“You okay, man?” Diesel asks. I’ve lost track of exactly how many times he’s asked that shit. I down another drink of my beer in response. I could use something besides beer, but getting shit-faced here probably wouldn’t be the wisest move. Partly because I don’t entirely trust this club and I sure as hell won’t be able to watch Diesel’s back—or my own—and partly because if I get too drunk, I’ll probably go over to Torrent, drag her out of here and demand to know why she lied to me… or fuck her senseless… maybe both.

Neither one of those are an option. So instead, I’m sitting on the top of an old picnic table, my feet on the seat, drinking a beer that’s way too warm to drink, and staring over at the bonfire while Torrent talks with that fucker, Wolf and a few other men. There’s other women here, and I’ve had a few come on to me, but seeing Torrent again has caused my dick to go into hiding. It’s either seeing her again, or seeing her wear another man’s cut.

It’s hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that I grieved over what I could never have with this woman… that I had to let her go because she would never belong in my world… and all the time…

“Earth to Devil,” Diesel says and I let out a loud sigh as I slam my beer down on the table. Diesel’s standing in front of me. The fucker is probably trying to block my view of Torrent, but it’s not working. I see her—even though I wish like fuck I didn’t.

“I’m fine. My damn beer is warm. How much longer we have to stay here?”

“You ready to leave?”

“Been fucking ready for hours,” I answer.

I’ve been ready since Torrent walked away from me at the cemetery.

“Don’t you want to try and talk to—”

“There’s no point. Nothing to be said really.” I shrug, cutting him off before he can say her name. I’m pretty fucking sure I’d be fine with never hearing her name mentioned again.

“You should talk to her. Find out what’s going on, what happened,” Diesel says, looking over his shoulder in Torrent’s direction.

“Don’t think your boy Wolf would agree with that assessment,” I smirk, wishing I could punch the fucker in the face. Then again, every damn time I see him hug Torrent, or whisper to her, I get that urge. He’d look much better with my fist imprinted on his damn face—with his nose bleeding.

“Fuck him.”

“That’s a different tune than you were singing,” I mention to Diesel—not really giving a fuck.

“Something about this whole club is rubbing me the wrong way. I’m not sure what, but it has my gut burning.”

I frown. When Diesel says that, he’s usually spot on about any situation. He’s saved our hide more than a few times with his sixth sense about things. I can’t say that I’m very fucking comfortable here either, but I thought my feelings about Torrent were clouding my judgment. Now, Diesel has me wondering.

“You think she’s in danger?” I ask before I can stop myself.

“Danger? Nah, probably not. Trouble? I think that little girl might be in a whole heap of trouble though.”

“Wolf seems very protective over her,” I tell Diesel, my eyes going to the couple in question. I watch as he puts his hand on Torrent’s shoulder, his fingers tangling into her hair on her shoulder. I tighten my hand into a fist so fucking hard my arm goes numb, all in a hope to keep myself from going over there and choking the life out of the bastard.

I’ve never been jealous… right now I’m not sure what I’m feeling is jealousy. There’s a rage inside of me—the likes of which I’ve never felt before.

“He seems like he’s choking her to death to me.” Diesel shrugs.

“What?” I ask, my attention going to him immediately.

“He’s not letting her out of his sight. She gets more than a couple steps away and he pulls her back to him—literally. That’s not normal, man.”

“Maybe. Or maybe we’ve never been—”

“He’s controlling her. She couldn’t even reach for her own drink. He took over when she tried to reach out to the cooler.”

“Maybe he’s just being thoughtful. The Torrent I know wouldn’t let anyone control her.”

“The Torrent you know wasn’t kidnapped and beaten.”

His words are like a fucking knife… a punch of reality.

Until this moment, I had been so fucked up over seeing Torrent again—over seeing her wearing another man’s cut and finding out who she truly is to piece it all together.

Torrent was the daughter that was kidnapped. Torrent was in the clutches of a gang for weeks and lost her father.

“Beaten?” I ask Diesel, realizing that up until now I hadn’t asked for details about what had happened, mostly because I didn’t care.

“From what Wolf said she was fucked up bad. Besides, didn’t you notice the darkened area around her mouth? Bruises and puffiness that even makeup couldn’t completely hide after almost a month? Dude, that doesn’t scream good news to me,” Diesel says and my chest goes tight as I think over his words. Fuck, I never noticed the bruises. How is that possible? How could Diesel see it and I didn’t?

“There’s no way I can get her away from Wolf long enough to talk to her anyway.” I shrug, even while trying to figure out a way.

“There’s always a way. Wolf’s drinking pretty heavily. There will be an opening soon… I mean, if you want it,” Diesel says, but he’s looking at me and his face dares me to call him a liar. He knows me like the back of his hand.

“You going to help me keep the fucker distracted.”

“Oh yeah.”

“This might not end well,” I feel obliged to warn him.

“I figure it might not, but if that little girl over there is hurting as much as I think she is, ask me if I care.”

“What’s it to you?”

“How long we known each other, Devil?”

“Too fucking long,” I joke, my gaze drifting back to Torrent against my will.

“In all that time—you have never—and I mean never mentioned a girl to me. You’ve never even thought of claiming and settling down with one, and you have never—not once—been lost in your head for months over a chick. I figure I owe it to you to find out what’s going on. If she’s a bitch, then find out and move the fuck on.”

“And if she’s not?”

“Then you decide if she’s worth bringing the hammer down.”

“And if she is?”

“Then we prepare for hell, because God knows getting her away from that man won’t be easy.”

“I think it could be pretty easy. I could kill the motherfucker,” I mutter, liking the idea more and more.

“That girl is haunted, Devil. When you talk to her, look in her eyes, watch how she moves—put the anger aside and watch and listen. Whatever you do, buddy, you got to go gently where she’s involved—or she might not survive.”

I listen to Diesel’s words and they burn through me. Part of me was hoping Diesel was right and Torrent is being controlled by Wolf, that maybe there is a chance…

But I don’t want a chance with her, if I’m only getting it because she’s so fucking fragile she’s going to shatter on me… That’s fucked up. Torrent… at least the Torrent I knew…deserves only happiness.

Fuck.