Page 31 of Shatter

He's the voice from the ceiling.

Hakon is right behind him, and he slides past into the room and stands against the wall near the foot of the bed, arms loose at his sides.

Close enough to reach me.

Not close enough to crowd.

The big man doesn't come in any farther than the end of the bed.

He stops there and looks at me, at my eye and the gauze on my hands, and something moves under his beard, his jaw working side to side.

"I'm Tor." His voice is low and rough, and not unkind. "This is my club. You know where you are?"

"Yes." It comes out as a croak.

"Good." He folds his arms across his chest. "Then you know one of my prospects put three rounds in a man for you last night, and my brothers spent the rest of it mopping up his mess."

My face burns.

"I didn't ask him to." The words come out thin.

"No, you didn't." Tor doesn't blink. "But it's done. So, I need some answers. What's your name?"

"Katie." I make myself hold his eyes.

"Katie what?" He waits.

I don't answer.

The fan ticks around once, twice.

"Who was the man in the lot?" Tor's eyes don't leave my face.

I look at the ceiling.

"Who sent him?" He rests one hand on the footboard.

The water stain, the fan.

My pulse, thudding in my swollen eye.

Tor exhales through his nose, long and slow, and his folded arms bunch tighter across his chest.

Every muscle in my body locks down, bracing for the shout.

It doesn't come.

He looks at Hakon instead.

Hakon holds his stare without glancing away, and a muscle ticks in Tor's cheek.

"Here's how it's going to be." Tor turns back to me. "You don't want to tell me your name, fine. Keep it. But whatever came to that parking lot for you is going to come looking again, and now it's looking at my club, too. So, until I know what's coming through my gate, you stay in this room."

"I can't—" I push up on one elbow, and my ribs stop me halfway.

"It isn't a request." His voice doesn't rise, but it doesn't need to. "You'll eat. You'll heal. Vail will check on you. Nobody lays a hand on you. But you don't leave this compound until I say."

He looks at Hakon one more time, a hard look lasting a second too long.