Luke
The moment I stepped into the compound, I made a beeline to her room. I was concerned about Mattie's disappearance of course, but I needed to see our girl - to know she was going to be okay. I don't think I've ever wanted to kill someone before now. Gently opening her bedroom door, I stepped inside the darkened room and silently moved toward the bed. Her hair was strewn all over the pillow as her breath came through her slightly parted lips. Fuck, even with a bruised face, she was gorgeous. I sat down on the edge of the bed, trying not to disturb her.
"I smell chocolate on you, Kisses," she grumbled and winced as she tried to move.
"Hey, just lay still, beautiful. I'm sorry I woke you," I told her.
"It's okay, all I ever do is sleep. It's boring as fuck." A slight smile parted her lips and I reached out to touch her face carefully. "Not quite as pretty as last time you saw me," she grimaced.
"You look beautiful all the time to me, Tori," I said softly. Leaning forward, I pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Are you allowed out of bed, or would you rather meet the guys here?"
Her eyes opened wider, "Oh shit, you're all really here."
"Yeah, and a few bombshells along the way. Turns out Mattie's Nova is Emilio's long-lost little brother," I snorted, "One giant dysfunctional family." Tori frowned and muttered something to herself. "Hey, what was that look for?"
"He...he's not like him, is he? I mean, he won't hurt her like Emilio used to," she squeaked.
Now it was my turn to frown. "No, beautiful, Marc loves her and would never harm her. He's not a part of the cartel, well not yet I suppose. Honestly, I have no idea how it will all work out, but he won't hurt her." She seemed to relax at my words. "So here or there?"
"You might want to ask my warden," she giggled. "Are you all as overprotective as Owen?"
I raised my eyebrow and chuckled, "Well, usually that overprotectiveness is reserved for my little brother, North, but apparently you bring out the primal side of our fearless leader." That made her giggle more, then she winced. "I think you should stay in bed. Let me get someone that would love to help comb your hair and help you freshen up. He's the perfect person."
"Uh, okay."
I darted back down the hall and grabbed Gabe's arm, making him jump. "What the fuck, Luke? You scared the shit out of me!"
"Oh, come on, it wasn't that bad, besides, I have a little side mission for you," I smiled and he quirked his lips, then followed me back to Tori's room. I knocked softly.
"Come on in, Kisses. I'm decent," her voice came through the door. Gabe's eyes looked like saucers as he gulped.
I pushed the door open and him inside. "Tori, this is Gabe. Gabe, this is Tori."
"Woah, what is it with you guys and the eyes," she muttered. "Hey, baby blues!"
"Um, hi," Gabe said meekly. Damn, I've never seen him so shy around, well, anyone before.
"So I thought you might be able to help Tori get cleaned up before she meets everyone. Her, um, bandages keep her kinda limited," I explained.
His eyes zeroed in on the heavy bandages that peeked through her nightgown now as well as the bruises on her face and he growled. Tori's eyes went wide and she scooted back, wincing. His demeanor instantly softened, "I'm sorry, Belle. I didn't mean to scare you. It just infuriates me to see you hurt." He took a tentative step forward. "If you'll allow, I would love to help you comb your hair and feel more comfortable." She nodded hesitantly, so I quickly offered to stay. While Gabe combed out her hair, I found a long, loose button-up shirt to help cover her.
"Do you feel better, Belle?" he asked her as he handed her a mirror.
"Damn, you did good, blue eyes," she grinned.
He gave her a genuine smile, "It's easy when the model is already beautiful." Her cheeks blushed as she lowered her chin. He placed a finger under it and lifted gently, "Never hide from us, Tori. You are far too beautiful and strong to hide. The fact that you are sitting here is a testament to your strength." Her tongue darted across her lips as she stared up at him. "I'm going to kiss you now, Belle," he said, then leaned down and ran his tongue across her lips before kissing her gently. She let out a soft moan against his mouth and I felt myself getting hard. Fuck, my head filled with so many images of the three of us...
When he pulled back, her eyes were glassy and her cheeks even more flushed. "Perfection," he whispered before standing up. "I'll let the others know you're ready to see them."
After he left, she turned to me and gaped, "What the hell do they do in America to create you people?"
I laughed, "Oh beautiful, this is just the beginning. You're ours Tori and we are going to spoil you in every way we know how."
Nate
My mind had been working overtime from the moment Owen had called. I kept kicking myself for not dealing with that bastard the night of the Gala. I recognized the possessive and demented look on his face - Carlos looked like my own father had all those years ago when he would beat me. Those types of people didn't know what love looked like, they only knew how to use and abuse people while twisting it to look like they cared. They manipulated the hearts of those who desperately wanted love and left them hollow, only filled with hurt and trust issues. It took me a lot of years of therapy to realize my pattern of self-sabotage in relationships all stemmed from my inability to believe someone could really love me without an ulterior motive.
When Gabe came into the room with a huge grin and crooked his finger at us, we all slipped out quietly while Marc and Cardoza had their mini-family reunion. Just before we reached her door, he stopped, "She's pretty banged up, but in good spirits. Don't dwell on it, and don't get too fucking overbearing. I tensed about the bruises and she instantly pulled away. I can't imagine how it would impact her for several or all of us to fucking do that." We nodded and made nonverbal agreements before he lightly knocked and we stepped into the room.
Luke was sitting on the bed with her, holding her hand and talking as she looked at him with rapt attention. She turned and gave us as wide a smile as her busted lip would allow, "Hey, nice to finally put names and faces together in person."
Moving closer, I leaned down and kissed the top of her head, "Hey, cariño. I've missed you."
Tori giggled, "You saw me for what all of five or ten minutes, Red? How can you really miss me?"
"Oh, sweetheart, that was more than enough time to know," I grinned and brushed my thumb across the uninjured part of her lip. "Wanna look the rest of them in the eye and tell me they don't already know as well - even the two you have yet to meet before now?" Her eyes widened as she looked at all of us. I could see the struggle in her head - almost hear the thoughts that mirrored my own so long ago. She doubted us. If we wanted her, then we would have to fight her own inner monologue, her inner demons, and we couldn't take it personally when she withdrew - and she would, over and over again until she realized our commitment was real.
Kota gave a laugh, "Hey sweetheart." She gave him a return smile as he stepped over and kissed her cheek softly. "So this is Silas, and this is North."
They both waved and stepped closer to her. "Hey Kisses, you're little brother isn't so little," Tori snickered.
North huffed and rolled his eyes, "He's always doing that. I mean we're only like sixteen months apart."
"It still counts," Luke chimed in.
"Don't get Corey and Brandon started on their four-minute difference," Victor laughed. "Brandon holds it over Corey's head all the time."
"Those are Mattie's men, right?" she asked.
"Yes, they're meeting with Emilio right now," Silas said.
"I'd like to meet them," she said. "Do you think you all could help me?" It was like a bunch of clowns trying to fit in a small car the way we bumbled over each other moving to help her up. North steadied her as Gabe slid a loose pair of pants on, but you couldn't really tell with the long shirt they had already put on her.
She winced when Kota scooped her up and he quickly apologized, "Sorry sweetheart."
"It's okay, Kota," she sighed as she leaned into his chest and we headed toward the room where the Toma men were still gathered with Cardoza, Owen, and Sean. We had only been in the room a few moments when there was a knock at the door and Alberto answered it. He came back, his hands shaking. "It's from Carlos," he said, holding the package out to Cardoza. He took it with shaking hands and opened it gingerly. Inside was a piece of paper, smudged with what looked like blood and a disc.
Cardoza cringed as he read it aloud.
"Not my best work, but I had to make do with limited resources. At least Devil's Breath is common enough. We want the girl - even trade. An exchange location will come with the next video. Enjoy the show, boss."
"You may not want to see this, Tori," Axel said to her.
She scoffed, "Nothing personal, ponytail, but I've lived it for years. I need to see what he's done to her. Hell, I might be the only one in the room that can tell you how severe it is or isn't."
Damn, she's one tough girl, and she's ours - now we just have to make her believe it. Victor placed the connection on the overhead screen so we could see. None of us were prepared for what we were about to see.
Author's Notes: A brief introduction for her and all the guys.
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