Tori sat on the bed with her earphones in, listening to her audio book for entertainment, killing time until Scott and the gang got home. As soothing as the British voice was, she longed for the days that she could hold a crisp paperback in her hand and scan the black words on the page, reading with her own internal dialogue for the novel.
Reading an entire novel by braille was a pipe dream. At her current reading speed, she’d be reading till the end of time. Not to mention how goddamn thick the book would be. Obviously, the books were broken up into sections, but still.
She should apply herself to study more now that her brain was at a somewhat normal processing speed. After the accident, it was too much for her to take in. She was still slow on attention to detail at times. Too much detail, too much thought, triggered the nasty headaches.
She paused, realizing that Scott hadn’t picked up on either of those things, yet. She wasn’t about to give him another thing to worry about.
Fuck. What did they just say?
She’d missed the last several minutes of dialogue. Sighing, she pulled out her earbuds, giving up on the book.
The house was eerily quiet without Wayne and Judith. With the large acreage, there wasn’t much noise, nothing like the city traffic she was used to. Maybe she should have taken Scott’s parents up on their offer to ride along on their errands. She was bored out of her mind and it was just after lunch. She still had hours to kill. How was she going to survive the entire trip?
Wait…
Was that rustling in the master bedroom? She didn’t hear any voices. The Harris family was a noisy bunch.
Probably that goddamn cat.
Apparently, Judith wasn’t much of a dog person. Other than being slightly nosy that was the only large fault she’d found in the woman thus far. What kind of farm doesn’t have a dog?
She stretched, stood, and sighed. Being in Scott’s old bedroom made her kind of sad. She wondered what it looked like. Knowing Judith, she’d probably left the thing untouched—a shrine to her son.
Oh, she knew it was a queen bed in the center of the room with a night table on either side and a desk in the corner, with a dresser on the opposite side of the bed. That told her brain geometrically what was there, but she longed for the finer details. Were there posters on the wall? Old trophies from sports? Her fingers grazed across the desk and found a frame. Was it a photo of him in his football uniform?
Maybe it was his band.
She smiled at the thought and a chuckle broke through her lips. The rustling from down the hall snapped her from her train of thought.
Tori reached along the wall, found her cane, quietly opened the door to the bedroom and listened. The distinct scratch-snap of a drawer being slammed stalled her breathing.
Definitely not the cat.
Someone was in the house.
Maybe Scott? No. Scott would call out to her. Hell, anyone that belonged in this house would call out to her knowing she was blind.
Tori shut the door, careful not to make a peep. Her heart pounded. There had to be about a hundred guns in this Texan house; but even if she could locate one, the chances of her hitting something was slim to none. She grabbed the pocket knife that Scott had given her and palmed the pepper spray from her purse. She may be blind, but she wouldn’t go down without a fight.
She opened the door and flipped open the knife. With her pepper spray firmly planted in her left hand, knife in her right, she went down the hall, trailing her left knuckles down the wall to keep her bearings.
More rustling behind the door, then the hinges squeaked as the master bedroom’s door creaked open and heavy footsteps—like someone in boots—walked the wooden floor, about to round the corner at any moment.
She waited—ready to pounce.
Thump, thump, thump.
The footsteps grew close and she started to count: 3…2…1…
Tori raised the knife and was met with someone’s panicked intake of breath, as a firm, strong hand wrapped around her wrist.
“Tori!”
The oddly familiar voice shouted, but it was too late. She’d already pressed the pepper spray button and it spewed off—releasing its vile contents into the air. About that time, all hell broke loose.
Her intruder dropped whatever contents he’d thieved and they clambered into a marble-like scatter on the floor as anguished cries filled the hallway.
Tori’s eyes watered up, just from close quarters. She gagged and sputtered. Her throat was on fire. She backed up against the wall and covered her mouth, emitting about a thousand coughs in one minute. She was so miserable herself it took her about two minutes to catch enough air to pay attention to whoever it was she just sprayed that was crying for mercy.
“Fuck, Tori!” the voice sputtered as they writhed on the floor.
Southern accent, sounded like Scott, but not.
Oh, shit.
“Chad?” Tori coughed. “Oh, my god! I’m sorry!” Tori reached for his body.
More coughs, more screams and obscenities followed. “Wet towel,” he croaked.
Tori scrambled to the bathroom, groping for the door. She rummaged through the cabinets until she found a washcloth and doused it in warm water. She walked back down the hallway with the dripping cloth and squatted down. She reached for Chad, trailing her hands up his body until she found his face. It eerily felt like Scott—making her feel that much worse. She placed the cloth over his eyes hoping to alleviate some of his suffering. She stayed there for several moments, until his labored breathing calmed, then she finally spoke.
Tori wished she could sink into the floor and disappear. “I thought you were a burglar,” she croaked.
Chad patted her leg. “We really need to stop meeting in the hall like this.” He chuckled wryly.
She fought back the tears of embarrassment threatening to spew out. “Can you see?”
“Not great, but better than you, I’d reckon.” He snorted.
She was humiliated but laughed nonetheless. “I’m really sorry, Chad.”
He slung his arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze. “It isn’t the first time I’ve been hit with that shit. I’ll survive.” His voice cracked. “Can you get me some water to drink?”
“Of course!” As she pushed herself off the ground something sharp dug into her skin. “Ow!” Was that glass? Tentatively, she hovered her palm over the floor and slowly lowered it to inspect. It didn’t feel like glass, it felt like…jewelry?
He grunted and cleared his throat.
Maybe she had caught a robber. God dammit. Tori swallowed the lump in her throat and stood.
She silently shuffled to the kitchen and back with a bottle of water for him. “Chad, what’s all over the floor?” she asked. She didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but between his odd behavior the other night and now this, things were looking bleak.
He groaned. “I took care of the mess.”
They sat there quietly for a few moments. Finally, the silence became unbearable to her. “I’m sorry I sprayed you with pepper spray.”
“You should know nobody in their right mind would break into this house—unless they want to be met with a hole in the chest.”
Even their son? She bit her tongue.
“You know, your parents are really great people. I was so scared to meet them—especially your mom. I’ve never been a meet-the-parents type of girl. I’ve always been a bit wild; well I was.” Tori let out a wry chuckle. “I’ve slowed down a bit recently.”
“Yeah, it’s almost like Scott and I were raised by two different sets of parents,” he huffed. “But we weren’t.”
“Did they treat you differently?”
“Nah, they raised me right. I just always had the wild in me—like you—I suppose. What are your folks like?”
“My dad was great. Him and I were tight,” Tori choked on her words. “He died when I was seven.”
“Shit, seven? That’s rough.” Chad let out a long, slow whistle.
“Mom didn’t handle it so well. She started self-medicating. From then on, things got rough at home. There were lots of times we didn’t even have food in the house because she’d blown all her money. I had to steal from the convenience store to feed my sister dinner on more than one occasion.” Tori sighed.
“We do what we do to survive.”
“Even steal from your parents?” Tori turned toward him and raised her brow.
“Tori—”
“I may be blind, but I’m not stupid.” She frowned. “You need to put whatever it is back, Chad. It’s one thing to have your vices. It’s another ball game to hurt those you love.”
The air in the hallway grew heavy with that statement.
Chad didn’t say a word. He just stood and walked back into the master bedroom, opened some drawers, and hopefully put back whatever he’d taken. His heavy footsteps came back down the hall and he slumped down next to her on the floor. They sat there for a few moments before he finally spoke.
“Tori, I was in a bind. I’ve never stolen from my parents before. I owe some money and these bastards will burn my shop to the ground if I don’t pay up. I’ve worked too damn hard for this place. It was only until I finish the bike I’m working on and sell it. I was gonna pawn the jewelry then buy it back before Mamma noticed it was missing.”
Tori had listened to every damn excuse come out of her mother’s mouth over the years so her heart was hardened to sob stories. But something about the way Chad said it broke her heart. Maybe it was because his voice was so close to Scott’s? Whatever it was, he sounded desperate.
“I don’t know what all my brother told you, but I won’t lie to you. I’m still a goddamn mess. I’m trying not to use, but it’s hard…long hours and sometimes, I just need that pick me up. I’m not great, but I’ve gotten better. I haven’t used in almost a month.”
“But the other night...” Tori shook her head. “In the bathroom? You came out sniffing, a sweaty mess, with your heart beating out of your chest.”
“Wow. Not much gets past you.” Chad laughed. “I wouldn’t snort coke in my parents’ bathroom. Jesus, Tori. Dad just mowed. Grass gets me every time. Scott always bitched about having to do that job growing up because I couldn’t.” He shifted uncomfortably. “The rest, well…” he trailed off. “You’re a pretty girl—not that I’d make a move on my brother’s girl or anything,” he added quickly, “But when we wound up tangled up in the hall, your shirt came down…exposing the goods…” Chad’s humiliation rang through loud and clear. “You fixed it right away, so there was no point in telling you, but my damn body has a mind of its own and responded accordingly.” Chad laughed. “You really should wear a bra, little chickadee.”
“Well, you wouldn’t be the first I’ve flashed and probably won’t be the last.” Tori threw her head back and laughed. “Blind girl problem number one thousand twenty-five…wardrobe malfunctions I can’t see.” She snorted, causing Chad to start laughing as well. When their giggles died down, she patted his thigh.
“Well, I better get back to the shop.” Chad grunted as he stood. He grabbed Tori by the hand and helped her to her feet. His heavy steps went into the bathroom. “Holy shit,” he growled—at what Tori assumed was his reflection—as the water poured out of the sink.
Tori leaned on the door frame while he washed his face. “That bad, huh?”
“Eh, it’ll be ok. Maybe it’ll blend with the red in my beard.” He laughed.
“You have red hair?” She asked as she listened to him towel off.
“The beard is redder than the hair for some weird reason. Mom has auburn hair. I get it from her.”
Tori nodded. “Yeah, Scott told me.”
He snorted. “Thankfully, your aim is terrible. Only got the left one, the right eye isn’t too bad.”
“You ok to drive?”
“Why; you offering?” he teased. “Because I’ll pass.”
Her mouth quirked up in the corner as she cocked her head. “I was asking because I’ve almost died once in an auto accident. I’d rather not test my luck again.” Her smile widened.
“Come again?”
“I want you to take me to see your shop.”
“There’s nothing for you to see there.” Tori could tell he was smiling at his stupid pun as he squeezed past her.
“You really need to work on your blind jokes.” She trailed her fingertips down the wall, following the sound of his steps. His keys jangled. “Come on.” She stomped her foot. “I’m losing my damn mind at all the quiet here. I’m about to climb the walls.”
His foot tapped against the ground, and she could feel his eyes on her. Were they brown like Scotts? “Fine. But you can’t wear those things on my bike.”
“What things?” Was he pointing at her? Hell, if she knew.
“That sad excuse for a pair of shoes. Please tell me my brother had the sense to buy you a proper pair of boots.”
Tori wiggled her toes in her gladiator sandals and smiled. He sounded so much like Scott. “Fine, give me two seconds to change!”
“Grab a hat, too!” He yelled after her.
She went back into the bedroom and dug through her suitcase for the boots Scott got her and slipped them on. Cowboy boots with cutoffs were cute, right? She rummaged through her bag and found a small drawstring backpack that she’d had the good sense to pack. She tossed her wallet inside, threw on her sunglasses, and put Scott’s hat back on her head. She grabbed her cane and met Chad in the living room, stashing it in her backpack.
“Well, be a gentleman and give me your arm.” Tori held out her hand.
“All right, little lady.” Chad placed her hand on his arm. He was thinner than Scott, she noticed. At the door, he opened it to guide her through and nearly let her smack the door frame. She’d halted, her hand butting against the frame.
“Pull your arm behind you at the door please, that will cue me to get behind you. I really don’t want a bruise in the middle of my forehead.”
“It’ll match the shiners you’ve got.” He chuckled but did as she instructed.
“You can blame Scott for those,” she tattled, as he shut the door behind her.
“Did you talk back to my brother or something?” He teased. “You gotta watch that Harris temper.”
“Ha ha, very funny.” Tori told him the quick version as they walked down the street to his bike. “How far did you park?”
“Far enough to not be noticed. So, I thought.” No wonder she didn’t hear him come up. Sneaky son of a bitch. She wondered if she was crazy for going off alone with Chad.
This was Scott’s blood. She could trust him. Her gut told her so.
He stopped when they got to the bike and helped her on, showing her where to put her feet. “Those boots are much better. You almost look like a Texan now. Almost.”
Tori loved the feel of the leather underneath her thighs. Her heart pounded a bit in excitement. The bike dipped as Chad climbed on and she placed her hands on his shoulders to steady herself. They were broad like Scott’s, but not quite as muscular. “Hold on tight now. I won’t bite.”
She ran her fingers across the leather on his vest, and she could feel an embroidered pattern—like a motorcycle club member would wear. “Are you in a MC?”
Chad snorted. “Where did you learn that from? Sons of Anarchy?”
Well, yes.
“I know stuff!” she pretended.
“If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”
“You sound like your brother.” Tori groaned.
Chad chuckled. “No, I’m not in a motorcycle gang. Just wearing a Harley Davidson vest.”
Tori tightened her grip around his torso. His build was softer in the mid-section than Scott, but not fat at all. He was lean. Her mind built a picture of him, tall and lean with auburn hair and beard, in leather clad clothing.
“Chad,” she asked as he leaned the bike upright and moved the kickstand. “What color are your eyes?”
“Green, like mom’s.” His shoulders slumped as the engine roared to life and they sped off down the street.
Chad toured her through the back of the shop first. “You’re standing in the garage of a small warehouse. It’s got two large doors that are lifted right now,” he explained as the hot breeze blew on her skin. “You’ve got a work bench here.” he placed her hand on the counter then continued weaving her around the area. It smelled of motor oil and gasoline mixed with burning metal and the loud roar of a blowtorch hissed over the sound of country music blaring through the speakers.
The roar of the torch died and metal hinges creaked as whoever it was lifted their welding helmet. “Ryan, this is Tori, Scott’s girlfriend.” The helmet hit the workbench with a clank.
“Nice to meet you,” Ryan said with the thickest redneck accent she’d ever heard. Far more country than any of Scott’s family.
Tori shifted her cane to her left hand and held out her right.
“I would, but I’m a lefty,” Ryan said awkwardly.
Chad pushed her hand down.
“Trust me you don’t want a handshake from ugly here. He’s covered in grease.” Chad cleared his throat. “I’m just showing her the shop. For some crazy reason this girl from DC wanted to take a look at it. Or a feel, I suppose, in her case.” Chad laughed.
“Really, Chad. Get better blind jokes.” Tori shook her head.
“How’s that tank coming along?” Chad asked.
“Good; looking good,” Ryan replied.
“This thing is gonna be interesting,” Chad explained for her benefit. “He’s working on making the tank look like a skull.”
“May I?” Tori reached out her hand.
“Let me check to see if it’s too hot.” Ryan said, stopping her from putting her hands on the metal. “Ok, you’re good.”
Tori could make out the shapes of what felt like the eyes of a skull. It was obviously not smoothed out yet, but the general shape was done damn well. Not bad.
“Do you have a buyer for it?” Tori asked.
“This one is for a client, but we don’t get paid until it’s finished,” Chad said. “But we do have a few I’m working on right now to sell outright. They’re a bit more traditional choppers to hopefully bring in some income while we’re working on the customs.”
Tori frowned. “Do you take a retainer?”
“A what?”
“A retainer, like a deposit? To secure your services up front?” They were both quiet and Tori assumed from their silence they didn’t. “You have to take a deposit Chad!” Tori scolded. “Listen, it’s one thing if you’re making art for artistic sake, and plan to sell it down the road, but something this custom that may not be your normal market niche would be difficult to sell to someone else. You’ve put in all this time and material cost, so if they back out you’re screwed. You have to at least take a deposit to secure your service.”
“Yeah, that makes sense.” Chad sounded embarrassed.
“Listen, I’ve been there myself. I got screwed over more than once by starting custom artwork and having the buyer back out. Don’t be embarrassed by it. I’m just giving you my advice.” Ideas rolled around in Tori’s head. “You know what you should do is make a few that look like older bikes—vintage replicas. Appeal to the hipster crowd here in Austin that likes all that quirky stuff.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Chad said. Tori could hear the edge in his tone. Maybe it was time for her to shut her mouth.
“All right, Ryan, back at it, man. I’m gonna show her the rest of the place.”
Chad took her through the front of the store where he had a few bikes for sell, then into the small office in the back. “It’s not much—just an old, metal desk with a filing cabinet in the back corner and a crummy sofa I can crash on if I’m pulling a long night.”
Tori felt for the sofa and took a seat, resting her cane between her legs and over her shoulder. She let out a long breath. “Sorry if I overstepped a boundary out there. I didn’t mean to cut your legs out from under you with your employee there. I have a habit of getting over zealous when it comes to creative stuff.”
The wheels of his desk chair scraped across the floor. “Actually, those were some damn good ideas. I’ve never been business minded. I just like bikes. I’m good with the metal work and mechanics, but Ryan—he’s something else artistically. He’s a good kid, deserves to make something of himself.”
Tori detected a hint of sadness in his tone regarding Ryan.
“So, is he really that ugly, or so ridiculously good looking that you call him ugly?” Tori pulled off the baseball hat and fluffed her hair.
Chad snorted. “A little of both, I suppose. Depends on which side you’re staring at.”
Tori tilted her head.
“Ryan’s an amp. IED got him. Lost his right arm and right leg. Handsome kid for the most part, except he’s got some gnarly shrapnel scars on the right side of his face. Scott sent him to me. One of his projects.”
“Projects?”
“Yeah, one of the guys he met at Walter Reed while visiting. He goes there all the time and volunteers with the Vets—well when he’s in DC, at least. Just ya know, does his thing, talks to them, helps them out.” Chad sounded shocked. “You didn’t know that?”
Tori was dumbfounded. “I had no clue,” she whispered.
“Even lets them shack up in his condo rent free if they need a place to stay after they’re discharged.”
Tori’s mouth hung open. No wonder he’d never sold the damn condo.
Tori always thought he was a damn lunatic for keeping a home he never stayed in, to pay for a housekeeper in a home he never used. But the home was being used.
Her heart swelled with pride for her man. Scott wasn’t the type of guy that would boast about something like that. It didn’t surprise her though that he would help other guys transition back into civilian life.
The roar of several motorcycles nearing the shop caught her attention, snapping her from her train of thought. Chad’s chair rolled across the floor and his footsteps went to the front door.
“Shit,” Chad cursed. “Do you still have that pepper spray?”
“No, used it all on you. What’s wrong?” Tori stood. Chad’s urgent tone made her heart jump in her chest.
“We have company. Bad company. It’s the gang I owe money to.”
“You mean to tell me you don’t have a gun?” This was Texas after all and Chad was a Harris.
“I’m on fucking probation. I can’t be caught with a weapon right now if the cops wind up here.”
Just great.
“So, we have lefty out there, me, and a man who can’t carry.”
“I think Ryan has one here registered to him.” Chad rifled through a drawer and came over to her. “This is about the stupidest thing I’ve ever done, but give me your hand.” Tori held out her hand and she felt the cold metal of a gun being placed in it. “I’m assuming my brother at some point in his life has taught you to shoot before…”
“Yes.” Tori swallowed the lump in her throat. The last “date” that Scott and Tori had before her accident had been shooting in the backwoods of Virginia.
“Good. Now do not, and I repeat, do not come out there blazing no matter what you hear. I don’t want to be your shot in the dark.”
“That was a much better blind joke.” Tori chuckled nervously.
Chad groaned. “That one wasn’t a joke.”
“How many of them are there?” She needed to know what they were up against.
“Four.”
Tori knew full well that owing money to a motorcycle club was no damn good. “Stay here, and only use this thing if they come in here after you, understood?” Chad ordered, and she heard the door to her side open and close as he went into the garage.
Tori stood up, tucked the gun into the waistband of her shorts, and put her ear up to the door. She couldn’t make out much at first other than muffled voices. Then the voices grew louder—arguing. Tori cracked the door open so she could listen.
“I thought we agreed on Friday,” Chad’s voice boomed.
“We agreed that you’d have something for us today, and the rest on Friday.” A gravelly, southern voice hollered. He didn’t sound the least bit friendly like the other accents she’d grown accustomed to around Texas. “I guess we’ll just have to take some of the metal today and scrap it.” Heavy footsteps walked through the garage, followed by clanking—from tools?—followed by a crash of metal hitting the floor.
“Listen, Jett, I’ll have it. I ran into a problem. I only need a couple more days.” Chad sounded so contrite. “You don’t have to wreck my garage. I’ll have it as promised.”
Another crash of metal hit the ground and Tori flinched.
“That’s a goddamn custom piece I’ve been working on for weeks, man!” Ryan shouted. “You destroy that, and it sets us back even further.”
“How much do you think that damn hook of his is worth?” A second voice chimed in. “Those aren’t cheap. That’s military grade shit. Gotta be worth at least what, ten, twenty grand?”
Oh. Hell. No.
Tori swiped her hand across the couch and found her backpack. The men screamed obscenities at each other and she could hear Chad trying to pull them back as more clanging metal and rattling came from the garage.
Her phone rang. Scott Calling, Scott calling. She flipped the volume off and swiped the screen to ignore, stuffing it in her back pocket.
She dug into her wallet and pulled out every bill she had left. It wasn’t much—maybe five hundred if she was lucky after giving Blaze cash that morning. She flung open the door and leaned her arm up against the door frame.
“He told you he’d have the money by Friday!” She shouted into the air. The room went dead silent. “In the meantime, you can take this as good faith.” She waved the money into the air.
“Tori,” Chad growled—sounding very much like Scott in that moment. “I told you to stay in the office.”
Footsteps crossed the garage and someone moved closer to her, the leader, she assumed. Jett. “You didn’t tell us you had a pretty lady here. Well, where are my manners?” His footsteps drew closer. “Tori you say? Lovely to make your acquaintance.”
Tori thrust her right hand out for a handshake, hoping he didn’t pick up on the fact that she was blind as a bat. It seemed to work. Jett grabbed her hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing her knuckles. She smiled sweetly, but really she was about to vomit.
“Now, let’s see what the lady has for us.” Jett yanked the cash out of her left hand. Tori could hear him counting it as he paced the floor. “This is barely five hundred dollars.” Jett snorted. “Are you shitting me, Chad? This is just insulting.” His voice reached a level that made her insides curl.
Tori put on her best poker face. “Gentlemen, you’ll have to forgive me. I just got into town. This was the most I could pull out in cash. You men don’t seem like the type that would take a personal check.” She gave a wry chuckle. “Jett, right? I’m sure we can work something out on good faith. We can have the rest to you by the end of the week.”
“Tori!” Chad yelled. “I told you to stay out of this.” Yeah, he was growling now. The bear DNA must run in the family.
“I gather this pretty one is important to you, Chad?” Jett’s hot breath warmed her cheek as he invaded her space. “Are you his old lady?” His lips nearly touched her now. His breath reeked of chewing tobacco, a scent that made her stomach churn. Tori jerked her head to the side.
“Don’t fucking touch her, Jett,” Chad spat.
Jett trailed his finger down her arm. “I guess we could work something out. Some sort of exchange of services?”
“I swear to God, you will not lay a finger on her,” Chad threatened. His rapid footsteps charged toward her, then came to an abrupt halt.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t do that, Chad,” the second man said, as the distinct sound of a hammer cocked back on a gun.
Tori held her hands up in protest. “Now, boys, let’s keep our heads here. No reason to bring guns into this.” Tori placed her hand on her back hip, on top of the hidden gun—ready to draw if need be. “We can work something out.”
“What do you have in mind, darlin?” Jett was inches away from her, his foul breath heating her face. He reached around her torso and planted his hand on her ass.
“That’s not the deal I meant. I swear to God almighty I’ll blow a hole straight through you.” Tori drew the gun and stuck it in his chest. “Don’t. Fuck. With. Me.”
“Oh, the little one is packing heat.” Jett laughed and backed away. “Well played.” Jett snapped his fingers. “Guns down.”
Tori stuck the gun back in her pants, hoping that Jett’s men obliged their leader. “I like a girl that can handle herself. Answer me this; why you hiding behind those glasses, honey? Now I don’t know where you’re from, but here in Texas when we make a deal, we look each other in the eye.”
Jett lifted her sunglasses to the top of her head.
Well, there goes my bluff.
Tori closed her eyes.
“Ouch. Those look painful. Now where did you get those shiners?” Jett pulled her chin toward him and she slowly opened her eyes. “Come on, honey, look at me.”
“I can’t.” Tori didn’t even blink as she swatted his hand away.
“Oh, sure you can. I’m not so scary. I promise.” He tried to sound sweet, but it just made her skin crawl even more.
“She’s blind, you fucking dumbass,” Ryan’s voice shouted from across the room.
It was quiet for a beat then Jett snorted like a bull. “Ha. Well, I’ll be damned. She sure is.” He laughed. “You must have a thing for defective models, Chad.”
“I’m not his girl.” Tori crossed her arms.
“Even better, that means you’re a free agent. I should’ve figured. She’s far too high class to be with the likes of you.” The man clapped his hands together. “Now we can make a trade.”
Tori could play this one of two ways. One, fight Jett off. That was damn stupid. They were outnumbered, out armed, and had two disabled people. Ryan was former military but she had no idea what he was capable of. Chad was the only one of them that was worth a damn, and he was unarmed.
She went for option two: intimidation.
“I’m not up for trade.” Tori lifted her chin. “What I am, is someone you don’t want to lay a finger on. Trust me on that one. You have no idea the unholy hell that will rain down on you if something happens to me.”
Jett just laughed.
“She’s right,” Ryan shouted. “If her boyfriend finds out you laid a finger on her, you will pray for a quick death after what he does to you. He’s a former SEAL and a six-foot-three, scary, fucking beast.”
“The kid is right.” Tori grinned smugly. “Friday, we’ll have every penny.” She’d have offered sooner but with her money being tied up in a bank in DC the wire could take time. “With an extra thousand as good faith.”
“Make it two—just because you’ve pissed me off,” Jett snapped.
“Fine. Two.” Tori shrugged. She couldn't care less about the amount. “But he will never do business with you again. If I so much as get a whiff of you around here after this…”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, you will rain hell down on me. We’ll see about that.” Jett chuckled as his footsteps grew faint. “Friday, Chad. If it’s not here, I’ll hunt her down, bend her over, and take it out on her tight, little ass.”
“Good luck trying that,” Tori mumbled. Scott would tear him apart limb by limb. Tori listened as the men got onto their bikes and sped away, then turned back into the office, shut the door, and flopped down onto the sofa.
About one minute later, Chad came storming in, slamming the door.
“What the hell was that, Tori? Are you trying to get yourself raped and killed?” He slammed his chair up against the metal filing cabinet, the noise making her jolt. “Fuck!” He screamed as he continued to tear apart his office.
“They were going after Ryan’s prosthetic, I couldn’t…” Ryan was obviously important to Scott, and she had a soft spot for him already because of that. “I couldn’t let that happen.”
Chad let out a heavy breath, and the air in the room softened. “I guess I can see how that would be a trigger for you.” Chad slumped down next to her on the sofa. “Tori, I only had to give him five grand by Friday. Now you promised him it all. Where the hell am I supposed to get that kind of cash by Friday?”
“How much?” she asked.
“Huh?”
“How much do you owe them?”
“Before or after the extra two grand you tossed on?” he spat.
“Before.”
He was quiet for a beat then shifted next to her. “Twenty grand.”
Tori let out a whistle. “Damn. That’s a lot of blow, Chad.”
He snorted. “It’s not drugs, Tori, but thanks for thinking I sucked that much up my nose. Nah, it was a loan to open my shop. Things cost more than I expected, and I wasn’t able to pay back in time.”
Tori’s brow furrowed. Her bullshit meter wasn’t going off. He seemed to be telling the truth.
“So, twenty grand, huh?” She pulled at her lip, mulling that over. Scott’s parents were modest people. Tori had a hard time believing that Judith had that much jewelry. “Your mom had that much in gold?”
“Well, no, but it was a start,” Chad said. “Like I said, only five grand by Friday. That was supposed to buy me time.”
He shrugged his shoulder against hers.
“I’ll pay it.” Tori patted his thigh.
“Tori, I can’t…” Chad protested.
“Can’t what? Take money from a blind girl?” Tori raised her brow at him.
“Well, yes…” he stammered. “I mean…you can’t possibly have that much.”
“I have plenty of money—more than I can use in a lifetime. Airbag companies that have faulty products pay very well to keep things hush.” Tori made a sour face. She hadn’t mentioned to Scott or anyone how much she’d settled for, but she suspected Scott knew. When the lawyer called her while she was in O&M and said all expenses were paid for, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize Scott was the one that had sent them.
“Consider me now an investor in your bike shop. I’ll throw in an extra five that you can use to make merchandise. T-shirts, apparel, and whatever else my brain can come up with to design for you, and I’ll take fifty percent of those profits.”
“Tori, don’t take this the wrong way, but…” he hesitated.
“Yeah, I’m blind. I get it. But my artistic brain still works. I can still envision it.” She waved her hand, dismissing him.
“That’s not what I was going to say.” He chuckled. “I don’t see you as the biker-girl type. I can’t sell shit with dreamcatchers and wispy flowers on it.”
Tori tilted her head back and roared. “Well, you don’t seem like the type of guy that would use the word wispy, but you did.” Tori lifted her chin. “I can create masculine stuff. You have seen your brother’s leg, right?”
“You did that damn tattoo?” Chad let out an impressed chuckle. Yeah; she had. When they were in Amsterdam Tori had dragged a stoned Scott into a tattoo shop and drawn the tombstone that now was permanently etched into his right leg. “Wow, you’re one interesting girl, Tori.”
Tori’s phone vibrated in her back pocket, she flipped on the volume. Scott calling, Scott calling.
“You gonna get that?” Chad asked.
Tori hit ignore on the call. “I’ll call him back.” Tori reached down and grabbed his hand and squeezed it. “We both know that I’m going to be your sister. Let me do this for you.”
“But Scott...”
“Are you scared of your little brother?” Tori jabbed him in the side.
“Actually, yes. You still remember what he looks like, right? Scott would kill me—”
“Opposed to him finding out you were going to steal from your parents? Or what? Wind up in a body bag? Scott’s lost enough brothers already.” Tori scowled. “Listen, this is my money and I can invest it where I damn well please. Let me handle telling him about it. I have my ways with him.”
“I’m sure you do.” Chad stood and pulled Tori up by the arm. “Well, I better get you back home before they notice you’re missing.”
Tori’s phone chimed in her back pocket. Text message from Scott Harris it blared.
Tori clicked on the message as it read aloud. You keep your ass put right there at the shop. I’m coming to get you.
“I think it’s safe to say he knows,” Tori grimaced.