And by God, she would be. She wasn’t going to let X have this power over her. He was nothing to her, no more than a sperm donor.
So why were her hands slick?
Perhaps because she was about to set him up to take a fall—a fall he’d brought on himself, but still. He’d managed to avoid Roy so far and if things went well, she planned to deliver X to his executioner.
She’d have to be stone cold not to feel a little apprehensive about that.
“Let me know if there’s anything I can do,” Ingrid said.
It was just past four now, so she would avoid rush hour and get there in twenty minutes if she left immediately.
“Actually, I need to go. I’m sorry to leave early with no notice, but it’s an emergency.” She scrolled through her phone, pulling up the Uber app. “I promise I’ll make up the hours.”
“I know you will,” Ingrid said. “Your work ethic has never been in question.”
“Thank you.”
“Whatever it is, good luck,” Ingrid said as she walked away.
Kat shut down her computer and shoved her arms into her coat. She’d gotten lucky—a driver was just around the block. She ran out the front door and less than a minute later, the car pulled up. She quickly gave him the address.
Kat clutched her phone in her hand, staring at it for a different reason this time. She needed to let Marco know she’d left. He was going to be pissed that she’d gone without him, but it was too dangerous for him. If X connected him with Tony, his former fighter, he’d get suspicious. And a suspicious X was a dangerous X.
Hell. Who was she kidding? X was dangerous all of the time.
But this meeting wasn’t the most important one. True, it affected her the most emotionally because it was the first time coming face-to-face with him, but the important meeting was the one with Roy. If X saw Marco and connected him with Tony, he might not show on Saturday.
She fired off a quick text, then turned off her phone and dropped it into her purse. Marco was not going to happy, but she’d have to deal with that later. She didn’t need the distraction.
Perhaps she should have figured out a way to bring someone with her, but she needed to do this alone. She needed to prove to herself she was strong enough to face X.
She refused to allow a man like him to strike fear into her heart.
* * *
Marco looked up in surprise as Tony walked into the office. He’d had no idea his brother was planning to return today.
Tony looked ragged, like he hadn’t slept on the trip at all. Marco felt for him. Having the sister of your fiancée—who also happened to be your ex-fiancée—arrested for murder sucked. Not that he’d know from personal experience.
“Hey, man,” Marco said. “How’s Ginny holding up?”
Tony sank into the chair across from the desk, a role reversal. “Fine, for the most part. She’s already had time to come to terms with a lot of this.”
All the time in the world wouldn’t be enough for Marco to come to terms with his sibling being a murderer. Veronica always was a loose cannon. Even back when he’d been running wild himself, he’d noticed a less than innocent gleam in her eyes.
“I’m surprised you’re back so soon.”
“Sorry, I should have called. Veronica was extradited this morning. And anyway, there was nothing we could do. She refused to see Ginny.” Tony scrubbed a hand over his face. “That hurt her, but it was for the best. Veronica is toxic.”
“Do you think she’ll be convicted?”
“There’s not a doubt in my mind. I hate to say it, but it’s the truth.”
“She always did seem a little on the other side of crazy,” Marco commented.
“You have no idea,” Tony muttered. And Marco was fine with that. He’d had enough crazy to last a lifetime.
Marco stood and walked over to close the door. Then he stayed standing with his arms crossed, narrowing his eyes at his brother.
“Aw, Christ,” Tony said with exasperation. “Now what?”
“Tell me about X.”
Tony considered his brother for a moment, obviously trying to determine how much Marco knew. He sighed. “You wouldn’t ask if you didn’t already know.”
“What the hell?” Marco asked. He wasn’t mad exactly. Though he still thought of Tony as his little brother, he was a grown-ass man free to make his own choices.
And mistakes.
But damn, he didn’t like being the last to find out about this sort of thing.
Tony shrugged. “It worked for me at the time.”
Drinking, dabbling in drugs, and partying had worked for Marco for a time, and look where it got him. He would have hoped his brother had learned something from his mistakes, but it seemed Tony indulged in his own brand of recklessness.
“You couldn’t join a gym or something?”
Tony narrowed his eyes at him. “Are you seriously judging me right now, bro?”
Marco put his hands up. “I just thought you were smarter than me.”
“Apparently not.”
“Yeah, you’re a real dumbass,” Marco said.
Tony shrugged, taking the insult in stride. Marco hadn’t really meant it, anyway. Though he hadn’t been around much recently, he still considered his brother one of the best men he knew.
Marco’s phone vibrated on the desk, catching his attention. He was going to ignore it until he noticed Kat’s name flashing on the screen. He went and picked it up.
I’ve gone to meet with X. Try not to worry. I’ll be back soon.
The blood drained from his face and his heart skipped a beat before jumping into overdrive.
“Goddammit!” He’d thought they’d agreed to go together. Except now that he thought about it, they hadn’t made an explicit agreement. In fact, she hadn’t said anything when he’d demanded she didn’t go alone. He’d just assumed that because she still wasn’t using her car, she’d need him to drive her, so he hadn’t worried about her running off by herself.
“What is it?” Tony asked, getting to his feet.
Marco quickly filled him in while he dialed Knox. He only felt a split second’s guilt over spilling Kat’s secret, but dammit, she’d brought that on herself. What the hell was she thinking going alone?
“Shit,” Tony said just as Knox picked up the call.
“Where the hell did you send her, Knox?” Marco said. In the background, he heard teenage voices. He’d forgotten that Knox worked at the teen after-school center. It was weird to think that tough-ass, rough-around-the-edges Knox was a role model for the kids he heard in the background.
The background noise grew quieter and there was a door slam.
“X is playing in a poker game. I sent her the address. Fuck. Did she go alone?”
“Yeah. Send me the address.” Marco disconnected without waiting for a response.
“I’ll go with you,” Tony said.
“No. The whole reason she didn’t want me to go was because I resembled you. If X sees you there, he’ll know something is up.”
Tony looked like he wanted to argue, but then thought better of it. “Go.”
Marco was halfway out the door already.
* * *
Despite the early hour on a Friday evening, when Kat walked into the bar, the first thing she noticed was several patrons already facedown at the bar, passed out. She guessed the bartenders didn’t bother cutting anyone off if they seemed to be overindulging.
When she’d first moved back to town, she’d worked in a dive bar like this one. It was a far stretch from the swanky hotel where she’d ended her bartending career. She’d almost forgotten what it was like, but one whiff of cheap beer and fried food brought the memories crashing back. She’d gotten fired from that job after one of the regulars groped her one too many times and she’d snapped, grabbing his hand and breaking a finger before the drunk asshole even knew what was going on.
That was the first time since leaving Leo that she finally felt she’d be okay. Sh
e hadn’t even liked that shitty job.
The passed-out patrons at the bar were the only ones there besides two guys playing pool. There was no sign of X, but then again, she hadn’t expected to find him out in the open.
“You can sit anywhere, hon,” a waitress called over to her, and Kat realized she was hovering in the doorway. In her business attire, she must look really out of place.
Taking a deep breath, she walked over to the waitress. “Actually, I’m here to see X.”
The once-friendly waitress’s face immediately shut down and the two men playing pool paused, looking over at them.
“Mind your business,” the waitress snapped at them and they resumed their game. She turned to Kat. “I don’t know who you’re talking about.” As she said the words, her eyes gave her away, darting to a door near the bar.
Kat paused, considering her next course of action. The waitress was slight. Chances were Kat could overpower her and force her way into the back room, but that wasn’t exactly how she wanted to announce her presence. And she had no idea who was back there. If they heard the commotion and came out, she could quickly find herself at the wrong end of a gun. Most people on the south side were armed. She was. Hell, the waitress probably had a piece strapped to her thigh.
Kat gave the waitress a once-over, wondering if she could be bribed. Except damn, all she had on her was a twenty. That wouldn’t be enough.
“Tell him . . .” She stopped. She was about to say her name, but that might not mean anything to X. No, she needed to get his attention. “Tell him Fran’s granddaughter is here. I promise he’ll want to see me.”
The waitress put her hands on her hips, giving Kat a stony stare for a moment.
“Please,” Kat pleaded. “It’s important.”
“Oh, all right,” she huffed. “Wait here.”
She stalked off through the door.
One of the men at the bar stirred, picking his head up and looking around through half-open eyes. He pushed off the bar stool, stumbling into a table and chairs, knocking several over. The loud scraping and crashing of the metal on the concrete floor made Kat jump, even though she’d seen it coming. Her nerves were shot.
He wandered to the exit, bumping into things along the way and leaving Kat to wonder how he managed to stay upright.
No, she didn’t miss this at all.
The door next to the bar swung open, hitting the wall with a bang. This time Kat didn’t jump.
I will not show fear.
Standing in the door was X.
Though she hadn’t gotten a good look at him at the funeral, she’d seen pictures. He looked much older than he had in the most recent photo that was taken just a year ago. His cheeks were puffy and blotchy. His one eye was bloodshot, though beneath that, it appeared yellowish, as if he might have some kind of illness.
Life had not been kind to him, but he was lying in a bed of his own making.
As he stepped toward her, she forced herself not to flinch or step back. Seeing the X-shaped scar over his right eye socket where his eye should have been was unnerving. Pictures didn’t quite do it justice.
What was more unnerving was that she could see herself in him—the hair color, the shape of his chin. She hated it, hated that she shared his DNA.
“Why do you claim to be my mother’s granddaughter?” His posture and tone indicated he expected to intimidate her.
I will not show fear.
She tossed her hair over her shoulder and held her head high. “Because it’s true.”
“Bullshit.” Spit flew from his mouth as he spat the expletive. She caught a strong whiff of alcohol on his breath and nearly gagged, wondering how far into the bottle he was. Some men could be piss drunk and you’d never realize it until it was too late.
Her stepfather had been like that. Fine one minute and then the next minute he was slapping her mother around. He’d been a violent drunk.
Somehow, she didn’t think X was a sloppy drunk. No, he seemed more the type to maintain control. He wouldn’t have risen to his level of power if he couldn’t.
“You had an affair with my mother,” Kat said evenly. “Her name was Brenda.”
“Bull—” He stopped, seeming to recognize the name. “Bullshit.”
A large part of her wished his cry of bullshit were true. She’d love to be able to walk out of here with the knowledge that she didn’t come from this scum of the earth. Unfortunately, she knew that wasn’t the case—and so did he—even if he wouldn’t admit it. Otherwise, why the hell would he still be here talking to her?
She also wondered why he hadn’t sought her out since the funeral. Marco had said he reacted when she was outed as his daughter. Was he in denial? Did he not have the resources to find her anymore? Or did he simply not give a fuck?
Probably all three. For her, it was the third one—she didn’t give a fuck about this man. Coming face-to-face with him solidified that. She was more than willing to turn him over to Roy.
“I don’t want anything from you and I don’t care if you believe me,” Kat said, speaking the truth. “But I spent quite a bit of time with your mother in the last few years, especially in the last few months before her death.”
She wanted to make that point clear because that was her leverage—she’d been there at the end of Gram’s life while he hadn’t.
X’s hard expression cracked a bit and that was all she needed.
“I wouldn’t be here except she left something for you,” Kat said smoothly, not even blinking at the lie.
“Where is it?” If his quick and eager reply was any indication, Knox had been right about his devotion to his mother.
“I don’t have it with me right now, but when I heard you were here, I wanted to come make arrangements to give it to you.”
“What is it?” Again, his voice was eager, almost reminding her of a little kid. She peered at his face, realizing Gram’s death had broken a part of this awful man. Her heart softened for just a second before she hardened it again. He didn’t deserve her sympathy.
Kat shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s in a sealed box and she didn’t tell me.”
The lies rolled off Kat’s tongue and she almost felt bad. Almost, but not quite.
X stared at her and Kat had difficulty not squirming under his scrutiny. He must be a shell of his former self, but even so, he was formidable. She would have hated to have met him in his prime.
“Fine,” he said. “You can—”
“No,” Kat interrupted. “Noon tomorrow at this address.” She shoved a paper into his hand, trying not to recoil as her skin touched his. “The only reason I’m here is because I loved Gram and I want to do right by her. I don’t care how much Gram loved you. You’re a fucking asshole. If you want your mother’s gift, this is my only offer.”
She spun on her heel and left, not looking back.
Chapter 24
Marco paced outside the bar. It took everything he had not to charge in there. If not for the fact that he could see Kat clearly through the front window, he would have.
He didn’t like the way X leered at her. If he put one hand on her, Marco would break his goddamn neck. And if she didn’t emerge in the next five minutes, he doubted he’d be able to restrain himself much longer.
His protective instinct roared inside him in a way he’d never experienced before, not even when they were faced with Roy’s man at Ryan’s apartment or at the cemetery. In those situations, she’d accepted his help. Now she’d cast him aside, like she didn’t need him.
Goddammit. It wasn’t that he didn’t think she was capable. She was definitely a tough woman, but he didn’t want her to feel like she had to be. Her soft side was buried so deep and he wanted her to feel free to let it out. He wanted her to feel comfortable leaning on him, letting him take some of the burden.
And that was worst part. Her going without him was a clear signal that she didn’t need him, and it burned in his gut.
He checked the time again, though onl
y a minute had passed since he’d decreed his five-minute deadline. Putting his hands on his hips, he peered through the window again, the tightness in his chest loosening when he saw Kat walking away from X.
And walking toward him.
When she came through the door, her face was a mask. He pulled her to him, running his hands over her body to assure himself she was in one piece.
“You shouldn’t have come,” she murmured.
He inhaled sharply as her words cut.
“Let’s go.” Releasing her, he gestured to the car.
Marco was normally relatively laid back, but Kat had him wound tight. He could let a lot of things roll off his back, but not her blatant disregard for her own safety.
He ground his teeth and concentrated on the road.
She sighed. “I wanted to see him alone. I needed to prove to myself that I could handle him. And I let you know where I was going. Besides, you look too much like Tony, remember?”
Marco pulled over to the side of the road, not wanting to drive while anger clouded his vision. But still he faced forward, not looking at her.
“Hey.” She touched his arm. “Look at me.”
He wasn’t enough of an asshole to ignore her direct request. He turned, and seeing the rawness in her face softened him a little. It hadn’t been easy for her to do what she did. But dammit, she hadn’t had to do it alone.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I did what I had to do.”
“That’s just the thing,” Marco said, not able to keep the anger and disappointment out of his voice. “You didn’t have to do it alone. That’s what you don’t get.”
She looked down at her lap and fiddled with the seat belt. “I don’t know how to make you understand. The thought of facing X made me feel weak and powerless, like I was when I was with Leo. Leo nearly broke me. I’ve worked hard to get over that and become the person I am today, for better or worse. If I didn’t face my fear with X, then I would end up Katie Morton again. I couldn’t let myself turn back into her. I would rather die.”
Marco closed his eyes. He’d never experienced what Kat had gone through and he wished she hadn’t, either. Hell, he didn’t know the full extent of it and obviously he didn’t understand how it still affected her.
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