Wont back down bro code.., p.17
Won't Back Down (Bro Code Book 3), page 17
James sighed and released his death grip on the door.
“Ryan, go home and—”
That split second of letting his guard down was all it took for Ryan to slam his weight into the door, sending James off-balance and stumbling back into the apartment.
Ryan rushed through the doorway. “We’re cousins. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”
James saw the vodka bottle swinging at his head, but didn’t get his hands up quick enough to block it.
The sound of breaking glass mixed with pain before everything blurred into darkness.
Chapter Twenty-One
Tori paced the bedroom, listening to the two voices arguing at the front door.
She’d sent Kris a message, asking her and Blake to come over in case things got bad, and they were only about a seven-minute drive away.
Ryan’s voice grew closer now.
The bastard was in the apartment.
Faintly, she heard the sound of glass breaking, followed by a thud.
What the hell?
She pressed her hand to her mouth to stifle a cry, her pulse thundering. Staring at the closed bedroom door, she willed James to open it and walk in.
But there was only silence and heavy, lumbering footsteps moving around. Had he done something to James?
She glanced around for any kind of weapon and settled on the burly-looking Iron Man coffee mug.
Keep calm, Tori. You’ve lived through too much to be the hysterical type.
With a deep breath in, she cradled the mug in her hand casually, like she was just drinking coffee, opened the bedroom door and stepped out into the hall.
The first thing she saw was James crumpled on the floor. Blood trickled down the side of his head.
Her whole world tilted and fear like she’d never experienced hit her. It gripped her heart and shredded her stomach.
James. Oh, god, James.
“Victoria?” Ryan’s voice registered from where he stood off to the side. “I should’ve known you’d be here.”
She tightened her grip on the mug, already planning on how she’d smash his face with it if needed.
Stay calm. Sound casual.
“Knocking out your cousin isn’t very nice, Ryan.”
“He’s fine. But, yeah, I shouldn’t have done it.” He scowled. “Now my vodka is all gone. You got any alcohol?”
“I think you’ve had plenty.” She walked to James and knelt to check on him. His pulse was steady, and his eyelids showed movement beneath.
The relief nearly brought her to tears. Her gaze drifted to the glass shards from the partially broken bottle of vodka that was near his head.
“All of this started because of you, you realize that? You’re trash.” He slowly stumbled toward her. “You think my cousin loves you? You’re the rebound.”
She rose and backed away from him. “Oh, are you giving me relationship advice now? This is fun.”
“You’re nothing but a shiny new toy to him right now,” Ryan went on. “Yeah, you’re hot and probably fun in bed, but it’ll never last long term. James is a nice guy who’s going to settle down with a nice girl. Someone from a good family like his own.”
She wanted the words to roll off her—he was drunk and rambling—but they had little barbs that hooked under her skin.
“He’ll want someone who’s not just a pretty face, but who looks good on paper too.” Ryan waved his hand in the air. “Not someone who got paid to play video games half-naked, while guys jerked off. You’re a smart girl. You must instinctively understand all this.”
She did. They were all the little insecurities and fears she’d tried so hard to talk herself out of. And Ryan was tapping right into them.
Where the hell were Blake and Kris? Her gaze slid to James again. Relief spread through her when she saw him start to stir.
“You need to leave, Ryan.”
“Don’t tell me what I should fucking do.”
He rushed her before she could even think about smacking him with the mug. That whole sloppy drunk thing had given her a false sense of safety.
His hand closed around her throat. “You made me lose my job today, bitch. You had my own cousin turn on me.”
Before fear could kick in, she spotted James over his shoulder.
“Out of all the women I’ve had to resort to with these tactics, why were you the hardest?” His gaze slid over her. “You were basically a college whor—”
His words ended on a gurgle as he crumpled to the ground. James stood behind him, still bleeding, with a lamp clutched in his hand.
The air rushed back into her lungs, and she let out a cry of relief. James dropped the lamp and pulled her into his arms.
“Are you okay?” He hugged her tight, stroking a hand down her back.
“Yes.” A little numb.
“God, when I saw him grab you by the throat.” James’s eyes flashed with rage.
“I need to get my phone.” Tori lowered her gaze. “I’m calling the police before this jerk comes to. I’ll check out your injury in a second.”
She eased out of his embrace and went to make the call. While she was on the line, she heard Kris and Blake arrive in the other room.
By the time she’d ended the call and stepped back into the living room, Kris was wide-eyed.
“Oh my god, Tori. What even happened?” her friend choked out. “My cousin did this?”
“Yeah, he’s a real charmer.”
“No, he’s an asshole and always has been. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, really. Your brother might not be.”
Tori hadn’t had a chance to see the wound up close, and her stomach roiled at how bad it could be. The image of the blood and broken glass was still fresh in her mind.
Since Blake was guarding Ryan—who appeared mostly conscious and sulking now—she went to tend to James.
He was near the sink, blotting the side of his head with a wet paper towel.
“Here, let me.” She took it from him and gently pushed the dark hairs back off his temple to check out the injury.
She pursed her lips and pulled a sliver of glass from his hairline, then carefully blotted the wound.
“I don’t think it’ll need stitches,” Blake offered from across the room. “But it should be cleaned up and have some Steri-Strips put on there. Once the police arrive to arrest this jerk, I can run to my truck and grab my first aid bag.”
God bless off-duty paramedics.
“I’m the jerk?” Ryan laughed like it was the funniest thing on the planet. “These two made me lose my job. A lawyer who couldn’t pass the bar and a former stripper took me down.”
“Stripper?” Kris harrumphed. “Nice try.”
“You didn’t know?” Ryan grinned. “Oh, yeah. Your bestie here used to get paid to play video games naked.”
“What?” Kris glanced toward Tori, her eyes round. “That’s not true. Is it, Tori?”
Tori’s heart sank. So much for keeping that in the bag. “There’s a lot we need to catch you up on.”
“Ryan, you just don’t know when to stop.” James walked over to the couch. “You’ll be lucky if all those women at the firm don’t file a lawsuit. And now you’ve added assault to your resume.”
“Ah, fuck you all. And don’t worry. Since you were so quick to ruin my life, I figured I’d return the favor, James. I told your parents, my aunt and uncle, all about Tori and her hobbies.”
The sick feeling in Tori’s stomach started to bloom like toxic algae. Ryan had aired her dirty laundry to the whole Watson family? To Kris and James’s parents, who she adored and had always wished could be her own.
Fortunately, she was saved from replying by the arrival of the police.
After Tori gave her statement to the officers, she glanced around at the disarray. There was broken glass, blood, and a broken lamp on the usually tidy apartment floor.
Blake was cleansing and closing James’s wound. Kris was talking to one officer while the other hauled a belligerent Ryan out the door in handcuffs.
It was utter chaos.
And it’s your fault.
As much as she didn’t want to believe it, the dark voice in her head was winning.
James didn’t deserve this. He was a good guy, who came from a good family. Ryan was right about that. Maybe he’d been right about a lot of things.
Like . . . James probably didn’t love her. Sure, he liked her. But love? Not as much.
Which was unfortunate, because when she’d seen him lying on the floor injured, it’d been all too clear what he meant to her. What it would mean if she ever lost him.
The urge to cross the room and move Blake aside so she could tend to her man was strong.
She wanted to be in his embrace again and never leave. To feel his strong arms around her and his heart beating. To reassure herself he was fine, and that she was too. To know that they’d always be there for each other.
If that wasn’t love, she couldn’t fathom what the emotion could actually be.
She swallowed against the lump in her throat and bit her lip to hold back any tears.
But was it selfish to try and make a place for herself in his life? His future was a wide-open highway, and with her history and baggage, she’d only be a roadblock.
Maybe loving James meant she had to let him go. Cut herself free, because she was the anchor that would always weigh him and his career down.
Tori went to the bedroom to grab her purse and keys.
When she came back, the officer was taking James’s statement, and Kris and Blake were talking in the corner with their backs to her.
Using their distraction as cover, she slipped past them and out of the apartment.
*
This was déjà vu.
How was this happening again?
James dropped his phone on the bed and let out a guttural yell.
His stomach was in knots and his heart ached like Ryan had broken a bottle there instead of over his head.
Tori had disappeared. Somehow left his apartment when no one noticed and vanished.
It’d been twenty-four hours, and she wasn’t answering calls or texts. She hadn’t even shown up at work this morning.
She wasn’t at her apartment. He’d already checked. Kris had tried to find her on the location-sharing app, but she’d turned it off.
Tori had vanished and clearly had no intention of being found.
Even though he was mentally and physically exhausted, he couldn’t give up trying to find her.
Maybe he’d drive to her apartment again and see if she’d returned.
James had just grabbed his keys when there was a knock at the door.
He stilled, hoping like hell it was her, but not overly optimistic.
With a deep breath in, he opened the door and blinked in shock.
“Hey,” she said softly. “Can I come in?”
“Tori.” He breathed her name, then stepped back to let her inside. “Yeah, come in.”
She gave him a small smile and stepped into his apartment. Her eyes were red and had bags under them. She seemed just as exhausted as he was.
“Are you okay?” He shut the door behind her. “I’ve been worried to death about you.”
“I know, and I’m sorry.” She went to sit on the couch.
The fact that she hadn’t touched him—no hug or kiss—sent a sliver of unease down his spine. Actually, she seemed to be doing her damndest to keep a bit of distance between them.
“Come sit down.” She gestured to the spot next to her. “We should talk.”
The unease grew even as he sat down next to her.
“I called in to work and told Grace I needed a mental health day after all the Ryan stuff. She was more than understanding.”
“Probably because she thinks you’re going to sue us.”
Tori pressed her lips together and shook her head. “I’m not going to hold the entire firm responsible for one asshole.”
It would be understandable if she did.
“So, with my day off, I took a road trip to Spokane.” She lifted her gaze and met his. “I wanted some time to think and some time to see the house.”
“What? I would’ve gone with you, so you didn’t have to go alone. That’s some heavy stuff.”
“I know you would’ve.” She touched his arm and gave it a soft squeeze. “You’re amazing that way.”
Her touch felt almost platonic. Like a teacher reassuring a child.
You’re overthinking this, James. She’s clearly just had an emotional last twenty-four hours.
“Did you change your mind about selling it?”
“No. I’m still selling it.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and shook her head. “I just wanted to go inside and see if I could feel any of his lingering presence, or get an idea of who he was. But there was nothing. It was just a house. I know it sounds kind of weird, but it’s just something I had to do.”
“I understand.”
This all felt off. Their whole dynamic had shifted. Was he imagining it?
“You’ve had a long day.” He rose. “How about I make us some dinner—”
“Wait, James.” She caught his arm and pulled him back down. “I’m not staying for dinner.”
His pulse quickened. “Okay. Do you have something else going on?”
“No.” She swallowed hard and her gaze dropped, but not before he’d seen the flash of sadness in her eyes. “This is actually my last stop of the night.”
He was a stop?
“I wanted to bring you back the things you left at my apartment.”
This couldn’t be good.
James accepted the plastic bag he hadn’t even realized she was carrying.
He glanced inside and saw a couple shirts, boxers, and toiletries he’d kept there.
His heart picked up.
“Tori . . .”
“There’s no easy way to do this.” She wouldn’t meet his eyes now. “But I think it’s time to end this relationship.”
The air sucked from his lungs and his head went light. Dimly, he was aware of his head shaking in denial.
“Why are you doing this, Tori? We’re perfect for each other.”
She made a soft sound that was half-laugh, half-sob before she drew in an unsteady breath.
“Well, you’re pretty perfect for me, James, but I think you’re getting the short end of the stick in return.”
“No way,” he said fiercely. “Tori, you are an incredible woman. I know you’re upset, but you can’t just throw walls up like this.”
“I’m not doing it for me. I’m doing it for you. I’m always going to be a disappointment to you and your family.”
“No. You’re so completely wrong.”
“I’m not. I saw the way Kris looked at me when she realized what I’d done. I can only imagine how your parents reacted when Ryan told them.”
“They’re not judgmental assholes, and Kris was just blindsided because you have no secrets. She literally just told me this.”
Tori blinked and seemed to hesitate. Then she shook her head. “But what if you want to be a partner at the firm someday? Or maybe even a judge. I’m not the type of woman you want to be shackled to.”
“You are. Please, get those crazy thoughts out of your head and stop treating yourself like you’re the shit on the bottom of my shoe.”
She flinched and looked away. “James, correct me if I’m wrong, but until me, the only woman you’d ever been with was Hannah.”
“That has nothing to do with it.”
“Can’t you just admit that it’s entirely possible you’re just rebounding with me?”
“Tori, I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you.”
She froze, and he could see it then. The flicker of hope in her eyes. Before it was quickly snuffed out.
“No, you aren’t. Maybe I’m different and exciting, and that’s giving you all kinds of endorphins you haven’t had in a while. But it’s not love.”
He let her words sink in and really thought about them for a moment before deciding they were total crap. But she must’ve taken his hesitation for agreement.
“I’m going to go now.” She rose from the couch. “I’m so sorry about everything with Ryan and causing all this drama with your family.”
She was apologizing? Why the hell was she apologizing?
“Tori.” He caught her arm when she moved to walk past him. “Wait.”
“What more is there to say?”
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her, because that’s what he needed to say. To show her everything that they had to fight for.
For a moment, he began to fear she’d completely given up. Her body was still in his embrace, but she didn’t kiss him back.
And then she made the softest sigh before she responded. She leaned into him, her tongue finding his and slowly stroking. Responding to him like she never wanted to stop.
Then she did. She broke the kiss and stepped back, pressing her hands against his chest.
“Thank you for that sendoff. I’ll treasure it.”
His heart splintered, and panic seared through him.
“Tori, please don’t leave.”
“You’re going to do amazing things in life, James.” Her voice broke slightly. “I just won’t be the woman beside you when you do.”
And then she walked out.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Why hadn’t she quit her job before breaking up with James?
Oh right, because of the whole paycheck thing.
Tori took another sip of coffee, hoping that it would miraculously heal the heartache and discomfort of working in the same office as him.
Nothing helped, though. There was no magic pill to make her stop loving him overnight. But, damn, she could imagine the potential profits if there had been one.
Next life goals.
What hurt the most was he hadn’t acknowledged her at the office since the breakup. Not even a wave when he’d walked by the HR department.
Though, being that it had only happened yesterday, it was probably still too fresh. His pride had to be hurt. Even if he’d looked totally fine and cheerful, talking with the other lawyers and laughing at lunch.
