Having their plates placed before them, the couple enjoyed the delicious meal, thanking the dark haired woman wholeheartedly. They were still eating when they were joined by Cody and Brian, who were eager to have some as well, and the conversation shifted in language and tone.
It occurred to her that Brian spoke French, as did she and Michael. “We should teach you and Collin how to speak it,” she pointed out to Cody as he devoured his meal greedily.
He shrugged, “I don’t really get the need for it.”
“It gives us an edge,” his new bandmate tried to explain. “When we’re around other people, we have more of a chance of sharing conversations that are private, or more private.”
“I see,” he replied, considering the girl and her need for secrecy. Cody had to admit; Tori was not like anyone he had ever known. Even after hearing her story about being raised to fight and do horrific things, he had been surprised how easily she bested his buddy in the driveway. Considering her offer, he became slightly intrigued, “Would it be hard?”
Tori gave him a wide grin, “It’s like anything else; it takes practice. If you want to play an instrument or learn a new song, you spend time with it.”
With a small shrug, he agreed, “Sure, I guess if you’re willing to teach me. What would it hurt?”
Tori smiled a little larger, “Then it’s settled. I’ll give you a few words each day to practice and build your vocabulary. And we’ll go through some grammar lessons from time to time.”
At that moment, the phone rang, and Stella held it out to Tori. Jumping up from her chair, she grasped the headset and made her way over to the wide window to peer into the back yard. “Hello?” she asked in an eager tone.
“Hello. I have news for you,” said a male voice on the other end.
Tori smiled to hear Jim Godfry, prepared to divulge the information that she required. Clearing his throat, he read her the main parts of the report, “The girl’s body was exhumed, and identified as that of the little girl we had anticipated. She had been abducted a short distance from the location of the burned out vehicle. Apparently, they had snatched her and placed her inside the car within a matter of hours. Her parents were glad to be finally able to lay her to rest, and they weren’t informed as to how or where she was located. That seems to be the extent of it, sealed up nice and tight. The connection between her and you are not public knowledge.”
Hearing his words, she became excited at the prospect of keeping the rest of her story contained. “Thanks, Jim. I really appreciate the information.” Hanging up the phone, she turned eagerly to her brother, “That settles it, how do we contact Mark?”
Pulling out his cell, he gave her the number. “You know,” he said as she dialed the digits into the cordless device, “I seriously think we need to get you guys some mobile phones.”
Tori shook her head, listening into the earpiece. Someday I need to explain to him why those aren’t a good idea. Holding up her hand as their manager picked up the other end, she dove in directly, “Hey, Mark; this’s Tori. Have you contacted the studio about my exclusive with Kyle?”
“Actually, I just hung up with them and was about to call you,” he replied in a friendly tone. “I’m rather impressed at how easy it was to arrange. Kinda scares me a bit actually, almost as if they were expecting our call. Or at least pleased to get it.”
“I’m sure they were,” she laughed slightly. “So what’s the deal, then?”
“We need to be at the studio at one pm for filming.”
“Nice. We’ll be there.” Ending the call, the girl tossed out a quick briefing before heading up the stairs, and Brian went to wake Collin and have him up and ready to go as well.
The group’s mood seemed surprisingly upbeat at the occasion when they regrouped to climb into the limo. The drummer a chatterbox, he pointed out the free publicity would do wonders for the group, which earned him a momentary cold stare, “Not that I will be doing anything like this again,” he quickly recanted. He didn’t really like the times she was upset, noticing that she ran hot and cold, mostly cold, and he remained grateful she had refrained from beating him in the face.
Although the men of the group began to appear a little anxious as the studio drew closer, the girl came across as calm as ever, at least from what they could see. Practiced at hiding her emotions, she kept her bundle of nerves hidden away behind her blank stare, her mind going over exactly what she wanted to say when the time came, and how far she would have to go to be convincing.
When they arrived, they were shown to the dressing room, and the young woman that fixed hair and makeup came in with a cheerful greeting. She finished quickly, and again, the group waited to be called, this time in near silence. The time ticked by, and they were led out, where the guys all took seats along the front row to watch, while Tori waited on the side of the stage.
Feeling a mild rush of adrenaline, causing her hands to tingle, she had the old familiar urge to have a drink. Instead, she asked if there might be some coffee to be had, and someone produced a large mug of the black steaming liquid for her. Holding it steady with both hands, Tori sipped the brew, relaxing into the persona that she would be presenting in front of the camera.
A short time later, the announcement came, and she walked across the hard wood floor, poised and ready for the show. Having a look around, the lights seemed too bright, and she could not see out in the audience, but she knew they were there because she could hear the polite applause; the crowd seemed a little unimpressed with the show’s guest.
Reaching her chair, she held her hand out and permitted him to take her fingers, and then drew it back, her features remaining expressionless as if made of fine porcelain.
The first thing out of his mouth was, “So, how tall are you?” This brought a hint of a grin to her face, as if she got that a lot.
“I’m just over six foot,” she replied in a tiny voice, shifting into her chair.
“Uh-huh,” he made small talk for another minute, “And how long have you been playing the guitar?”
Giving her typical short response, “Acoustic for years, electric only about a year and a half.”
Kyle nodded, stroking his chin, looking as if he were getting ready to pounce. “And you are of course Brian Madson’s sister, correct?”
Tori felt as if she were watching a snake coil, ready to strike as he toyed with his prey. Giving him a wide-eyed stare, she agreed that they were siblings with a small nod.
“Even though his sister died, along with their parents, some twenty years ago,” he leaned away from her, his expression challenging her to deny his words.
Nodding, she agreed, “Yeah… Yeah, that’s right. I was dead twenty years. Had my own little gravestone and everything.” Tracing the outline of a small monument in the air with her index fingers, she gave him another faint smile.
Licking his lips, he appeared at a loss for words and rubbed his chin again as he had expected the accusation to lead somewhere explosive.
“You know,” he snapped lightly, “You can elaborate anytime you want to explain things. I mean, if she had been found alive, we would have heard about it. So, why haven’t we?” He nodded at her, beginning to feel uneasy about her manner.
Tori only bobbed her head as well, her crystal blue eyes fixed on him, boring into him, almost glazed.
His tongue skimming his upper lip, he continued, “You don’t have anything else to say?”
She shrugged, and gave another small reply, “Like what? People thought I was dead, and I wasn’t. I don’t know why you haven’t heard,” she denied flatly.
“So, where were you?” he demanded, a bit of irritation in his voice.
Her eyes grew even wider, and she looked timid as her voice seemed to grow unsteady, “I was taken.” She watched his jaw drop, pausing for effect, “A man took me, after the car wrecked. I was barely five, and he kept me.”
She stood and allowed her jacket to slide down her arms, swinging her long tresses out of t
he way to expose the marks on her left arm, the puckered burn on her bicep clearly visible. “The police thought I had burned up in the car, and they gave me a grave. It was an accident that I was found… saved.”
Mouth hanging open, Kyle looked stunned, “Jesus, he did that to you?” He wanted a good story, but had not expected this. Staring at the girl who towered above him, she nodded her confirmation with a slight pout on her lips. “Wow,” he stammered, “I’m curious why you agreed to come on the show.” He had clearly become uncomfortable with the girl and her marked flesh.
Tori showed him her full set of perfect white teeth before allowing it to fade. Taking up her perch on the upholstered chair, she reeled him in, “I had to come. I live in a small town, and I never told anyone there what happened to me. I discovered firsthand what people can do when they are left to make up whatever story they want.”
She paused, allowing him to think about those words for a moment, and then finished the thought, her features becoming overly expressive, conveying the deep emotion behind her words, “It was important that I come and tell the truth. It hurts for people to know, but it’s less than the cruel things that would be said otherwise.”
Eyes locked, he began losing confidence that he would come off as a hero, exposing their secrecy and lies to the world. She did not appear to be deceitful, and he could see the pain in her crystal blue orbs. “How long since you got away from your captor?” he no longer asked his scripted questions, as they had taken a path he had not anticipated.
Tori swallowed hard, giving her typical pause and casting her eyes into the lights that hid the audience beyond. How long had it been since the farmhouse in Iowa? She quickly added the time.
“It’s been about two years,” she spoke breathlessly, exaggerating the span a bit. “It took them a while to locate my brother because I had been believed to be dead, and our parents are gone. They didn’t even know who I was until they found him.”
She had her jacket draped across her knees and toyed with the collar in a nervous fashion, causing the muscles beneath the lines on her arm to ripple. Kyle watched them, imagining how she must have suffered at the strange man’s hand.
“Are you safe now?” his voice faltered, realizing they may have opened her to danger by bringing her in front of the camera.
Staring at him, her eyes melting into soft pools of grey, she nodded for a moment, then shrugged slightly to agree, “I’m ok. I’m not afraid of the man who abused me. He’s gone now,” she confessed with the slightest of grins.
Swimming in regret, he thanked her for coming on the show. “You are very brave to share your past with us.” He smiled, but did not feel happy, and wanted to talk about something else with his guest.
“So,” he shifted gears, “You actually play very well. I was pretty impressed with the new makeup of the band.” He nodded at her, wanting to make amends for his harsh attitude towards her. “Collin on the drums and Brian on the bass seems to work well. How do you feel about playing with them?”
Tori’s thin grin curled her lips further. Tilting her head slightly, her face stunningly beautiful, she cooed, “Oh, I love to play. It’s the one thing that makes me feel right.”
She paused, and his smile reached his eyes, feeling happy their new topic pleased her, and she gave him more, “I was really anxious about it at first, but they convinced me that I was the one they wanted.”
Tori shook her long dark curls, playing him as well as she did a set of strings. They chatted for several more minutes before he dismissed her, smiling at her genuinely and glad they had come to friendly terms.
Arriving back in her dressing room alone, she exhaled a deep breath to cleanse the excitement from her blood. The guys joined her shortly, and Mark informed her that Kyle wanted to speak with her after the taping, if she didn’t mind waiting.
Taking a seat in front of the wide mirror, she sat quietly, hands on her lap. Michael made his way over to give her a small kiss, stroking her hair and trying to read her mood. She smiled meekly at him and reached up to lightly caress his jaw to relax his clenched muscles. She could see the worry in his honey brown eyes, but she knew the show had been the worst part, and it would all be downhill from there.
A short time later, a knock at the door announced Kyle’s arrival, and grinning ear to ear, he let himself in. Reaching out to her, he shook her hand vigorously and thanked her once again for coming. “I know this wasn’t easy for you, and I hope that it’ll help put some of the questions about your life and your past to rest.”
Tori nodded, her blue eyes sparkling, and she continued to work her magic over him.
“You’re really a quiet person,” he laughed, “Not like so many of the people who come through here. You’ll have to keep in touch, let me know how things are going or if there’s ever anything we can do for you here on the show. We wouldn’t mind helping out if we can.” He had held onto her hand after the shake and released it as he finished speaking as if to indicate she could now go.
Smiling at the rest of the band members, he gave them a small wave and bade them farewell. One of the staffers showed the group out through a different hallway, and so there were no reporters to torment them this time, an indication that she had gained a good deal of respect during her time on stage that day. Climbing into the long black car, she finally sighed in relief that it was over.
Jingle Bells
After going public with their big news, the tension level in the house seemed to drop dramatically, with everyone getting along amiably. With only three weeks until Christmas, the group decided to take a shopping trip to buy presents. Together, they piled into the limo and headed to Broadway to make a day of it.
Tori loved the Levi’s shop the best and picked out a variety of new items to add to her wardrobe. She also purchased some gifts for her husband and her brother, noticing that everyone had a large number of bags stuffed with wrapped packages by the end of the afternoon. Settling into the ride home, she jokingly announced, “I guess being ‘famous’ isn’t that unusual after all. No one hardly gave us a second glance.”
“Haha, this wasn’t an outing to judge from,” her brother teased, “We didn’t attract a lot of attention, for the most part, and only ran into a few fans that recognized us. It comes and goes, and you learn to enjoy the calmness when you can, because it doesn’t last. There are reporters and crowds, potentially, everywhere.”
Michael nodded nervously at her, “You may be in for a real shock at how crazy it can get, especially when you become more of a familiar face.”
Tori only eyed the two of them with a tiny grin, unsure if she really believed either of them or not.
When they arrived at the house and cleared the gate, Brian announced in his playful manner, “I got a surprise for you, sis.”
“What kind of surprise?” she peered at his bundles, assuming that some of the boxes were for her.
“Nah, it’s already in the house,” the grin spreading across his face, his pleasure obvious, he indicated with an extended finger.
Exiting the car, she caught her breath, able to see the massive collage of color and lights through the panes of glass. The group hurried inside to take in the floor to ceiling Christmas tree that stood in the front window in the living area off to the left of the foyer.
Michael felt a small stab of jealousy, peering up at the enormous decoration, it obviously being much more spectacular than the tiny one the couple had shared a year prior. “Wow, that’s a hell of a tree,” he mumbled, staring at the ornament laden branches.
Taking his hand, Tori reassured him, “You know, love; the guitar you gave me last year will always be the best present ever.” Somehow, he doubted that.
After a group dinner, the couple said their good nights and made their way to their room for a quiet evening. The rest of the household geared up for a party, as there seemed to be one every night to some degree, and the two of them were becoming well practiced at avoiding them.
Inside their cham
ber, Michael made his way over to the window, watching the light snow outside that had begun to fall. Reaching up to catch her hands when she slid them around from behind, he held them pressed against his chest for a moment.
Tori could sense his preoccupation, and she waited patiently for him to open up.
Sighing deeply, he spoke in a low tone. “I want you to know; I really do support your choice to be here and to play with the band.”
“Thank you, love. Your being with me means a lot.” She had stiffened at his words, afraid of what might be coming next.
Massaging the back of her hand, he conceded, “I’ve been doing some thinking, and after what happened at the studio, I’m really not sure I can go on the road with you for the tour. Not like we had planned.”
Tori stood stunned. “What do you mean you can’t go?” she stammered. “I thought you were going to be there with me, by my side, and all that.” Her words strained, she tried desperately not to raise her voice at him.
Gripping her hand tightly, he tried to explain. “At the studio, I realized, I want to take care of you. I want to look after you, and that means that I would be like your personal bodyguard. But, if that’s the role I’m taking, then I can’t be your husband.”
She could hear the conflict within him, which added to her confusion. Gripping his shoulder, she forced him to turn around to face her, angry and demanding, “That doesn’t make sense, Michael. Is this because of the differences you have with Peter Farside? Or are you really afraid we’re going to be found?”
“No, it doesn’t have anything to do with him. Not really.” Inhaling slowly, he tried again, “And no, I’m not afraid of being found. I just can’t look after you the way you need to be from where I am. I can’t look after you the way that I want to, from where I am. I’m too close to you. I can be your husband and your lover, or I can be your security, but I can’t do both.”
A New Life Series - Finisher Set Page 36
