Torn (All Torn Up Book 1)

Kenzi ~ age eighteen

Tor ~ age thirty-two

‘Wait here.’ He steps out of the truck and shuts the door before I can say anything. He saunters across the dirt parking lot to an old warehouse and bangs on a dented silver door with peeling paint. I’m not quite sure what we’re doing here, but I have a bad feeling.

Soon a man opens the door and they begin to talk. Tor is doing a lot of pointing to the other side of the warehouse, and he looks pissed.

Furious, actually.

The man is also getting visibly agitated, shaking his head and yelling. I can’t hear what they’re saying from where I’m parked, but it definitely doesn’t look friendly.

I sit in shocked silence when Tor grabs the man by the throat and literally drags him away from the door to around the side of the building, out of sight.

Shit.

My hand clutches the door handle ’til my knuckles hurt. I want to run out there and see what’s going on, but he told me to stay here in his most serious voice. It’s the voice he’s always used when he expects me to listen, no questions asked.

A few minutes go by and I breathe a sigh of relief when Tor appears from around the corner of the warehouse and is walking towards the truck holding something in his hands that looks like a burlap bag with a chain hanging off it. My blood chills as he gets nearer and I realize he’s holding a small dog that isn’t supposed to be small. It’s severely malnourished.

I jump out of the truck as he nears and run over to him.

‘What happened?’ I ask.

‘Get the door for me.’

I run to open the back door of his truck and quickly spread a blanket over the seat, and as he gently lays the dog on it I notice the chain is deeply embedded into the dog’s neck, the flesh raw and ugly, oozing blood and yellow infection.

Bile rises to my throat and I cover my mouth. ‘Oh my God… ‘

‘Fucking douchebag has had this dog chained to the back of his warehouse, with no food or water for who knows how the fuck long. The chain’s been wrapped around his neck for months slowly strangling him.’

‘I think I’m going to be sick.’

He pulls me into his shoulder. ‘I’m sorry, Angel. I should have warned you about this one. Let’s go, we have to get him to the vets.’

We climb into the front seat and I can’t help but peer in the back seat as we pull out of the parking lot. The dog is so weak he can barely move, and his eyes are lifeless, glazed and defeated. Tears roll down my cheeks as I say a silent prayer for him. This is the worst abuse I’ve ever seen.

‘I think he’ll be okay,’ Tor says reassuringly, putting his hand on my leg. ‘I know it looks nasty as hell, but once they get the chain out and clean it up, get him on some antibiotics, and get some food and water into him, he’ll start to slowly recover.’

‘You really think so? He looks bad, Tor. Really bad.’

‘I know. But I think he’ll pull through. That fucking asshole was warned a year ago when he had another dog chained up back there that another rescue pulled.’

‘What did you do to him?’ I ask. He dragged the guy away by his throat and I didn’t see him come back.

His eyes shift up to check the rearview mirror, his jawline clenching. ‘You don’t want to know.’

‘Tell me.’

‘I cut the chain to free the dog and then wrapped that end around his fucking neck and left him there, chained to the ground like he had this poor dog.’

My heart almost seizes at the ferocity of his voice and actions. Tor can be the sweetest guy in the world, but he’s got a ferocious streak when it comes to abuse of an innocent animal. He wants vengeance.

‘Don’t worry,’ He says to my gasp. ‘He won’t die. His buddies will find him. I just want to teach that fucker a lesson. He’ll never hurt another animal again.’

Kenzi

Me: Hey you, how is your morning? I love you xoxox

I switch from my message app to a browser app, then back to my text message app to see if it will refresh, but there’s still no reply from Tor, and it’s showing as not read. I sent the text almost four hours ago, at eight a.m. We always text each other first thing in the morning, and Tor always replies within an hour.

Always.

Even before we were dating, he would always quickly reply to my messages.

I wander through the mall, trying to remember where all the stores I like are in what seems more like a maze than a group of stores. I don’t shop often, and when I do, Chloe is usually with me and she steers us around the mall like she was born here. I finally find the lingerie store and pick out some new sexy bra and panty sets that I think will make Tor smile. The price tags practically scare me into next week but the fabric is so rich and soft and accentuates my curves much nicer than anything else I own, so I can’t resist buying them.

Next, I find the craft store and load up on paper, ink, and little embellishments like lace, glitter, and gems that I’ve started to add to the paper of my hand lettered work.

I glance down at my phone again as I wait in line to pay, but there’s still no text from Tor.

When I get to the parking lot, I call his cell phone and leave him a voice mail:

‘Hey, honey, where are you? I’m getting a little worried. Call me when you can. I love you.’

I send another text, hoping I’m not being annoying as hell, but I’m worried.

Me: Are you okay? I just bought some lingerie I think you’ll like. 😉 I love you bunches and I can’t wait to see you. xo

I start up my Jeep and my phone rings on the passenger seat next to me just as I’m about to reverse out of my parking spot.

Finally!

I grab the phone with a big smile on my face.

‘Hey hon, I’ve been missing you all morning.’

‘Kenzi?’

‘Dad?’

Crap.

‘Who did you think I was?’

Shit.

‘Chloe.’

‘Oh. Where are you?’

‘In the mall parking lot. I needed a few things.’

He’s silent for a beat. ‘I don’t want you to panic, okay?’

My heart instantly starts to pound. ‘Well, Daddy now I am panicking. What’s wrong? Is it Mom?’

‘No, it’s Tor.’

My breath catches in my throat and my stomach plummets as I try to deny away the words I just heard.

‘Are you there?’ He asks.

‘Yes…’ I swallow over the lump in my throat choking my airway. ‘Is he okay?’

‘He was hit by a car early this morning on his bike.’

I close my eyes tight, horrible visuals running through my mind. ‘No…’

‘He’s going to be okay, I just don’t know exactly what’s hurt yet. I’m at the hospital now with Tanner, waiting for the doctors. They just moved him into his own room. His mom is on her way, too.’

‘I’ll be there as soon as I can.’

‘You don’t have to come, Kenzi. I know how much you hate hospitals. I just thought you could take care of his pets until he gets home since you spend a lot of time over there doing things for him already.’

‘Of course I will. I’m still coming, though.’

‘Alright. Drive slow. I can hear you’re upset, and I don’t want anything happening to you, too. He’s in good hands, so don’t worry.’

‘I’ll go slow. I promise.’

I end the call and stare out the windshield, frozen, trying to force my breathing to relax. My brain won’t stop chanting. He’s hurt. He’s hurt. He’s hurt. He’s hurt.

When I feel like I’m no longer on the verge of hyperventilation, I fight the traffic for an hour to get to the hospital. Grabbing the first empty parking spot I find, I sprint to the main lobby. I’m pretty sure they won’t give me a pass to see him since I’m not family, so I text my father:

Me: I’m downstairs. What room/floor?

Dad: 3rd floor, room 312. Take a left off the elevator. I’m in the waiting area.

I learned when my mom was in the hospital that you have to know how to navigate around to get to where you want to go without having a visitor pass or else they don’t let you get to the room of the person you’re trying to see. If anyone tries to stop me from seeing Tor, I’m going to have an epic meltdown.

The key is to look determined, and in a hurry, and not makes eye contact with anyone. That’s what I do as I make a beeline for the elevator and poke at the glowing button with the faded three on it, wait for the doors to close, and then endure that dreaded lurch that almost makes me vomit as it beings its ascent.

When the doors open, I go to the left and find room 312. My heart is shattered to bits at the scene I walk into.

I stand rooted in the doorway of his room and see Sydni sitting on the edge of his bed, her hand clutching his. She kisses his cheek as she cries softly over his battered body that’s got tubes and beeping things attached to him and bandages wrapped around his arms and hands.

That should be me comforting him, whispering love to him, begging him to open his eyes. But of course, she came back for him, because it always takes a tragedy to make someone wake up and see what they lost, or could have lost. I force myself to turn away, but I’m too late. His eyes have already fluttered open and are looking into hers. He doesn’t even know I’m there. I turn quickly to leave and run straight into my father’s chest.

He holds onto my shoulders and leans down to look into my eyes. ‘He’s going to be okay, sweetheart. He’s just a little banged up. He’ll be fine.’

I wrench myself away from him, needing to put distance between myself and what I just saw in that room before I lose control and it becomes obvious that something is going on between us, and my dad follows me to where I’ve stopped to lean back against the wall in the hallway. The sterile smell of the hospital is nauseating and forces unwanted memories of when my mother was here down my throat.

He tries to put his arms around me again. ‘Kenzi, he’s alright, I promise you. It’s not like Mom.’

‘Why is she here?’

‘Who?’

‘Sydni,’ I gulp for air, and my brain screams at me to shut up, but I can’t. ‘They’re not even together. Why is she here?’

His brow creases. ‘Because they have a history, Kenzi. You’re too young to understand. Sometimes things are complicated.’ He pulls me into his arms. ‘You have to calm down.’

I stifle a scream as my body trembles and shakes, trying not to cry but I can’t hold it in, and tears start to track down my cheeks as I gulp and cling to him. Seeing Tor hurt, not knowing if he’s really going to be okay, and then witnessing another woman with him is all too much. None of this should be happening. We had plans tonight. We’re going to make dinner and walk Diogee and watch Kitten chase the laser light. Then he’ll kiss me until I can’t breathe and we’ll make love and dream of when we can be together all the time.

‘It’s okay,’ he strokes my hair. ‘I know how much he means to you and how scary it all looks, but he’s going to be fine. I wouldn’t lie to you.’

No. You wouldn’t. But I’m lying to you.

‘What happened, Dad? How bad is he hurt?’

He walks me down the hall to the small waiting area where we can be alone and hands me a handful of tissues from a box on the table. I dab at my eyes and blow my nose while I wait impatiently for him to answer.

‘He’s lucky, it could have been a lot worse. He has a bad concussion, a few broken ribs, a sprained wrist, and a lot of road rash. I’m sure his neck and back are going to be hurting him pretty bad, too. But in the grand scheme of things, he’s very lucky. He’ll just need to rest for awhile, his whole body is going to be sore.’

‘Concussion?’ I repeat, my voice almost shrieking. ‘He hit his head?’

‘Kenzi, it’s not like what happened to Mom. It’s different.’

‘How do you know for sure?’

‘Because I do. Trust me.’

My mom hit her head, too. And she never woke up again.

He flips his keys around in his hand. ‘Let’s just go home, I don’t want you this upset. His family is here. Sydni is here. He won’t be alone. He’s resting now and too many people can’t be piling up in his room.’

No. No, no, no. I can’t leave him here without seeing him, and I want to get freakin’ Sydni away from him. She’s not family. My blood is boiling thinking about her, and she has no right to be kissing him, especially when he’s not even awake.

‘How did Sydni find out?’ I ask. ‘Who called her?’

‘I guess Tanner did. Why are you obsessing over Sydni? You’re acting crazy.’

‘I don’t know. They’re not together so it seems odd. She should leave.’

‘I have no idea what’s going on between them. That’s none of our business. She hasn’t left his side.’

My jaw grinds. This just isn’t right. I’m his girlfriend. Not her.

‘I want to stay for a little while.’ I finally say, forcing my voice to sound as natural as I can. ‘I’m not going to freak out or faint.’

‘Are you sure? You look pale and you’re not acting yourself at all.’

I give him a weak, non-convincing smile. ‘I’m positive. I’ll stay for a little while then I’ll go to his place to check on the pets. Maybe I should stay there until he gets home?’ I know if Tor were awake right now he would ask me to stay with them.

My father runs his hand through his hair. ‘That might be a good idea. Sydni is allergic so she probably won’t want to be there. Check with Tesla to be sure, but it might be easiest for you to stay there for a few days until he’s home. It’ll be one less thing for everyone to worry about. You’ll be okay there alone?’

I nod. ‘Yes. The pets know me, and I know their routine.’

‘Alright. Call me in a little while and let me know how he is and what you’re doing. You’ll have to come home to get clothes, so I’ll see you there.’

I don’t tell him that I already have extra clothes at Tor’s house, in my own drawer in his dresser and hanging next to his in his closet. There’s also my makeup. And my body wash. And my favorite foods.

We hug goodbye and I watch the nurses stare at him as he walks by the nurse’s station on his way to the elevator. I glare at them until they feel my eyes on them. What kind of thirsty bitches stare at a man in a hospital? Since he grew up here, most people in town don’t go crazy over him being famous, but occasionally there are people who approach him for an autograph, follow him around, or stare at him.

I decide I’m going to wait in the waiting room until Sydni leaves, and then I’ll go in to see Tor. I’ll hide in here until after hours if I have to, and hopefully, the nurses won’t find me and throw me out. I’m prepared to beg if I have to.

I’m immersed in a gossip magazine when suddenly Tesla comes flying into the waiting room, her black high heels clicking on the floor.

‘There you are. You’re lucky I got ahold of this before someone else did, Kenzi.’ She holds up Tor’s cell phone and waves it in front of me.

Damn!

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ I reply, my nerves rattling at what she may have read on there.

‘Don’t play dumb, Kenzi. He told me a few weeks ago what’s going on. I know everything.’

Surprise wafts over me. He didn’t tell me he had talked about us with his sister. I don’t mind at all that he did, but I’m shocked because he’s been so worried someone will find out.

‘He told you about us?’

‘Yes. He needed to talk to someone he could trust. He’s all torn up over this.’

‘Tesla, please don’t tell anyone.’

‘I’m not but you better stop sending him text messages. You’re lucky the Queen of Rock ‘n Roll in there didn’t get ahold of his cell phone before I did or your ass would be grass right now.’

‘I know that. What is she doing here, anyway? They’re not even together.’

‘Seriously, Kenzi, wake up. She thinks she owns him. My mom’s about to throw her out because she’s trying to take control already.’

I stand up and pace the room. ‘This is awful. How is he? Is he awake? Is he in a lot of pain? I’m going nuts not being able to be with him.’

She falls into one of the chairs and crosses her legs. ‘He’s not really awake. He opens his eyes for a few seconds but that’s it. The doctor said he probably won’t be coherent until tomorrow. And yeah he must be in pain, the road rash alone looks likes pizza. They’ve got him on an IV of pain meds.’

‘Oh my God. I hate this.’

‘You two are really in a mess, Kenzi. You have to lay low or someone is going to catch on. My brother has enough to deal with now. If anyone finds out he’s screwing you it’s going to cause a ruckus, and that’s not going to be good for him.’

I shoot her an angry look. ‘He’s not screwing me, Tesla. We love each other.’

She shakes her head at me, her silver hoop earrings swinging. ‘I just hope you two know what you’re doing. I’m only two years older than you and I can’t even wrap my head around the thought of loving someone and planning a future with someone at this stage in my life. I can’t even brain being that kind of tied down.’

‘You and I are very different, Tessie. I love your brother, and I can honestly say the only thing I want is to spend my life with him. I don’t think of it as being tied down at all.’

‘I hope you feel that way in five, ten years and beyond. Because if you do a U-turn at some point and leave him, it will break his heart. He’s not nineteen years old, ya know?’

‘Trust me I know that, and I would never do that to him. You don’t think I worry that he’ll want to be with someone his own age and leave me? We’re both vulnerable.’

‘I think you’re both playing with fire. Your father is going to freak the fuck out when he finds out. Even though Tor is a great guy and will probably treat you like a Queen, Asher isn’t going to be able to see past the fact that his best friend is boning his daughter.’

‘You don’t have to remind me, Tash. I know all of this. It’s all I think about.’

She pulls a pack of mints out of her purse and offers me one before putting a few into her mouth. I shake my head no. I have no appetite for anything, even a tiny mint.

‘Look, Kenzi…I’m not trying to be a bitch. I love my brother, and I like you. I think you guys can be happy together. I’m just a little pissed off right now because my brother is lying in a hospital bed because some fucking asshole was probably texting while they were driving. I’m not trying to make you feel bad, I know you’re upset.’

‘It’s okay. I understand.’

‘Taran and Tris put his bike on a flatbed and took it to the shop. He’s going to be so pissed when he finds out his bike is wrecked.’

‘How bad is it? Can it be fixed?’ Tor has put so much time and money into rebuilding that motorcycle over the years, he’ll be heartbroken to find out it’s messed up.

‘Taran thinks so, but Tor likes to do the work on his bike himself so they’re not going to do much to it.’

I nod in agreement. ‘I thought I’d stay with the pets at his house until he’s able to come home unless you want to?’

‘That would be great, actually. I work a lot of really late nights.’

‘Then I’m more than happy to stay.’

I glance at my watch and realize it’s late afternoon already. My heart feels sick with worry about Tor. Not being able to see him, hold him close and tell him I’m here is killing me inside. Is he wondering if I’m here? Is he upset that I’m not in there?

‘You want to take a walk to his room with me and see how he’s doing?’ Tesla asks softly. ‘Hopefully Sydni will be gone.’

I nod and wipe at my eyes with my fingers. ‘Yes.’

When we get to his room I’m glad to see that Sydni has left. His mom and Tristan are there, and I hug both of them hello, trying to not fall apart as my eyes rivet on Tor sleeping in the bed. He looks smaller and younger in just the hospital gown and a thin white blanket thrown over his legs. The dark, dried blood on his forehead and the side of his face causes my chest to constrict, and I want to get a warm cloth and wipe it away.

But I can’t. Because right now, I’m not Tor’s girlfriend. I’m just his best friend’s kid.

‘What did the doctor say?’ Tesla asks as I move closer to the bed, taking an inventory of all the scrapes and bruises I’m going to kiss better as soon as we’re alone together.

‘He was in a little while ago and checked him over,’ Mrs. Grace replies. ‘They want to keep him for a day or two for observation, just as a precaution. He’ll be sore and will need time to recover. His ribs and the road rash will probably cause him the most pain, and he could have some headaches for a few days since he hit his head. They’ve got him on pain killers and antibiotics right now.’

‘We’re going to sue the asshole that hit him,’ Tristan says. ‘They could have fucking killed him. Not to mention wrecking a restored vintage motorcycle. That idiot is going to pay for this.’

I sit gingerly on the edge of the bed and take his bandaged hand gently in mine, not caring that his family will see. They know we’re close, so it shouldn’t raise any questions that I would hold his hand. It’s a perfectly normal thing to do with someone you’re friends with.

Tesla keeps talking to her mom and brother in the background, asking a hundred questions and I’m pretty sure she’s doing it on purpose to distract them from noticing me sitting on the bed with him fighting back tears. I rub my thumb gently over his and watch his chest move as he sleeps. The heart rate monitor and the intravenous lines he’s hooked up to make my anxiety spike but I try to remind myself that this isn’t like what happened to my mother. He’s just sleeping from all the medication, and he’s going to wake up.

His mom is saying that we all should leave so he can rest, and I can’t bring myself to just stand nonchalantly and leave the room. Not caring anymore, I lean down and kiss his cheek.

‘I love you the most,’ I whisper to him. ‘I’ll be back tomorrow.’