Shannon didn’t break into tears as she stepped into Tori’s clinging embrace, she didn’t shake or squirm, her entire body felt cold, and stiff to the touch. Hair dishevelled, and her sensual bottom lip torn and bleeding, she looked awful, but tears were tearing forth from Tori, harsh guttural sobs of relief clawing their way from her slender throat. For long moments, both girls stood, clinging to each other in a vortex of lies and misunderstandings.
“Are you okay?” Tori whispered, and Shannon nodded in response, “What happened?”
Shannon looked into her eyes, sensing the question there, and shook her head. She didn’t want to talk about it, couldn’t in fact, she wasn’t hurt, but each and every scar had been ripped open inside her over the past four hours, and the overwhelming numbness was far too tempting to turn away from. She wouldn’t relive any of it for the world.
Nate dropped a thick woollen blanket around Shannon’s shoulders, trying to soothe her even as she flinched from his unexpected touch, “Come on, Tor, let her sit down now, I think she needs to get settled first.” And he guided both girls to the sofa, as Jayden poured a few fresh glasses of Scotch.
*************************************
“No, she wasn’t hurt in the club. Tony said she was badly shaken up, but not really physically hurt. One of Sebastienne’s guys had smacked her about a bit, which is why her face is cut up, but Seb was more interested in toying with her, playing cat and mouse so to speak. Turns out, he has a little thing for her, recognised her from her work, and ...” Nate centred himself with a deep breath, rubbing his temples and closing his eyes in a meditative reflection.
Tori twisted the hem of her oversized t shirt around her fingers, listening to her brother relay the events of the past few hours or so. Shannon was asleep, curled up in a foetal position on the sofa, and Nate was trying to fill the two of them in before she woke up.
“I don’t get it, why ...? But they never hurt her physically?”
“No babe, Sebastienne didn’t anyway. Tony called just as one of his men was watching a scene unfold in the club. Sebastienne was following her around Tourniquet all night, it prompted Capper to run a check on her with Franchetti.”
Jayden gasped quietly, “And Franchetti ...”
Nate gave a grim nod in response, “Obviously knows exactly who she is by her connection with me.”
A small frown furrowed Tori’s manicured brow, “I don’t get it, if Franchetti doesn’t know who I am, how does he know Shannon? This is so confusing!”
Their eyes met across the marble topped island counter, he studied her for long, drawn out moments, a world of secrets still playing behind his gaze. “I know you’ve heard it a lot lately, but later, I promise. It’s just, I think Shannon needs to hear it,” he dragged his hands through his military cropped dark hair, running his palms over the stubble, “Fuck, I mean, I think it’s too late for anything else, but an explanation is well overdue for her sake.”
YOU ARE READING
Puppet Master
General FictionGRAPHIC and EXPLICIT! Tori's been in love with Jayden since she was twelve years old, but he's pulled away at every turn. Doubts, insecurities, and certain, ahem, preferences have been convincing him that she's the kind of girl t...
