Torment & Shock
Vex
“Do we really have to get up?” Dahlia doesn’t move her head from my shoulder.
“You were the one that had to go to work and then made plans for us to have dinner with Payne and Imogene for your first day back.” Having her wrapped in my arms again feels too perfect to ever let go. “I can tell Payne we won’t be there. Or better yet, you can call in to work.”
She sighs. “We can’t do that to Imogene. It might hurt her feelings.”
I lean down and kiss Dahlia’s forehead. “You’re too sweet.”
“You broke the rules.”
“Forehead kisses don’t count.”
“So does that mean I can kiss your forehead while we’re in bed?”
Temptress. “No.”
“You get to break all the fun rules.” She pouts.
I chuckle and give her one more peck on her forehead. “Go get ready. I’ll wrangle us some breakfast.”
“You mean vegetables.”
“Probably. ”
“Good. I didn’t have a single vegetable while I was on vacation.”
That woman makes my head hurt. “Just for that. I’m making you a green smoothie too.”
She climbs out of my arms, and I want to pull her back.
Dahlia sashays to the bathroom door and stops to turn back. “Don’t forget the whipped cream on my cocoa.”
“Do I ever?”
“No. You spoil me.” She ducks into the bathroom, and I go get ready for the day in one of the guest bedrooms that has only ever had Payne sleep in it when he drank too much.
***
Why did I ever agree to this whole dinner thing? We’re double dating or whatever it is Payne and Imogene are doing now that she’s talking about moving out.
The perfect day would be a quiet one in the library. Dahlia and I have barely had any time in there since I told her I loved her.
Even worse, she has to go to work soon. I hate that I have to share her with a job.
Why can’t she stay home all day and write in her pajamas… Or I could quit work too and we could move to a deserted island.
All alone in the sun and san—
My alarm beeps a single low tone. The one I assigned to my private garage by the elevator. Someone broke into the garage.
Or it could be a rat. We’ve had two sneak in down there in the last few years. With a tap, the camera feed pulls up as well as the thermal scan.
Someone broke in alright.
There aren’t many locks that can keep Torment out.
“What do you want?” We’re friends, but not good enough friends that he can show up at my place unannounced while Dahlia is here .
“We need to talk. Now.”
Manners were bred into Torment to the point that I wasn’t even sure he was capable of being rude. Whatever happened is going to ruin my already not great day. I let him in and walk towards the elevator door.
Torment earned my respect many years ago. He’s also the best hunter on the planet and in reverse the best person if you need someone hidden for a while. Because of that, he doesn’t always stay on the right side of the law. I need him out of here before Dahlia gets out of the bathroom.
That gives us about twenty-five minutes, which should be more than enough time. The elevator doesn’t take long to arrive.
“Torment.” I give him a slight bow as I offer my hand to shake.
“Vex.” He returns the gesture. “How is Payne?”
“Good.” Head over heels for a woman whose name he shouldn’t even know, but surprisingly good. “How is your father? Were you able to find the tree he wanted?”
“He is well, but I haven’t found the tree yet.”
Is it an actual tree? Or is that code for something I don’t want to know about? “Can I take your coat?”
Torment shrugs out of his jacket. His hair falls down his back in a sheet of black. Women would kill for hair that shiny and black. Payne’s probably right. There’s some cultural reason Torment won’t cut it.
Torment’s eyes widen slightly as his gaze stops somewhere behind me.
Dahlia! There wasn’t enough time for her to get ready.
“Shut your eyes.” There’s no need to add a threat onto the end of that statement. With a twist and a pivot, I step between Torment and Dahlia.
She’s frozen in embarrassment. If her face gets any redder, she might spontaneously combust. Like a deer stuck in the trance of headlights, she just stands there.
“Dahlia, go back and get dressed.”
“I didn’t know you had company.”
That’s quite obvious. “I wasn’t expecting any. ”
“I… um… need to put some brownies on or they won’t be ready before I go to work.”
My sleepy Dahl can’t even think straight. “Go get ready. We’ll pick up something from the bakery, before Torment slips and opens his eyes and I’ll need to kill him.”
“Your friends have weird names.”
Torment chuckles.
She turns to walk away, shouting over her shoulder. “We aren’t bringing store-bought brownies.”
That woman is going to drive me out of my mind.
When the bedroom door closes behind her, I say, “You can open your eyes.”
“Are you sure? I’d like to keep my head attached.”
We both know there’s no guarantee I’d win a fight with Torment. “Do you want a cup of tea?”
“I wouldn’t say no to one.”
He follows me into the kitchen. “So, you finally fell in love.”
Why does everyone keep saying it like that? It’s not like that was out of the realm of possibility.
“My father keeps asking if I’m going to find someone.”
Torment would have to stay in one spot for more than five minutes in order to fall in love, which seems impossible. He lives like a ghost, disappearing as fast as he appears. “You should. I highly recommend falling in love.” I put on the teapot and walk over to the cabinet to get the ingredients out for Dahlia’s cocoa.
“Does your woman have a sister?”
A sister? Could Dahlia have a sister? She’s never talked about anyone but her parents and brother.
Not that we’ve had any in-depth conversations about family, because that would open me up to questions about my own.
“Well, if she does introduce me.”
“Like I’d want to be related to you.”
Torment chuckles .
Dahlia rushes into the room. “Sorry, I took so long.”
There isn’t a single inch of skin showing from her neck, which is covered in a boxy turtleneck sweater, to the soles of her feet. She even has a thick stocking covering the space between her shoes and her slacks. I hate when she wears her hair slicked back into a tight little bun.
“My name is Dahlia. It’s so nice to have one of Vex’s friends over. I’ve only met a few of them so far.”
“Vex has more than he lets on.” Torment steps away from the counter to give her a small bow. “My name is Toru, but my friends call me Torment.”
“Did you both go to the same school for scary men?” Dahlia almost slaps a hand across her mouth as she does occasionally when words just slip out.
“I really like this one.” Toru grins at her.
“Have you known Vex long?”
There’s no way I want to explain to her my first encounter with Torment. “We’ve done business with each other for many years now.”
“It must be very important business for your friend to show up this early. Why don’t you two go to your office and I’ll make breakfast while I figure out something to make for later?”
“Dahl, Torment doesn’t eat sugar for breakfast.”
A hand goes on her hip. “I’m fully capable of making a healthy breakfast. You’re not the only one who knows how to cook a meal.”
I raise an eyebrow at her.
She walks over to me with a twinkle in her eyes and kisses me right on the cheek. “Go talk to your friend. I’ve got this.”
“Torment likes green tea with no sugar and a squeeze of lemon.”
“Got it. Now go.” She shoos us out.
When the door closes to my office, Torment says, “If something ever happens to you, I’m going to make a play for your girl.”
“Do you want to die today?”
Torment shrugs. “Today is as good as any other day. ”
Part of me used to think that. Now I have something to live for. “To what do I owe this visit?”
“One of your employees got themselves on a dark web list.”
Just what I need, someone else doing something stupid. “Hitlist?”
Torment shrugs. “Don’t know. All I know is it shouldn’t be there.”
That’s as clear as mud. But it’s better than finding a sniper in my club or a body. “Whose name?”
“Dr—”
“Barb? This is about Barb?” Shock is dead. His dumb idea to protect her is going to end up getting her killed.
“You sound more irritated than surprised.”
And I let down my poker face for just a second. “If it isn’t one employee getting in trouble, it’s another.”
Torment’s face remains impassive, but even I didn’t believe my own excuse.
“Would you like me to do a bit more digging? Or remove the problem for a while?”
The problem is Shock, not Barb. If I didn’t need him so much, it would be tempting to have him disappear for a long while. “Thank you for the offer, but I’ll take care of it.”
***
“Your friend is nice,” Dahlia says as the elevator door shuts.
Nice isn’t a term anyone would use to describe Torment… hence the name. I don’t want to waste another second talking about anyone else. I wrap my arms around her and pull her in close. “Breakfast was delicious.”
“Thank you.” She tips her head up towards me.
“There were vegetables in it.” Lots of them.
She smirks. “It’s hard to make a grilled veggie sandwich without them. I love the grill on your stove. Maybe I should upgrade the one in my house. ”
“Or we could just get a grill for the backyard.” When it gets warmer, it’ll be nice to cook in her backyard.
“That’s a great idea.” She pushes up on her tiptoes.
I lean my head down, teasing her just a bit. “You know you have to leave for work soon.”
“Then I’ll just have to be a bit late.”
Kissing should be a legitimate excuse to be late to work. I’ll add it to the handbook I don’t have later.