Deadly Passion (Book 2)

Deadly Passion (13)

The door silently opened as Tori slid inside the apartment. She took her shoes off at the door and crept towards her room when a light in the corner caught her attention. Keith sat there with a drink in his hand as his eyes pierced through hers. She froze in her spot and every possible lie went through her mind as she thought of a way to explain her tardiness.

"It's two in the morning." Keith barely said, his voice hoarse and tired.

She couldn't answer- she didn't trust herself to.

"I took you from Aileen to give you a better life; to show you a world different from what could have happened under her watch." He began to say but Tori didn't want to hear about her mother- or what she witnessed while living with her.

She started walking off but Keith's hard voice stopped her.

"I won't ask what you've been doing but I will tell you one thing; whatever is happening, will stop from now on. I've been way too laid back when it comes to you because I thought you needed a friend." He stood from his chair.

"You will stop whatever you're doing." He came closer. "Can you even imagine what would happen if you stayed back at that house?"

"Shut up about that house already!" She flipped like a switch. "I am sick and tired of hearing about how you saved me from my mother and her clients." She glared at him and he took a step back in shock.

"You didn't save me, Keith. Do you know what horrible things I saw happen at that house? What I heard?" She stepped closer to him. "What I endured?!"

Keith felt like she sucker punched him in the gut. She was always quiet when it came to their mother and what she was doing. Tori swore up and down that nothing happened and no one touched her- but now Keith wasn't so sure.

"Tori..."

"Don't ask." She seethed.

"How can I help if you don't talk to me?"

She thought about that one for a second. "Because I wanted to feel normal."

"Tori, all the lying and sneaking around isn't normal- not for me at least. I'm trying to be your big brother and I'm doing my best without overstepping my boundary but I don't know what to do anymore."

Well, he's kinda right. She thought to herself. Not once did she think how Keith would feel if he found out about Kyle. She just expected him to be okay with it. Only one way to find out.

"His name is Kyle." She whispered. "I think- no, I know he loves me but sometimes he scares me."

Keith took a deep breath. He was not prepared to deal with this right now. He was definitely not in the right frame of mind.

"D-did he hurt... you?" He was too afraid to ask but he wanted answers.

"You have to promise not to hurt him." She started to sob. "I love him!"

Keith closed his eyes; feeling the anger wash over him. In times like these, he wished he had a woman in his life to knock some sense into his sister. There was no way he would ask James' new thing.

No, he had to make a call and beg for help.

"Thank you for telling me. I won't hurt him, Tori. Get some sleep and we'll deal with this tomorrow. Okay?"

She nodded and ran towards her room where she cried her eyes out in her pillow. She loved Kyle but for some strange reason... she was relieved Keith banned her from seeing him.