Grasping For Freedom (19 page)

"No." She pushed the gun back at him, but he wouldn't take it. "Don't leave me here. Take the gun. We can get inside. They won't be able to come in, and then the other bikers will come back and chase them away."

His eyes softened. "My only concern is protecting you. Now go!"

She scrambled to her feet and ran. A gunshot pierced her hearing. The sound sent her stumbling and she fell against the wall. She glanced behind her and found a car, slowly rounding the corner. She whipped her gaze to Torque who stood at the corner between her and the car with a pistol in his hand. She had no time to wonder where the other gun came from.

"Torque!" She changed direction and ran toward him.

He stepped in front of her, aimed his pistol at the car, and waited. She skidded to a stop beside him, shaking so hard she feared dropping the pistol. The vehicle stopped twenty feet away from them. She zeroed in on the black tinted windows.

"Dammit. Do. Not. Move." Torque kept one hand behind him on her hip. "Stay behind me."

The backdoor of the car opened. Torque widened his stance. She couldn't point the gun, because he was right in front of her.

A large body rolled out of the car landing on the gravel with a familiar bellow. She dropped the gun in her hand and dashed forward. "Dad!"

"No." Torque stopped her, putting her back behind him. "He's got a—"

Bang.

Torque's body knocked into her, pushing her down. She cried out. Gravel dug into the palms of her hands, but the sight of Torque going down to his knees was what hurt her.

Before she could get to him, another shot came, even louder. She crawled, pushing Torque down and laying in front of him to protect him. "Oh, God. No, babe, no."

Blood seeped out of Torque's vest and ran down his neck. She laid her hands over his shoulder, trying to stop the bleeding. Her strong, badass man stared up at her, scaring her to death. The intensity in his gaze questioned her, but his lack of bossing her around told her this shit was real. She cried out for help.

The car behind her gunned its engine, sending gravel spitting at her back. She arched over Torque, protecting him from flying rocks when another gunshot went off. Torque's lower body flinched on impact. She screamed in horror, spotting her dad aiming in her and Torque's direction.

Pushing herself to her feet, she whirled around. "Stop shooting him. He needs help. Go get help."

"God damn, mother fuckers. Take their shit, and take their shit. Put a bullet up their ass, and their whores too." Her dad waved the gun around, pacing in the exact spot the car vacated. "Nobody, nobody screws me over."

"Dad!" She approached him. "Give. Me. The. Gun."

Her dad turned, tilted his head, and stretched his gun hand out to the side. "Messed up, honey. Messed up your momma. Messed up you. Messed up the bar, Messed up—"

"Dad, I love you." Brandy held her hands out in front of her. "I love you. Let me have the gun. I need to help Torque. Shit, you shot him, Dad. Stop, please, and help me save his life."

Her dad's attention shifted off her and he aimed toward her left. "That's it, dad. Nobody is going to touch you, but I need you to give me the gun and go get help."

"Protect you," her dad muttered.

Movement out of the corner of her eye had her jumping to the side, her worse nightmare coming true. She rushed toward Torque to stop him before her dad could shoot again, but he made it to her dad first. Both men went down in a tangle of arms, each fighting for the gun. Shocked Torque was fighting and not dying, she grabbed onto her father's shirt, attempting to hold him back.

"Don't, dad, don't," she yelled. "Let him go."

Nobody understood there was only one way to handle her father. Attacking him was not going to help. She had to get through to him.

Torque lifted his fist and punched her dad in the face. Blood squirted out of his nose and her dad's head hit the ground. She rushed to Torque. "Lay down, please. You're bleeding."

"I'm okay," he said, swaying to get up.

"Shit," she mumbled, grabbing him.

"Jesus..." He panted, falling back on his ass and letting his arms fall between his legs. "Son of a bitch."

Brandy hovered beside him, reaching out, but stopping before she touched his shoulder, his leg—that bled around the hole in his jeans—and his face. "You? How? You've been shot, babe."

"Flesh wounds." He groaned, leaning back. "Get my phone out of my pocket, hit Rain's number, and tell him to get his ass over here."

She followed the directions, keeping an eye on both Torque and her Dad. Before she pushed the button, she paused. "He's going to kill my dad."

Torque shifted his leg and grimaced. "He tried to kill me."

She swallowed. "I know, but..."

"Give me the phone." He held his breath as he strained to raise his arm. "I'll call Rain, and you stay away from your father."

"Torque, I need to get him somewhere safe and talk with him. He's not like this—"

"Give me the phone, sunshine, and step back," Torque said, struggling to his feet.

She did, because there was no way she'd ever be able to deny him anything or convince him to listen. Handing her dad over to Bantorus MC hurt almost as much as seeing Torque in pain. Guilt left her unable to know what to do. Her Dad shot Torque, twice.

This had to end. One way or another, she was going to end up hurting one or both of them.

Torque tapped the screen on the phone and then limped over and picked up the pistol lying by her dad's hand. She tried to help him, but he shrugged her away. She glanced at her dad, at Torque, her dad, and knew her and Torque's relationship would never work. No matter how much she loved him, she'd never be able to walk away from her father because of the damage he always left in his wake. Her dad needed her. Torque didn't.

T
otal chaos inside Cactus Cove came from two different directions. Torque sat in a chair letting Ginger clean and wrap his wounds, while he finished off the rest of the whiskey. The bellowing of outrage from Brandy's dad assaulted his ears, and the low murmurs between the Bantorus MC members had him wanting to join his brothers.

Unfortunately, the burning pain in his body meant he couldn't do anything until he stopped bleeding. At the first impact of the bullet, he'd waited for his life to end. Then he'd felt his arm, his leg, and all hell broke loose.

Because he couldn't do anything but sit while Ginger doctored his wounds, he concentrated on Brandy. During the whole attack, he'd witnessed her withdraw further into herself, and he didn't like it.

She'd walked right up to her father. All six foot six, four hundred pounds of muscle, holding a gun on his woman, was not a sight he wanted to see ever again. Even after everything congregated inside the bar, he'd watched her go between him and her dad. He wondered how long she'd had the darkness under her eyes.

Last night, she'd slept fitfully. He was used to running on little sleep, but his own bad night habits had kept her from resting. He should've let her sleep in, and held off their planned trip one more day.

Brandy walked back over to him and kneeled down on his right side. "I'm so sorry."

"I don't want to hear you apologize again. This isn't your fault." He hooked the back of her neck with his good arm and massaged the muscles. Her tense shoulders remained tight and unyielding. "You need to go lie down in the backroom until I'm finished here and rest."

"I can't." She drew back. "I need to take care of you, my dad, and...I need to talk to you."

"Get away from him," Brandy's father yelled, rising from the chair Rain had planted him in and ordered to stay. "You touch my daughter, and I'll kill you."

Jedman stepped forward, blocking Haas, but the Bantorus member only reached the man's shoulders. Torque spoke to Ginger. "Wrap it up, now."

He lifted his arm, allowing Ginger to tape the gauze that went around his shoulder and under his armpit. Once she finished and left him, he stood and headed in David Haas's direction.

"Torque, just let him spout. Once Rain's done with him and if I can take him away from here, I will." Brandy shifted sideways, walking with him. "He's mad, that's all. Once we're alone, I'll talk to him and calm him down."

He ignored Brandy's reasoning. He'd had enough out of the man.

"Sit down," Torque said, stopping a foot in front of Haas. "You're going to lay off Brandy now."

Haas stepped forward, his chest bumping Torque. Brandy gasped and tugged on her dad's arm. "Dad, stop..."

"Make me," Haas said, his chest puffing out, totally ignoring Brandy's request.

Torque refused to budge. "Shouldn't have done that, old man."

"Are you telling me what to do with my own daughter?" Haas asked.

Torque brought his head up, clipping Hass under the chin. Before Brandy's dad could react, Torque punched him in the diaphragm.

Hass landed in the chair hard, sucking air. Torque ignored the pain radiating throughout his body. "I'll only tell you this once. Brandy belongs to me now. While you were with Los Li, you lost any say in what she does with her life. That also means from right now, you act like a fucking man, so she doesn't have to make herself sick with worrying over your ugly ass."

"Brandy?" Haas's head came up and he looked at his daughter.

Torque continued before Brandy could say anything. "Respect, man."

"You're with this guy?" Haas ignored Torque. "I leave for—"

"You left, Dad. Again." Brandy sighed, and the sorrow written all over her face bothered Torque.

"Right now, you're going to shut up and give her space. You've done enough, don't do something that will make you lose her completely," Torque said.

Several beats went by and finally Haas dragged his gaze from Brandy to him, and he nodded without another word. Torque acknowledged his reply with his own chin lift. "Come on, sunshine."

He limped with Brandy over to a table, sat her down, and gingerly lowered his body in the chair beside her. "You wanted to talk."

Her gaze went from her father to him. "Rain's been more than gracious enough, after I explained the circumstances, to let my dad stay in the cabin with me for the next couple of weeks until I can calm him down and get him settled again. I can't have you staying with me. It'll only anger him. I need this time with my dad."

He looked over at the big man, sprawled in the chair. "He pointed a gun at you, sunshine."

"I know." She hung her head. "I know, but you have to understand, he wouldn't have shot me."

The throbbing in his shoulder intensified. "Jesus, Brandy. You were right beside me when he shot me. Luckily, his aim is bad, which proves my point. He could've shot you."

"Trust me. I'll be fine with him," she said.

"I have no problem letting him stay in the cabin by himself on Bantorus land. You can check on him during the day before you work, but after work, you sleep at my house. You need the rest, and I can make sure you get it," he said.

"I can't, babe," she whispered. "I can't."

Brandy stood and without meeting his eyes, turned away and walked back to her dad's side. Torque wanted to drag her back, but he could barely walk. The alcohol he'd downed before Ginger worked on his wounds already affected his thinking and his leg ached even when he didn't put his weight on it.

And, Brandy had made up her mind.

She'd had so little independence in her life, caring for her dad, and even running the business for the man. Torque wouldn't take away her freedom to choose between staying with her dad or making a life with him.

He caught Rain's eyes studying him. His President came toward him, and Torque held out his hand. Pulled out of the chair, he looped his uninjured arm over Rain's shoulders. "Get me the hell out of here."

Once outside, he said, "I want someone around her twenty-four/seven. Put one of the prospects in the cabin next to hers and have him sleep with his God damn window open. If he hears a sound from Brandy's cabin, he calls the emergency number for the club. I'll want everyone there if she needs help. I don't want anything to happen to her."

Rain opened up the passenger truck door. "Agreed."

He heaved himself up into the seat. "We need to get Haas medicated so Brandy can deal with her dad. He's wound up and wanting to fight. Does Sherman still deal on the side?"

The pharmacist across the border in Oregon often helped them out if they needed medical attention and couldn't chance going to the hospital and have their care documented. Torque took the seatbelt from Rain and buckled himself in.

"Already thought about that and put a call into Sherman. I also got Brandy's okay to do whatever we can for her dad. From the sound of it, he needs something to mellow out. He's a fighter with a lot of grief feeding into him that makes him angry. Once I drop you off, I'm meeting Sherman by the bridge. We'll get Haas started on something to calm him down and relax him." Rain shut the door, walked around the front of the truck, and got in the driver's seat.

Brandy was still trying to take care of her dad. He clenched his teeth together but whether it was the whiskey or the fact he was going home to an empty house, he said, "She's going to stick by her old man, and there's nothing I can do to make her realize he's not her responsibility."

Rain drove out of the parking lot. Torque let his head fall back on the headrest. His president let him have his quiet. Probably a good thing, because he wanted to punch someone. Fuck his shoulder. Even releasing his anger was impossible tonight.

"What's your take on Los Li?" Rain asked, turning off Main Street onto Cedar Street.

He rubbed his hand over his eyes. "If they planned to come after me, they had their opportunity to take me out today. Unless they expected Haas and his piss poor job of shooting me to finish the job for them."

Rain pulled into Torque's driveway and cut the engine. "I had a chance to talk to Brandy while the other members were getting Haas inside the building and you were getting the blood washed off you. She mentioned he's an ex fighter, stayed underground, and made a name for himself. Then after his wife died, he became uncontrollable, took chances and at his size, that made him a dangerous man to face. She claims he tells her when he's fighting, he can deal with life better—Brandy's words."