Irresistible

Chapter five

Patrick's POV

I followed Andy and Joe down a narrow stairway into a pitch black room. There was no lighting inside other then two candles on the other side. I heard the sound of someone's heavy breathing, and as my eyes adjusted I realized there was a crumpled man chained to the wall. He was bleeding, and someone had clearly beaten him.

"Pete?!" Joe demanded.

"Oh my god." Andy said.

I stared at my best friend. We'd finally found him. I stepped closer and crouched by his side. "Pete? Can you hear me man?" I asked.

"She's coming." Pete gasped.

"Who's coming?" Joe asked.

"Sally?" Andy supplied. "Is sally coming, pete?"

"She's coming!" Pete cried.

That's when I heard the footsteps. We all three turned and saw a small woman with a butcher knife stepping into the faint light.

"You're all so stupid." She said. "Now I have you all. After abandoning me for two years, Patrick, you're finally going to get what you deserve. You all are."

I felt like someone was choking me.

The woman was Tori.

I woke up with a gasp. Tori was sound asleep beside me, arms wrapped around a pillow.

What a strange nightmare.

Tori had nothing to do with what happened to Pete. So why did I dream that she was the one who kidnapped him?

It was just because of the picture.

I'd made an appointment with the detective, fully ready to share the message with him to see what we could do to save pete.

But I could not tell Tori. She was stressed out enough already, and she was finally getting some relief. How could I take that away from her again?

And what about Bronx? He might hear us talking about his daddy and then be even more devastated when Pete still didn't come back.

So what could I do?

Keep it from all of them.

I didn't even tell Andy and Joe, because they'd both tell Tori.

I sighed and got out of bed, too worked up to go back to sleep.

Tori stirred but didn't wake, making me sigh in relief. I didn't need to bring her into this now. She had enough stress of her own.

I walked downstairs and got a glass of water, and remembered Petes reaction when I told him I was going to marry Tori.

"Pete?" I asked.

"What's up, man?" He asked.

"I need some help." I told him.

"If this about you and Tori and something hideously inappropriate, I want you to stop right there." pete said.

I chuckled. "It is about me and Tori, but nothing inappropriate." I said.

"Okay. Shoot." Pete said, sipping from his bottle of water.

"I'm going to ask her to marry me. While we're on tour." I said.

Pete spit how drink out.

"What?!" He demanded.

"What? You know I've wanted to marry her for years." I said.

"Yeah but you guys just got back together!" Pete exclaimed. "What if it scares her?"

"I don't think it will." I said.

"I don't think you're right in the head." He replied.

"Pete, come on. You've gotta help me figure out how to do it." I said.

"The only thing I have to do is take you to a psychiatric ward." He told me.

"Pete, seriously!" I cried. "How do I ask her to marry me?"

Pete sighed. "You're going to have to ask her in a way she can't refuse." He said.

"So, what would that be? Tori's very good at saying no." I said.

We were quiet while he thought. Then he smiled. "On stage. Propose to her on stage. She'll love it." He said.

I smiled. "I'll love it too."

I frowned as my phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Patrick." The voice was familiar.

"Sally." I said.

"You want your best friends back, don't you?" She asked.

"Friends?!" I demanded.

"Well, Pete clearly wasn't enough." She said. "So I took another one. You can have them back. All you have to do is give me my daughter."

"You're not going to touch her." I hissed.

"She's my kid!" Sally yelled.

"She's my fiancé!" I yelled back.

"So you think you have claim over Tori before her own mother?" She demanded.

"I had claim over her when you abandoned her." I retorted.

"You son of a bitch." She practically growled.

"Who did you take, Sally?" I demanded.

She didn't answer, just started to laugh.

"Your little curly haired friend." She cackled. "Joe."