out, before falling to his knees. My side is throbbing in pain, but I don’t allow it to slow me down. This asshole has picked the wrong woman to mess with. Suddenly, I’m pulled back by a set of arms that are too strong for me to fight off. I start screaming like a banshee, kicking and throwing my head back into a hard chest.

  “Mother fucker, Mia, Mia, stop. It’s me Mia, Torch. Calm down no one is trying to hurt you.”

  Through my haze of fear and anger, my brain starts to register that he’s not fighting me back, just merely taking the beating I am hashing out. I let my feet hang off the ground, and lean my head back on his chest. Taking a few shallow breaths, trying to gain some control, but the stinging in my side has gotten worse, so I end up groaning in pain instead. He immediately loosens his hold on me, whispering in my ear, “if I let you go are you going to stay calm, and let me figure out what is going on?” I nod my head yes as a response.

  He lets go and walks around flipping the switch on the wall. After the room is lit up, I see a very scary biker giving me a murderous stare. With the adrenaline now out of my system, I cower behind Torch. I don’t have any idea how I beat off that mountain of a man, but it’s a miracle I’m still alive. He has a scar running down the left side of his face, from the tip of his hair line, to the nape of his neck, making his menacing face all the more frightening.

  “What the fuck is going on, Torch? I didn’t come here to get attacked by some crazy bitch.” His voice is filled with hatred.

  “Watch your fucking tone, Shredder.” Torch commands, his voice low and menacing. Surprising me. He must hav
e a death wish, because this guy is twice his size.

  “Sorry Torch, I’m just exhausted, but I still would like to know what the hell is going on?”

  “These ladies are our guest, and under this chapter’s protection. You should go find another room, before you find yourself resting six foot under.” Torch threatens, taking a few steps toward him.

  To my utter shock Shredder walks by Torch without saying a word, and disappears. Most likely finding another room like he was ordered. Torch then turns around, roaming his eyes over my body, probably assessing me for injuries. I look him over as well, but I’m not looking for injuries, I’m admiring the sexiness that is Torch. He is in a pair of unzipped jeans, hanging down his hips, showing me that perfect happy trail that I want to follow with my tongue. He has a black and red tribal tattoo going from his left pec up his shoulder and all the way down his arm. I start biting my bottom lip, trying to keep myself from reaching out and touching every part of his exposed skin. He’s now smiling at me, with that damn dimple, and it does nothing to calm down my hormones. I want to climb him like a tree, while he sets my body on fire with his every touch.

  He takes a step toward me, backing me up against the wall. When he leans his head down and starts breathing on my neck, I almost cum right then. “I promised you no one would touch you, but I’m starting to think you want to be touched. Am I right Mia?” He whispers in my ear, causing my knees to buckle. Noticing this, he presses against me, and I can feel just how much he wants me. “Maybe, but who says I want it to be you.” I reply in a shaky voice.

  “Your body is practically begging me to touch you right now. I’m a patient man. I can wait until it’s your lips begging me.” He states before abruptly turning around and walking out the room, laughing the entire time. I just acted like a hussy for someone I can’t stand. I shake my head, and tell myself to get my shit together. I can’t have sex with him, I’m going to have to avoid him at all cost.