Grasping For Freedom (20 page)

"Fucking great, and I'm expected to step back and trust that he has Brandy's best interest at heart?" he muttered. "The man's a giant. He's three times the size of Brandy, and I'm allowing her to stay with him."

Rain stared off at the garage. "He's also the man who held the baby Brandy in his arms when she was born, the one who probably taught her how to ride a bike, and wiped her tears when her first boyfriend broke her heart."

Torque's head spun. He glared at Rain. "Doesn't help. She's still my woman, my heart, my happy."

He slammed the truck door, knowing he sounded like a damn fool. Two agonizing steps later, he bit down on the discomfort and hurried to the house. By the time he reached the door, his head, shoulder, leg killed, and he wanted to puke. He unlocked his door and a thought came to him.

He whistled grabbing Rain's attention. After Rain rolled down his window, he said, "Get her a damn pre-pay and send me the number."

Rain waved and drove off. He hobbled to the couch and eased himself down. Uncomfortable in his own home, he stood back up and opened the door before finding his spot on the couch again. What Rain said about Brandy's dad raising her made sense, but that didn't mean he liked her being around him right now unprotected.

Though if he brought them both here, they'd be alone during the day when he worked, and he preferred having her close to the club when she wasn't working in case she needed anything. He closed his eyes. Hell, he rather stay in the cabin with her. They barely had any time to themselves between going on a run and dealing with Los Li.

Tomorrow, he'd talk with her.

The coolness of the night covered him. The open door, the breeze, the silence, it wasn't the same. He'd gotten used to having Brandy's warm body against him; her heartbeat to feel, her breathing to listen to, and the womanly curves to remind him he was alive. He shifted uncomfortably, unable to find a position on the couch to relax. He missed the soft sighs she gave him as she slipped into sleep. The way she'd smile against his lips when they kissed, letting him feel her happy, and the in-your-face-attitude when he tried to push her too hard. That same attitude he enjoyed also put the aloofness in her tonight, and she'd used the distance to create space between them.

And, he let her step away. He only hoped she understood he was doing it for her.

She'd had to be strong for too long. It was time she relied on someone else, and he wanted to be the man she leaned on. He wanted to protect and love her the way she deserved.

Hell, he missed the sunshine.

B
randy's dad sat on the couch, staring at her as if she'd transported him to another world. She stood in the middle of the room; arms crossed, and challenged him to push her. Her stance was a familiar pattern she'd adapted a long time ago to deal with his sporadic moods and need to let off steam.

He in turn, had his arms crossed and had already pushed her to her limit. "You can't stop me from leaving."

They'd gone round and round all day after her dad woke up. At least one of them had slept, and it wasn't her.

"Try me," she said. "You've put me through hell the last month. I didn't know if you were dead or getting yourself in trouble. It ends now."

Her dad rubbed his hand over his jaw. "Honey, a man needs to enjoy life. You pamper me. I'm going soft. I'm getting old. I only have a few more years to get in the ring before someone takes me out."

She shook her head, not giving him an inch because if she did, he'd take off again looking for the excitement he used to find in the ring.

He
was
too old to fight. Any more knocks on the head and she'd lose him.

"You shot Torque," she said, swallowing her worry. "Twice."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "You know if I wanted that man dead, he'd be dead. He touched you. It's a small price to pay, and he's lucky I didn’t drop the pistol and hit him with my fists. I should've taken him out anyway, after finding out what you've been doing with him. A biker? Honey, what the hell are you thinking?"

"It's my business what I'm doing." She glared, guilt piling up on her. "This is exactly why you're staying here. I'm working, and while I earn us enough money to go back home, you're staying put."

"The hell you say." He stood. "What happened to the money I had saved?"

"Besides the amount you took with you, I used what was left to pay the months' rent, so we wouldn't lose our only home while I looked for your stubborn ass."

Her dad sat back down with an
oomph
. "Damn, honey."

"Dad..." She walked over and sat beside him, sliding her hand into his big hammer of a fist. "Everything will work out. You just need to help me take care of you. I need you in my life, and going out and fighting, raising hell, and gambling is not the answer. I don't want anything to happen to you. Do you even realize how bad Los Li is and the danger I was in?"

Not to mention the danger he'd put Torque, Bantorus MC, and every woman and child in Pitnam in with his stupid move. Her eyes hurt, and she only wanted to close them for a few minutes and maybe this nightmare would go away.

"Boxing is all I know," he said. "Even before your mom..."

She squeezed his hand. "I know."

The loss of her mother broke her heart a long time ago, but continued to hurt when she watched her dad fight his demons. It wasn't his fault. It wasn't her fault. Her mother acted alone, no fault of her own, and though taking herself out of their life was selfish, as an adult, she realized everyone had choices.

Her father
chose
to fight in the ring.

She squeezed her eyes closed for an extra beat and sighed. Had she learned nothing?

She was making choices for her dad that weren't hers to make. He was an adult, and she no longer needed him to take care of her. In fact, it'd been years since she'd needed him to support her.

Until Torque, she'd never met a man who lived by an inner need to protect and live the lifestyle that made him happy. While Torque buried himself deep within the Bantorus MC, her dad had hung on to what he was skilled at, where he felt the happiest, and where his peers accepted him. It seemed that everyone wanted him to continue fighting in the ring, but her.

His behavior scared her. He was unpredictable. His grief and anger overtook his personal judgment. There were no doubts that he loved her with everything he had. He was a good father, a loving father, and a hothead.

God, she'd failed him and probably pushed him into the position he was in, because he had to hide what he loved to do from her. Exactly what she was doing with Torque, and she was miserable without him.

A knock on the front of the cabin broke up their talk. She stood, opened the door, and motioned Rain inside.

"Everything your dad needs is in the bag." Rain held up a brown paper sack.

She took the delivery from him and stepped back, wanting to ask how Torque was doing but knowing she couldn't while her dad was in the same room. "Dad...this is Rain Brookshire, my boss, and the president of Bantorus Motorcycle Club. He's brought you something to help you while you stay here with me and we can both get back on our feet."

Her dad pushed himself off the couch, crossed the room, and held out his hand. "Thanks for watching out for my daughter."

"I had help." Rain shook her father's hand, but cocked his head and didn't let go. "Seeing as how you shot one of my men, upset a woman in my employment, and put everyone's safety at risk by bringing Los Li to my town, I'll let you know that you mess up once, and we'll escort you out of town...without your daughter."

Her dad said, "You can't—"

"I can," Rain said.

Brandy glanced between the two men, holding her breath. Everyone respected Rain, but whoa...he was good. Her dad took Rain's threat and seemed to accept it with his silence.

"Torque owns her. You don't," Rain added.

Oh, shit.
She crossed her arms and cupped her elbows.

Her dad's hand dropped from Rain's grasp, his shoulders widened, and the muscles in his jaw bulged. She stepped in between them and placed both her hands on her dad's chest. "Rain didn't mean that, Dad. Not the way you're thinking. He...They...it's a biker term. A code."

Her dad ignored her, and pointed his beefy arm over her head at Rain. "Explain yourself," he bellowed.

Rain picked up the bag she'd dropped, reached in, removed a joint, and offered the marijuana to her dad. She stared in shock.

"Are you kidding me?" she said, staring at the dope.

Her dad didn't smoke, he didn't do drugs. He was all about fitness and fighting. He just had a problem controlling his wanderlust and temper.

"It's legal in Washington." Rain's mouth twitched. "I think it's time for your dad and I to talk and you've got a job to do."

She wanted to stay and protect Rain. Her dad would annihilate him if he mentioned Torque claimed her, and she belonged to Bantorus MC now. Though, her dad wasn't dumb. Maybe Rain could talk some sense into him. Her dad wasn't going to like what he heard, but she was done for the day. Completely done.

Her dad could make his own choices.

She lifted the cell out of her pocket. It was time to think about what she was going to do with her life and stop worrying about the
talk
that would go on without her. "Call me if you need me."

Rain nodded. Her dad nodded. She nodded. Shit, she had to get out of here before she forgot everything she learned about herself today.

She left the cabin, marched across the parking lot, and escaped the madness in the cabin to go work inside the bar. She picked up her step, anxious to find out how Torque was doing.

She should've paid more attention to him yesterday after she found out he was okay and her father hadn't seriously wounded him. Her priorities were wrong and until now, she hadn't seen how unfair she was being to Torque. She owed him an apology.

After that, she honestly didn't know what she was going to do.

She honored her position as his woman and wanted him back, but asking him to put up with her dad was too much for even her to handle, and he was a blood relative. She wasn't even sure Torque would want her to stay in Pitnam now that Los Li wasn't after her and she had a somewhat normal life back in Cali to go home to now.

Bruce waylaid her at the end of the hallway. "Hey...how are you doing?"

"Fine." She bobbed her head side to side to let him know she'd been better. "How's Torque?"

"Haven't seen him." Bruce flipped the towel in his hand over his shoulder.

Her shoulders slumped. "But you've heard from him, right? Someone has checked in on him?"

"Yeah, I'm sure he's fine." Bruce backed away. "It's Torque. You can't kill the son of a bitch."

She snarled. "That's not funny."

"It sort of is...he's been shot four times now." Bruce grinned, and quickly turned serious. "He's all right, sweetheart. Torque wouldn't want you to worry about him. He got a couple scratches. I'm sure he'll be here when he can."

"You don't know that though," she muttered, pulling out the cell phone Rain gave her last night.

She clicked on Torque's already listed number and held the cell to her ear. After five rings, the phone disconnected instead of going to voice mail. Where was he?

Maybe he was feeling better and thought he'd go to the garage and work. She hurried into the bar after Bruce. "What's Shift's Garage's phone number?"

"He's not there," Bruce said, wiping down the counter. "And before you ask, I don't know where he is."

"Well, who would know?" she asked.

"No clue." He shrugged. "Delivery is in the back room if you're here to get started doing your job. Taylor needs you to check the boxes. She doesn't think they sent the right order."

"I'm skipping my first break and taking the extra time at lunch." She blew out her breath, and headed to the storage room.

Her lunch break wasn't for another four hours, which was after the dinner crowd left and before the evening drinkers came. She pushed through the door. Since she had an hour and fifteen minutes, it'd allow her enough time to run over to Torque's house and check on him if she couldn't get ahold of him by then. It wasn't like him not to check in with the club during the day, and that worried her.

Taylor stuck her head in the room. "Did you find the boxes?"

"Yeah." She held up the handful of menus. "These are the menus I ordered."

"Really?" Taylor leaned against the doorframe. "We're going to a smaller offering?"

She put the menus back. "Rain wants to maximize what works, and trim back on what doesn't. People come here for burgers, appetizers, and drinks. They can get steak and baked potatoes at the hotel lounge in town. Besides, saltier foods mean more drinks ordered to quench the customer's thirst. That's where the money comes from, and—"

"The more tips the waitresses get in their pocket." Taylor smiled. "I like it. You're good for Cactus Cove. I loved Gladys, but changes make the world go round."

"I'm trying," she said, following Taylor back into the bar.

Taylor nudged her arm. "By the way, thanks for the overtime. Every little bit helps."

She smiled, feeling good about helping Taylor and Slade. Her own life might be a mess, but she enjoyed her work and the friendships she'd made while at Cactus Cove. "Can I ask you something before you get back to work?"

"Sure." Taylor placed her arm on Brandy's wrist and led her over away from the counter. "What's up?"

"Has Slade seen Torque or talked to him today?" she asked.

Taylor looked away. "Don't ask me that question."

She rocked back a foot, pressing a hand to her mouth. "Oh, God."

"No, no, oh God, no." Taylor grabbed Brandy's arms. "He's hurting, but he's moving around. I think he's mainly sore, which is to be expected."

Her heart raced and she sucked in air. This didn't make sense. If he was up and doing okay, then why hadn't he rode over and seen her?

"Then where is he?" she asked.

Taylor shook her head. "I don't know. Honestly, I really don't. Slade talked to him early this morning and went over to his house for a couple hours. When I asked Slade later, he said it was club business. That's probably all it is. You know these guys, if it has to do with Bantorus, they don't tell the old ladies."