Storm Warning (12 page)

She would just throw
on a pair of cut off shorts, she
’d
thought as she’d paid for the suit
.

She found the perfect lot at a pet store where they could set up. She was able to talk the owner of th
e store into letting them use
part of the parking lot from nin
e to five the next day—and he agreed to let them use it for free.

Tory was high on luck as she walked out of another store. This time, she
’d
purchased three buckets, soap, sponges, and a water hose. She walked into the hotel parking lot when
and
spotted the
obnoxiously
red van that belonged to the Vikings.

With a muttered curse, she passed the van and the annoying
orange-
head
ed boy she detested emerged from the driver’s seat.

“Victoria Fairchild. What a surprise.
”

Tory halted and her shoulders instinctively stiffened at his tone.
His voice was like nails on a chalkboard. Her fists begged her to punch him in his pointy nose, but reason held them in check. Charlie would cheerfully file charges on her if she so much as flicked him.

“Charlie,
”
she said in
a
tone as
pleasant as
she could muster.

“Well, it’s been years. You look absolutely gorgeous. I knew you’d grow into your eyes.”

“If that’s a compliment,
thank you. Otherwise,
go to hell.” She gave him a brittle smile,
then turned to walk away.

“
Victoria,” he called her to a halt.

Grinding her teeth and shifting the heavy load around in her arms, Tory turned back to face
the slimy, no-good weasel. “What?”

“How’s my brother these days?”

“I wouldn’t know. I left Vance.” She brought her chin up and jerked her shoulder. “Maybe you should give him a call.”

He inch
ed
his was over to her. She felt the weight of the sacks in her arms
,
but
ignored the pain they caused
. Charlie Johnson was just like his ignorant brother
, she thought, bracing
.
She
prepared herself for anything.

“Why would
you
leave my brother?”

“It’s
not really any of your business. I
s it, Charlie?”

She turned to leave again
,
but Charlie’s hand locked ont
o her wrist in a vice-
like grip. She mashed
her teeth
together to keep from screaming—not from pain, but from his repulsive touch.

“Let go
of me, Charlie. Or so help me—”

“What the hell are you going to do? Vance told me what a two-timing whore you are. You can lie all you want
,
but he knows all about you and your affairs.”

“My—”
She was angry before, but anger couldn’t come close to the rage that boiled inside her. It surged, but she f
ought it back down. Anger wasn’
t the way to deal with Charlie or his brother. “I don’t give a
damn
what you think of me. I don’t care what Vance thinks of me
, either
.
It’s over and done, Charlie. Now
let go of me or I swear you’ll be sorry.”

He stared at her for several blazing seconds
,
then
his hand tightened on her wrist like a steel trap. She swore she felt bone grind sickeningly against bone before he
released her with a shove. Several bags went flying to the ground.

While she caught her breath, she
righted herself
and concentrated on picking
her supplies
up off the ground
.
Tears blurred her vision.

“You better watch yourself,
” Charlie warned silkily as she turned away.

Tory brought her chin up and fought to keep her voice steady. “Stay away from me and my team, Charlie. I would hate for you to bite off more than you can chew.
Your
brother obviously did.”

Tory turned quickly and stormed into the hotel. She felt her composure slipping.
Two more minutes
, she begged herself.
Get yourself to your room!

She felt the sting of tears
again and blinked them away, b
ut more were coming. She reached her door and hurriedly drew out her key.
It shook as she tried to slide it into the lock.

The key slipped from her trembling hands and she bit back a sob.

“Tory?” The concern in Gabe’s voice had her turning away quickly. She stared at the locked door of her hotel room and drew in a deep breath. He swiftly scooped the key
up
, opened the door, and pushed her inside.

He peeled the shopping bags from her
frozen
arms and tossed them aside. “What happened?”

She could only shake her head. This was her problem, she kept telling herself.
Don’t drag anyone into it.

“Tory, for God’s sake,
tell me what happened!”

“It’s nothing.” Her voice was steady and the trembling was already ceasing. She would be fine, she told herself tersely
. Get a grip!

“Then why are you shaking? And fighting tears?” He grabbed her arm in a firm but painless grip. “And where the hell did you get this?” He rubbed his thumb over the bruise that was already forming
on her wrist.

“I fell and I—”

“
Don’t lie to me,” h
e warned in a low, vibrating voice.

Tory swallowed and trained her gaze on Gabe’s shoulder.
So much strength there, she thought, but he never used it in the wrong way. He had more than physical strength though, and that’s what pushed her to tell him the truth. “Vance—”

“Vance is here? Where is he?” Gabe demanded.

“No! His brother is here and he hates me!” Tory exploded
in
a rush of breath
. “Vance lied about me and made me out to be some heartless tramp and
he
s-
said
that
he
left
me
.
And Charlie’s mad—r
eally mad at me!”

Gabe
’s jaw was locked so tight she wondered how his teeth didn’t crack
.
He gave her shoulders a light squeeze, reassuring her in a thousand different ways that everything was okay and he was there for her.
He grabbed a bottle of Coke from the refrigerator and wet dow
n a rag
. He brought both to Tory and sat down with her on the sofa.

“Wh
en and where did you see him?” h
e asked more calmly
. He applied the rag to her wrist, keeping his touch gentle
and thorough
. It felt
so
good to be touched by him.

Tory shook her head
at his question. “I don’t see how—”

“Tell me anyway.”

“
Right before I came in
. I ran into him
in the parking lot.
” She sighed and wrapped her fingers around the
cool
rag when he released her arm.

“Stay her
e,” h
e told her and rose.
The murder was still in his eyes when they met hers. She shivered, not out of fear, but out of the startling realization that she loved him. He was willing to fight her battles at the same time he was willing to hold a cold rag to her bruise.

She loved him and she couldn’t let him get hurt because of her.

“No, no! Gabe, where are you going?”
She
grabbed a hold of his arm and clung tight.

“G
et some rest. You’re white as a sheet.”

“No, you’re not going out there! Please don’t. Please, Gabe.” She begged, pleaded, and sobbed
,
but he was out the door with a slam.

Frantic, Tory ran out and knocked on Adam’s door. Before he could say a word, Tory yanked him out of the room by his shirt and was filling him in as they ran outside.
Visions of Gabe broken and bleeding punctured her mind. Compared to Gabe, Charlie was a weakling, but there were seven men—eight with Vance—on their team who wouldn’t have any qualms about ganging up on one man. Tory didn’t like the odds.

Gabe strolled back inside
just as Tory bounded down the last stair. He nodded at Adam
and caught
her cleanly
by the waste.

“Come on,” h
e said
,
pulling her in after him.

“What happened?”

“Charlie and I had a discussion.” He didn’t mention how the discussion ended with Charlie’s face on the pavement. He would just keep that
little detail
to himself for now
. He glanced back and saw Adam—
who
’d
o
bviously looked out the window—
possessing a knowing smile.
He followed behind them as they made their way to their rooms.

“S
orry for the trouble, Adam.”

Tongue in cheek, Adam said, “That’s all right.”

“What di
d you do?” Tory asked him again. He unlocked his door and ushered her inside. The muscles in his chest tightened almost painfully as she brushed by him. All his nerve endings were frayed as he savored the jolt of awareness.

“I already told you,” h
e said
,
shutting the curtains one by one with a jerk.

“What did you say?” Tory demanded as he crossed to room to her.

“Don’t worry about this now.”

“I
am
worried about this now.”

Gabe was wound—whether from spending the past week acting like a choir boy or from knocking Charlie’s face in, he didn’t know. He felt like a tightly coiled spring on the verge of spiraling out of control.

“
You feel
all right?”

“What?”

“Your cuts, the headache. Are you feeling okay?”

She shook her head, baffled. “I’m fine, Gabe. I’ve been fine. Why ar
en’t you answering any of my questions? I have a right to know what happened.”

“I’ve been waiti
ng to do this for days now.” His
voice
was rough and almost burned his throat. He pulled her up against him, searching her eyes—and finding the desire there—before bringing
his lips down
to
hers.

“And
this,” h
e said against her mouth and ripped the pins from her hair.
Her sharp intake of breath slammed into him like a microburst
.
Every beat of his heart echoed in his ears while the blood rushed through them. He ran his hand down to her back until
his
fingertips
encountered smooth skin.

She didn’t protest when he pulled her
shirt off
.
It slid to the floor along with her under-shirt and bra. Hungry to feel her skin against his, he worked the buttons
of
his shirt, watching her take in the sight of him. He liked her this way—d
azed and bewildered.

When he pulled her to him again,
he felt swallowed up by the heat
of her naked flesh against his. He strained for patience when he wanted to devour. Her breathing had quickened, coming in
soft pants. He took her mouth again and felt her hunger match his.

Then his hands were at her breast
s
as he cupped her. She moaned, deep and low in her throat
while his thumbs worked her nipples to straining peaks
. His mouth was there next
, tormenting her sensitive flesh. His tongue shot out and he traced, scraped, and sucked. When she was writhing against him, he abandoned her breast and trailed
his lips up the side of her neck. He felt her shiver and it drove him more.

She
ran
her hands up his chest, her slender fingers setting small fires along the way, until they dived in his hair. She brought her lips to his and he
kissed her greedily, drinking in her taste and knowing he’d never have enough. He picked her up, wrenching a small gasp from her.

“Gabe.”

There was uncertainty in her voice as she looked at him. He shifted her in his arms, caressing the tender skin on her ribs, and waited for her to continue. She bit her lip and tried a smile. “I don’t want you to think I’m like this with men. I’m not
usually like this
. I don’t sleep around.”