Page 19 of Nitro

Nitro

I stay up on the main floor as the party rages on. Rooster somehow had managed to find keys of coke and bags of Ecstasy to help his people party on harder. I keep an eye on him and if I didn’t know any better, I would think that he's keeping an eye on me too.

It's not until Lefty and him start snorting coke from large piles on the table that he finally stops looking in my direction. He's going to pass out any second. Finally, I could go downstairs and see what's really going on with the girls.

The thought of one of them hurting Tink or any of the other girls makes my stomach churn. I should have been here. Fucking hell, I should have made sure that they had a way out before I left. The second that I could get away without causing a scene I’m rushing downstairs. I look into each one of the remaining nine girls and each of them are either in the corner crying or they are on the beds trying to get some rest. I look into Tink’s room and it’s the same. She is on the bed trying to get some rest. I unlock the door, happy that no one else has been in there to fuck with her.

“I told you I have nothing to say.” Her voice is weak.

“What?” I ask taking a few steps closer after I shut the door behind me. What is she talking about she has nothing to say?

I watch in horror as she turns around and I see the blood on her hand and down her shirt.

“What the fuck! Oh God. Tink!” I run over to her and grab hold of her face. She winces in pain at my touch and I have to snatch my hands away. I feel like I could crush fucking marble I’m so fucking pissed off. How the hell did this shit happen? I’d locked the fucking doors.

“Relax, it’s fine. It looks much worse than what it is. I’m fine.” She tries to tell me again, but every time those words leave her lips, I just want to ram my fist through the wall. She’s not fine. No matter what she is sitting here trying to tell me, she’s not okay.

“Tink, stop fucking lying. Just stop.” I do my best to calm down.

“I will be.” She gives me a smile and I see her breathe deeply before she sits up to look at me.

“Who did this to you?” I ask, knowing that whoever it is I’m going to have to find a reason to beat them down.

“Rage. He remembers me.” She says.

“Fuck, if I would have known that he was going to do some shit like this I would have beat him down longer.” I think back on the paltry punches I'd thrown at his face and wish that I could have thrown him down a flight of stairs or something like that.

“No, you can’t retaliate. He’s on to you Nitro. At least he thinks he’s on to you. He came in here pressing me about our relationship. He thinks you’re still trying to help us even though you say you’re with Rooster.” She shakes her head before she grabs hold of my face forcing me to look up at her. “You can’t go after him for what he did to me. That will just make things worse.”

I know she’s right. That doesn’t stop me from feeling so fucking helpless. “I should’ve been here to help you. He would’ve never stepped foot in here if I was around.”

“It would have been nice, but I think he needed to try and get the information out of me. I told him nothing. I made it seem like I didn’t know you at all.”

I’m in awe of this woman. Sure, I’ve met strong women while I’ve been part of the clubs, but something about Tink and her resilience just resonates with me. She could’ve given up long ago. Hell, she could have bartered her way into the good graces of the men that were holding her hostage. She could have turned on the Wings, but she hasn’t and then even before she starts worrying about herself, she’s trying to help the other girls. She’s completely selfless. Not something I’m used to rolling around with these bastards.

“I’m so fucking sorry. I shouldn’t have put that fucking target on your back like that. I don’t think Rage is going to be fucking with you anymore. Rooster beat him down good.” I tell her trying to put her mind at ease.

“Well, that’s good to hear, but I don’t know how long this is going to last without someone else figuring it out.” She sighs and puts her feet on the ground scooting all the way forward.

“Don’t give up on me. I can’t take it if you give up on me too.” I tell her and until the words leave my mouth, I didn’t realize how close I am to actually throwing in the towel myself. I know with Tink here I have someone else. I’m not totally fucking alone.

“I’m not giving up, but I’m not strong like you Nitro. This patch,” she puts a hand on the Purged patch that lays over my chest, “will keep you safe even if you don’t honor what it means. Me, I’m just another victim for them to come in here and beat on. You’re not always going to be around and there is going to be one of them that is not going to be able to stop himself. One of them who is going to see me here and kill me. Knowing that my life can end at any second is scary as fuck. I’ll be honest with you. If I knew that my death meant that the other girls would be able to get out, I’d meet it head on, but I know that after I’m gone, they are going to crumble. I’m worried sick about them.” A heavy tear rolls down her face and I kneel in closer to wipe it away with my calloused thumb. I shouldn’t be the one here to comfort her. It shouldn’t be my body close to hers. But right now, it is and part of me thinks it’s a small concession on God’s part after seeing what I’ve had to deal with over the past few weeks. He knows how badly we both need each other even if we shouldn’t.

I pull her into a hug and whisper into her ear, “Don’t cry Tink, I promise you that I’m going to do everything in my power to get not only you, but the rest of those women out. I already gave the names and descriptions of the buyers that bought the three from yesterday so we can get them back. The next auction isn’t supposed to take place for another two weeks so just stay with me until we can figure out what to do.” I tell her the small piece of my plan that I have just to ease her mind.

“I know you will. You’re a good guy Nitro.” She scratches at the back of my head with her hand.

I lean back and look at her. “I wonder if you would have said that if you knew me on the outside?”

“We did know you on the outside. I heard some of the conversations that Archer and Wire would have about you guys, no one believed that all of you were fucked up. Hell, they even thought that Rooster could be saved. You were never included on the list of people that were better off dead. You’ve always been a good guy Nitro, no matter what has been going on around you.”

“I want to believe that, but the shit that I’ve had to do lately … I don’t fucking think I can put myself in that category anymore.” I tell her the truth. I should have done more to save that kid. His young face will forever haunt me, because I should have done more.

“I’m sure you’ve had to do some fucked up things. I’m sure you’ve had to laugh when you felt like fucking crying on the inside. But you and I both know that when everything comes to light and we are finally rid of this cancer you used to call President, the world will be a much better place for it. You do what you have to do to make sure Rooster is gone. It may not mean much to you, but you can know for sure that no matter what you do, I’ll never see you any different than how I see you right now.” She smiles at me tenderly and a wave of emotion washes over me. I don’t know why her words mean so much, but they do. I just want to do the right thing by my brothers and all those poor bastards that we'd hurt along the way listening to Rooster. I want to do right by the Wings of Diablo, Eve’s Fury, even Wyatt and his boys up in Maine.

“Fuck, I need that. I fucking need it.” Reality stops for a split second as I push my face forward and press my lips to hers. At first, I’m not sure what I’m feeling, besides the intense need to taste more. I kiss her harder and when she lets out a soft moan I’m slammed back into the present.

“Shit, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. You’re hurt.” I say and try to back up.

---