Torched (44 page)

“Doc, this is Liv. She’s his old lady,” Lump voiced. “Doc’s a friend of the club. What’s the word, man?”

“Blunt force trauma to the head. I understand there was an explosion, we think he got hit with some kind of projectile when that happened. He’s going up for a CT scan to check for brain hemorrhaging. He may need surgery—”

“Brain surgery?” I asked in disbelief.

“I’m sorry, I won’t be able to say anything conclusive until we get the scan done. There’s no point in speculating.”

I sighed and leaned back on the wall.

“Were you there?” he asked, pointing at my cheek.

“Yeah, I’m okay though—”

“Said she hurt her back,” Bird piped up.

I shot him a scowl. “I said I’m
fine
. Please, Doc, just go take care of the guys.”

“They’re in good hands. Can I take a quick look?” he nagged.

No, he couldn’t. Because at that very moment, I saw another gurney being rushed in. The face was unrecognizable, but I would know the tattoos on his arms anywhere.

“Son of a
bitch!
” I raged, launching myself at him.

Lump and Bird were quicker on their feet and grabbed me before I had a chance to pounce.

“Whoa, whoa!” Bird rumbled.

“Liv, calm the fuck down, there’s cops here,” Lump hissed in my ear.

“I don’t give a fuck, that’s
Mitch
,” I snarled.

“And getting yourself arrested hurts him how?” Bird asked.

“
Think
, Liv. It’s what you’re good at,” Lump added.

They were right. I sighed and quit fighting their hold.

Bird squeezed the back of my neck. “Come on, let’s go to the waiting room. Can’t do shit here and these uniforms make me fucking itchy.”

: : : :

An hour or so later, I was anxiously pacing around in the waiting room. Rox and Mo had rushed away from the husbands as soon as they heard about the explosion. Bird shot me a warning look over their heads as they both hugged me, which I interpreted to mean they didn’t know any details and I shouldn’t tell them. Through gritted teeth, I hugged them back, pissed off at myself for accepting their blind kindness when
I
was the reason that their men were in here.

I’d probably walked a mile by the time Doc finally made an appearance.

I rushed over to him. “What’s happening? Is he okay?”

He placed a hand on my lower back and motioned for us all to sit down. “The MRI shows a cerebral edema. Essentially, swelling of the brain tissue that’s pressing against his skull and causing fluid to build up. It’s why he can’t wake up. We need to remove a piece of his skull to make room for the swelling and relieve pressure so he doesn’t stroke out. It’s called a decompressive craniectomy.”

“Jesus,” I whimpered. Mo and Rox put their arms around me as I dropped my head to process all this. “Will he wake up?”

“It’s a risky surgery, but I’m confident in our team. We’ll keep him in a coma and put him on a respirator after that. Along with medication, the swelling should go down. We won’t know about permanent damage with any degree of certainty until that happens.”

Permanent damage? Jesus, no. “Can I see him?” I asked.

He shook his head apologetically. “I’m sorry, there’s no time. Zed already signed the consent forms, Torch gave him medical power of attorney a while back.”

I buried my face in my hands and tried to catch my breath.

“What about our other boys?” Bird asked.

“All fine, just some cuts and bruises. They’re being released in a minute,” Doc replied.

“Oh, thank fuck,” Lump sighed.

“Thank you,” Rox said. “Will you keep us posted?”

“Of course,” Doc assured her.

As soon as he left, all attention was back on me as I curled up in the chair.

“You heard him, there’s a good team of doctors here,” Mo said as she rubbed my back. “He’ll be alright, just like Jet and Toto. Okay?”

“Why the fuck are they still keeping everybody else away?” I cried. “He needs his family. Where are they?”

With no one offering up an answer, I pushed Mo and Rox off me and walked back into the ER lobby to talk to the cops and find out for myself. I saw Agent Rhodes standing there, talking to the deputies who had Zed, Mace, Gauge, and Scrap in handcuffs.

“What the hell’s going on?” I demanded.

“They’re being taken in for questioning. I’d like to talk to you too,” she replied.

“I have nothing to say. I didn’t see anything and I don’t know anything. What the fuck are you doing anyway? You’re DEA. They had nothing to do with the drugs or the dealers
you
should’ve found.”

“I have seven dead bodies,” Rhodes snapped, finally losing the professional act. “And a shitload of illegal weapons in the hands of felons who aren’t supposed to have them. I’m sorry, Chloe, but despite what you think, these aren’t innocent men. The ATF’s been called in, they’re all going away, including Torch.”

What the fuck was wrong with this bitch? Torch would be lucky to live and she was standing here sounding almost gleeful that he’d be going away, if—when—he did.

“That won’t happen,” I seethed.

“It’s happening. And Mitch will have to answer too.”

Answer to what? If I hadn’t been able to make the connection, the Feds would have a hell of a time pining anything on him that connected back to Hess. Maybe kidnapping and a gun charge since he was a felon himself, which would give him another few years of time. And then he’d be out again. The thought made me sick to my stomach, but I wasn’t about to say anything else that could be damaging to the club’s defense.

Not only was my past with him responsible for people getting hurt, but now a bunch more were facing jail time. What the fuck had I done?

Zed must have noticed the wheels turning. “Babe, it’ll be fine. Our attorney’s already at the station.”

My heart broke as I looked over at him. He was smiling, trying to be reassuring, but all I saw was yet another brother who was paying for my sins. And doing it without complaint. Why the hell was everybody trying to make me feel better about all of this? It just made it worse.

I walked up to him and gave him a hug. “You tell the attorney to get a team together. I’m covering the fees. Don’t argue.”

He nodded, then leaned down to kiss my forehead and whispered, “Whatever crazy ideas pop in your head besides that, shut ‘em down. We’ll be fine.”

I turned back to Rhodes. “When can I put up bail?”

“I wouldn’t hold my breath, biker gangs tend to be flight risks—”

“They’re not a fucking gang,” I corrected her.

She snickered. “Right. A club. Anyway, they’ll probably be transferred to Denver tomorrow and arraigned. It’s up to the judge whether to grant bail. These are federal charges. I guess you’ll just have to keep your fingers crossed.”

“Only fools rely on luck, Agent Rhodes.”

: : : :

I stared out from a fourth story window in the waiting room of the Intensive Care Unit. The hospital was on a hill and this particular window provided a view over half of downtown Linwood. It had started drizzling earlier, but now a full downpour was showering the town. The street lights glistened on wet pavement.

Hours had passed since Torch was taken in for surgery, but we hadn’t had any updates other than being told that it was going as expected. Roxie and Moira had gone back to their husbands’ rooms, and the prospects were staying with me while Lump and Bird ran home for a quick shower and change of clothes. Luckily, Ty and Mack were watching TV and giving me some much needed space to think.

As I watched the rain fall, I thought about it all. Torch, the club, and by extension, the town that relied on them for more than just brake jobs and protection. I’d heard countless stories about businesses they’d kept afloat, people they’d helped just because they were asked, and areas they’d cleaned up and improved. Hell, a fundraiser for this very hospital had started it all.

I didn’t give a fuck what the law classified them as, they kept that part of their shit from touching the community. If anything, they were the glue that held Linwood together, and the number of people who relied on them far outnumbered their crimes.

And Torch? Well, Torch was some kind of miracle. Strong, loyal, and brave, he exemplified all the best qualities a man could have. Unfortunately, he’d picked a woman who brought nothing but misery on everything she touched.

“Liv?”

I looked over my shoulder to see Doc walking in. Ty turned down the TV.

“Is he out of surgery?” I asked.

Doc nodded. “He’s being moved into a room now. It went well, I’m optimistic. Like I told you earlier, we’ll probably keep him in a coma until the swelling goes down, but you can sit with him if you like. I pulled some strings and told the nurses that you’re his wife. Nobody should give you a hard time.”

“Thank you,” I murmured.

Ty and Mack both added their thanks and shook Doc’s hand.

I followed him into the ICU, where you could see into all the rooms from the nurse’s station through glass walls and sliding doors. It was eerily quiet this time of night.

Doc slid the door open for me and I rushed to Torch’s side. Even with the bandages around his head and a respirator breathing for him, my man looked as handsome and strong as ever. I leaned over him and kissed his forehead, lingering just to feel his skin on my lips, then sat down on a stool next to his bed and took his left hand in mine.

Doc went to slide the door shut, but stopped and glanced back over at me. “You’re good for him, Liv.”

“Why do you say that?” I asked. The man obviously had no idea what the word “good” meant.

“I saw Torch a couple weeks ago. He looked… happy. Happier than I’ve seen him in years. He told me he found something he thought he’d lost. I can see that he was talking about you.”

My breath hitched and eyes swelled with tears again. “He’s the best thing that ever happened to me, Doc.”

“Well if anyone can pull through this kind of thing and come out stronger for it, it’s Torch. You being here can only help. I’ll be by to check on him in a a little bit. You need anything?”

“What’s your actual name around here?” I asked, realizing I didn’t even know.

“Doctor Clark. Trevor.”

“Okay. Thank you, Doctor Clark. No, I’m good.”

Doc gave me a nod and closed the door.

I looked down at Torch and stroked his beard. “Hey, handsome, it’s me,” I croaked. “I love you… so much. Baby, I’m so sorry. God, I’m so sorry.”

My emotions raw, the flood gates flew open again. I rested my face on his hand and sobbed.

: : : :

A knock on the glass pulled me from my trance. I looked up to see Sheriff Hiller standing outside. A glance at the clock told me it was already mid-morning. I’d met Hiller at the fair and talked to him a time or two when he’d stopped by the clubhouse to see Buddha. He signaled for me, so I kissed Torch’s hand and walked outside.

“How’s he doing?” he asked.

“The nurses just keep saying he’s stable. I think they’re doing another scan today. Is the cop necessary?”

He sighed. “Unfortunately, that wasn’t my call. I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, no, I’m sorry. I get it. It’s been a long twenty-four hours.”

“Have you slept?”

“I can’t. What’s happening with the other guys? Can you tell me anything?”

“ATF’s filing charges as we speak. They’re being transfered to Denver this afternoon—”

“All of them?”

“Yeah. Well, except Jet, Toto, Lump, and Bird, since they weren’t there. Half of them should be able to get out of it with a good lawyer, but the ones with felony records are gonna have a hard time beating this shit. The entire table’s looking at fifteen to thirty.”

I closed my eyes and leaned back on the glass. “Fuck.”

“It’s a sad day for this town. These guys do a lot. Wish I could do something, but the Feds are on a fucking mission.”

He didn’t have to tell me that the club did a lot, I’d seen it with my own eyes. This wasn’t a sad day, it was downright devastating.

It couldn’t happen.

“What about Mitch Henslow?” I asked.

“The Feds are keeping that under wraps. He’s not talking… wired jaw and all.”

“He’s conscious?”

“Yeah. His face is fucked, but he’ll survive.”

I turned around and looked back in at Torch. “Sheriff, I need a favor. For the club.”

: : : :

I peeked around the corner and saw Hiller approaching the cop outside Mitch’s hospital room. The Sheriff said something to him that elicited a laugh, then wrapped his arm around the guy’s shoulder and walked him away from the door.

I moved fast and slipped inside the room before anyone spotted me.

Mitch—both wrists handcuffed to the bed rails—was sleeping. His face really was destroyed. This monster deserved a hell of a lot worse.