“She’d never leave New York. It’s all she knows. It’s where her brother and sister and friends are.”
He looks at me for a brief second with those eyebrows perched into perfect stupid points, basically calling me a dumbass without saying it. I hate his face sometimes. “Her brother and sister and friends that aren’t there? Have you even talked about it with her?”
“No.”
“Why the fuck not?”
“Because she’ll say no.”
“And you know this how?”
“Because I know her.” I turn my attention back out the window knowing he’s about two seconds from calling me on my bullshit.
“Oh, I’m sure you do,” he snarks. “Zee the people reader. The fucking mind reader. Except even I can tell that’s not what this is about. You won’t ask because you’re afraid.”
I scoff. I’m going to deny it. Won’t admit it to him even though he’s one hundred percent right.
After a minute or so of not responding he keeps talking. “Scoff all you want. I know you brother. You’re afraid she’ll say no and that will fucking hurt. Not to mention leave you with some very tough decisions to make. But you’re afraid she’ll say yes too, and you won’t know what to do with her there all the time because everything will change.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I know exactly what he’s talking about. It’s exactly why I haven’t asked. But fuck if I don’t hate hearing it said out loud.
“C’mon Zee,” he gives me a derisive look. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. Stop with the bullshit.”
“Fuck,” I hiss because goddammit I don’t want to admit he’s fucking right out loud.
He sits there quiet for a minute. The silence is a little irritating. Until he starts laughing like the jackass he is, making me scowl.
“Stop pouting, love doctor. You just need someone to remind you to pull your head out of your ass every once in a while, like you’ve done with all of us.”
“I don’t want you to go backto New York, Tori,” I blurt out when I walk through the door of my apartment.
She looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. “I have to go back, Zane. I have to try to get some training in if any of you expect me to keep my head attached.”
I drop my shit at the door. I walk past the oversized furniture the chick I hired to decorate this place put in here to the minibar. The minibar was all me. I pull out two glasses and pour two fingers in each glass. I hand her one as I walk toward her. “I’ve got to take a shower,” I say. “While I’m in there, I want you to consider this. In New York, if Rossi or DeLuca or any of their people come after you, you can’t stop them. I know you are more than capable of putting a grown man on his ass considering the times you’ve put me on mine. But if they are like me, then you won’t catch them off guard again and they’ll hurt you. You know you can’t take me down when I see it coming. If they have been taught to fight, they will hurt you.” At this point I’m rambling. Repeating everything I just said but I really want her to consider what I’m say. I want her to realize she isn’t invincible. More than that? I don’t want her to leave. I want her to stay here. Permanently, but I’m too chicken shit to say that. “I know you have handled grown men your entire life, but this is different. If he’s anything like his father, his ego doesn’t take well to rejection. Your brother isn’t there. Maddox and the other guys aren’t there. Pete isn’t there. There is no one around who you can call.”
“I can call Stitch or one of the guys at the shop,” she argues looking a little more than pissed that I’m insinuating that she can’t handle herself.
“Tori even if Dane were there, would you want to get him involved in this? You’re not going to call Stitch.”
“I would.” Her chin tips up. I can see her posture getting more rigid by the second. Yep, she is most definitely pissed.
“Then call Dane right now and tell him what’s going on,” I challenge her. I spot her phone lying on the coffee table. I grab it and pull up Dane’s number, handing her the phone.
“How did you know my passcode,” she eyes me suspiciously.
“Observation,” I tell her. “Remember I’m always paying attention. So, here. Call Dane. Tell him what’s going on. Or I can call Maddox and have him relay the message.”
I see it the minute she realizes just how serious I am. Fear and anxiety fill her brown eye as she begins to gnaw on her cheek. She looks at her brother’s number on the phone and back to me. “I can’t tell him,” she whispers. “He’ll leave the tour. He’ll get himself killed trying to get to Cara.”
“And you could get yourself killed. These aren’t random thugs, Baby. And they won’t be opposed to hurting or killing people involved with you to get you to do what they want.”
“Including you,” she looks at me worried.
“No, Baby, not me. I promise not me. I need you stay here where we can make sure they don’t come after you again.”
“What’s stopping them here, Zane? He already showed up at my hotel. What’s stopping him from coming again?”
“Me,” I growl. “And the rest of us.”
