“Stop bein’ negative,” Brett cut her off.
“Why?” she snapped. “I’m so fucking pissed off, I can’t even see straight!” her fists were clenched in her lap as she vented.
“Then take a deep breath,” he stepped closer to her, his hand catching her jaw and lifting it slightly. “That’s it,” his thumb caressed her cheek, “Don’ be angry. Be smart. We can beat these guys. You know more about ‘em than you think.”
Tori blinked up at him, relaxing into his touch. “We can buy some motorcycles locally; I think that’ll be our best option. We don’t have access to much cash,” her mind began to branch out. “How much was in the vault? The one here in LA?” Brett grinned, reaching inside his jacket for his list.
“Well, we inventoried ‘em all, so le’s see what this one has for us…” his voice trailed away as he scanned the page. “Over 400K. We could get some really nice bikes for that an’ still have some t’ carry aroun’.”
She blinked a few times at the news. “Why did they burn the house? It doesn’t make sense. They should have come to the hotel. They should have come after me.”
“We’ll figure it out,” Michael tried to reassure her. “Brett’s right. For the moment, we need to know what we’re going to do. Where should we go to hole up? I don’t think the hotel is a good option. Not in the long run.”
“We have to separate ourselves from the group,” Tori agreed, continuing his thought. “Yes, we go back to the hotel. Whatever we do needs to be dramatic and public. We need those snapping the pictures to get plenty of them so that everyone knows we aren’t with the band anymore. Let’s go out front, so we can leave as soon as the car gets here.”
Making their way to the single glass door, Tori leaned against it, waiting impatiently for the limo. Moving up behind her, Michael ran his hand up her spine, squeezing her shoulder at the top. Turning, she leaned into his embrace and avoided looking at the others, hoping they didn’t have long to wait.
A few minutes later, the front of the car pulled up into view, and the four of them slipped out. Tori instructed Derrick to lock the door behind them and go home, closing the shop as a precaution. The young man obeyed, not knowing any of the details, but certain it meant trouble; trouble he wanted no part in.
Inside the limo, Brett took the center seat across from the bar, while Michael and Enrique sat on either side of their newly appointed leader. “I want you two to stop fighting over me,” she stared at the floor in front of her, her words sharp.
“Fighting over you?” Enrique sounded perplexed.
“Yeah, fighting,” she cut her eyes over at him, “I see the way you give each other dirty looks and do shit to one-up each other. I want you to cut that shit out. We have no time for that crap. If we’re all going, then we all have to be respected… respected and respectful. No infighting. Like Mason said, the enemy is out there.”
Reaching over to take her hand, Michael agreed, “You’re exactly right, baby girl. And I’m one-hundred-percent for it.” To his surprise, she pulled her hand away, shifting the glare to him.
“Then I’ll let you know when you can touch me.” Getting up from her seat, she moved to the opposite end of the car, sitting with her back to the driver and staring out the window.
Leaving her alone, the group remained silent until they drew close to the hotel. Then the girl began to give orders. “When we get upstairs, we pack. I’m going to start a fight with the rest of the guys. Pack two changes of clothes and call a cab.” She turned her attention to Brett, “You and Enrique retrieve the money from the vault. Meet us at the airport. You,” she frowned at her husband, “Get our stuff together and have the plane ready to go. File a flight plan for Florida. We should be in and out of here in thirty minutes.”
She gave them their directions, not expecting any argument, and not getting any. When they reached the hotel, she calmly led the way to the elevator. Once inside, the three men stood behind her, Tori staring at her reflection in the glossy metal, mentally preparing herself to play the role of angry bitch from hell; not much of a stretch as of late.
The shiny doors parted, and the three men went into their rooms while Tori made her way down the hall, trying to decide what she would say to begin the argument. It turned out, she needn’t have worried about that part because the fight would take care of itself.
Entering her brother’s room, she stopped cold at the sight of the young blonde, standing next to his window and admiring the view, “Lindsey? What the hell are you doing here?!?” her voice exploded with accusation.
Giving her a weak smile, the girl smoothed her hair, “Hey, Tori,” being all she could manage as a reply.
“Wait,” Brian held up a hand to intervene, “This is my fault. I know you didn’t want me seeing her -”
Throwing her palms up, Tori cut him off, “You bet this is your fault! Get some fucking clothes together, right now! Two changes and don’t argue.” Glaring over at the girl, she raised her eyebrow, “You have any clothes with you? Let me guess… only what you have on.”
Lins hung her head, nodding slightly, “I guess you’re pretty unhappy with me.”
“Later,” Tori shot back at her, “Right now, I have to figure out how to keep you from ending up dead.”
Brian spun around from digging through his clothes, gaping at her. “Why’d you say that?” he demanded.
“Because you’re two of the most important people on earth to me. I intended to leave you here, but now I think we need to take you with us. At least for the time being. Go on and get your stuff together. I need to go start a fight with Cody and Collin.” Giving Lindsey one last shake of her head, she exited the suite and made her way down the hall, locating Collin’s door and pounding on it loudly.
“Open the God damned door!” she screamed at the top of her voice.
Instantly, the portal swung wide before her; his chin raised as he shouted back, “What the fuck’re you doin’?!?”
“Creating an alibi,” she replied calmly as she pushed past him and began to knock things over in the room, relieved to find him alone. Grabbing a lamp, she smashed it against the wall, bellowing, “You son of a bitch! You can’t talk to me that way!”
Collin only stared at her, dumbfounded.
Giving him a circular motion with her hand, she dropped her voice as she sidled towards him, “Collin honey, you have to play along. Scream at me. Anything.”
“Why?” he demanded, “What’s going on?”
Tori bit her lip, “Remember the bad guys I was worried about?” He nodded, so she continued, “They burned the halfway house to the ground last night.”
“Holy shit! Are your friends ok?”
“Yeah, but we have to move fast. That’s why you have to go with me here. We have a fight, and the guys and I are going to Florida. You and Cody go back to Jersey and stay there. Make sure Pete takes care of you – don’t let anything happen to you, ok?”
“Ok,” he nodded, his mouth suddenly dry as he attempted to swallow. “You’re such a stupid bitch!” he screamed. “I don’t know what the hell we were thinking, asking you to play with us!” Reaching over, he lifted the elegant nightstand and sent it crashing into the doorframe.
The couple carried on for several minutes, until security showed up to escort them outside. Holding up her hands, Tori held onto the façade, “Hey, hey, it’s ok, I was leaving anyway!” Tossing her bandmate an angry glare, she stormed out of the room, making her way down the hall. Her brother fell in beside her, carrying his bag and working to keep up. As they strode onto the elevator, she inquired in French, “All set?”
“Yeah, everyone’s down in the car,” he nodded, pushing the button.
“Good,” she shook her dark waves, “Remember to look pissed when we step out.”
He snickered, “I’ll try.”
Lightening quick, she punched him in the chest, “Maybe you need a little motivation. Why the fuck didn’t you listen to me?” She glared at him, no hint of a smile on he
r drawn features.
His grin removed, he blinked at her, “I dunno,” and the doors opened.
Stepping out into the lobby, several flashes went off as the pair exited the small space, and the girl held her hand up, as if she were trying to block them from photographing her. With angry long strides, the two made their way out front and climbed into the long black car, breathing a sigh of relief.
“Airport,” she muttered.
“Yeah, we’re on it,” Michael supplied calmly.
“Good. Give me your cell phone,” Tori held her hand out towards her brother.
“Why? Who’re you gonna call?” he asked as he dug the device out of his pocket.
“No one,” she replied crisply, “But you can’t take it with you. It has to go with us, so people think we’re still together.”
His brow furrowed, “That doesn’t make any sense, sis.”
“Sure it does. Cell phones are extremely unsecure. People can listen in on your conversations and can use them to locate you.” He stared at her, mouth hanging open in surprise.
“They can really do that?” Lindsey appeared dazed.
Tori glanced calmly over at her young friend, nodding slowly, “Yeah, they can do that. That’s why I’m taking the phone with me. You guys are going to Texas. When we leave on the plane, you two take a cab to the bus station. Get on a bus and head to our place. Stay there. Out of the way.”
“Is that why you never wanted one?” he queried, his mind still stuck on the phone.
“Yes,” she replied coolly. “And remember not to use your credit card. It will be cash only.”
“I don’t have any cash,” he countered.
“You will. Brett and Enrique will meet us at the airport. They will have plenty - twenty thousand for you. It should be enough since you’ll be hiding at our house.” She didn’t smile, and he could tell she wasn’t happy about the situation.
“I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you,” he whispered in their alternate language, staring at her hands, unable to look her in the eye.
“It’s too late for that. Take care of Lins, that’s all you can do,” she replied in kind. Switching to English, she gave her friend a weak smile, “Do what he says, ok? My brother’s gonna look after you, make sure you’re safe.”
“Yeah,” the girl nodded, fear in her eyes. “Michael told me what’s going on,” she smiled at her friend’s mate, “We’ll be ok.”
Heaving a deep sigh, Tori leaned back into the seat, the adrenaline still coursing through her veins. It would help her fight her fatigue for a while, but eventually she would crash. Maybe on the plane I can catch a nap.
Set Up Shop
Things went smoothly as the group arrived at the airport and made their way to the private jet. Enrique and Brett had met them at the entrance, carrying a duffel bag containing the money. Once they were cleared and on the plane, Tori opened it, her actions swift as she pulled out a stack of bills, fanning it to count out about twenty thousand for her brother.
“Here,” she shoved the wad at him, “Don’t spend it all in one place.”
Taking the cash in one hand, he threw the other arm around her, “Be safe. How will we know everything’s ok?”
“We have a phone in the house, remember? And don’t go contacting a bunch of people. The fewer who know where you are, the better,” her voice cracked as she spoke. “I still love you, Danny. And I’m not mad. Just disappointed.”
“I know,” he stroked her hair. “And don’t worry. We’ll be fine.” Putting an end to the goodbye, he reached for Lindsey’s fingers, “You and me, kid,” his voice crisp, he guided her off the plane.
Tori watched them go with a heavy heart. “You three take the front seats. I’d like to be alone for a while,” she stipulated as she fastened herself into one of the back seats and stared out the portal to her right. She was asleep before the plane had leveled out.
The three men noted her slumped condition, and Brett spoke up, “For almost two weeks she’s been runnin’ on fumes. I’d have thought by now one o’ you would’ve backed off.”
Both men peered over at him, not sure what to make of the comment.
“You think we’re wearing her out, do you? Just the two of us?” Michael sneered, “You forget where she came from,” his fingers grazed the underside of his chin.
“So you’re pleadin’ innocent, then,” the older man countered.
Michael shifted in his seat, so that he could see his wife’s face while she dozed, “Pretty much. This is something else. I’m not going to speculate what.” Pulling his eyes back to the other men, “Suffice it to say, she isn’t well. We need to keep that in mind as this… situation unfolds.”
Enrique agreed with a simple nod, bothered that he couldn’t see her for himself. “I haven’t touched her. And not for lack of trying, minds you.” He grinned at the few times he had been able to put his hands on her, “But she’s pretty stubborn.”
The three shared in the chuckle at their girl being strong willed.
“Alright, then le’s all get some rest while we can,” Brett commanded, assuming he would be her second, and in the position to give orders.
The group awakened shortly before they landed at the airport in Miami, and Tori joined the three of them in the front section of seats, “Thanks, guys, I really needed that.” She smiled, noticing that they had taken advantage of the opportunity as well.
“So, where’s this place that we’re going to, exactly,” Enrique inquired with an exaggerated stretch.
“Fort Lauderdale,” she supplied. “Brian has a house there, which we’re going to borrow. I figure we can stay three days at most, but after that we need to move on. We don’t want to be found by anyone on the other side. I’m also concerned about how we’re going to contact Eli and Mason. Why couldn’t he give us his number?” she muttered the question, more or less, to herself.
“Having second thoughts about trusting him?” he probed.
Tori didn’t reply and shifted her gaze over at him as anger boiled up unexpectedly inside her. Drawing a deep breath to control it, she clenched her teeth, “Was I that convincing, back at the shop?”
His jaw dropped, “You means you don’t really trust him?”
Emitting a loud giggle, Tori looked over at her husband and shook her head. “We’ve had this conversation before, haven’t we, love. No, I don’t, but there wasn’t any need tipping him off to that fact, either. Not to mention that the other one, Mason Hunt, contacted me before we left for LA.”
“He did what?” Michael coughed loudly in surprise, sitting up straighter, “When the hell was this?” He rarely let the woman out of his sight, so he could hardly imagine them carrying on secret conversations.
“After Christmas, the day I was sick, and I left you guys in the lounge early in the evening. I snuck out the window and met him in a bar,” she confessed, not exactly proud of her actions.
Michael stared at her, his mind running through the particular night in question, until he arrived at the end of it. “And all the two of you did was talk, huh?”
She held her husband’s gaze, refusing the desire to look away, “Yeah, all we did was talk. He told me they were watching us, and that I was in danger.”
“And you didn’ think this was worth mentionin’?” Brett interceded.
Tori hung her head, the urge too great to ignore any longer. “What was I supposed to do, tell you guys that the Feds were tailing us and expected us to be attacked at any moment?”
“Wells it was pretty fucking irresponsible for you not to,” Enrique chimed in.
She looked up, her face drawn, on the verge of tears at having the three of them coming at her at once. “You know, you guys are free to go anytime you damn well please. I can handle this by myself. This was intended to be a one woman job to begin with.” Standing, she moved back to the second set of seats, taking one that faced the back of the plane.
The men of the group sat staring at one another for a full minute bef
ore Michael rose calmly. Making his way around to the back, he kneeled down in front of his bride. Laying his hand on hers with a gentle touch, he peered up into her crystal blue orbs, “The secrets stop here. You said it yourself; we can’t be effective if we can’t be respectful, and keeping things from each other isn’t conducive to that. As soon as we get to the house, we’re going to have a long conversation and clear the air.”
He took his place next to her, maintaining his hold on her while the plane landed. Gathering their gear, he carried her bag, as well as his own, refusing to relinquish his grip on her in the meantime. Catching a cab, they arrived at the house an hour later, and it occurred to him that no one had spoken since he made his little speech on the plane.
Allowing the two Scorpions to go up and choose rooms, Michael and Tori made their way to the kitchen to arrange for their dinner. Maria appeared surprised by their arrival, and even more so that the property’s owner had not been with them. However, she did her best to accommodate them, and began to prepare a meal for them to enjoy.
Making their way into the lounge, with its cheerful red furnishings ready to warm their spirits, they waited for the other two men, surrounded by a strained silence. As soon as they were ready, Michael dove in, “Ok, love; we need specifics on your meeting. And, I don’t want you to think I or we are angry at you,” he gave the pair a glare. “We haven’t been exactly honest with you either, so there’s no point in making accusations of any kind.”
Tori’s clear blue eyes opened wider at his admission. She had suspected their secrecy after the discussion the group had held in the shop before they left LA. “Alright,” she agreed in a submissive tone. “I might as well tell you. He caught me on my morning run. Said we needed to talk and gave me the location on a note.”
“After I got away from you guys,” she flicked her gaze between them nervously, “I met with him for less than an hour, then went back home. During the conversation, he told me that they fully expected The Organization to make a move against me. He also offered me a position on their team if I would agree to help them.” She could see her husband grow tense at the news.
A New Life Series - Finisher Set Page 50
