I plop down on the chair next to my brother's hospital bed and look him over, "our parents flew out with your little friend. I suppose friend isn't really the word since mom says he's in love with you." I kick my feet up and put them up on the side of the bed, earning me a glare from a nurse. "It's on the edge and it's not like he's moving." She just shakes her head and leaves the room. "What a bitch." I mumble out, keeping my feet in their propped up position. "Anyway, forget the nurse. She's probably a prude with a giant stick rammed up her ass." That last part I made sure to say rather loudly, hoping said ass-stick-nurse heard. Then for my brother I add, "well, if she's into things being shoved up her ass then I guess she's not really a prude, is she. Nothing like a good DP. I'm sure your baby mama knows all about that." I can practically hear the groan my brother would let out which has me throwing my hands out in surrender. "Anyway, enough about your baby mama's sexual preferences. I digress. I digress. No talking about things going in or out of a woman I've never met." Even though his eyes are closed I can feel Torey's sharp blue glare on me as if his eyes were wide open.

I think back to what my other brother, well, I suppose he's my nephew now, looks like. He looks just like Torey which has me wondering what his mother looks like. She's probably ridiculously good looking considering Torey's usual type. Torey has always tended to be on the shallow side, even if it was unintentionally. Then again, my brother has always thought he was the hottest shit to walk the face of this earth, God's gift to women, so there's that.

Him being inclined toward men was definitely something new and unexpected. The man in question does have this rather rugged look about him and the slight accent reminds me of a cowboy. I guess role play could be fun, not that I think Torey would be up for any Brokeback play. The man is sexy though. So maybe it's a possibility? That's a hard maybe. Plus, the guy is a train wreck of emotional damage if I've ever seen one.

Torey in the emotional department? Yeahhhhh riiiiiight. The man discarded people like it was second nature. Even discarded his family for the past near-seven years.

"You know, I'm still pissed off at you for disappearing on us." Especially after everything with Jamie. I needed my brother, my family, but I'd never tell them that. I just went on a bender and gotten laid a bunch of times. Fuck it. It's not like he can hear me anyway. "You know, Tor, I know you thought me heartless in my twenties but I wasn't. You remember, Jamie? I know I said it wasn't a big deal, our break up, but it was and I was really hurt. I'd fallen in love with him and thought we were going to be taking the next fun step in our relationship, maybe opening it up." I let out a sardonic laugh to myself because the more I talk the stupider I sound. No one just fucks their best friend and ex-lover like it's no big deal. "Anyway, I loved him and I don't think, after that, that I ever want to love anyone else. Love hurts too much." Sex though, sex doesn't hurt. Sex feels good. Speaking of sex. "Oh and I fucked your friend Boston's dad like a whole bunch of times to get back at Jamie. Just thought I'd throw that out there."

"Sounds like this Jamie guy is an asshole." A deep familiar voice has my eyes immediately shooting to the door. I can't see him but I'd definitely heard him.

"You know, eavesdropping isn't polite." Fuck. What had he heard? Did he hear everything? Please let him have not heard everything that just came out of my fucking mouth.

"You do know I'm posted right outside this door, right?"

"No, I did not know that." Because if I had I would've made sure to fucking close it. Time to change the topic. "Heard you were a sex worker." He's dead quiet. "What, tough subject? Not something you really want to talk about?"

"That was a nice try at a goad but I'm sorry, your deflections aren't going to work on me." Dammit. "This Jamie guy—"

"Nope." I cut him off, removing my feet from Torey's bed. "That is a topic that is not even remotely up for discussion." I stand to my feet and lean over my brother before placing a swift kiss to his forehead. I whisper down to him, "thanks for the chat but I'd like to be able to have a real one soon." I stand up and look him over one more time before leaving.

Upon exiting my brother's room, I can see just how close the proximity Braxton the bear is. He's right outside of the door— meaning he heard everything. Awesome. I keep my mouth closed as I walk down the hall, feeling his massive self fall in line behind me.

"I don't need a chaperone," I say after a few moments of silence, taking the stairs that leads up to a training area.

"On the contrary, you do."

"I don't. I'm a grown-ass woman."

"Who doesn't know how to fight."

I whip my body around at that, craning my neck up to address him. "And who the fuck told you that? I can fight just fine, thanks." His right brow quirks in question. "My parents have taught me plenty and so has my brother, thank you very much." I had never understood my parents' need for training me in such vigorous self-defense when I was younger, but after our last conversation, I think I now do. Crime organizations and insane Turkish diplomats and all that awesomeness.

"So, just to be clear, if a guy my size," he gestures to his tall, well-built self, "is coming at you, what are you going to do?"

"You? Coming at me? I'd probably swallow." His eyes pop out of his head slightly and nearby there are a few men trying not to laugh, unsuccessfully, I might add. "Okay, yeah, maybe I'm a liiiitle bit rusty in the self-defense department but in the large-men-coming-at-me department I am raaaather well versed." Another round of laughter has Braxton looking over my shoulder and glaring, effectively stopping the men.

"Right." He looks back down at me. "But what you need is protection—"

"I am always safe when it comes to protection." I hear the choking behind me again while he looks at me with mild irritation. I lower my voice just for him, "you know, I would think someone who had a professional career in sex would enjoy my crass humor."

"It's definitely..." he ponders for a moment, "different."

✩✩✩

About a week later my parents and Brooks have come back home— empty handed and furious, it would seem. I have never seen my father like this before. The moment he came through the front door he just broke whatever he could get his hands on. My father, Lucas Warner, the epitome of calm, cool, and collected, is losing his complete and utter shit.

"Luke," my mother calls out to him cautiously, "you need to calm down."

"Don't tell me to fucking calm down!" He grabs a large vase and launches it across the room. "We should be ten steps ahead and we are fucking ten steps behind!" He punches a picture frame on the wall, cutting his hand. "They're in Albania! For fuck's sake! How did we not know this!?" He punches the picture several more times. There's glass everywhere as my father's hand drips blood all over the floor. "It is all out of my control. Every. Single. Bit. I should be on top of everything. I should know everything, like I always do, but I don't know. I don't fucking know anything!" His hand grips his blond locks, leaving a streak of red in them.

"Luke, your blood pressure... please," my mother's voice is so calm, unlike the current situation. "We will handle it. We will get them back; Wolfie back. Your control." She's got her hands up as she rounds him like he's a spooked horse, that or a venomous snake. "Luke, come on. This isn't your fault. Stop beating yourself up."

"No, because it's your fault. If it wasn't for Marling and all the bullshit you got involved in we wouldn't fucking be here!" My father spit the words vehemently at my mother which she automatically responds to by cracking him upside the face with a hard slap. A really hard slap, one that makes even my jaw hurt. There's a brief pause where the two of them just stare each other down with looks on their faces like I have never seen. There's an almost eerie silence before the two of them start fighting in a vicious manner. They go back and forth doing a deadly dance with fists, kicks, and quick movements. It's impressive, really, albeit scary. A movement in my peripheral has me looking at the door. My dad walks in with a sigh, surveying the scene as the two of them begin throwing items at each other, each expertly dodging away from each other's decorative missile.

"Not this shit again." My dad lets out a long, winded breath as the two of them continue their combat. A hand runs over his face before piercing through his hair in irritation. He looks up at me with, "you might want to leave the room before they—" He's cut off by the two of them crashing to the floor, more specifically, my mother nearly tackling my father. He immediately flips her over and wraps a hand around her throat. There's a murderous look on his face, one I have never seen my father wear. It's slightly terrifying.

Jesus fucking Christ.

My mother doesn't grasp at the hand that's seemingly trying to end her life. No, she strikes out and grabs ahold of something around my father's neck and pulls; hard. My father's body twitches and an entire other type of look takes over his features. He dives down and kisses my mother savagely as their hands begin to tear at each other's clothes.

Good Lord... And I thought I was into some weird kinks. A moan tears itself out of my father. Noooooope. I immediately turn around and head directly outside.

"Pretty clear where you get your drive from." The voice startles me. "For a minute there I thought he was going to break her windpipe." So did I, to be completely honest.

"You just love spying on people, don't you?" I seat myself in a chair.

"It's my job to keep an eye on you."

"Oh, so you're into voyeurism." He doesn't look at me but I see the twitch of a smirk on his lips. "I can put on a rather good show. I make a point of spreading my legs and leaning back. I let my fingers dance along my inner thighs as I watch him intently. I can tell he wants to look. "You know I would happily oblige that particular kink if you'd like but you seem so uncooperative. Guess I'll just be imagining said scenario later with my rabbit vibrator." This time that earns me a lopsided smile with a brief glance.

"You're incorrigible."

"Oh, you have nooooo idea just how incorrigible I can be." He bites his lip and shakes his head as he looks away from me. Boo. Though, I kind of am liking this particular game. Men are just too easy to get into bed and this one is not. Makes me want him even more.

"You," my dad's voice has me snapping my legs shut and sitting up straight, "make yourself scarce while I talk to my daughter."

"Sir." The bear man nods his head and is off immediately.

"You know," I watch as he grabs a seat and drags it backwards, making it creak against the patio pavers, "it's bad enough your mother and father have destroyed the fucking foyer. I do not need you out here destroying shit with your hired protection."

"Ew." I cringe thinking about what type of destroying they're currently doing.

"Says the girl who was spread eagle two seconds ago." I choke on air at that. "Let the man do his job. Leave him be."

I give him a haphazard shrug with, "I am."

"Really seems like it." He crosses his arms over his chest and sits back in the chair. "As you can see we found nothing upon going to New York. We raided the hotel and there was nothing. We raided all of Dedaj's warehouses and nothing. We raided everything and nothing."

"Who is Dedaj again?"

"Adri, seriously?"

"Oh yeah, mafia boss. Got it. Got it."

"That's why that is currently happening." He gestures to the French doors that lead inside.

"Yeah, I wish he gave that much of a shit about me growing up." I push back from my seat feeling a wave of anger flow through me at the unresolved past issues I have with my father.

"Adri—" before he can say anything else I walk off, not really caring about any excuse he was about to give.

A/N:
I know I haven't updated as much as I usually do. It's been a very long, emotional week for me. A funeral and sadness have silenced all the voices in my head. Thankfully, Adri decided to chat with me last night and pull me out of my shit. (Yes, I'm aware I sound partially insane and, no, I don't care) Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter.