“No, lie to me,” Katrina said, then laughed. “Yes, honestly.”
“I really don’t know.” Kent looked uncomfortable as his gaze moved away from hers. “I spent most of my life angry at women. Then I met you, Raven, Jill, and I watched how hard you worked. How hard all of you worked. Yet I didn’t want to feel anything like pride for any of you. It wasn’t until I saw Angelina being manhandled by a man that I realized my mother had been anormal person once. Circumstances probably out of her control caused her to become who and what she was.”
“You have mommy issues,” Katrina said, not being funny. No, she was totally serious. “Just like I have daddy issues. What a fucked-up pair we make.”
“Yeah.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “I guess you could say that.”
Hearing a motorcycle pull up, Kent stood. “The loyalty I saw from you today was admirable. You’re a good person, Katrina, and I’m sorry it took me so long to see it.”
Her smile faded slightly. “I’ve done some pretty messed-up stuff.” Katrina looked down, then back at him. “I don’t think I’d consider myself a good person.”
“We've all done fucked up stuff,” Kent replied, then shrugged. “But I’m counting on second chances."
"Everyone deserves a second chance." Katrina agreed.
He started to leave, but stopped. "And let’s keep the fact that I followed you to ourselves, please. I really don’t want to fight that big bastard of a mate you have walking toward us.”
“As long as you tell me about your gang life in the 1800s.” Katrina grinned when he nodded.
“Deal. And Katrina,” Kent said, then looked toward the burnt-out structure of her old house, “sometimes we have to come back to move forward.”
“Yeah,” she whispered, also looking around. “Maybe we do.”
Hearing Kent talking to Blaze, she sighed.
“Guess I have to go,” she told the animals who remained.
She watched as the coyotes stood and walked away, the other animals following. The owl was the last to go, flying from her knee to his tree. She stood and turned to see Blaze and Kent shaking hands before Kent disappeared into the darkness.
Blaze walked up to her without saying a word. His eyes moved over her face, then to the burnt-out shell of the place behind her, and something in his expression changed. He knew. Maybe not all of it. Maybe not every ugly thought that had led her back here, but he knew enough.
He pulled her into his embrace, and Katrina went without a fight.
No words were spoken.
They didn’t need them.
CHAPTER 19
Sloan walked into the kitchen to grab crackers and water for Becky. After everyone had left, she’d started feeling sick again. He had her lying down and called Pam to stay with her until he got back. The last thing Becky needed was to be alone while every damn thing in their lives had been thrown into chaos.
The second he stepped into the kitchen, he stopped. There was a lot of talking back and forth, Raven and Jill being the loudest, but the second they saw him, the room went quiet.
“What the fuck is going on?” Sloan bellowed as his narrowed eyes scanned his Warriors. “I didn’t give anyone the day off other than Steve.”
No one said a word.
Sloan’s eyes went directly to Sid, who sat staring at the wall like he’d rather be anywhere else.
“What conversation was had in here that I wasn’t supposed to hear?” Sloan looked away from Sid to see Raven and Jill look away from him. “Someone better start fucking talking.”
“I said some stupid shit I shouldn’t have said,” Sid answered, still staring at the wall.
Sloan sighed, then glanced at everyone else who wouldn’t look him in the eye. Dammit. He’d had a feeling this was going to happen, and fuck, he knew the news they’d just learned was a game changer, and that was downplaying it. A lot. But Katrina’s face when she’d told him to ask Sid had said enough. Whatever had happened in this kitchen, it wasn’t good.
“What did you say?” Sloan’s voice lowered.
Sid finally looked at him. “I questioned how it could happen, questioned Daniel and the doctor getting away with it. Then I made a stupid joke about having to wear a rubber.”
