Angel

Chapter 50

Tori

I scanned the library and noticed them standing behind a large set of chairs and grinned realizing they had found a blindspot for the security cameras. The one with amber eyes was tapping his foot impatiently. "I take it you're Victor?" I said quietly, coming to stand before them.

"How did you know that?" he demanded, his entire body tensing.

"Kisses mentioned you weren't very patient?" I said nonchalantly.

"Kisses?" the other one asked.

"Didn't catch his name. He snuck up on me and his eyes are the color of Hershey's kisses, so that's what I'm calling him," I shrugged.

The one in glasses chuckled, "Shit, Luke will love that," he muttered. "Anyway, I'm Kota, and yes, this is Victor. Now, you said Mattie had a message for us?"

I took a deep breath, introduced myself, and retold them what Mattie had shared about her grandmother, her daughter, and her wishes. They both looked like they wanted to yell at me, but didn't.

"Does she not care that her daughter misses her, that she cries every day for her, and has nightmares?" Victor asked. "What kind of mother leaves her daughter for a fucking drug lord?"

"Shut the fuck up," I hissed. "Don't you idiots get it? The only reason Violet isn't here is because she begged him to leave her with her father. He did that for her, not the other way around. Mattie is trying to keep her safe and away from all this fucked up shit, not to mention trying to keep Emilio from killing her men."

"Then she needs to leave too," Kota said firmly.

"Yeah, that will never happen," I snorted. " As fucked up as it sounds, Emilio really does love her. It's the first time I've seen that man show any form of affection or kindness. She may not be completely happy, but she is safe with him. He would burn down the world for her - and that includes anyone who tries to take her from him."

"What about you, Tori," Kota asked, grabbing my arm before I could leave. "Who is keeping you safe?"

"That doesn't matter. She's the only person that's ever stood up for me, and I won't leave her," I said defiantly. "If you really want to help her, then keep her daughter safe and you do that by staying the hell away." I pulled my arm away from him and quickly made my way back to my room.

Victor

We both watched her leave the room. "You're drooling, Kota," I chuckled.

He elbowed me slightly, "Shut up, so are you." I laughed again, but he wasn't wrong. She was stubborn, fiery, and breathtakingly beautiful. Damn, I should have asked her last name.

"The Tomas aren't going to like this," Kota said, running his hand over his face.

"No shit," I agreed. "How the hell do we tell them to just walk away? I get what Tori is saying, but is this really how it ends?"

He shook his head, "I don't know, man, but we sure as hell can't just bust her out guns blazing. This place makes most military bases look like a playground. We wouldn't even make it to the gates."

We both felt defeated as we headed back to the ballroom, hoping our absence hadn't been noticed.

Nate

I watched the black-haired woman sneak back down the hall, her eyes darting everywhere. Her entire body tensed when they landed on Cardoza's second-in-command, Carlos. He gave her a wicked sneer and her entire posture changed. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car - frozen and unable to escape.

"What's going on there?" Luke whispered as he suddenly appeared behind me. I nearly dropped the serving tray as I cursed under my breath.

"I swear we need to put a fucking bell on you," I muttered as he chuckled. "I'm not sure," I answered, nodding toward the woman. "She looks terrified. Didn't Kota say she had bruises when they saw her with him in Texas?"

"Yeah. What do we do?" he asked.

"We can't do a damn thing," I sighed. "We are all pushing our luck just being here." We watched as he stalked closer to her and gripped her arm. She cringed as his fingers dug into her skin and tears sprang to her eyes when he leaned down and whispered something to her. I saw Kota and Victor come into the room and Carlos let go of her arm, shoving her backward as he went to speak with them. "Fuck," I muttered as I realized Luke was no longer next to me. He's gonna get us fucking killed.

Luke

She had headed down a darkened hallway and slipped inside a room. I'd come too far to stop now, so I quietly pushed the door open. "Holy fuck," I gasped as a knife landed in the wall mere centimeters from my face.

"Oh shit! I'm sorry, Kisses, I thought you were Carlos," she squeaked as she ran forward to check on me. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

She ran her hands over my face searching for any cuts or marks. I just gaped in shock. She really was beautiful. Her black hair caught the light and shined while her dark eyes glistened with unshed tears. I could easily tell her features were Asian, but not completely and she was so damn tiny. I didn't even stop to process what I was doing before I grabbed her face and kissed her. She hesitated for only a moment, then with a small sound, she returned the kiss. When it ended, she traced her fingers over her lips and giggled, "You even taste like chocolate, Kisses."

I grinned, "I'll take that as a compliment, but why are you calling me Kisses?"

"Well, like I told Kota, your eyes look like Hershey's Kisses chocolate, and you didn't tell me your name, so..." she giggled again. God that sound did something to me.

"Luke," I finally said, "My name is Luke Taylor, but Kisses will work too. And your name, beautiful girl?"

She blushed and I swear my dick twitched. "Tori Kimura. Um, Luke, why are you in my room?"

"Oh, yeah, um, well Nate and I saw that Carlos guy grab you, and I was worried," I stammered. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay, I guess." I looked down and frowned when I saw the bruises already forming on her arm.

Her eyes followed mine and she covered her arm when she saw the bruises as well. "While I thank you for checking on me, it really isn't safe for you to be in here, Kisses. If Carlos or anyone else found you, they'd kill you no questions asked. You guys really don't have a strong sense of self-preservation, do you?"

I chuckled, "Not really, I suppose. The guys are always telling me I'm too reckless, especially my little brother." I saw a shadow pass over her face, then she hid it quickly. "I probably should go," I said hesitantly. I started to turn to the door, then whipped around and pulled her against me, kissing her again as she gasped. Her arms wrapped around my neck as I let my fingers glide through her soft hair. She felt so amazing in my arms, her light jasmine perfume filling my senses. Her eyes were slightly glazed when our kiss broke. "I really hope this isn't the last time I see you, Tori," I said, placing a soft kiss just below her earlobe.

"Me too," she breathed, taking a hesitant step backward. "Please be careful," she said as I slipped out the door and down the hall to find the others.

Author's Notes:  So Luke steals the first kiss...

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