♤PACTS♤

Chapter 30 - Collapsing houses

Danny Torent's POV

"Since when do you drink?" I settle beside the Griffin spawn that has refused to say anything since we stepped onto this plane.

She sighs and continues to sip her drink. I study her features and notice how different she looks since the torture session with the French spy. The wrinkles on her face are more obvious, paleness in her skin and little grey hair are also present, but the feature that stands out the most is how blue her eyes are.

No contacts.

I don't know how Sam got through to her, but by looking at her, I know he did a good amount of damage to her mental health.

I close the documents in front of us and ignore the questioning look Penny sends my way. Grabbing her forearms, I raise her from her seat. She stands close to me as I rub my palms on shoulders and upper arms.

I whisper, "You can fool Sam, but you don't fool me. You are not Lola. You don't drown your sorrows in alcohol, and you definitely don't confuse your personality with hers. Cut the bullshit and act out, or so help me. I will tell the pilot to turn this plane around."

Her face pinches with irritation, but I remain unfazed. "What's it to you, Danny? You aren't the one who has to rule a bunch of savages in six months. You're not the one that has to sleep with one eye open till the day a lucky fucker lands a bullet between your eyes. Now tell me, isn't change the most constant thing in the world?" Her tone matches the hidden threat in her words.

She gestures to her body, "This is the new me. Best you get used to it."

I raise an unimpressed brow. "Don't talk like that. We've been in this shit show since the beginning of the year."

She scoffs and tries to walk away, but I tighten my grip on her. Her resolve was as thick as always, but I know how to get through to her. "Peyton Griffin, soon to be queen of the British Empire. Is your crown slipping? Are you having your fill of the Empire? I love to be the breaker of news to you, Love. This is just the beginning, so I suggest you suck it up. We do this for the people we love, to protect them at all costs, and if it means getting scarred then, so be it. You once said it yourself, that family is one thing that keeps you fighting, well then the battle is far from over. Best get your sword out."

The fight in her eyes is toe to toe with mine. We stand between the seats, glaring at each other, waiting for the other to back down. Two different people fighting for the same thing in two different ways.

After what felt like hours, the fight in her eyes diminishes. The fire in her eyes extinguishes, and tears replace it. They race past her lips, and some land on her trembling lips. A sob escapes her lips, and another, and one more. She bites her lips to keep the sounds at bay, but I pull her into my arms.

She cries into my shirt while I rub her back, rocking us from side to side. I don't know how long we stand there, but when one of the flight attendants brings us dinner, I shake my head at her. She nods in understanding and goes back into the cockpit.

When Penny calms down, I raise her head from my chest. "I can only imagine what is running through your mind, but if you can stay strong till we get past this. I'll do the killing if need be. Deal?"

She sighs and rests her head back into my chest. I hear her muffled reply, "Deal."

I rub circles on her back and lead her to a chair in the corner. I place her in it and recline it.

"Get some sleep. I'll finish up the rest of the files before we land." I assure her.

"Thank you Danny," she mumbles.