Page 11 of Torch's Torment

I open Daisy’s bedroom door and as I shut it, I hear her whisper.

“Be safe my love.”

Those four little words sends a lurch in my chest and my heart beats hard against my chest. No one except for the Royal Bastards ever cared about me staying safe or loving me. Is this something I could continue to pursue or see where Rose stands?

Fuck, when I’m with Daisy I forget about Rose. But when I’m with Rose, Daisy is in the back of my mind. Sometimes front and center.

I walk down the hallway and into the commons room. My brothers are hanging around, either just waking up or eating breakfast. I make my way into the industrial sized kitchen and grab a mug for my coffee. I pour some into my cup and take a sip before turning around, letting the caffeine get into my blood stream. Blayze, Monica, Capone, Danyella, Red and Derange are at the table eating when all conversation halts. A few forks hit their plates and half of them have their mouths hanging open.

“What in the actual fuck did you do?” Blayze asks looking up from the food he’s inhaling.

“Bro, did you know bald men have holes in their pockets?” Derange asks. Confused as fuck, I raise an eyebrow and wait for the rest. “So, they can run their hands through their hair!” He cracks up laughing and I can’t help but smirk. You never know what’ll come out of Derange’s mouth.

“When you wash your face, how far up do you go now?” Red chimes in.

“What do you call a group of rabbits hopping backward? A receding hairline!” Derange is really into this. “There’s nothing up there. When you shower, do you get brainwashed?”

“Can I rub your head and see into the future?” Red cracks up.

“At least you don’t have to worry about a bad hair day now.” Danyella chirps.

“What’s the difference between a monkey, an orphan, a prince and Bald Bill?” Derange asks. “A monkey has a hairy parent, an orphan has nary a parent, a prince is an heir apparent and Bald Bill has no hair apparently.”

After drinking my coffee and letting my brothers get their ribbing in about my bald head, I bust through the kitchen doors and run right into Rose.

“Ouch. Fuck. Watch where you’re going.” Rose falls on her ass before I can catch her. She’s holding her nose not looking at me.

“Fuck.” I reach down to help her up. “Are you OK?”

“Yeah, I will be.” She releases her nose and brushes her hands together standing up. When her eyes finally connect with mine, Rose's face pales. “Oh, fuck.” She spins on her boots and storms off toward the outside door in the back of the bar.

“Rose, where the fuck are you going?” I grab her arm right before she opens the door.

“No. No. No. This cannot be happening.” Rose stares at me shaking her head.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“You. No. Is this some kind of sick joke?” Rose grips my face in her soft palms and turns my head to the right then to the left. Then she runs her hands over my smooth head sending a shiver down my spine. Her hands don’t feel as good as Daisy’s though. “I’ve got to get out of here. I can’t do this Torch. Not anymore.” Rose releases my head and disappears out the door leaving me stunned.

I shove open the door. The bright sun blinding me for a moment and spot Rose over by the fence pacing back and forth. She’s staring at something on her phone mumbling to herself. I approach her cautiously like she’s a scared rabbit, hoping she doesn’t run off.

Rose’s phone rings in her hand, making her jump. She turns her back to me and answers it, not realizing how close I am.

“Is this some sick fucking joke?” Rose growls into the phone. Whoever she’s talking to says something I can’t hear. “I will not calm down! The guy I’ve been f…” Rose turns around and sees me standing right behind her. Her eyes widen and she stops talking.

“Finish your conversation, Rose. The guy you’ve been fucking is what?” I demand. I’m fucking irate she’s talking about me to someone I don’t know. “Spit it the fuck out.” My voice is low and menacing.

“You. You’re. Shit.” She motions with her free hand to my face. Rose inhales a deep breath and composes herself. Her phone is still connected to the call and I can faintly hear a male voice on the other end.

I pluck Rose’s phone out of her hand before she can stop me. Putting it to my ear, I talk. “Who’s this?”

“Who the hell is this? Where’s Rose?”

“She’s currently in shock for some fucking reason.”

Rose snaps out of it and tries reaching for her phone but I hold it away from her, which isn’t hard to do since she’s so short. “Give me my phone back, Torch. Now!”

“So, you’re Torch.” The man on the other end says with amusement in his voice.

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