“Yeah, you’re probably right,” he admits with a heartbreaking sadness to his voice. I hate that Cara is so ungrateful and spoiled. I hate that she can’t see that Dane has given her the world because he loves her. That, whether she asked him to or not, he sacrificed his own happiness for her. Because he loves her.
My brother is definitely an overprotective - and at times overbearing - ass but he has good intentions. His damn heart is so fucking big I'm not sure how it fits in his chest.
I chuckle because I know he won’t make her grow any time soon. He will continue funding her life until she can take care of herself. I worry sometimes she may never try for that reason alone. “I’ll call you when my plane lands back in New York.”
As I walk from the taxi into her building, I get a strange feeling creep up the back of my neck. I turn to look around for the cause then realize I’m probably just being paranoid for no reason at all. I make my way up to the fourth floor to find a guy standing at her door. He’s leaning against the wall looking at his phone.
“Can I help you?” I ask as I get closer.
I look him over for a second. He’s probably close to my age. Tall enough with dark hair and eyes. He looks like he’s probably a nice guy and I decide he must be Stephano.
“I’m just waiting on Cara,” he tells me with a warm smile. Too warm, in fact. A little forced. He offers me his hand, “I’m Stephano.”
“I’m Tori,” I tell him with a smile. “Cara’s not here right now.”
“She’s on her way,” he informs me.
That means I need to hurry if I want to get out of here before she gets back. I don’t want to get into it with her, and I haven’t cooled off enough to talk with her yet.
I open her door with my key. Stephano follows me in. I don’t really appreciate him doing so, but I keep my mouth shut. It is her apartment after all.
“How do you know Cara?” he asks as I throw my stuff into my bag.
I turn slowly looking at him in disbelief. She hasn’t told him that she has a sister? I wonder if she’s mentioned Dane at all.
“How doyouknow Cara?” I counter, not willing to give him any information he’s not already privy to.
“We met a couple of weeks ago at a party. Don’t you know Zane Valen? I saw your picture online the other day with him.”
“Yes, I know Zane,” I say casually.
“You spend a lot of time in River City?” His line of questioning seems harmless, or at least it should but something about it makes my skin prickle.
“Not really. He usually comes to me.”
“Have you met Jax McCabe too?”
Again, the questions seem absolutely harmless. Something I would expect from a sports fan that recognized me from pictures with Zane. But every instinct tells me this guy is fishing for something. “I know Jax,” I tell him. Cara walks in as we continue to stare at each other. I realize that his warm smile isn’t really that warm at all because it doesn’t reach his eyes.
“Tori don’t leave. I’ll call Dane.”
“Don’t do me any favors Cara. I need to get back to the shop anyway.”
“Tori, please don’t go. I haven’t seen you in months.”
I close my eyes shut. I want to leave, but dammit if I don’t feel bad. With a long breath, I turn to face her. “I’ll stay a couple of more days, but then I really do need to get back to the shop.”
She throws her arms around me. I hug her back but Stephano’s eyes on me make me really freaking nervous.
“Why doesn’t she come with us tonight to meet my brother and his buddy?” he says with his eye really studying me in a not so friendly way.
Cara begins to jump up and down and squeal with excitement. “We’re going to Nirvana. You have to come.”
Oh, I’m definitely going, but just to keep an eye on her and Stephano.
The club we go tois absolutely packed. The line goes back several blocks. I can’t help but wonder how they expect us to get in before tomorrow night, but we walk right up to the door to be let in without a cover fee.
It leaves me with more questions than answers for certain. We are led through the main dance floor with strobes and laser lights flashing among the hordes of dancers. A huge bar lines the back of the club while the front has a stage where a DJ is situated. Lighted swings hang from the ceiling with women doing some form of acrobatics on them. We make our way up a set of stairs to an area that says VIP. I look to Cara questioningly.
