Chapter Six

Silver

"Silver, will you please hand me the gauze tape?" Linsey asked sweetly, as she stood behind me and I sat stoically, unmoving, and handed her everything she asked for while she cleaned up and bandaged my back.

It still hurt like a motherfucker, but I refused to flinch. Not even when Linsey cleaned the area and put antiseptic on it. Instead, I just sat there, ignoring the pain. It was something I was good at. I just never thought I'd be in this position again.

"I don't give a fuck, Pippen!" Torment shouted into his phone. Looking over at him, I frowned. Since Linsey had returned, the once calm and reserved brother was barely hanging on by a thread. "Kill the motherfucking feed now! Erase everything. Yes, I know what Montana told you to do. I don't give a fuck. Just do it! NOW! And if you utter one fucking word about what you saw, I will make damn sure you never become a fully-fledged brother. Got me?"

Disconnecting the call, he rubbed the back of his neck and turned toward me. Walking over to me, he stopped and looked down at me.

"Sweetheart. I need to touch you. Do I have your permission?"

I nodded.

I didn't like it, but I agreed. I knew he was only trying to get a better look at the damage Malice had inflicted. Being this close to me, I knew he could see the angry bruising and slight swelling in my throat. It looked bad, and if I could have been sure that the hospital wouldn't call the police, I would have gone there immediately. Instead, I had to hope that Linsey knew what she was doing, and that Torment could prescribe me something for the swelling.

Tenderly, Torment lifted my neck to get a better look at my throat. When he carefully touched the slight swelling around my trachea, I flinched and pulled away from him.

"Hurts."

"I know, sweetheart. Follow my finger for me."

I did as he asked.

"The petechial hemorrhaging in your eyes will heal in a few days, but you need arnica cream for the swelling and bruising around your throat."

"I have some," Linsey offered. "I can go get it."

"All-natural, Linsey. None of that store-bought crap," Torment advised, and Linsey sighed.

"Please. I make it myself. Can't get more homoeopathic than that."

Torment smiled.

"And here I thought I knew you, Linsey."

Linsey blushed, shaking her head. "It's not what you think, you dirty perv. It's good for muscle aches and joint pain."

"Hold up." Torment grinned mischievously. "Are you saying that your old man is getting old?"

"It's not going to work, Torment." Linsey scowled. She headed for the elevator; her head held high. "Needle me all you want, but I will give you nothing."

The second the elevator doors closed, Torment laughed. "Oh, I'm going to have so much fun with that. Wait until I see Vicious again."

Torment pulled up a chair next to me.

"Real talk, Silver. Did you give consent?"

Grimacing as I swallowed, I looked down at my fingers and nodded.

"Well, that changes everything." He sighed, running his hands through his hair. "I'm gonna just tell you this straight, okay? Shit is going to hit the fan when Montana sees you. I can't hide this, sweetheart. No one can. You've got weeks' worth of bruising and I'm not even going to mention the brand on your back. That alone is going to raise several red flags. When Montana sees that brand, he's going to know who fucking touched you."

I shook my head, scared for Malice.

No one understood the connection we had. It was tentative, volatile, even dangerous at times, but there was something more between us, something so strong, something unbreakable.

I knew deep down Malice never intended to hurt me.

He was just as shocked and upset as I was.

Something happened last night.

Something neither of us expected.

Looking up at Torment, I painfully whispered, "He didn't mean to."

"How can you say that?" Torment shouted. "Have you seen yourself? You are black and blue from head to toe. Do not justify his actions to me, Silver. What he did to you is criminal. Any other man and he would be in jail."

Shaking my head, I sighed.

I knew he wouldn't understand.

If Torment didn't, then no one would.

Did he not know that I was aware of the situation? I knew what I looked like. I'd seen myself clearly. And yet, through all the bruising, all the pain, he was standing there, waiting, watching for me to come to him. He always had been. Even when he found me in the desert all those years ago. I knew what would happen when the time came. I knew there was no other for me.

That night I met the Devil, and the Devil claimed me as his queen.

Maybe on some internal level, I was tired of waiting.

Maybe I wanted to be caught.

We had done a long dance. We'd played by the rules. Funny thing about that. Rules were meant to be broken and, let's face it, Malice never followed the rules. He made them up as he went along and, in a way, so did I. I never conformed to societal norms. The one night I had gone out and tried to see if I could find something more, I found myself thrust back into the darkness that had been my home for so long, and I'd welcomed it.

I knew I would never have normal.

Someone like me would never understand the civility of the real world. I knew what lurked in the darkness. I saw the demons for what they truly were. I embraced them as my kin.

It was time to embrace the inevitable.

Malice claimed me as his.

I belonged to him now and no one, not even Montana Stone, could keep me away from him.

The elevator door dinged.

Both Torment and I dared not move when Montana Stone walked in carrying bags of items. The second his eyes fell on me, the bags slipped from his hands and fell to the floor.

"WHAT THE EVER-LOVING FUCK!" he roared, before turning to Torment and charging at the man. Jumping to my feet, I reached Torment just seconds before Montana got his hands on the brother.

Shaking my head profusely, I grimaced. "Not him."

"It wasn't me!" Torment shouted loudly. "I swear."

Grabbing me, Montana held me tight.

"Who the fuck touched you?"

My eyes darted to Torment as the man looked at me, took a deep breath, and sighed. "I'm sorry, Silver. I told you I couldn't hide this."

"No."

Torment ignored me and looked directly at Montana. "It was Malice."

"I'll kill him!" Montana sneered, stepping away from me and turning toward the elevator. Reaching for his hand, I once again stood in front of him, pleading.

"No."

Grabbing my arms, Montana carefully moved me to the side before punching the down button to call for the elevator again.

"Please," I begged, yanking on his arm, pleading with him.

"He's dead."

Shaking my head, I let my fear reign supreme as I looked up at the man who was more like a father figure to me than a big brother. I loved Montana dearly, and there was nothing I wouldn't do for him, but if he went after Malice and killed him, I would never forgive him.

He had to know that.

Not that I think he cared at that moment.

"Please. No."

Looking down at me, he growled, "Sorry, baby, but he's dead. When I find him, I'm going to kill him for touching you. He knew how I felt. You were persona non grata, untouchable. I made fucking sure of that when you came to live at the club. All the brothers agreed. Even him. He crossed a line and now he will be punished."

"Montana," Torment spoke up.

Rounding on the brother, Montana pointed his finger and shouted, "And you! You should have called me immediately. Look at her. He fucking beat her black and blue. I don't fucking care if his head is messed up. He will pay for what he did to her!"

The elevator door opened.

"Oh my God," I heard Tessa gasp.

"What the hell?" Largo muttered.

Facing them, I saw it wasn't just Tessa and Largo in the elevator. Along with them were Linsey and the rest of the board members.

Well shit.

"Sorry, the guys were visiting Vicious. Mercy saw the arnica cream in my hands and started asking questions. As for Tessa and Largo, they were in the elevator when I stepped in."

Montana looked at Mercy and ordered, "I want Malice found. Fast. Motherfucker put hands on Silver."

Shaking my head, I looked at Mercy, who frowned.

This was getting out of hand. If I didn't do something, Mercy would send out the call to have all the clubs hunt down and apprehend Malice by any means necessary. That was something I couldn't allow.

"Stop!" I shouted, grimacing loudly as I cupped my throat.

Okay, that hurt like a motherfucker.

But it worked because all eyes were on me.

Taking a deep breath, I looked at Montana and spoke.

"I consented."

"The fuck you did," Montana countered. "No one would consent to that kind of treatment."

Holding my ground, I added,

"He branded me."

"Don't give a fuck. I will have Bane remove it before nightfall."

He would too.

I knew that.

Left with no choice, I said the one thing that was sure to halt Montana dead in his tracks.

"We didn't use a condom."

"Montana, look at her," Tessa insisted, standing firmly in front of her husband, prohibiting him from leaving my new penthouse. The man was barely hanging on by a thread. He wanted Malice's blood on his hands. The fury radiating off him was suffocating. And as much as I hated to admit it, he was actually scaring me.

I'd never seen him so angry before.

Not even when shit went sideways with the whole Reaper thing.

"I am!"

"No, you're not." Tessa shook her head. "Really look at her. Does Silver look like a woman who is in any kind of danger?"

"She's fucking black and blue, Tess!"

Tessa sighed. "Yes, she is, but she clearly said she consented. Do you honestly believe that Malice would have touched her if she'd have said no?"

"I don't know what that sick fuck thinks. He hurt her, Tess."

"And she will heal. What you need to get through your thick head is that Silver isn't a sixteen-year-old girl anymore. She is a grown woman capable of making her own decisions."

"She's mine, Tess," he whispered, silencing everyone.

"What do you mean, yours?"

Montana raked his hands through his hair as he looked at his wife and said, "She was so little. She was living on the streets. She had no one. I protected her, made sure she had everything she needed. I sat up with her and helped her get her GED. I taught her to drive, Tess. Silver is my girl. Always has been, and he hurt her."

Tess sighed, hugging her husband. "Montana Ethan Stone. You are a big softy. Of course, Silver is your girl. We all know that."

Hugging his wife, he muttered, "He hurt my girl, Tessa."

Closing my eyes, I turned away.

I couldn't watch anymore.

Montana was one of the strongest men I'd ever known, but seeing him breakdown before my eyes, I felt ashamed.

I did this.

I was to blame.

Not Malice.

Mercy cleared his throat.

"Montana, I really hate to say this, but the club rules are clear. Silver is now and forevermore Malice's woman. He branded her, then claimed her. For all we know, she could be pregnant. Until we locate Malice and find out what brought this on, Silver needs our help."

"I can prescribe her the morning-after pill," Bane suggested. "That will take care of one problem."

"No," I growled, looking at the man.

"That's what is bugging me." Largo frowned. "I know Malice. He wouldn't just claim Silver. Something set him off."

Looking at Torment, he stepped forward and said, "My best guess. It's because she went out the other night. Over the years, Silver has shown no desire to leave the clubhouse. The second she does, Malice claims her. It's the only thing that makes sense."

"If he's been waiting all these years, why do that to her?" Payne asked, pointing his finger at me. "Sorry, brother, but I don't buy it. No man who's waited years for a woman would hurt her like that."

"It's more than that." Torment groaned.

"What do you mean?" Largo asked.

"Malice came to me today. We talked. When he told me about Silver, I raced over here. The second I saw her, I yelled at him. Told him to fucking leave, and he did."

"Torment's right," Vicious added. "I wasn't around when Silver showed up at sixteen, but I've heard the stories. Other than Montana, Malice has been the one watching over her, protecting her. We all saw how he treated her. Yes, he was a little rough and short-tempered with her, but he cared for her. I saw the way he handled her with kid gloves after those fucknuts shot up the clubhouse before taking Largo. Malice demanded that Bane take care of Silver first, and she only had a bruised cheek. He cares for her."

"Well, he has a fucking funny way of showing it!" Montana sneered.

Payne added, "We need to come up with a plan and soon because I know Malice. Brother is going to go ballistic if he comes back and sees all of us hovering around her. Now that he's claimed her, no one, and I mean fucking no one, will be able to get within ten feet of her without him losing his shit."

"Payne's right," Fury spoke up. "Does anyone have any idea where he might have gone off to because, trust me, he won't have gone far?"

When no one spoke up, I whispered, "He won't come back."

Kneeling before me and reaching for my hands, Torment asked, "What do you mean, sweetie?"

"Saw his face. His shame. Hates himself for what he did."

"You think he's gone? Like really gone?"

I nodded.

Turning, Torment cursed. "We've got a fucking problem then. When Malice came to see me earlier, he said some things. Private things. If Silver is right, then we need to find him fast, because the longer he is out there, the deeper and darker his fears will become."

"Explain?" Montana ordered.

"Malice's greatest fear is becoming his father."