All Chapters of Torin-Shattered: Way Down We Go (Part 1): Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

Days passed and I’d begun to think maybe Tannin was right and Torin had been nothing more than a pain-induced dream. Or maybe it was just me missing him. But if he hadn’t been real then I had one whopper of an imagination. Every nuance, every movement, even his intoxicating smell had been too fucking real. Painfully real. He was the devil, aptly named by his brothers. I’d been in Hell since I’d first caught sight of him all those years ago. I don’t know that I believe in love at first sight, but the feeling that had gone through me had been as close as what one could come to describing it as such.My dad had picked me up from school, the bike’s engine rumbling like a beast outside the school gates. It was the first time he’d ever done that, and the whispers of the other kids had been like a siren's call to the rebellious spirit I didn’t even know I had. I straddled the bike, feeling the leather of the seat stick to the bare skin below my shorts and the heat of the engine seep through t

Tannin’s voice brought me out of my memories, as sitting beside me, her eyes filled with concern, she asked, "You okay?"Nodding, I swiped at a tear that cruised its way down my cheek. "Yeah. Just haunted by some old memories."Her hand found my shoulder and she gave it a gentle squeeze. "Here, lay back," she urged, fluffing the pillows behind me with her free one. "You need to rest."With a sigh, I laid back on the pillows, allowing them to envelope me like a warm hug. "What if...." I began, then shook my head, allowing the words to trail off. Too many questions to voice. What if Torin really was alive? Why now? Why, after a year of absence, did he come back?Tannin sat down on the edge of the bed, and taking my hand, she murmured, "For now, rest. You're in no kind of shape to figure any what-if's. Heal first, answers after, okay?"I knew she was right, and that worrying myself over something I couldn't say wasn't a dream, was not doing myself any favors. But the possibility Torin was

I stared at the empty space where Torin had been. If what he said was true, then I was in deeper trouble than I had realized. This wasn't just about some stolen money as Lucien had claimed; it was about family bloodlines and vengeance.As the door to my room creaked open, I pretended to sleep, my breathing shallow and even. Soft footsteps approached my bed, and I peeked through my lashes, seeing Tannin. She looked exhausted, as leaning over me she tucked the edge of my blanket in a little more securely."How you doing? You need anything? Something to eat? Drink?" she asked.I shook my head, tempted to telling her about Torin visiting again, but for some reason I held my tongue.Her hand hovered for a moment longer before standing, she murmured, "Just holler if you change your mind," then retreated, closing the door softly behind her.After she'd left, I lay for hours, thinking about Torin's visit and listening to the sounds about the apartment; the low volume of the tv. The hum of air

Without another word, I turned and walked away. Before I made it to the door, Torin grabbed my arm. “Dammit, Marlowe—” he began but I cut him off.“Don’t you fucking dare try to find some excuse to make what you've done sound better!” I shouted.“I’m not,” Torin breathed quietly.We stared at each other, the space between us a battlefield of unspoken words, unspoken feelings. His grip tightened, not painfully, but enough to assert his presence. Without looking at him, I wrenched my arm away and finished making my way to the door.As I reached for the doorknob, my hand trembled slightly. The smell of his aftershave, faint and intoxicating, circled around me, and for a moment, I was lost in the memory of our past—his touch, his kiss, the way he'd made me feel. But that was before. Before the lies. The betrayal.I jerked it open and stepped into the night. The door swung shut behind me, a final act of defiance and I strode toward LadyBug, my eyes stinging with unshed tears, leaving me fee

Carlos laughed, a harsh, brittle sound that echoed through the empty space. "You think Hell would want either of us? There is a far darker place for people like you and me.""That may be so, Uncle," I stated sarcastically, "But I know what's on this," I told him, gesturing toward the thumb drive, "and I know how badly you want it. So, let's make a deal."The silence between us was deafening as we stared at one another. Then, with a nod, Carlos gestured to the table in the center of the room. "Let's see what you got."When we approached the table, I pulled the USB out, placing it on the table's surface. "This is everything you need to take down your enemies," I told him. "Now tell me you’ll back your goons off Marlowe."Carlos’s smile grew wider. "Ah, the lovely Marlowe. My son says she’s quite fetching," he said, his eyes glinting.My fingers curled inwardly, the urge to pull my gun strong, but I held back, I wanted the mother-fucker dead. But I needed to know Marlowe would be safe be