Plié (Lost Birds Book 2)

Part 15 Panic

"Hello Tao." Todd smirked at me as he spoke to Tao. He and another equally large man stood just inside of the garage. I shrank into Tao trying to get Todd's creepy eyes off of me.

"T. Ryder." Tao acknowledged. "What are you doing here?"

"We're looking for Sab." The other guy, Ryder, said. He gave me a quick once over but unlike Todd he focused primarily on Tao.

"He's not here." Tao said. He had his hands shoved in his pockets and he looked almost bored. If I hadn't been so close behind him I would have missed how tense his shoulders really were.

"Obviously. So, where's he at?" Ryder asked.

"How should I know?" Tao shrugged.

"He said he was meeting you at the shop." Ryder pointed up indicating that he was talking about the garage.

"Well we just got here. Maybe we missed him." Tao said.

"Yeah maybe..." Ryder said walking around Sab's car.

"To bad. He's missing out on a pretty hot show." Todd said still smirking at me.

Tao glanced at me out of the corner of his eyes. He shifted, leaning against the counter and successfully blocking Todd from my view completely. 

Tao's movement didn't go unnoticed.

"You got a problem man?" Todd asked.

"With you making my girl uncomfortable? Damn right I do." Tao said.

"Your girl..." Todd laughed.

"Did your girl tell you she's got some boyfriend. What was it you called him Story? Camden?" Todd said.

I cringed and Tao glanced at me over his shoulder again.

"Yeah I didn't think so..." Todd laughed. "Did you at least tell him how much fun we had the other day, Story?"

My stomach rolled with the reminder of what had happened the other day and I had to swallow just to keep my breakfast down.

"What?" Tao asked sharply.

"T..." Ryder warned.

"Tell him Story." Todd taunted.

I couldn't listen to any more. I hopped off of the work bench ignoring the jolt of pain it caused my shoulder. I wasn't sure where I was headed. I couldn't see through the tears that threatened to spill over. I didn't even know if there was another way out of this garage but I couldn't stick around and listen to Todd.

Tao didn't give me a chance to make a run for it. He caught my good arm and pulled me back against him. He wrapped his arms around me.

"You need to fucking leave." Tao's tone was deadly. He was furious and that only fueled my embarrassment and my fear.

It was getting difficult to breathe. I couldn't run away to find a safe place for this. I couldn't move. I was trapped in between Tao and the stupid work bench. I was trapped in the garage by Todd and his massive friend. The walls were closing in on me. With every breath I tried to pull in I felt like I was being squeezed tighter and tighter.

"You know all she talks about is sex, sex, sex. She's like a fucking nympho dude. Doesn't care where you are or what you're doing she's revved and ready to roll." Todd said. His voice sounded like it was coming in through a tunnel. A tunnel that was constricting every breath from my lungs.

"I said fucking leave." Tao seethed. He released me and moved toward Todd.

The sudden freedom should have eased the suffocating panic that had set in. I wasn't confined anymore. I was supposed to be able to breathe. I was supposed to be able to run. I couldn't do either. I could still feel Todd's hands on me. I could feel Stephan's. I couldn't escape any of it.

I hit my knees.

"Tori!" I heard Tao. I felt his hands pulling my hair aside as he tried to figure out what was happening. It didn't take him more than a couple seconds to realize what my problem was.

"Breathe!" He demanded. "Don't do this to me dulzura! You have to breathe."

A fraction of a breath came into my lungs and then another and another. They were short and fast. It wasn't enough. Spots were starting to dance across my vision. I tried to pull in more air. My breathing only seemed to come out faster and faster.

"No! No. No. No. NO!" Tao was saying. "You have to slow down sweetness. Please slow down!"

I couldn't. I needed air and the only air I could get was in the short swift pants I was already pulling in.

"Move." The command left no room for discussion.

I was lifted and adjusted so that I was sitting on my bottom with my back against someone's chest.

"Head between your knees." A hand cupped the back of my head and pushed until my head was between my knees.

"Baby, Slow Down." He ordered.

I held my breath. It was the only thing I could think to do to get a grasp on my breathing. I managed a gasp and then held my breath to keep from breathing too fast.

"Breathe Tori." Aydan ordered.

I gasped again. The air stung my throat and lungs. My eyes burned. When I let the breath go it came out with a horrible sob. I clamped my hand over my mouth and nose to stifle the noise which immediately cut off my air flow again.

Aydan's free hand shifted up and pried my hand away from my mouth. My body immediately sucked in a deep breath making the flames in my chest sear all the way up to my eyes. I pressed my lips together tightly, but it wasn't enough to fight off the tears. Within seconds I was crying with the awful gut-wrenching sobs I'd tried to avoid.

Aydan shifted my legs to rest over his and he wrapped his arm around me in comfort but he wouldn't give me back my hand. I crushed my face into his shoulder in my last attempt to cry quietly. It stifled some of the noise but it wasn't nearly as effective as my hand would have been.

Aydan's fingers shifted through my hair from roots to end again and again. He repeated the movement so often that I couldn't remember when I'd started focusing on the sensation instead of what had just happened. I wasn't even aware of when I had stopped crying.

"I'm sorry I red-lined I just didn't know what the hell to do." Tao said.

"You followed emergency protocol in an emergency situation." Aydan said.

"Did you green light the others?" Aydan asked.

His hand in my hair stilled but I was still able to focus on taking long slow breaths. I thought about opening my eyes. I needed to apologize to Tao but I was so tired. My entire body felt like it was full of lead and impossible to move.

"I did but they are still in route." Tao said.

"That's fine. We're overdue for a family meeting." Aydan said.

"Is she..." Tao's question trailed off as if he couldn't quite decide what to ask.

"She's conscious." Aydan said. "Let's take this inside and you can fill me in on what just happened."