Released (Devil's Blaze MC #3)(11)

“Leave Hayden alone. You f*ckers said you’d leave her out of this if I…”

“If you kept your mouth shut. Exactly. But don’t piss me off, Pistol. You’re helpless here. I could kill you and kill your sister and there’s nothing you could do about it,” the cold f*cking bitch says. She’s right. I’ve been swinging for weeks. Hell, maybe months now, and there’s not a goddamn thing I can do about it. If I told Skull about Hayden, he’d probably just kill her too.

I say nothing else. I let the evil bitch do what she does to keep me alive and be a slab of meat for Skull to torture longer. When I meet Torres in hell, I will make sure she pays. That’s my last thought as unconsciousness claims me.





“What are you doing hiding in here?” Katie asks when she opens the door to my room.

I’m sitting on the floor with Gabby playing with her blocks. I’m not actually hiding; I’d just rather not see Skull again for a day or, you know, maybe ten. I may have held onto my cool for the most part during our confrontation last night, but this resolution I’ve made to stop running is not coming easy.

“I’m not hiding. Your beautiful niece and I are playing blocks,” I tell her.

“Kaydee!” Gabby cries out and pulls her wobbly little butt up to run to Katie, who bends down to scoop up Gabby and plant kisses all over her.

“I swear she gets bigger every day,” she whispers. Sadly, I can’t argue. The days are going by so quickly. I busy myself with picking up her blocks, trying to shake off this mood I seem to be stuck in ever since my run-in with Skull. “Are things not getting any better?”

“Not especially, though we did have a nice shouting match last night with that f*cking Dr. Torres around to hear it all.” I sigh, wincing as I curse in front of Gabby, but I can’t help it. I swear I want to kill that woman. I don’t know for sure she had anything to do with the package I got when I was in the hospital, but I feel like she did, and I just keep remembering that look on her face last night.

Dr. Torres is hiding shit. I’m almost positive …

“That f*cking bastard, he still has her here?”

“Sweetness, watch your language before my girl hears you,” Torch says, coming into the room with his lazy grin. It’s so strange to watch him and Katie together. I may have worried when she told me about him, but it was for nothing. He’s completely in love with my sister. Gabby squeals when Torch takes her away from Katie. He blows on her stomach and she giggles, letting her little hands sink into his hair and pull. Torch doesn’t seem to mind, blowing more raspberries against her stomach so she cackles even louder.

I set the container of blocks to the side and rise from the floor, coming to Katie’s side. Torch settles Gabby in his arms and looks over at me with an easy smile.

“How are my favorite girls today?” he asks.

“I thought I was your favorite girl?” Katie speaks up.

“Greedy woman. You’ve had me in your bed last night and this morning and you got to ride on the back of my bike. I even flexed my muscles for you. I know you’re good, Katy-did,” he tells her, bending down to kiss her and seeming unaware of the way Gabby is tugging on his beard. “Come on, Beth. Time to get out of this room. Come with us into the kitchen and I’ll cook breakfast for all three of my women,” Torch says, and I’m not really hungry, but it sure would feel good to get out of here. Especially if I’m not alone.

Before I can respond, Katie grabs my arm and pulls me into her, linking our arms together. I guess I’m going to the kitchen, whether I want to or not. “Explain why I put up with your ass again?” Katie asks Torch with a smile on her face.

“That’s easy,” he says. “The size of my enormous, D-I-C-K,” Torch says, spelling out the last word as he looks down at Gabby, grinning.

“Don’t flatter yourself. Your dick isn’t that big. I’ve seen bigger,” Katie huffs, pulling me through the door as Torch opens it for us.

“I think Auntie Katie needs to be reminded of how lucky she is, don’t you think, Gabby?”

“Kaydee!” Gabby calls out, still playing with Torch’s beard.

“You, dear husband, are way too proud of your dick,” Katie grumbles. “I swear he thinks he should have the f*cker bronzed.” She leans down to whisper in my ear where only I can here. “And he probably should, but I’ll be damned if I’ll admit that to him; he’s already so full of himself.”

“I think Auntie Katie has a potty-mouth. I’ll have to find something large to stuff in it later to shut her up,” Torch says to Gabby like he’s talking about the latest cartoon on television.

“You two need therapy,” I laugh, taking my daughter away from Torch. “Give her to me, and if her first words have anything to do with you-know-whats, I’m coming after both of you.”

I think it’s the first real smile I’ve had in days. I follow Katie and Torch down the hall, suddenly feeling hungry. We’ve only taken a few steps before the inevitable happens though: we run into Skull. It’s much worse than I imagined, however, because not only is he there, but he’s standing with—

“Dr. Torres,” Katie growls, standing in front of me and Gabby as if to protect us. It’s sweet, and there was a time I needed it. Not now. I’m not backing away anymore. It’s amazing how much strength you find when your world is shattered.