HellKat (30 page)

“I’m
confident
you made another mistake, Parker. A big one. Care to guess what it is?” His jaw ticked. “No? Okay, I’ll clue you in. You really need to vet your associates better, especially when you’re conspiring with them to commit felonies. You haven’t used your gun because you’re waiting on someone else. Your partner’s going take care of me for you, right?”

“I’m tired of this game.” His eyes darted to the wall clock.

“What’s the matter? Is he late?”

“Shut your mouth!”

“I know for a fact he’d love to get his hands on me after the way I humiliated him in public.” That got his interest. “Oh, didn’t Cameron tell you?” The name drained the color from his face. “He introduced himself when I was in Montana. I bet he wasn’t supposed to do that.

“Father’s heart attack messed up Plan A, didn’t it? Some unfortunate accident that would’ve gotten rid of me
and
Tucker. You and Cameron are certainly united on that front.” Parker’s tie was no longer straight, his shirt now pitted with the stains of worry.

“By the way, how’s Cameron like Charlie’s suite at the Four Seasons?” Perspiration popped across his forehead and upper lip.

Time to put a bow on it.

“Do you think your mother will visit you in prison?” He stood mute, clearly trying to piece together the fragments of his plan, a plan Kat was determined to blow up. “Come on, Parker, you’re way past Plan B now. You don’t have time to paste together another shitty one. This is over. And the answer is no. Your mother will not visit you in prison. Do you know why?” She moved closer, he didn’t shrink back. “Because she will be
relieved
when you’re locked up. You scare her … and disgust her. The same way you disgusted our father.

“Who could blame him after what he saw. No matter what you did after that, it would never be enough. He would never approve of you again. You knew that. So you took it out on his company.” She shifted her stance, hands hooked at her hips. “He should’ve turned you in, made you face the consequences. But he didn’t because he was weak.”

Contempt burned in her eyes. “Why are the men in our family so goddamned weak? And you’re the weakest of the bunch. Killing a defenseless woman. You can’t get much lower … unless it’s a baby.

“I’m going to tell you what no one else has had the guts to say. You weren’t worth protecting that night. You are a fucking coward, a homicidal maniac who should’ve been locked up decades ago. They didn’t protect you because they thought you were worthy of redemption. They protected you because they loved their lifestyle. Their money, their homes, and their place in society—
that’s
what they were protecting. Not you. It was
never
about protecting you.

“So when the police knock on your mother’s door, and they will, you can rest assured she will only be concerned with saving herself.”

Kat had pushed and poked with deliberate, sharp denunciations. Now she waited, alert and ready for his strike, determined not to be caught off guard this time.

The instant his open hand lifted, she ducked, lunged for his legs, and dropped him hard. His head smacked against the concrete surface, the gun popped off a round, and then skidded away. She quickly climbed him, latched on at his forehead and raked her nails down his face. Flesh ripped, bunched under her nails, and still she clawed deeper. He howled and knocked her off, screaming agonized curses. She frantically scanned for the gun, reached for it but missed when he jerked her back by the hair, straddled her, and put her throat in a stranglehold. She scratched and clawed, gasped for air.

“You bitch!” He slammed her head against the floor.

Stars burst in her vision, pain radiated around her skull, his crazed tirade undecipherable. She saw three faces gouged and shredded like bloody masks suspended above her, revealing the monsters behind them. With her options fading, she took aim at the deranged devil in the middle.

Her last shot.

High-pitched screams of agony pierced through the loft, spurring her on as her thumbs dug deeper into his eyes.

And then it stopped—all of it. Relief flooded her lungs. The oppressive weight lifted from her throat and body. She gulped air, coughed and sputtered. A peel of thunder vibrated through her body, rattled the loft, and gave way to the frenzied shouts of violence and mayhem.

Tucker! It was his voice.

She scrambled to her feet, held her head, and steadied herself against the swirl of dizziness and nausea. She surveyed the room as it zoomed in and out of focus. Parker sat crumpled in a corner taunting his executioner. Tucker cocked the gun, ready to grant Parker’s wish.

A fresh rush of anxiety chilled Kat and temporarily cleared her head.

She stepped toward them. “Don’t do it, Tucker. It’s what he wants. He knows it’s over. He knows he’s going to have to pay for what he’s done.” Her eyes flicked to Parker’s, now bloody and swollen, hatred still swimming in them. “And I want him to pay. I want him to suffer. I want him to lose everything. Death is too good for him; it’s the easy way out.” She glanced back to Tucker and slowly approached him. “Don’t make this easy for him. Please don’t.”

She knelt beside him, carefully placed her hand on his back. “This is finally over. We can move on,
together
. Don’t let him ruin that for us. Don’t let him take anything else away from me.”

Tucker blinked, considering her reasoned plea, the war inside him evident as he clearly battled his need to make Parker pay right this second. He finally released a ragged breath and pulled her close, the gun still aimed at its target.

“If that’s what you want.”

“It is.”

Sirens echoed in the distance, heavy footfalls drew nearer, and then her world went black.

Kat squinted at the unfamiliar buildings across the street. She tried to wake from her dream and the hazy disorientation sticking at the back of her eyes. She slammed her lids shut to the harsh rays from the sun, her head hurt. The incessant beep of her alarm clock wasn’t helping, either. She blindly reached out to shut it off, banged into something metal.

“Kat?”

Kyle? What the hell?

She peered through slits, her hand shielding her eyes from the light. A slight tug at her arm distracted her. Why did she have tubes taped to her hands and arms? Machines blinked and beeped beside her.

“Oh my God, you’re awake.” His relieved smile couldn’t brighten the dark circles of worry dragging down his eyes.

“What’s going on? Why are the lights so bright?” She didn’t recognize the roughness of her own voice.

“Let me pull the curtains.” He darted around the bed. “The doctor said you’d be sensitive to light for a while.”

She swallowed with effort, no moisture to be found. “The doctor …?” Her head slowly swiveled around the dimmed room. This couldn’t be good. “Why am I in a hospital?”

Kyle took tentative steps toward the bed. “You have a severe concussion, Kat.” He pressed a straw to her lips and the cold water tasted better than anything she could ever remember drinking. It lifted some of the fog and made her acutely aware of aches and pains and the pounding in her head.

“Do you remember what happened?”

She stared blankly at him, so many images screaming for attention at once. And then one remembered day overwhelmed and poured out of her. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“I’m so sorry, Kyle. I didn’t mean those awful things I said, please forgive me. You have to believe me. Please. I can’t lose you.” She clamped her hands over her runaway mouth.

He sat carefully on the bed and gently wiped away her tears.

“I’ve never seen you cry before.” He looked like he might shed a few himself. “I believe you, Kat. I knew what you were doing. I know you said those things because you love me.” He bent forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I don’t want you to worry. You’re not going to lose me. I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”

“But you said—”

He shushed her. “Forget what I said. I was angry. I just needed time to let it all sink in. Find my backbone.” His expression turned grim. “I’m sorry you didn’t feel like you could talk to me about everything that’s been going on with you. God, Kat, I am so sorry. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

Vivid images flashed in her head, growing more intense, and then hit her with a wave of nausea.

She clutched Kyle’s arms. “Parker’s in jail, right? Tell me he’s behind bars.”

“Yes, he is. And he’s not getting out anytime soon.” He cupped her face. “Do you remember what happened at my place, with him?”

Right now her memories resembled a box of pictures tossed on the floor, out of sequence and missing context. “Sort of.”

Kyle filled in some of the blanks. “He tricked us both, Kat. He stopped by my place claiming he wanted to talk about the business, my vote. I never would’ve given it to him, I just thought I’d hear him out, man to man, and then throw him out. End of story. I made the mistake of stepping out of the room to take a call. That’s when he drugged my drink, tied me up, and stuffed me in a closet. We’re both lucky to be alive.”

“How long ago? I mean, how long have I been in here?”

He sighed and squeezed her hand. “This is day four of the longest four days of my life, kitten.”

Fresh tears slipped out and she giggled, ignored the throb in her head. “I didn’t think I’d ever hear you call me that again.”

He stroked her cheek. “That makes two of us. You had me worried, but you’ve gotten stronger every day. We’ve just been waiting for you to wake up.” He pushed hair away from her face.

A sharp jolt of panic stabbed at her gut. “Where’s Tucker? Why isn’t he here?”

“Shhh, shhh. Calm down. He’s fine, but I’m going to be at the top of his shit list now.”

“Why?”

He ignored the question.

“He loves you, Kat. He really, really loves you.”

“I know.”

“He hasn’t left your side until today, when
I
convinced him to leave long enough to get a shower and some decent food. I’m never going to hear the end of it now.”

“I’ll give you a pass, Kyle. Just this once.”

Kyle shifted out of the way, leaving Kat in plain sight.

A smile lit up Tucker’s tired, whiskered face. He seemed rooted in his spot. “There’s my sleeping beauty,” he said, the words wet like the sheen in his eyes.

Her cheeks flushed with heat.

“Leave it to me not to wait for the prince to wake me up.”

He bit back a laugh. “Sounds about right.”

Kyle patted him on the shoulder. “I’m going to step outside.”

Tucker shrugged off his jacket and tossed it on a chair, never taking his eyes off Kat’s. He dropped down next to her, brushed away the new tears.

“How you feelin’, sweetheart?”

“Better, now.” She couldn’t take her eyes off him, her fingertips skimming along his jaw. He wanted more of an answer, his expression said so. “I’m sore. My head hurts. And I feel … foggy.”

“You will for a while. You’re gonna have to take it easy, Kat. You’re gonna have to follow the doctor’s orders.”

“Are you going to make me?” Her chin lifted in a weak challenge.

“I told you before.” He tapped her nose. “I’m just the man for the job.”

He leaned in for a soft kiss.

“Is it over? All of it?”

“Looks that way. With everything you already turned over, the mess that went down at Kyle’s, and Cameron squealin’ like a stuck pig so he gets a better deal, your brother’s in a world of hurt.” He paused. “And he’s never gonna be able to hide again, even from himself.”

“What do you mean?”

He grabbed the cup and brought the straw to her lips, his face beaming with admiration.

“You turned the hellcat loose on him, sweetheart. He’s never gonna look the same. Everyone can see him for what he is now. Every time he passes a mirror, he’s gonna remember who put him in his place, and why.”

Bits and pieces of incomplete images flashed in her memory, flooded her with emotions, some of them terrifying.

“How did you know where I was? If you hadn’t come when you did—”

His finger pressed against her lips, his expression grave. “Don’t even go there. I was where I needed to be, when I needed to be there. That’s all that matters. We’ll talk about the rest when you get outta here.”

Kat settled back and rocked her aching head in the pillow.

“You just relax and get ready for all the doctors and nurses that’re gonna be swarmin’ around you any minute now. And when you’re up to it, the police are gonna want to talk to you too.”

Fuzzy recollections nibbled at her mind.

“You’ve been talking to me, haven’t you?” He gave her a curious look. “I mean, while I was out. You talked to me, like I was awake, didn’t you?” The memory of his words teased in the shadows, just out of reach.

He grasped her hand and kissed the palm, then the top.

“Sure I did. I wanted you to know I was here in case you could hear what was goin’ on.”

“What did you say?”

He brushed his knuckles against her cheek.

“I told you about all the things we’re gonna do when you get outta here.”

Her lids felt heavy. Sleep waved her forward.

“Will you tell me those things again sometime?” She yawned.

“Of course, I will, sweetheart.” He tucked the bedding around her and placed the cup back on the table. “Get some rest and promise me you’ll wake back up. Okay?”

She heard the worry he tried to hide with his casual tone.

A sleepy smile curved her lips and creased her eyes. “I think my prince should wake me with a kiss next time.”

He chuckled. “Consider it a done deal.”