All Chapters of Torin-Shattered: Way Down We Go (Part 1): Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

The ride to Jess’s bar felt longer than it was. My hands gripped the edges of the passenger seat, knuckles white. Every shadow along the road, every flicker of movement in the trees, made me flinch. Torin’s eyes never left the road, but I could feel the tension radiating off him. He was calm, collected, but I knew him well enough to know that he was running scenarios in his head, planning, calculating.“We’re not going to wait until he makes the next move,” Torin said, his voice low. “We need to know what he’s thinking.”I nodded, biting my lip. “I don’t want to know what he’s thinking. I just want him gone.”Torin’s eyes softened, just for a second. “I know. I want that too. But he’s clever. Patient. Dangerous. We can’t underestimate him. Not for a second.”When we pulled into the parking lot, Jess was waiting, arms crossed, his expression a mix of concern and irritation. Tannin was leaning against the doorframe, watching us like a hawk.“Show me,” Jess said without preamble.Torin ha

The house was quiet when I woke, though my chest still thudded from the lingering anxiety of Lucien’s latest move. Torin was already awake, leaning against the kitchen counter with his mug of coffee, eyes narrowed at the security monitors. His jaw was tight, his posture tense, but there was something comforting in the way he seemed focused on protecting me, rather than letting the fear in the room consume him.I rubbed my eyes and stepped into the kitchen. “Any news?” I asked, voice still hoarse from lack of sleep.Torin shook his head. “Nothing yet. He hasn’t made a direct move. But that doesn’t mean he won’t. We just have to stay sharp.”I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “I don’t know how much longer I can stay calm. Every time I think he’s out of reach, he finds a way to make me feel like he’s right there.”Torin walked toward me, sliding an arm around my waist, pulling me against his chest. The heat of him made my knees weak, even as my mind screamed at me to stay focused.

The phone rang just as the first light of dawn seeped through the blinds. I groaned, burying my face in Torin’s chest. “Do you have to answer that?” I murmured, half asleep, half terrified of who it could be.Torin’s brow furrowed. “If it’s important, we need to know. It could be Lucien.”I sat up, grabbing the receiver. “Hello?” My voice was shaky, but I forced it to sound steady.“Marlowe?” The deep, familiar tone made my chest lurch. Rook.“Rook?” I whispered, heart hammering. I hadn’t heard his voice in months—not since that night when everything in my life had shattered. “Where…how did you—”“I’ll explain everything later,” he said, urgency in his voice. “Right now, I need to see you. We don’t have much time.”Torin’s hand found mine under the blanket, squeezing. “Marlowe?” he asked quietly.“I… I have to see him,” I said, biting back a sob. “I need to know he’s safe.”Torin studied me, dark eyes unreadable for a moment. Then he nodded. “Okay. But you’re not going anywhere alone.

The air was damp and heavy, the kind of night that clung to your skin and made every sound travel farther. Torin had stepped away to meet Jess and Tannin about strengthening security at the bar. Rook stayed behind with me, his arms crossed as he leaned against the doorway of the loft, scanning the street below like a hawk.I sat curled on the couch, sketchbook balanced on my knees. The pencil moved, but the shapes on the page blurred. My nerves made it impossible to focus. I set the sketchbook aside and looked at him.“You don’t have to stand guard like that,” I said softly. “You’ll wear a hole in the floor pacing.”Rook gave a low laugh, though his eyes never left the window. “I spent too many years wishing I’d been there to protect you. Now that I’m here, I’m not taking any chances. Not with him out there.”I bit my lip, warmth and guilt tangling inside me. How different would life have been if we’d grown up together? If he hadn’t been kept away?“Rook,” I whispered, “I don’t want yo

~MARLOWE~The morning sunlight didn’t make me feel safer. It just made the shadows sharper, easier to notice where danger could hide. Rook made coffee in the kitchen, the smell strong and bitter, while Torin sat at the table, flipping through the photos he’d taken at the docks.I tried not to look at them, but the edges of the prints caught my eyes anyway. Guns. Men with hard faces. The warehouse. It was all proof that Lucien wasn’t just circling anymore…he was setting up camp.“You should eat something,” Torin said without looking up.“I’m not hungry.”He gave me a look that said he didn’t believe me for a second. I turned away, wrapping my arms around myself.Rook slid a mug across the counter toward me. “Drink. Caffeine counts as breakfast.”A smile tugged at my lips despite the tension. “Thanks.”I hadn’t even taken my first sip before a knock rattled the front door.All three of us froze.Torin’s hand went to his gun. Rook moved to the window, peering down. His shoulders stiffened