Break Me (Shattered)

by Jo-Anna Walker

  “Oh ,Tori. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to make you cry. I’m such an ass.” She quickly wrapped her arms around me, and I sobbed into the crook of her neck.

  “No, it’s not your fault.” I hiccupped.

  Keisha held onto my shoulders and looked down at me. “I’m going to take some time off of work and come stay with you for a bit. Think your mom would mind?”

  I wiped under my eyes. “No, not at all.”

  The phone rang a second later, and I jumped, heart beating against my chest. Looking at the call display, I answered the phone. “Hello, Brett.”

  Keisha continued packing up my things and I rose from the bed, wincing.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Oh yeah, just peachy.” I rolled my eyes and sniffed, fighting back fresh tears. Let’s see how many times we could get Tori to cry in a day.

  “I am sorry about everything, Tori.”

  I sighed. “It’s not your fault. Stop apologizing for something you didn’t do.”

  “Well, I should have protected you.”

  I frowned. “What are you talking…”

  “I’m taking you home to your mom’s. Keisha is going too?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay, I’ll be there in ten minutes.” He hung up and I huffed, slamming my phone down on the table in frustration.

  Keisha turned to me. “What?”

  “Nothing, I’m just…God, I’m sick of fucking crying,” I yelled as tears leaked from my eyes and travelled down my cheeks.

  She quickly walked to me and grabbed me before I fell to my knees. “Shhh…it’s okay. Let it out. It’ll take some time for you to not cry so much.”

  “I just want the pain to stop. I can’t deal with this.”

  “Shh…it doesn’t happen that quickly, darling. I’m so sorry. If I could take some of the pain for you, I would.”

  I cried in her arms as she rocked us back and forth. “I’m so sorry.”

  “What for?”

  “For crying all over your shirt.”

  She lightly chuckled. “You can cry all over my shirt for as long as you need.”

  I laughed and then sniffed. “I think I’m going to have to stock up on tissues.”

  I stood on wobbly legs, and my breath hitched as pain poked me in the side. It wasn’t anything too major, but it still throbbed.

  “Did the nurse give you anything for the pain?”

  “Uh…yeah.” I quickly looked away and ran my hands down my face.

  “Tori.”

  “What?” I turned back to Keisha and her eyebrows rose, suspicion written on her face.

  My phone rang again, and I grumbled, picking it up. “Brett, seriously, you didn’t have to hang up on me.”

  “Sorry, cochina. It isn’t Brett.”

  I gasped, fingers of fear gripping my spine. “Jose.”

  “Fuck.” Keisha swore and went to her purse, grabbed her phone.

  “Just because you’re leaving the city doesn’t mean I won’t find you again.”

  My stomach dropped. “Fuck you, Jose, and don’t you ever fuck…”

  A deep chuckle came through the phone. “Oh, cochina, I’ve always loved your candid language, but you really haven’t fucking learned anything about me at all, have you?”

  I gulped and leaned against the wall, sliding to the floor. “Please, just leave me alone. You got what you wanted. Sebastian is…” I swallowed. “He’s dead.”

  He laughed. “Yes, he is now, isn’t he? About time, too. Do you know how it felt to take his fucking life? To watch him die in your arms, knowing that very soon, you’d be mine?”

  A sob escaped my lips. “Fuck you, asshole. You got what you wanted, now—”

  “No! You listen to me you little bitch, I do not have everything I want. I told you that I want you, so I am going to get you. I am a very determined and very stubborn man. I will have you. And this time, there will be no one to save you. You’ll be stuck with me for life.”

  “Why, why do you want me so bad? I don’t understand.” Fear burned in the pit of my belly.

  “Because I fucking said so! I don’t need a fucking reason, do I? But since you’re asking, I’ll give you one. Now that Sebastian is out of the picture, I still need you for leverage.”

  I frowned. “Leverage?”

  “You’ll find out soon enough, cochina. Have fun living with your mom. Remember, I will fucking find you.”

  I threw the phone across the room and sobbed into my hands, leaning my head against my knees. Arms wrapped around me, and I returned the embrace.

  A throat clearing from the door made both of us look up. A large man dressed in a well-tailored suit stood at the door. He was tanned with blond crew-cut hair and bright blue eyes. He looked like he’d just walked off the set of a movie. He was beautiful but not to be taken lightly with dominance and superiority radiating off him.

  “Garrith?”

  I frowned and turned to Keisha. “This is Garrith?”

  Her cheeks turned rosy, and I looked back at Garrith.

  “Hello, Keisha.” His voice was smooth, lowering when he greeted her.

  His deep blue eyes were kind when they flashed back to mine. “Tori, I’m Garrith Jameson. I’m with the FBI.”

  Chapter 28

  Keisha gasped. “You’re what?”

  “Okay…I…”

  “You’re with the FBI?” Her voice rose.

  “Keisha.” I placed a hand on her arm, but she shrugged it off. She obviously didn’t know about Garrith’s job. Seems like they had more secrets between the two of them than Sebastian and I had.

  Rising to her full height, she walked up to Garrith and punched him in the stomach.

  My eyes widened.

  He grunted and grabbed her wrist as she went to punch him again. “Keisha, stop.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Keisha, I couldn’t.”

  My head was reeling, and my heart pounded in my ears. “Stop!”

  They both turned to me.

  “Please, just tell me what the hell is going on.”

  Garrith turned to Keisha. “You can stay, but you have to keep your mouth shut or else I’m throwing you out.”

  Keisha’s lips tightened, and then a moment later she sighed. “Fine.”

  He grabbed her arm, spinning her toward him, and whispered something in her ear. Her back went ramrod straight as he pulled her against him. “Garrith,” she said breathily.

  He let her go a moment later, and sexual tension filled the room as she walked back to my bed.

  Walking over to me, she grabbed my hand, helping me to my feet. I looked between the two of them. Garrith was calm and collected, acting like nothing had happened. Clearly they had a thing. How serious it was, I didn’t know, but I could see the attraction and the affection they felt for each other. Jealousy curled in my stomach, and I shook away the feeling. I wasn’t going to let my unhappiness and misfortune ruin what my friend had.

  Keisha and I both sat on the edge of the bed as Garrith pulled up a chair. Her cheeks were flushed, and her hands were shaky. I looked at her curiously, and she slowly shook her head.

  “I’ll tell you later,” she responded.

  “I need to tell you some things before I start asking questions,” Garrith stated, interrupting my thoughts.

  Keisha held onto my hand and squeezed it in reassurance. I swallowed. “Okay.”

  Garrith seemed to think a moment before continuing. “As you must know already, Jose Alvarez is not someone to be taken lightly.”

  I scoffed. “That’s an understatement if I ever heard one.”

  He went on, ignoring my commentary. “He’s made his name known in the criminal world. At first by dealing drugs, and then he moved onto armory.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Jose is an arms dealer, and he also…moves things and…” He flipped through the folder in his hand. “Among other things, sexual assault being one of them.”

&nb
sp; I swallowed hard. “Oh…k…”

  “Tori, Jose deals guns, ammo, grenades…you name it. He’ll get his hands on it and sell it. This is much bigger than some petty drugs,” Garrith explained.

  I frowned. “Okay. Well…what do you mean that he moves things too?”

  “I can’t go into too much detail over that, but let’s just say, anything that needs to be shipped…doesn’t matter if it’s overseas…he’ll get it there.”

  “Why are you telling me this?”

  Garrith sighed. “With Jose being on the run, we’re worried that he’ll come after you. With his newfound obsession with you, he won’t stop until that happens or worse.”

  “I think she knows that, ass…”

  I tugged on Keisha’s hand, interrupting her. “Stop.”

  Garrith ignored her. “I want to take you into protective custody. With his history of abuse towards women, it wouldn’t be wise for you to be alone.”

  My eyes widened. “What? No. I’m not living that way. I can’t…”

  “Tori, maybe it’s not such a bad idea,” Keisha said quietly.

  I looked back and forth between the both of them. “No. I’m moving back home with my mom.”

  “Yes, we know that, and Jose knows that too, doesn’t he?” Garrith asked.

  “I…how did you know that?”

  “You’re phone is tapped. We had to bug it to keep an eye on you.”

  I gasped.

  “Just because you’re in the hospital doesn’t mean that you’re safe, Tori. Did you see those big guys walking up and down the hall?”

  I nodded, remembering that I had tried speaking to them, but all they did was nod in my direction.

  “Those are FBI agents. They’re here to protect you, Tori.”

  “I can’t live this way.” A lump formed in my throat. I wouldn’t live being scared. I needed to leave for good. Maybe moving to my mother’s was a bad idea.

  “I know, and I’m so sorry but we’re doing this to protect you.” Garrith sat back in the chair and reached into his jacket, pulling out a small pad and pen.

  I sighed.

  “I need to ask you some questions.”

  “Okay.”

  “It’s going to be difficult, but I need you to think real hard for me and tell me everything you know about…” He paused.

  I looked up at his hesitation, knowing that he was going to ask me about Sebastian.

  “Sebastian Chelios.”

  “Garrith,” Keisha warned.

  “No.” I turned to Keisha. “It’s fine. This has to be done, I guess.”

  “Hey, you ladies ready?” Brett walked into the room as I was about to ask Garrith to continue.

  “Hey, Brett.” Garrith stood up and shook hands with him.

  “Hey, what’s going on?”

  Garrith turned back to me. “Brett knows some of what’s being going on.”

  Keisha threw up her hands. “Of course he does. Why does that not surprise me?”

  Brett’s cheeks reddened. “Oh, I assume you told Keisha you’re all FBI and shit?”

  “Yeah, I did, and we’ll talk later, won’t we Keisha?” He turned to her, his voice lowering, and she looked away.

  “Keisha,” I whispered.

  “I’ll tell you later, but let’s just say, he’s going to fucking hear a piece of my mind. But…” She blushed. “I think I need to dive into that suit first.” She said, waggling her eyebrows.

  I laughed. “I thought you said he was obnoxious and an ass.”

  “That’s what I thought, but apparently I know nothing about him.” The saddened look on her face broke my heart, and I turned back to the guys. They were both looking at us with concern, and then Garrith glanced at Keisha, his blue eyes darkening. His gaze quickly flicked back to mine, and he sat again in the seat across from us.

  Brett leaned against the bed beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder for support.

  “Okay, I’m sorry to do this to you, but I need to ask these questions.”

  I nodded. “I understand.”

  “First off, I’m so very sorry for your loss.”

  I swallowed. “Thank you.”

  Garrith cleared his throat. “How long did you know Sebastian?”

  I thought a moment. Not as long as I wanted to. “Not long. Three months maybe?”

  He nodded and wrote something on his pad. “Where did you meet him?”

  My cheeks heated at the memory of Sebastian kissing me for the first time in the alley. “At Keisha’s work, the little coffee shop.”

  “What did he tell you about himself?”

  I frowned. “Um…not a lot. He was very secretive.”

  He nodded again and continued to write. “When did you meet Jose?”

  I sighed. “I met him a couple of weeks after meeting Sebastian. Keisha and I went out to Brett’s club, and he showed up there.”

  “Both Sebastian and Jose were there?”

  “Yes. I was dancing with Sebastian…” My voice cracked, and Garrith looked up.

  “Take your time.”

  I took a deep breath. “I was dancing with him and then he got upset.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I remember him dragging me through the crowd and we headed for the exit. That’s when I saw and met Jose for the first time.”

  “When did Jose become threatening?”

  I cringed. “Well, he looked at me like he wanted to eat me up the very first time I saw him.”

  Brett’s hand tightened on my shoulder.

  “Now, I need to ask something, but it might be too personal.” He looked up at Brett and Keisha.

  “You can ask me with them here. It’s fine.” I wasn’t sure what he wanted to know, but I had no fight left in me, and doing this alone without the support of my friends would have been too difficult.

  “Are you sure?”

  I nodded.

  “Okay.” He took another deep breath. “The doctor and nurses won’t tell me anything so this is why I need to ask you.”

  “I understand.”

  “Did Jose rape you?”

  A collective gasp sounded around the room, and I winced as Brett’s fingers dug into my shoulders. My heart sped up at the memories of Jose touching me. “No.”

  “Now I need to ask this also so we can add it to his long list of charges. What did he do to you?” Garrith asked tentatively.

  I sighed. “He hurt me and touched me, but he didn’t force sex on me. But if he hadn’t have been interrupted when I was tied to the bed…” Brett growled beside me.

  “…he would have. I know deep down that he wouldn’t have stopped no matter how many times I said no.”

  Brett left my side and paced the room.

  “Tori,” Garrith said.

  I kept my eyes downcast and picked at the hem of my shirt. I didn’t want to answer any more questions. I wanted to go home and have Sebastian back with me.

  “Tori, look at me,” he demanded.

  Tears pricked at my eyes, and I slowly lifted them, looking into Garrith’s deep blue irises. “This is off the record. I promise you, if it’s the last thing I do, I’ll fucking get him. You hear me?”

  I nodded, tears threatening to spill over.

  “Now, back to Sebastian.” His voice was gruff as he went on. “Do you know any of Sebastian’s background?”

  I shook my head, my heart heavy that I hardly knew anything about the man I loved. I liked to think that if he had lived, he would finally have shared all of his secrets with me and I with him. Not that I had many, but everyone had their own skeletons. I wanted to tell him mine,and I couldn’t.

  “Tori?” Garrith’s voice was firm, getting my attention again. “It’s your stereotypical bad-boy story. He was in foster care for most of his childhood. His mother was a lowlife, father left them when he was young. He ended up falling into the wrong crowd, got into drugs, fights… He spent most of his young life in and out of jail. He met Jose, and Jose took him under his w
ing.” He looked up at me. “Sebastian wasn’t a good guy.”

  “Garrith,” Keisha said from beside me.

  “He was good to me,” I said quietly. “He loved me. I know he did, and I know that if he could, he would have protected me from Jose but…”

  Garrith nodded in understanding. “I know.”

  I thought a moment. “Can I see him?”

  His eyes filled with sympathy, and something else flashed in them quickly before I could tell what it was. “I’m sorry, Tori. The FBI has seized his body.”

  Tears ran down my cheeks, and I nodded even though I didn’t understand. “I didn’t even get a chance to say good-bye.”

  “I’m…”

  “He told me he was going to get out,” I blurted.

  Garrith’s eyebrow rose.

  “He was going to get out of the lifestyle. I didn’t know what the lifestyle was, but I’m not stupid. I knew the business he ran with Jose wasn’t legal…but…” I turned to Brett. “Wait…”

  Brett’s eyes flicked to mine. “Tori.”

  “Brett has nothing to do with this, Tori.”

  I looked between them both. “But Jose said…”

  “Tori. Brett was working with the FBI trying to bring Jose down.”

  Keisha and I gasped. “What? I thought…”

  “Are you FBI too?” Keisha asked.

  Brett laughed. “Fuck no.”

  “Well then…”

  “Brett was having issues with Jose, and I being, Brett’s friend, approached him over a job opportunity,” Garrith answered for him.

  Brett scoffed. “Job opportunity. Please.”

  Garrith glared at him.

  “What kind of issues were you having?” I asked.

  “That’s not important.” Brett looked away and continued pacing the room.

  “So you being an asshole that whole time was all fake, or are you really an asshole?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

  Brett shrugged. “I can be an asshole, but yes, the whole dinner thing, me setting you up, that was all a lie. I would never do that to you, Tori, but…”

  “But what?”

  He shook his head, and his shoulders slumped like he was guilty of something, but he didn’t answer my question.

  Garrith cleared his throat. “What matters now is that you’re safe, Tori. It’s my job to protect you, but thank you, I got all the information I need for now.” He stood and handed me his card.