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I pull open the door and walk into the hallway, hearing soft giggles and voices from the kitchen. The bathroom door is open, and the room is empty. Stoli 2 lets out a loud bark and comes running out of the kitchen, jumping on me. I ruffle the hair on his head. “You ready to go home, buddy?”
I walk into the kitchen, trying to forget what Dad just told me. It makes my stomach turn, but hey, it’s the life. Mom and the girls are still flipping pages of the album. Kat looks up at me and her lips curl into a smile.
“You wanna go?” I ask.
She nods. “Okay.”
“Oh, by the way, I left you a present at your place.” Lindy grins, running over to me and giving me a big hug. “Don’t eat it all in one night, okay?”
“Thanks, Lin.” I squeeze her hard. “Be good, okay? I’ll see you in the morning.”
We say our goodbyes, and a few minutes later, Kat, Stoli 2, and I are in my car. My house is only about ten minutes away. Kat is quiet — studying her nails, toying with the drawstring on her pants, tugging on her hair — anything to keep her hands occupied and her mouth closed. I don’t press because at this point, I don’t even know what to say.
How much of what my dad just told me does she know? She’d been told the murders were at the hands of druggies looking for quick cash. Does she suspect something else? Did she know about Raines? Is that why she went after him? She’s not stupid. She wouldn’t just swallow bullshit without checking into it first.
And looking at those pictures…fuck. That had to hurt. But Mom and Lindy had no idea. They were just trying to be welcoming. They were excited I’d brought home a girl, but they have no clue what she’s been through and what evidently is staring her in the face.
“Your family is so wonderful,” she says, a tiny smile on her face. “You’re really lucky.”
“Thanks,” I say, maneuvering my car into the driveway. I pull up to the back door and step on the brake. “We’re really close. I’m sorry if they, ah, got a little too excited that I brought you home. I know they can be a little overwhelming.”
She shakes her head. “No, not at all. I just…it’s been a tough day. But being around them…and you…made it better.”
I grin. “We aim to please.” I push open the door, jog around the car, and pull open her door. She slides out with Stoli 2 right behind her. He runs around us in little circles, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. I’ve never seen Kat so happy. He jumps into her arms and she hugs him tight around the neck.
She needed this.
I take a quick look around, partly expecting someone to jump out of the bushes, but thankfully, nobody does. I unlock the door and let them in, shutting and locking the door behind us. I let out a relieved breath. We made it through another day.
But who knows what tomorrow will bring?
The rich scent of chocolate fills the place, and I smile. Lindy’s specialty. God, I love that kid. She’s so good to her big bro.
“Hey, Kat,” I say, walking into the kitchen. Her back is to me, and it looks like she already found the large frosted cake sitting on the counter. “You hungry? My sister’s an awesome baker, and—”
My next words are interrupted by a loud sob. Kat turns around slowly, her teeth chattering. Tears stream down her face, and her shoulders quiver. She covers her face with her hands, Stoli 2 whimpering at her feet. “I c-can’t. I’m s-sorry. It’s just t-too…t-too…” Her voice, thick with sadness, trails off, and the hysterics take over. I wrap my arms around her, and she collapses against me all over again, crying like her heart is breaking.
I rub my hands up and down her back, pressing my face against her hair. She hugs me tighter, her breathing labored as the sobs quake her body.
We stand like that for several minutes. Feels like hours. I have so many questions. What in the fuck does this all mean? First the shelter, then my parents’ house, now this? For a while, I’d known exactly what to expect from Katarina Ivanov, but between last night and today, I’m completely confused about who this woman really is, plain and simple.
But what’s worse is that I know things that can answer her questions. I have information that can at least give her some closure.
The problem is, if I open my mouth, my nuts will be in a vise, one that will crush them into oblivion.
That’s the one thing I’m pretty clear on. Nico has at least set that expectation for me.
So, I keep quiet, as usual. Even though my gut clenches with each sob that makes her body shudder against me.
I have a choice. I can give her the closure she needs and help her heal.
Or I can kiss my ass goodbye.
It’s pretty cut and dry.
She finally pulls away and wipes her eyes. The sadness reflected in the depths makes my gut twist like a pretzel.
“Do you want some water?” I ask, smoothing her hair away from her face with one hand, my other one still on the small of her back. As hard as it is to look at her without admitting what I’ve seen and heard, I’m still mesmerized by the heavy emotion scrawled all over her beautiful face. The fact that this woman can vacillate between cold assassin and emotional train wreck in a hot second boggles my mind, and Christ only knows how she’d react if she knew the shit looping through my mind right now.
