Torch (Tarnished Souls MC Book 1)

by Dusty Lassetter

  Mia looks around the room, her inquisitive eyes roaming over everyone, before she speaks. “I was wanting to speak to Buck.” She says, taking a step forward, looking at Taz.

  “Is something wrong?” I question before Taz can say anything. Mia never acknowledges me. Pretending like she doesn’t hear me. I try not to let it piss me off that she is deliberately avoiding my glare, but I can feel my annoyance rising along with my anger.

  “I asked you a question, Mia.” I growl out, forcing all the men to look at me like I’ve lost my mind. I normally don’t let people push my buttons, but I can’t remember the last time someone was brave enough to try.

  “Is there a problem here?” Buck says, stepping up behind Mia. It takes all the self-control I possess to keep myself in this chair. He may be the president of this club, but he is standing to close to Spitfire, and I don’t like it. She takes two more steps forward, allowing Buck to enter his office. The space created between them allows my pulse to begin slowing down.

  “I was just talking with the girls, and we all feel like caged animals. We’re going crazy being locked away in that room.” Mia puts her hand up as Buck is about to clarify that they are the ones that choose to stay in their room. They have as much freedom here as the rest of the member’s family. “I know we have secluded ourselves, but that’s because all control has been taken from us. This is not our home. While we agree that right now it’s the best place for us, we all know that will eventually come to an end. I was wondering if there was any available work for us. We would feel much better if we could make some money to bring with us once you agree it’s safe enough for us to leave.” She finishes, with a single tear rolling down her cheek. I tilt my head, studying her for a long minute, trying to figure out what her game is. While the rest of the men, eat up what she is serving, I know better. Spitfire is trying to manipulate us, and has unknowingly left me with the perfect opening.

  “I could use someone to help me get my house in order.” I offer, loving the look she throws my way. When she notices that Buck is still staring at her, she removes the anger from her eyes, “I can’t leave the club house remember.” She replies back in a sweet voice.

  “You afraid I can’t keep you safe?”

  “No. I’m just trying to listen to your president and do what’s best for everyone. It’s safer for me to stay here.”

  “Buck.” I state, enjoying the look of panic that comes over her face as we wait for him to give us his input. “If anyone could keep you safe it would be Torch. I’ve trusted him with my life countless times.” He says, giving Mia a sympathetic look.

  “What about my girls? Who will keep them safe?” She asks, coming up with another excuse. “I’ll pay you a thousand dollars a week, and Saint will make sure to keep the girls safe while you’re gone during the day.” I tell her, deciding to seal the deal with a ridiculous amount of money that she can’t turn down.

  Mia’s eyes look around the room again, landing on everyone, concluding this will be her only opportunity to make money. She keeps her composure long enough to take my offer and walk out the office. However, I know once that door was shut she started imagining different ways to torture me. I tried to warn her. She started this little game, but I’m going to be the one to finish it.

  Chapter 11

  Mia

  The short ride to Torch’s house, from the club house, is completely silent. There is no reason for me to talk to him, especially since he won our battle in the office. I was hoping they would offer me a chance to bartend, or be a waitress for their wild parties. Then, Torch had to open his fat mouth. Now I’m standing outside, what I assume to be his house, trying not to show how angry I am towards the situation. I don’t like to be bested, and that is exactly what happened. Looking up at the old wooden barn, yes I said barn, I start to wonder why anyone would live here. I guess the privacy would be nice for someone like Torch. We had to drive down a long bumpy driveway to get here, it had to be at least a mile long, and there seems to be nothing around us. Finally, my curiosity gets the best of me, “why do you live in a barn?” I ask.

  Torch, who has been standing beside me, tilts his head in my direction, smiling. “Why do you pretend not to trust me?”

  “I don’t.” I say, not liking the smug look on his face. With my reply his smile grows, showing off that dimple that always manages to make him look all the more irresistible.

  “If you didn’t trust me, Spitfire, you would have assumed I brought you to an old barn to commit some type of crime. This is not a typical house, but you believed me when I told you it was mine.”

  Glancing back toward the tarnished red paint, circular roof, and big wooden doors with the white X going across. I can see his point. This really could be used for criminal activity, but it had never crossed my mind until he mentioned it. Maybe there is a part of me that trusts him, but I’m not going to admit that out loud.

  “You never answered my question.” I state, opting to avoid his accusations. There would be no point denying them. Turning my attention back to him. I watch as his gaze now lingers on the house, seemingly lost in a memory. “It belonged to my grandfather. This was once his farm but the house burned down. As a kid, I can remember all the times he would bring me out here to feed the cattle. He used to laugh when I would run from his bull, but I kept coming back because he always let me steer the truck on our way home while he drank a beer.”

  He doesn’t say it, but he doesn’t have to. He turned this barn into his home because this was the place he loved as a child. That’s not something I can relate to. The look in his eyes helping to remind me of the shitty childhood I had. Starting to get lost in my own memories. Torch startles me when he reaches out grabbing my hand. Pulling it back with more force than necessary, I give him my signature glare. “This isn’t a date, Romeo. Let’s get to work.” I declare. When his only reply is to walk past me, to the side of the barn, I have no choice but to follow. Taking two steps, to his every one, I make it to the side of the barn just as he is unlocking a door. The beautiful, cherry red, wooden door looks out of place compared to the rest of the warn out exterior.

  Immediately after walking in, I can see he hadn’t lied about his house needing someone to organize it. Judging by the countless boxes and lack of furniture I’m assuming he just moved. Unlike the outside, the inside is absolutely gorgeous. Different shades of rustic red, oak wood, and cream colored tiles really make me feel like I’ve walked into a country photo shoot. The floor plan was left open, standing in the living room you can look across the house, the kitchen and dining room in full view. Which is great for people like me. I hate small spaces. That’s another reason I needed out of the room back at the club house. I can see a set of stairs on the other side of the kitchen which would explain why the ceiling is so low. Torch must have added on the upstairs for the bedrooms.

  “Your smiling, Mia.” Torch says, “careful, you wouldn’t want me to think you actually like being here.” Before I can come back with a bitchy comment he turns toward the first stack of boxes. On the side in big red letter it reads, “dishes.”

  “Why are the dishes in the living room and not the kitchen?” I question, thinking it would have been easier to place the boxes in the room they belong in. Torch looks up at me with frustration in his eyes, “I had a prospect unload the moving truck. He was as useless as a condom with a hole in it.”

  The joke has me laughing out loud. Torch’s face gets a look of fascination before he changes it back to his biker scowl. The fact that he finds someone useless doesn’t come as a surprise to me, but I’m a very nosey person. I just have to know who it was.

  “Who?” I ask, but quickly back track. “No..No, no..Let me guess. It was Rabbit.” I state, remembering the prospect I met a few days ago. Nice guy but not the brightest crayon in the box, if you know what I mean.

  It’s Torch’s turn to laugh. He starts shaking his head, indicating I had not guessed right. Trying to remember more of the prospects I’ve met,
I must have the look of deep thought etched on my face because Torch eventually puts the puzzle together for me.

  “It was a guy named Griffin. He was a prospect, but we kicked him out of the club. How can you trust a man to have your back when he can’t even unload a truck?”

  “You mean you didn’t just move in?” I reply, making a point to look at all the boxes scattered on the floor. Torch follows my gaze. “No. I’ve been here for a few months now.” He states, as if it’s normal to live out of boxes for that long. My face must show my confusion because he lets out a throaty laugh. “If I would have known bringing you to my house would’ve made you more social I would have brought you here sooner. I like hearing you laugh, seeing your real smile, and that cute look you get in your eye when you’re thinking.”

  For once I find myself not wanting to deny anything he just said. It may be the change of scenery or the way Torch is looking at me, as if I’m the only woman to ever exist. So, instead of ruining the moment, like I have so many times before, I decide to enjoy my time in the here and now.

  “I’m not sure whether I should be offended by that or not. I hadn’t thought I was being that intolerable.” The statement comes out more offensive than I attended. I guess a part of me doesn’t like for Torch to think of me as some unlikable man eater. The sixth sense, he seems to have, must activate because he is beside me in record time. Forcing me to look in his deep blue irises. “I never called you intolerable, Mia. I was only trying to compliment you. I’m sorry if it came out wrong.” He says loud enough for it to seep through the fog he has created around my brain. Whenever he touches me I find it difficult to think, especially if I’s about something other than his hard body on top of mine. The weight of him pressing me down into a mattress or sofa. Yeah, most definitely a sofa. He could have me bent over it, hands roughly pulling my hair, pounding… “Mia, if you keep looking at me like that I’m going to strip all your clothes off and fuck you against the door.” Still caught up in my fantasy, my brain has pressed the off button, allowing my mouth to say exactly what my body is screaming. “Yes.. Against the door could be fun too.” I whisper against his lips that are so close I can almost touch them with mine. We stand there, breathing in each other’s air, waiting on the other to make the first move. Just as I’m about to throw caution to the wind, again, Torch takes a step back. I instantly miss his warmth, and the tiny sizzle he brings to my nerve endings whenever he is close.

  “As much as I want to. I’m not going to take you right now.” He says, voice filled with desire. “When I fuck you, Mia, it won’t be for fun or one night. When I take you it will be because you are mine. Forever.”

  With that said he starts carrying one of the boxes labeled, “dishes,” to the kitchen, mumbling for me to do the same. For the remainder of the day we talk about nothing important, and get all the dishes put away. When Torch is driving us back to the club house I can’t help but feel guilty that not once did I worry about what the girls were doing. I was too busy having a good time with a man and it didn’t involve sex. Not at all comfortable with the feelings, that Torch has brought forth, I start reminding myself the situation I’m in. In order to keep Scarlett and the rest of my girls safe I must place Torch in the back of my mind. I just hope he hasn’t made it impossible.

  ##########

  After we arrive at the club house I walk through the door focused only on getting to my room. I need to check on the girls and take a shower to get all this dirt and grime off me. Rebecca’s laughter stops me mid-step. Turning my head toward the bar I can see her casually sitting around talking to Saint and Taz. There are other people scattered around the room, eating plates of food, all talking amongst themselves. Changing directions, I stride over to them, my eyes looking Rebecca up and down. Trying to check her for any marks that should not be there. The air around the three must thicken with unease because all at once they turn their heads in my direction. Rebecca’s eyes are shinning with tears, from laughter, I know this because I can see the laughter lines around her mouth. I reach out and take her into my arms, comforting myself. It feels so good to finally witness her real smile. Not the one she gives me and the other girls, the one she must have used before her abduction. The one those bastards tried to steal from her.

  “Are you okay, Mia? Did something happen?” She whispers, trying to make sure Saint and Taz don’t hear. Of course, she would assume there was something wrong, she’s only ever seen me show two emotions. Hate and anger. Now I’m squeezing the air out of her lungs because I’m happy. She is figuring out she’s not broken.

  “I’m fine. Just missed you.” I falsely state. Releasing her from my arms, looking to Taz and Saint. For whatever reason, and trust me when I say I’ve raked my brain many times, I trust them when they say no one will hurt Rebecca, Sammy, or Scarlett. It’s obvious Rebecca believes them too. “Thank you for keeping an eye on my sisters.” I say, looking at Rebecca when I say this. I have never called them anything other than my girls, but sister just seems right. I know she agrees when her smile once again reaches her eyes, and she grabs my hand giving it a squeeze.

  “No problem, Mia. We don’t mind babysitting beautiful women.” Taz jokes, wiggling his eyebrows at me. Taking the back of my hand, I wipe my forehead in a dramatic way. “Woo… I was worried Rebecca may fall for your boyish good looks, but with a pickup line like that I realize I have nothing to worry about.”

  Saint and Rebecca start laughing, looking too Taz to come back with something clever to say. If there was any biker in this club that could talk shit as good as I do, it would be him. “So you admit you think I’m sexy and have naughty dreams about the things you want to do to me.” He dramatically states.

  “Who said I dreamt about doing naughty things to you. Maybe it’s you that does the corrupting.” The look in his eye tells me everything I need to know. He is enjoying our banter as much as I am. Saint and Rebecca have gone quiet. Waiting on the edge of their seats. Wanting to see who will be the one to win this war of words.

  “Something tells me it would be you teaching a class on kinky games, baby. Maybe one day you could give me a private lesson.”

  “And something tells me you would be my star pupil, big boy.” I state in the sexiest voice I can manage under the circumstances. Our little conversation has managed to capture the attention of others in the room, and all I really want to do is laugh at the look on Taz’s face.

  “Just tell me when. I’ll be there ready and willing.” He declares. Wanting to end the battle, but not willing to lose, I decide to take it up a notch. Taking another step toward him, getting into his space, I lean in close to whisper in his ear. Before I can say anything, someone pulls me backward, so hard and fast, my head spins like it’s in the twilight zone.

  “NEVER.” Torch hollers out, pulling his arm back before bringing it forward to land his knuckles on Taz’s face. The hit is precise and spot on, the force of it splitting his lip wide open. My eyes search the stool Rebecca was sitting on hoping she is not collateral damage to this caveman show. I’m able to breathe easier when I see she is safely tucked into Saint’s side. Knowing she is safe I let my concern for her turn to anger towards the fool that started this. Torch and Taz are both staring at each other, eyes blazing with rage. Torch might as well be breathing fire with steam coming out of his ears.

  “Don’t fucking touch what’s mine.” He seethes, directing his statement to everyone in the room. Taz’s expression changes, understanding flickers in his gaze, before he wipes the blood from his lip with the back of his hand. “ Alright.. Brother.. We get it… Mia is yours.” He says, “But next time you hit me I suggest you make it count. My friendship only goes so far.” He finishes, walking past Torch. Making sure to bump shoulders with him. Torch’s body never budges from the hit, he simply turns around and levels me with a look that send chills down my spine, to the tips of my toes. Romeo is mad and when his scowl deepens I debate running in the opposite direction. I take that back, Romeo is pissed.
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  Torch has literally dragged me to his bedroom, closed the door, and is currently standing guard like a fire breathing dragon determined to protect his princess. If I wasn’t extremely turned on by his jealousy, which I will analyze later, I would be scratching out his eye balls for him behaving like I’m his property. He called me his, told Taz to keep his hands off me. Like I’m some sort of toy only he can play with. Everyone can admire me, but no touching. I’ve never had anyone claim me, other than to get me in the sheets, but something tells me Torch is not like the rest of them. He is currently penetrating me with his stare, betrayal burning bright behind his irises.

  “I’ll apologize for whatever you think I did wrong, Romeo, but you’re going to have to explain it to me first.” I state calmly. Deciding right now isn’t the best time to push his buttons. He seems about one wrong comment from beating his chest. Climbing up a tower with me slung over his shoulder. My chosen tone has the effect I hoped. Torch’s shoulders visibly relax, not entirely, but enough to remove some of the tension from his body.

  “You had your tits pressed against his chest, whispering in his ear like some love sick teenager. You’ve looked at me as if I’m the dirt on the bottom of your shoe the entire time you’ve been here, until today. I thought I’d made progress with you at the house, just to come back here and see you throw yourself at Taz.” He ends his rant with a growl, some of the anger coming back into his stance. It doesn’t bother me that Torch would think I was practically begging Taz to take me, we both know that I’m not shy when it comes to sex. I like it, I want it, but not with Taz.

  “You just punched your vice president in the face because you thought I was coming onto him. Why would you be mad at him and not me? He wasn’t the one doing all the touching, Torch.” I question, trying to help him understand that I don’t want him to pick a war with his club over someone like me. “I don’t know what you think this is.” I whisper, gesturing back and forth between us, “but you don’t own me, Torch. I can touch who I want, when I want.”