A sharp pounding jolts me awake. I hop out of bed and head over to the window, cautiously opening the curtain before looking out. I let out a sigh of relief when I see that it's Torey. Shirtless. In his Pajamas. At, I look over at the clock, two-thirty in the morning? 

What the hell?

Another harsh round of his fist rapping on the door has me hurrying to it. When I open it I'm met with a look I've never seen Torey wear before. He makes a point of looking me up and down, features tight. I probably should've put some pants on or something.

"Can I come in?" Why does his voice sound like he's mad? His still-healing wounds are on full display and looking rather gruesome. He shouldn't have come out here. From the look of it he's got to be in a lot of pain. "Brooks?"

"What?"

"I asked you if I can come in."

"Torey, you should really go back to your room and get some rest. The doctor said it is important that you relax as much as possible." His jaw grits and he glances over my shoulder. What is that all about? "Torey?"

"I asked you if I could come in." He reiterates once again.

"Right, I heard you. But, what I'm telling you is, is that it's two-thirty in the morning and you should be asleep, resting. Not here." I have no warning before he pushes me aside forcefully letting out a pained grunt after. "What the fuck, Tor?" He doesn't say anything as he begins stalking around the living space. "What are you doing?" He goes into the bathroom, flipping on a light and after a moment comes out and goes straight for the bedroom where he also flips on the light. "Are you... are you looking for someone?" It gets unnervingly quiet before he reappears.

"Is there someone to look for?" He thinks I would betray his family? Does he think I'm involved in what's happened to him? How could he think that? "Hmm? Did you bring someone back here?"

"What?"

"You heard me. Did you bring someone home with you tonight? You know, for a good time."

"Wait...What?" I let myself begin to process what he's really asking. "You think I brought someone back from the club? To what— have sex with them? Why the hell would you think I would do something like that?" My brows knits together in confusion because when the hell had I ever given him that vibe?

"You let Adri." He deadpans.

"That Hellcat does what she wants. There's no letting her do anything. It was either let her bring the girl home or have her make a scene, which she was doing a pretty good job of making after a handful of drinks, I might add. And we do not need that kind of attention right now." I shake my head at him, closing the door behind me since I had been standing in the doorway in just my underwear. "I'm confused here, Tor. If you thought I was in here with someone doing that why would you storm the place?"

His eyes flick away from me. "You know..." He spears a hand through his hair and throws his other hand out absently. "Because of Dani and everything..."

"Right. Because of Dani. Because that's what I would do behind her back. Because that's the kind of person I am." A part of me feels like I've been smacked in the face with that accusation, especially considering our past. "Yeah, well, sorry to disappoint, but I'm not like the two of you." That last part slipped out.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean, Brooks?"

"You know exactly what it means."

"What, that the feelings between Dani and I, the sexual attraction we have for one another, the love, was the reason you both got to live out a sexual fantasy. Or am I wrong?" His hands are on his hips now.

"I don't want to do this with you right now, Tor. You need your rest." I'm not going to get into how the two of them left me behind. How I should've been there and the guilt I feel for not following my gut instinct. I eye his marred abdomen again and the guilt washes over me for about the millionth time.

"I know my body looks completely messed up now." My brow furrows at his words. What? "I look like a fucking living voodoo doll, I know." He gestures to his abdomen. "I get it if—" He spears a hand through his hair again looking uneasy. "Never mind." Torey tries to quickly make an exit out of the guest house but he somehow manages to knock into the side table, effectively stubbing his toe. His automatic reaction is to reach down which has him nearly doubling over and screaming, "Shit! Fuck! Ow!"

"For fuck's sake, Tor." I make my way over to him but he swats my hands away when I try to help him. He's clutching his abdomen, leaning against the table he'd just run into. "Come on, lie down for a bit." I nod to the bedroom. "It's late."

"I'm not getting into bed with you." The retort has me wanting to let out a sigh of relief.

There he is. There's the cocky arrogant bastard.

"I'm not asking you to get into bed with me." Yet he appeared to care if I were in bed with someone else but we won't go there. "You know I would never actually do that, right?"

"Do what?" His words are said through grit teeth. "Try to get me into bed? Sorry to say but that's a lie. You've been there and done that." He lets out a wry laugh through his barely concealed pain.

"No. That's not what Im referring to." He cocks an interested brow. "I would never bring someone back here. I wouldn't sleep with someone else." Especially with everything that is going on. My libido has taken quite the nosedive with Torey in his current state and Dani missing.

"Like I said." He takes a deep breath, trying to diminish the pain he's in. "I wouldn't blame you. I look like a fucking pincushion. I wouldn't want me either." I freeze momentarily but quickly recover at his admittance, not wanting Torey to get all awkward and weird like he tends to. Because he just admitted the real reason he came in here. It wasn't for Dani. Torey is feeling insecure. He thought I didn't want him anymore. He would never intentionally admit that but he unknowingly just had.

"Come on, you stubborn bastard. Lie down and get some rest." I walk into the bedroom and, to my surprise, he follows. I fluff the pillow I'd just been lying on and then fluff another one, putting it atop the other. "There."

"Like I said." He pulls back the sheet and climbs inside. "You're not allowed in the bed."

"Yeah, I heard yah the first time."

"Why are you talking like that? There's a touch of southern twang back in your voice."

"Your bet is as good as mine." He's leaning back in the bed looking rather comfortable. "You need anything? Glass of water? Pain meds?"

"You don't need to fuss over me like a fucking mother hen, Brooks."

"Right."

"But..."

"Mmm?"

"I... maybe... could use some water."

A laugh threatens to escape me at Torey's contradictory behavior. I know if I do he's liable to skulk out and go back to his room, exerting himself unnecessarily to prove a point. Not wanting him to hurt himself, I head into the kitchen to fetch him a glass of water. When I come back I pause in the doorway watching as his fingertips trace from one puckered red line on his abdomen to the next. I clear my throat before entering which has him pulling his hand away.

"Here." He takes the glass from me and begins gulping down the liquid. "Well, if that's it... Goodnight."

"Night." Torey sets the glass on the bedside table so I flick off the light.

With a stretch I head into the living room. There's a large throw on one of the chairs that I go over and grab. I plop down on the couch with it, punching the sofa pillow beneath my head to make myself comfortable. It's not long before I find sleep.

✩✩✩

Today marks one day short of a month that Dani and Wolf had been taken, that Torey had been stabbed. Ever since the other night, a few days back when Torey had barged into the guest house, Torey has pulled away, been his usual standoffish self with everyone— especially me. He's more confusing than he ever has been, tough for me to read these days. At least he's getting around more easily, even if he never wants to be around anyone.

I look out the French doors and see him sitting next to the pool, glaring at it as his cigarette burns away between his fingers. He's not happy about today, about being left behind. He's tried to convince us that he's fine enough to travel with us but there's no way Torey could handle physical combat right now. When he tried to plead his case with his parents and myself he was met with silence. And that had not gone over well with Torey. He was enraged. The fit he threw afterward nearly landed him in the hospital again, which did nothing but prove the point even more.

We've finally managed to acquire a flight into Europe that isn't on Dedaj's radar. Malyssa had some old connection in Germany from back in the day that will be able to get us into the country undetected. This particular connection Luke was not that fond of, and that's putting it nicely. It had taken some finessing on Malyssa's part to get both parties to agree to a deal but Malyssa had made it happen. She'd appeased Luke and said with enough money thrown at the other party they would agree and they had.

Luke never seemed to mind spending money. He's always acted like it was no big deal, which I suppose it's not when you're practically made of it, but I could tell something about this situation rubbed him in all the wrong ways. It was our only option Malyssa had said so he accepted it, albeit begrudgingly.

It will take some time to get into Albania undetected but this is the only way without raising any red flags. Between Polat and Dedaj they had an infinite number of sources. They'd even managed to sneak under the radar of the Warner-Riley family so now they questioned who they could really trust. Working outside of their circle seemed to be what they were working with now, much to Luke's chagrin.

Speaking of Luke's chagrin...

"I hate it." He's looking at himself in the mirror, assessing his newly dark-colored locks. "I literally hate it."

"Stop being so dramatic. It's just hair." Luke glares in Denver's direction. "What?"

"It's just hair...? This has aged me ten or more years!"

"Oh my god, Luke, no it has not." Malyssa interjects. "It looks good on you." His glare shifts to her. "What? It does!"

"I love you but this," he points to his hair, "this is not my look. This does not work for me. It does not look good on me." He threads his fingers through it with a grimace. "Couldn't I just wear a hat? I don't understand why I had to dye it. I look—"

"Jesus fucking Christ, Lucas." Denver interrupts, pushing out of his chair angrily.

"What?"

"Get over yourself for five fucking minutes. This isn't about you or your fucking hair."

Luke frowns automatically with, "I know that. I'm just saying." He looks back at his reflection. "It's just not a good look. I'm hideous."

"It looks fine and you could never be hideous." Denver grabs Luke and kisses him when it had looked like Luke was about to protest again. Now they're really going at it which has me removing myself completely. One thing I have learned about being around the three of them is that when they start something sexual they don't tend to stop.

I open the French doors and step out to the patio that leads to the pool area, wanting to give them some privacy for whatever they're about to do. Torey's eyes shift to me for a brief second before he goes back to brooding, staring off into the distance. That's when I notice the glass of vodka in his hands.

"You shouldn't be drinking." He says nothing but makes a point of taking another hearty gulp. "Seriously, Tor."

"I don't fucking care." He polishes it off and then leans back in his chair, taking a long pull from his cigarette before flicking it into the pool. With a shake of the head I go over and pick it out of the water before discarding it in the outdoor wastebasket. "The pool has a filter."

"Still needs to be emptied."

"We have people for that." I don't respond because I'm tempted to say something very candid about him being a privileged asshole. He's already in a shit mood so I won't though. "Black hair suits you."

"Is that a compliment? From the Torey Warner-Riley?" I take a seat beside him. "I must not be hearing straight."

"You're definitely not straight, that's for sure."

"Says the guy who meandered into my bedroom the other night to make sure I wasn't sleeping with anyone else." He purses his lips. "Don't worry I haven't put that much weight on it." Which is a lie because I had.

"Good. Pain medication will make people do some pretty odd things."

"Right."

We sit quietly for a good while. We don't say anything to each other nor do we look at one another. We just stare at the pool and the view beyond it. I, personally, am relishing in what may be the last time I ever spend in Torey's presence. When Malyssa calls me to pack up the rest of my things I stand up immediately but, before I can make it anywhere, Torey grabs ahold of my arm. I glance down at it and then at him.

"Be safe."

"I will."

"Bring them home."

"I'll do everything in my power to." He gives me a nod and then lets go of me. And with that, I leave him, ready to go find Dani and Wolf. Ready to bring them back here.

Back home.

A/N:
Happy Saturday!

I'm participating in 'Camp NaNo' with this story so I hope to be pumping out some serious words and a good amount of chapters. Don't forget to add this book to your reading lists and libraries for updates!