Page 75 of Chaos Kills

“If not, we can help him.” Just the sheer sound of his voice sends my body into full panic and defense mode. My arms wrap around my middle as I stare at Emilio’s white dinner plate to keep myself grounded on something other than the force that just walked in the room. “She likes to be riled up a little bit.”

“Torin,” Emilio confirms as if my brain needs to have confirmation that he is truly in the same room with me. “I thought you had plans.”

“Cancelled them,” he replies flatly as the air cracks with instability. His voice sounds closer, and my chest heaves quicker breaths as I attempt to calm myself.

I’m surrounded by men who might kill me. I have no one here.

The chair to my left screeches in warning of Torin’s seating choice, sending my skin prickling in unwanted anticipation of what he’s going to do.

What he has planned and how he’s going to hurt me next.

“Sweet Bay Astor,” Torin coos at my side, his tone forcefully honeyed and counterfeit. “I wouldn’t miss spending time with my cousin and his new wife.”

“I have champagne ready after dinner,” Emilio announces. “To celebrate the union of our two families.”

“That sounds great, Dad,” Torin says so simply and casually it almost makes me reevaluate my mental state. As if I’m imagining everything that happened and it was one of those seemingly real-life nightmares.

But it was real.

I can still feel the frigidness of the water. The way it licked up my spine and taunted me with death. How it filled my lungs and wouldn’t let me breathe.

“I missed you.” The sound of Torin’s voice so close to my ear makes me jolt, but his large palm then appears promptly on my upper thigh, keeping me from shooting up and knocking into the table.

I’ve felt this sort of fear before.

The teeter-tottering unknown of if I’m going to die or not.

Judah.

The way his large hand wrapped around my throat to keep all the air from entering my lungs. His weight on top of me, pushing me into the dirt in the middle of the woods.

Except with Torin, there is no remorse in his light brown eyes, not like Judah. At least Judah apologized for what he was about to do.

But not once did Baby Wildes say a thing other than threats to keep away from his family.

His brothers.

One of whom I’m married to.

“You’re shaking,” Torin says flatly as if I didn’t know. As if I haven’t been all day.

Try hiding that from Levi, telling him a million times over that I was just cold and nothing more.

Everything was fucking great.

“Get the fuck away from me,” I leer under my breath before the pads of Torin’s fingers dig into my jeans.

“Like what you’re doing right now?” he disputes, his cautionary tale squirming its way into my self-control. His warning, as he fucked me, still blaring in my ears as the only tip-off that shit will get worse if I don’t back off. “I thought I told you to stay away from my brothers? And what would happen?—”

“Torin, would you like a drink? Bourbon or whiskey?”

I’ve never been so grateful for Emilio’s interjection.

His son removes his hand from my body and leisurely leans back in his chair, backing off me for a second to answer yes to his father’s drink request.

A cup of steaming hot coffee is then placed in front of me by one of the maids, and I thank her, needing a distraction and something to heat me up from the inside.

“Bay, I hope you like pasta,” Emilio announces, sounding proud of the dinner selection. “I thought it would be something nice since we men only eat meat and potatoes most of the time.”

---