Torch | Fallen Angels MC #2

Chapter 5

Please let me know if you are enjoying this! I definitely am :)

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My finger hovered, shaking, over the send button.

Should I send this message? Should I ask Maya? No...I could do this by myself. God, I hadn't felt like this since long ago. Fuck!

Stop thinking about her. I could do this.

"Hey, Jasmine. It's Owen. Are you free Saturday?"

Send.

"Daddy, is it time for dinner yet?" Tori rushed into my bedroom. Her light brown hair was matted on the back of her head; damn, that was going to take a long time to untangle.

"Come here," I sighed, "it's not time for dinner yet."

"But I'm hungry!" she whined. I untangled her hair in about thirty minutes and took her downstairs for a snack.

"You want an apple or an orange?" I asked quietly.

"Orange!"

My phone dinged in my back pocket and I rushed to peel her orange and set it in front of her before checking my phone.

"I am! What were you thinking?"

Okay, okay. I could handle this. I bit my thumb nervously for a second before typing back.

"Dinner at seven?"

I set my phone down and rubbed my hands together.

"Sounds good! Can I suggest Harper's Tavern in Salem?"

Yes! She'd said yes.

"Torch? You in here?" I was really regretting giving Blade a key.

"Blade!" Tori yelled excitedly. She scrambled out of her chair and rushed to hug him. He picked her up, tickled her for a moment, and put her back in her chair.

"When does she go to Martha's?" he quietly asked.

"Tonight," I rolled my eyes. The worst day of the year was always when I had to drop Tori off at her mom's house for a week, and it happened twice a month. Her bag was packed and ready to go after dinner.

"I was wondering if you wanted to have a drink afterwards," he whispered.

"Hell yeah," I stared at Tori. I always missed her more than anything when she was gone. "You want to stay for dinner?"

"Sure. What is it tonight?"

"Pizza and ice cream. Tori's favorite," I answered. "Tori! I'm going to order dinner, what kind of pizza do you want?"

"Pepperoni!" Tori shouted from her room. Two pepperoni pizzas were delivered forty-five minutes later, and it was gone almost immediately.

The three of us sat, eating ice cream on the couch, talking and laughing until I looked at my phone and my face grew somber.

"Go get your stuff. We have to leave in a few minutes," I messed with Tori's hair on the top of her head. She put her bowl on the coffee table and rushed to her room.

"I know it sucks, man. It'll get better," Blade tried to comfort. Everyone said that to me. It didn't get better.

I knew of Martha's psychopathic tendencies and I didn't want them inflicted on Tori. Martha began to worry me during her pregnancy.

Martha started lashing out for no reason. She would throw things, shatter things on the ground, and attack me physically.

Five months into her pregnancy she admitted her obsession.

She had poked several small holes in the condoms whenever we'd had sex to get pregnant and keep me attached to her. I left her immediately and asked Comp to help me when she began stalking me, online and through letters.

After she had Tori, things seemed to slow down, but I always feared Martha was putting her obsession towards Tori now.

"You know my phone number, right?" I asked Tori on the way to Martha's house. She nodded and repeated my phone number by memory. I had taught Tori that if anything was to happen, she should run and find a neighbor to call me.

"I love you," I shouted out the window.

"I love you too!" Tori shouted over her shoulder. The front door opened to reveal a smiling Martha who scooped Tori up with a smile.

I clenched my jaw and gave her a short wave before pulling away. I ran a hand through my hair as I got on the interstate and tried not to turn around.

I just wanted to keep her safe and leaving her with Martha felt like I was leaving her in the hands of a kidnapper.

I couldn't fight her for custody, though. She threatened to get the MC involved and knew how the law felt about us. I pulled into my driveway but didn't enter my house.

I headed straight to the bar where Blade already had a drink waiting for me.

"How'd it go?" Maya sat across from me on Pres' lap. She leaned across the table to me.

"Fine. Normal...I hate it every time," I muttered. I motioned towards the bartender for another beer.

"The Trailblazers are winning," Blade muttered towards the TV screen.

"Yes!" Pres cheered, focusing his eyes on the screen. I downed my second beer and moved to my room. The sooner I went to bed, the sooner this week would pass and I couldn't wait.

Saturday, I woke up hungover and slightly drunk simultaneously. Blade was banging on my door at ten o'clock in the morning.

"Dude," Blade squinted his eyes at me. I opened the door and trudged to the couch. I heard the door shut after him.

"You can't keep doing this to yourself every time Tori has to leave," Blade muttered as he picked up some beer bottles from the coffee table.

I grimaced into the couch when he turned the ceiling light on.

"Fuck's sake, Blade," I muttered.

"Did you forget you have a date with Jasmine tonight?" He turned to me and put his hands on his hips.

I flew up off the couch so hard I stumbled to the floor.

"Shit," I whispered. I tried to scratch the blurriness out of my eyes. Blade shoved a cold bottle of water in my hands.

"Drink." I drank it as fast as I could, then another one, and started helping Blade pick up around the house.

"I get worried about you, you know?" Blade whispered. He was facing the sink, his back to me and his shoulders hunched over.

"I'm sorry," I swallowed. "I'm trying...but I worry. I hate Martha, I just want to—"

"I know. Okay? I know, but you can't just become an alcoholic every other week until Tori gets dropped off for another week. You're worrying all of us," Blade turned around to face me.

I took another sip of my water and put it down on the counter.

"You're like a dad to me, Torch. You've got to stop doing this to yourself," Blade whispered. I could see the genuine worry in his eyes.

"I'll get better," I promised.

I really hoped it was a promise I could keep. 

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Loved this chapter! Torch is going to get better.