19. Tori
TORI
I looked at my laptop and sighed. The shop had been closed for hours.
I should've been home by now, curled up on the sofa with a glass of wine, sitting next to Cole.
He'd headed straight to my place after work and offered to cook me a late-night dinner.
But I’d lost track of time inventorying shipments and prepping for next week’s display.
I really needed to finish up here soon.
A muffled thud echoed from the backroom, sharp and out of place. My fingers froze on the keyboard.
Every hair on my body stood on end, and the silence that followed felt deafening.
I reached for my phone, my heart pounding in my chest as I typed out a quick message to Cole.
Tori: I think someone’s in the backroom. Don’t know who. Sending this just in case.
I pressed send and stared at the screen, willing a reply. It came seconds later.
Cole: Leave the shop. Now.
The order was clear, but my feet felt glued to the floor.
Leaving meant walking past the backroom door, and I wasn’t sure I had the nerve to do it.
Instead, I grabbed the closest thing I could find—a metal paperweight shaped like a bird—and gripped it tightly in my hand.
At that moment, I wished I had my gun, but I had left it at home.
The air felt colder as I crept toward the backroom.
The faint scent of cleaning supplies mixed with something unfamiliar, something sharper.
Sweat slicked my palms as I nudged the door open, the paperweight held high.
The room was dimly lit, and at first, I didn’t see him. But then he stepped forward, and my breath caught in my throat.
“Hello, Tori.”
Marcus.
For a moment, all I could do was stare.
He looked the same—too put-together for this kind of chaos, his tailored shirt crisp and his hair neatly styled.
But there was a wildness in his eyes, a gleam that made my stomach churn.
“How did you get in here?” My voice was steadier than I felt.
He smiled, slow and smug, and held up a key. A very familiar key.
“Candy’s key,” he said. “She’s such a sweet girl. Trusting, too. She didn’t even notice when I slipped something into her drink at the bar.”
My blood ran cold.
“What did you do to her?” I demanded.
“Relax,” he said, waving me off. “She’s just unconscious. She’ll wake up with a headache, but no worse for wear. I didn’t hurt her, Tori. I’m not a monster.”
Not a monster? He had just admitted to drugging my friend and breaking into my shop. My grip on the paperweight tightened.
“This is insane,” I said, taking a small step back. “You need to leave.”
“I’m not leaving without you,” he said, his voice calm, almost pleasant.
Marcus continued, “I’ve been patient, Tori. I gave you time to come to your senses, to see that we belong together. But you’ve been stubborn. You’ve been ignoring me, pretending I don’t exist.”
“Because we don’t belong together, Marcus,” I said, my voice rising. “We never did.”
His jaw tightened, and for the first time, I saw a crack in his composure.
“That’s where you’re wrong. You’re the one, Tori. I didn’t see it before, but I do now. After what happened with Fiona…” He trailed off, shaking his head.
Marcus continued, “She left me, you know. She said I was too controlling, but she didn’t understand me. Not the way you do.”
“That’s because there’s nothing to understand,” I shot back. “You don’t love me, Marcus. You just want control.”
His eyes darkened, and before I could react, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a gun.
“My father’s,” he said, almost reverently. “He used it to protect his family. That’s all I want, Tori. To protect what’s mine.”
I froze, my heart slamming against my ribs.
This wasn’t just a desperate ex-boyfriend anymore. This was a man unhinged, holding a loaded weapon.
“Put the gun down,” I said, forcing my voice to stay calm. “You don’t want to do this, Marcus.”
“Oh, but I do,” he said, taking a step closer. “Because you’ve left me no choice. You’re coming with me, Tori. We’re going to start over, away from all this. I’ve planned everything.”
My mind raced. I needed to keep him talking, to buy time for Cole—or anyone—to get here.
“And if I say no?” I asked, my voice trembling despite my efforts to sound strong.
He smiled again, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“You won’t. Because you’re smarter than that. You know I’m the only one who can keep you safe. That boyfriend of yours? He can’t protect you. He doesn’t understand you like I do,” Marcus said.
The paperweight felt heavy in my hand, but I knew better than to make a move. Not yet.
“You think threatening me with a gun is going to make me love you?” I asked, my voice dripping with contempt. “You’re delusional.”
His expression flickered, a flash of anger breaking through the mask.
“I don’t need your love, Tori. Not right now. I just need your obedience,” Marcus said.
The sound of footsteps outside the shop made us both freeze.
Marcus’s head snapped toward the door, and in that moment of distraction, I acted.
I swung the paperweight with all my strength, aiming for his wrist.
It connected with a sickening crack, and the gun clattered to the floor.
“Bitch!” he shouted, clutching his wrist.
I didn’t wait for him to recover.
I turned and ran, throwing open the backroom door just as Cole burst into the shop, his face a mask of fury.
“Tori!”
“Marcus—he’s armed!” I shouted, pointing behind me.
Cole didn’t hesitate. He moved like a force of nature, barreling past me with a speed and ferocity that left no room for doubt.
He slammed into Marcus with the full weight of his body, sending him crashing into the wall.
The impact rattled the shelves, scattering boxes and supplies onto the floor.
Marcus let out a guttural shout as he twisted, shoving Cole back.
The revolver lay just a few feet away, gleaming under the dim light, and Marcus’s gaze darted toward it with frantic desperation.
“Oh no, you don’t,” Cole growled, lunging to block him.
Marcus swung wildly, his fist connecting with Cole’s ribs.
The sound of the hit was a dull thud, and Cole staggered back a step, but he didn’t fall.
Instead, he retaliated with a brutal right hook that snapped Marcus’s head to the side.
“You think you can waltz in here and threaten her?” Cole snarled, his voice low and dangerous.
Marcus stumbled but recovered quickly, lunging forward with surprising speed.
He tackled Cole around the waist, and they both went crashing to the floor.
I let out a strangled cry, torn between fear and the instinct to help, but I knew I couldn’t get between them.
Not with Marcus so unhinged.
They rolled across the floor, grappling for control.
Marcus managed to get on top, his hands scrambling for Cole’s throat, but Cole twisted beneath him, using his legs to flip them over.
He pinned Marcus beneath him, his fists raining down with unrelenting precision.
Each punch landed with a sickening crack, but Marcus wasn’t done yet.
He brought his knee up hard, catching Cole in the stomach and knocking the wind out of him.
Cole grunted in pain, and Marcus used the momentary advantage to shove him off.
Marcus scrambled toward the gun, his hand outstretched.
“Cole!” I screamed, my voice breaking.
But Cole was already moving. He dove, tackling Marcus from behind just as his fingers brushed the weapon’s handle.
The gun skidded across the floor, spinning out of reach.
Marcus let out a frustrated roar, thrashing wildly as Cole locked his arms around him in a vice grip.
The two of them collided with a metal shelving unit, the structure groaning under their combined weight.
Boxes toppled to the ground, and glass shattered somewhere nearby, adding to the chaos.
“You’re done, Marcus,” Cole hissed, his voice taut with fury.
Marcus snarled like a cornered animal, his elbow jerking back to catch Cole in the jaw.
The hit made Cole’s head snap to the side, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but he didn’t let go.
Instead, he tightened his grip, hauling Marcus back and slamming him onto the floor with a thunderous crash.
Marcus writhed beneath him, his face contorted with rage.
“She’s mine!” he shouted, his voice raw.
Cole leaned closer, his face mere inches from Marcus’s, and his voice dropped to an icy whisper. “She doesn’t belong to anyone, least of all you.”
Before Marcus could respond, Cole delivered one final punch to his jaw, and the fight seemed to drain out of him.
Marcus’s head lolled to the side, his breaths coming in ragged gasps.
The sound of sirens wailed in the distance, drawing closer with every passing second.
Cole sat back, his chest heaving as he glared down at Marcus. “You’re finished.”
The weight of what had just happened hit me all at once, and I found myself clutching the doorway for support.
My knees trembled, but I couldn’t look away from Cole—his bloodied knuckles.
The steady rise and fall of his chest, and the unshakable determination etched into every line of his face.
Cole turned to me then, his expression softening ever so slightly. “You okay?”
I nodded, but my voice refused to work. All I could do was stare at the man who had just fought like hell to protect me.
“I’ve got you,” he murmured, holding me close. “He’s never coming near you again. I’ll make sure of that.”
The police arrived moments later. I thought I’d be more rattled but I managed to confidently answer all their questions.
I recounted the events of the night without a single hesitation.
With every word, I felt the weight of the past lifting, the fear that had gripped me for so long dissolving into nothingness.
When the officers led Marcus away in handcuffs, his head hung low, I felt no pity for him.
Instead, I felt a profound sense of closure.
Marcus could no longer touch my life, no longer cast his shadow over my happiness.
As the chaos began to subside, I turned to Cole. He was watching me with an intensity that made my heart ache.
His gaze full of admiration and something deeper—something I wasn’t sure I had words for.
“What?” I asked, curving my lips upwards into a tentative smile.
“Just you,” he said, his voice low and rough with emotion. “You’re incredible.”
I widened my smile. “So are you,” I said, stepping closer and wrapping my arms around him.
I rested my head against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.