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But I doubt she’d be happy to see me. And hell, maybe she’s right.
Maybe the last thing Kat needs in her life is someone like me. Maybe I’m the one bringing danger to her doorstep. Maybe when I walked away from her all those years ago, it was the best thing I ever did for her.
And maybe coming back into her life now is the worst.
23
KAT
The first time I dial my brother’s number, I get no answer. The phone rings in my ear, then goes straight to voicemail. I leave a long message.
The second time, I just saycall me.
The third and fourth times, I hang up and don’t even bother.
My texts have gone unanswered, too. My own brother leaves me on read. Quad and I have never been that close, but he usually used to pick up when I called him, at least. I try to tell myself that he’s legitimately busy instead of just ignoring me.
On the other hand, Connor has been trying to get hold of me for the past few days almost as frantically as I’ve been trying to connect with Quad. I finally sent him a short, clear text:Please leave me alone and respect my boundaries. I need time.
For a while after that, all I saw were the dancing dots that told me Connor was trying to compose a response. When it finally came through, it was just one word:
Ok
After that, Fury stopped following me around to make sure I was safe. But he did have another Royal Bastard watching over me instead for a couple of days. Or maybe it was a bunch of different ones. None of them ever got close enough for me to recognize them. I pretended like I didn’t notice they were there. But ignoring them didn’t make me feel any better, like I was hoping it would.
I didn’t see anyone sitting outside watching my building last night. And there was no one out there this morning. Maybe Connor has decided to let it go and stop tracking my every move. I hope so. Hopefully, I can put off seeing him again face to face until I can figure out my feelings. If I can ever figure out my feelings, that is.
Sighing, I flop down on my tiny couch and stare up at the crappy popcorn ceiling, trying to figure out how my life went so sideways. Maybe I should just swear off interactions with men. I could get a cat. Or a dog. Or even an iguana. A nice, simple animal that doesn’t talk, or text, or drive me crazy with their hot and cold behavior.
Today is the first scheduled day off I’ve had since I went back to work following my attack. Normally I would relish the freedom of a whole day with nothing to do in front of me. Today, though, I’m a little at loose ends, wishing I had something to do to fill up my time. I think about going to get a pedicure. Or maybe I should see if my hair stylist has any free time today. But even as anxious as I am, I can’t make myself actually do anything productive. I spend most of the morning turning around in circles in my apartment, trying to make a decision on what to do with myself.Gah. What is wrong with me? Snap out of it, Kat!I’ve just about managed to talk myself into just getting into my car and driving to a park to go hiking or something, when my phone pings. Amazed, I see that Quad has finally gotten in touch.
Can u come meet me here in an hour?he texts.We need to talk.
A moment later, a second message arrives with an address.
A perverse part of me wants to tell him I’m busy, just to get back at him for leaving me hanging for so long. But he’s right, we really do need to talk. I tell him I’ll be there. He doesn’t reply, but the little dots show for a couple of seconds so I know he’s read it.
There’s still no sign of any of the Royal Bastards outside my building when I leave. I exhale in relief and get in my car, checking my rear view mirror a couple of times just to make sure no one is following me. My mood is kind of terrible, so I find a playlist of upbeat music on my phone and turn the volume way up. Listening to my tunes keeps me from thinking too hard about the confrontation I’m about to have with my brother.
A little over half an hour later, I’m pulling up at an old commercial building on the south side of town that seems to no longer be in business. Confused, I park my car, then walk toward what is probably the front entrance. I knock on the heavy steel door. After a moment, realize it’s open a crack, so I push it and walk through.
“Quad?” I call into the dusty stillness. This is craziness. Motes dance in a shaft of light in front of me. The place is mostly empty except for moldy, dank-looking cardboard boxes and old, disused display cases. I can’t even tell what this place used to be. Some kind of machine shop, maybe? A car parts store?
“In here,” he calls back. I move toward the voice, stepping cautiously. Whatever’s on the floor crunches under me. It feels sort of slippery, like tiny bits of broken glass. I cross into the next room, which looks like it was once a storage area, filled with now-empty metal shelves. Quad is there. He’s perched on a metal work table, smoking a cigarette.
“What the hellisthis place?” I ask him in disbelief. “What are we doing here?”
“It’s just someplace to talk undisturbed,” he mutters. “Where no one can see us.”
“Why would we need no one to see us?”
Quad squints at me through the haze of smoke encircling his head. He looks… sad? Mad? Both? “You fucked up, Kat. You fucked up big-time.”
“What?” I stare at him. “Ifucked up? I’m sorry, but how exactly?” I jab an angry finger at the stitches on my face. “Did I not do a good enough job of almost gettingstabbed to deathby the guy you sent after me?”
Quad waves his cigarette-holding hand at me dismissively. “He was never gonna kill you. Jesus. It was a warning. Shit, there’s barely a mark on you. Just enough to remind you what your place is when you look in the mirror. Besides —”
“Oh, my god! Fuck you, Quad!” I yell, nausea overtaking me as I realize he really did send that man to the hospital to hurt me. “Jesus, what iswrongwith you? You may not give a damn about me, but I’m your sister! For God’s sake, where the hell are your priorities?”
