On the Edge (20 page)

“What’s going on?” Cole sleepily mumbles. So much for not waking him.

“Nothing, Seth had a bad dream, so he’s sleeping with us now,” I say quietly.

Cole lifts his head, glances over at his little brother, and a small smile crosses his face before he lays back down. He curves his body back around mine, his hand resting on Seth’s side.

My heart warms and a smile covers my face as I drift off back to sleep.

I wake the next morning feeling as if I’m being squeezed on both sides, probably because I am. I’m sandwiched between Cole and Seth, and I’m not sure if I could move if I wanted to. Little Seth’s eyes flutter open and he looks at me sleepily as an innocent smile crosses his face. I see the love shining in his eyes and wish I’d had the chance for the life Seth is going to lead.

“Why don’t you run use your bathroom while I use mine, and we’ll meet in the hallway and go down for breakfast together.” I say to Seth as he listens intently.

He hops out of bed and begins running off, then he stops short. Turning to eye me, that sweet voice says, “Thanks for letting me sleep with you, Kat. My mommy wouldn’t.”

“No problem,” I say, keeping a fake smile planted on my face until he leaves the room. Then I storm into my bathroom, stomping all the way and slam the door behind me. I take care of business and am at the sink washing my hands when Cole walks in behind me and wraps his arms around my waist.

“Try not to kill my stepmother this morning. We have enough going on without you going to jail for that.” His smirk reflects back at me in the mirror.

“That bitch deserves a beat down. Who tells their own son they can’t sleep with them when he has a nightmare after being kidnapped?” I ask, the anger clear in my voice.

“That bitch,” Cole replies smartly.

I turn and leave Cole in the bathroom as I make my way out to find Seth. He’s sitting in the middle of the hall in front of my door when I open it. he looks so lost, and my heart breaks for him. He needs a parent who will comfort him. Right now, Bruce is dealing with Julie at the hospital, and Trish is too busy snorting coke. I determine that I will be there for him as long as I can. I won’t let him go through this time thinking he’s alone.

“Come on, buddy. Let’s head downstairs.” I say, reaching out my hand. His little hand clasps mine tightly as we begin the trek downstairs. We travel quietly until about half way down the stairs.

“Kat,” I pause and look down at him, then continue walking, “I’m glad you shot that guy who hurt Julie.”

I come to a complete stop right there on the stairs. I sit down so that I’m eye level with him.

“I wish it never happened. No one should’ve taken you or your sister.” I look him straight in the eyes. “They should never have been able to hurt Julie that way, and I’m thankful they didn’t hurt you, too, and that we have you home again.” I pull him into me, hugging him as my tears fall.

“I love you, Kat!” The little voice says right by my ear and my heart melts. This little boy has made me a mess of emotions. We’re sitting there hugging when, out of the corner of my eye, I see Cole coming towards us. His long legs take the stairs with ease until he stops near us, and then he sits on the step above me.

“What’s going on?” he asks quietly, looking more at Seth than me. Seth gazes up at his big brother, lets go of me, and throws his arms around Cole. My heart breaks when Seth sobs on his brother’s shoulder. “Hey bud, what’s with the tears?” Cole’s tender manner with his little brother touches me.

“I love Kat. She saved Julie!” His little high-pitched voice squeaks, paralyzing me in my spot. I’m no hero and he makes it sound as if I am.

“Kat’s pretty badass.” Cole states, which makes Seth giggle.

“You said a bad word, Cole.”

I start snickering, I can’t help it, and my snickers soon turn into full on laughter. Seth has such a unique way of seeing situations.

“Let’s go get breakfast.” Cole swoops Seth up in his arm, then holds his free hand out to me. I take it, pull myself up off the stairs, and the three of us make it the rest of the way downstairs. As we walk into the kitchen, we’re greeted by Hunter at the breakfast table with a plate of eggs, bacon, and hash browns. My stomach rumbles in response to the smell of food. Cole sets his brother down and tells him to go get a seat.

“Mornin’,” Hunter says, looking up from his food as we settle in around the table.

“Mornin’,” I mumble back. “How much longer will you be staying?”

“Mr. Knight has a few things he wants me to take care of before I leave, but I should be able to go home tonight,” he says while wiping his mouth with a napkin.

“Well, I guess that’s good.” I reach across the table to grab the pitcher of orange juice and pour some into Seth’s glass before handing the pitcher to Cole. Seth doesn’t wait long before the cook heads over with a plate of scrambled eggs and places it in front of him.

I lean my head on Cole’s shoulder, still exhausted from the last few days. I want to eat and then head to the hospital to check on Julie. I’m still extremely worried about her. When the cook sets plates in front of Cole and me, chatter ceases around the table as we all eat. After finishing my breakfast, I push away from the table, pick up my plate up, and carry it over to the sink. As I walk back across the kitchen, Trish comes in the room. She takes one look at me and sneers, “Whore,” to which I reply, “Bitch,” and the next thing I know, I’m being picked up off the ground.

“Excuse us. I need to take my girlfriend back to bed,” Cole says a little too cheerfully. Hunter is laughing behind me and Trish lets out a loud groan. Once he has us back out in the foyer, he sets me down on my own two feet.

“What was that for?” I ask, looking at him as if he has lost his mind. He gives me a sheepish smile.

“I didn’t want you beating my stepmother down again, and I like making her think we fuck like rabbits.”

“You’re fucking weird.” I stand on my tiptoes, plant a kiss on his cheek, and send him a bright smile before heading up the stairs to go shower and dress.

When I step back into my bedroom after my shower, Cole is stretched out on my bed in a pair of unbuttoned jeans and no shirt. I can’t help but stare at his gorgeous chest on display. This guy makes me hot any time I’m near him.

“Kitten, stop looking at me like that. You make it hard to resist you when you look all sexy turned on like you do right now,” he says, his voice low but clear.

“You think it’s easy for me?” I ask as I walk into my closet to get dressed. “I struggle, too. I want to change my own mind all the time about waiting six months.”

I pull on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt to wear to the hospital. I want to be comfortable while I’m there. “Cole, you should see if your dad or Justin needs us to bring them anything.”

“Already done. The maid is gathering both of them a fresh set of clothes to take with us,” he hollers back at me. I finish dressing and slip back into my bedroom. Cole is still sprawled across the bed.

“Come on, Cole. Finish dressing and take me to the hospital. I’m ready to see your sister.”

He moves off my bed, walks over to the dresser, and grabs a T-shirt off of it. When he slips it over his head, it forms to the contours of his body and I bite my bottom lip at the sight of him. I don’t need to keep letting my mind travel to this place.

“Let’s go, Kitten.” Cole says, bringing my thoughts back to our need to get to the hospital.

A part of me dreads what I will see when I get there. Julie looked so bad yesterday when we finally got her back. I haven’t seen my brother since the hospital. The way he acted has me worried about him. I need to find him today, talk to him, and see what is going on in his mind.

We tell Seth goodbye, leaving him in the care of one of the maids, as Trish won’t pay any attention to him. Bruce has yet to hire a true nanny for Seth, so I may need to talk to him about that. The next few weeks are going to be rough on the family. Julie is going to require some major healing time and probably physical therapy too.

Cole drives us towards the hospital and I am so lost in my thoughts that I don’t realize his hand has been on my thigh the whole time we’ve been in the car.

“Welcome back, Kitten.”

“Ha!” I snort laugh. “I got lost in my own head. I’m just so worried about Seth and Julie.” I turn a little more so I’m sitting sideways, gazing at Cole’s face. “Trish is such a bitch and she’s never going to be the kind of mother Seth needs. I think your dad should look into hiring someone full time to be there for Seth. A motherly or grandmotherly type is what he needs.”

I don’t know why I think I know anything about this. I just know what sucked for me when I was growing up. I don’t want to see someone I’ve come to love have to grow up with a mother like mine who doesn’t give a shit. He has a father and siblings who love him, but if they get him a nanny, that would help give him the maternal influence he needs.

“You think my dad should hire a nanny for Seth?” Cole asks with disbelief in his voice.

“Yes,” I say. “Seth needs someone who can concentrate on him. Julie is going to need a lot of focus in the next few weeks.” I straighten back in the seat and look out the side window, watching the trees whiz by us. “Her physical healing is going to be the easy part, Cole. It’s the emotional trauma that scares me.”

“I’m worried about her, too. I want to kill all of them. I still can’t believe you shot the bastard before anyone else could.” He’s still a little miffed with me.

“Fuck!” I turn to face him again. “What time do we have to be at the police station today?”

“I called dad when you were in the shower. We’re to meet the family lawyer at the station around four this afternoon. He’ll sit with each of us as we’re questioned.”

“Okay, that sounds good. Maybe I won’t be as nervous with the attorney there,” I reply.

“You’ll be fine, Kat. All we have to do is stick to the story and no one will go to jail for this. And if they do, Pete will take the rap for you,” he states in an even tone.

How can he be so calm? Pete is willing to take the blame for my actions. Panic rolls through my body, my heart rate increases, my breathing becomes sporadic. In short, I’m freaking out. My body tingles from one end to the other. My chest begins collapsing in on itself.

“Kitten.” Cole’s worried voice breaks through the fog in my brain.

I can’t seem to focus enough to look at him. I place my head between my legs, panting and praying that I don’t pass out. I barely register a hand rubbing my back in a soothing manner. I feel as if I’m disconnected from my body but, at the same time, a one ton weight sits on my chest.

“Babe, take a deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth.”

Cole’s voice finally breaks through and I hear what he’s telling me. I have no idea how long he’s been talking to me like that, but as I take some deep breaths, calm washes over me.

“Shit, you scared the fuck out of me, Kat.”

I see the worried look on his face.

“I’m sorry. I was just suddenly struck with a panic attack. The thought of Pete taking the rap for me sent me catapulting into the abyss.” I reach for Cole’s hand and lift it in mine. “I’m okay.”

“Are you sure? We can wait here a few more minutes before heading to the hospital.” That’s when I realize that, at some point during my panic attack, Cole pulled over into a parking lot. “Thanks, Cole, for helping me through it. I’ll be okay now, I’m sure.”

He starts the car again, and because we’re just a couple blocks from the hospital, in no time, we’re pulling in at the hospital. As we cross the parking lot, Cole takes my hand in his. That simple gesture conveys so much to me. He is here for me no matter what I need. This little token of affection makes me fall deeper for him. My grip on his hand tightens because I know that Cole is my rock, my strength, and my shield. He is my Knight!

Cole and I walk through the white halls of the hospital over to the elevator that will take us upstairs. Bruce has arranged for Julie to be in a private room while she is in the hospital. I learn yet another lesson about being a Knight and what money can get a person.

As we walk in the room, straight ahead is a sitting area with dark blue leather couches and recliners, taupe colored end tables, and pillows to match. A small kitchenette in one corner with a full-size refrigerator, a sink, and a microwave on the countertop takes up one short wall. Through a little archway, the taupe wood theme continues with hospital furniture that looks like state of the art. That has to be the most comfortable hospital bed I’ve ever seen in my life. Julie lays there on the bed, her face still swollen, purple, and cut to hell. I’m so thankful that, even though she looks like hell, nothing is going to leave a scar.