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“Jerry called me,” she said softly.
“What?” Olin flinched at his own voice, at the sudden anger in it. He tried to rein it in so he didn’t upset Kat.
Not that she looked all that fragile in the moment.
Kat turned back toward Olin but didn’t meet his gaze. “I’ve gotten two calls from him so far. The first was just a general call, and the second was earlier today, telling me to check the news for his ‘gift.’”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” He struggled to keep his temper in check but was pretty sure he didn’t manage it at all.
“Because it didn’t seem important. He made it clear he wasn’t going to come and attack me.”
“And you believed him? After everything he’s done?”
Kat took a seat in one of the chairs on the other side of his desk and leaned forward. “I think it’s an ego thing. He wants me to come to him, to agree to be with him on my own.”
“Fucking bastard,” Olin muttered, then shook his head. “He wants the power of forcing you to come to him.”
Kat sighed softly, looking broken. “What am I supposed to do?”
“We’ll figure it out, Kat. He isn’t as smart as he thinks and hewillmake a mistake. When he does, he’ll get his ass put away for good.”
“This was supposed to be over. I was supposed to be done with it.”
“Life doesn’t work that way. Things aren’t finished just because we want them to be.”
Kat let out a long breath, as if the answer weren’t what she’d wanted to hear. Then again, it was one of those hard truths people eventually had to accept. Olin wanted it over for her, too. He wanted her to be free, to go back to her regular life, to solve this case, but he had to wait for that, too.
“Come on.” Olin rose from his seat. “I’ll drive you home.”
“I can make it there myself.”
“You can, but now that you know, I think it’s about time to sit down with Bradley and Dean and actually discuss it.”
“So you’re not going to lie anymore?”
Damn, Olin did like that sharp tongue of hers. “What’s the point in lying? You’re too stubborn to let it go anyway.”
Kat gave him a side-eye, but he was pretty damn sure he saw the corner of her lips curl up.
And fuck him, because no matter how much he told himself it was hopeless, he really wanted to see more of those smiles.
* * * *
Kat sat on the couch between the three men who were now such a large part of her life.
Bradley stood to the side, silent as ever. Dean sat on one of the bar stools, dressed perfectly as if he’d just come from work. Olin sat on a chair across from the couch as he went over exactly what had happened with Jerry and the bodies.
Kat remained silent as she listened. She already knew most of what he’d said—it was generally an update. The only thing she hadn’t expected was to find out Bradley and Dean already knew about what had happened.
It seemed everyone was talking about her while trying to keep her in the dark.
And Kat didnotappreciate it.
“You okay?” Dean had his gaze locked on Kat, as if looking for cracks. His worry chafed, especially because it felt like he thought she needed the reassurance, the help.
Kat had taken care of herself for a long time—she didn’t need Dean to stare at her like she was some broken doll. “I’m fine,” she snapped. “I mean, people who keep lecturing me about being honest have been lying to my face, but what does that matter?”
“Kat—” Bradley started to say.
