by K. C. Lynn
Except when he beat the hell out of him…
Don’t go there, Katelyn. Not now.
I shrug. “But who knows, Vince deals on the side so it could be something completely unrelated and they only used him to frame my brother.”
“Or Kolan got caught up in it. Maybe this all has to do with drugs.”
I bristle at Ryder’s insinuation. “Absolutely not. He doesn’t do drugs.”
Feeling Nick’s eyes upon me I look over to see him watching me, suspicion apparent in his gaze. “You sure about that?”
“Of course I am. How could you even ask me that?”
“Because Bruce Warren, the manager at Kolan’s gym, said they were suspicious of substance abuse and when they asked him to take a drug test he refused.”
“No way! I know my brother, he doesn’t do drugs. He’s an athlete for crying out loud, he cares about his health and body.” Nick still doesn’t seem convinced. It has my temper flaring and my voice rising. “If you don’t believe me then ask Victor, his trainer. He’s around Kolan more than anyone, he’ll tell you.”
“Victor’s dead.”
My body stiffens, swearing I heard him wrong. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I went there yesterday, before Kolan’s, and found his place the same way but with him inside, dead. He’d been shot.”
Dread courses through me as blood pounds in my ears. “Why are you just telling me this now?”
“I haven’t had a chance.”
“Really? We’ve been together for the last twelve hours. You’ve had more than enough time!”
“Yeah, well in those twelve hours we’ve either been fucking shot at or you’ve been sleeping. Which is why I’m telling you now,” he snaps.
I look away from him as tears build behind my eyes. My heart breaks knowing Victor is dead, and it diminishes a little more of my hope for Kolan to still be alive.
“Kate.” I feel Nick reach for me but I stand before he can touch me.
“Would it be okay if I used your bathroom to clean up, please?” I ask Emily, my voice strained as I try to keep my emotion at bay.
“Of course.” She hands Rosa off to Ryder. “This way.” Without looking in Nick’s direction I follow her out of the kitchen and up the stairs. “I’ll take you to the guest bedroom. There’s a bathroom in there and you can have a shower.”
“Oh, I can just wash up. I don’t want to put you guys out any more than I already have.”
“Nonsense. Go ahead and have a shower. I’ll get you a change of clothes too, then you can rest. I’m sure you need it after the night you’ve had,” she adds softly.
A hot shower and privacy is exactly what I need right now. Anything to distract me from the fear that’s threatening to rip me open. Following Emily, I walk into the guest bedroom, taking in the queen-size bed and antique furniture filling up the quaint space.
“There are clean towels in the bathroom over here,” she says, leading me around the corner. “I’ll leave a change of clothes for you on the bed. If you want I can wash the ones you have on now?”
“That’d be great. Thank you,” I whisper, my throat tightening further at her kindness.
She gives me a sad smile. “I’m real sorry about what’s happening to your brother, but I have no doubt Ryder and Nick will get to the bottom of it. I assure you, they’re the best.”
I nod, giving her a wobbly smile, not trusting my voice at the moment.
“I’m glad I finally got to meet you. I’m just sorry it’s under such terrible circumstances.” When I frown in confusion she elaborates. “I saw the picture of you on Nick’s desk.”
I tense with shock. “Nick has a picture of me?”
She nods. “Yeah, and he’s probably going to kill me for telling you that but it’s for his own good.”
I wonder what picture it is. Why does he even have one?
“When Ryder told me how Nick was going to quit if the chief didn’t give him leave, I had a feeling it was you he was going to see. I knew it had to be someone important to him.”
“Did he lose his job?” I ask quietly, terrified for the answer. I didn’t stop to think about the repercussions of asking him to come help.
“Oh no. Of course not. The chief would never fire Nick. Or Ryder for that matter. They’re the best agents he has and he doesn’t let them forget it.”
I’m relieved to hear that but hate how I put him in that position. I was thinking only about Kolan in that moment.
“Anyway, I’ll let you get to your shower. Go ahead and leave your clothes on the bed. I’ll wash them right away for you,” she says, pulling me from my stunned state.
“Thank you again…for everything.”
“No problem.”
Once she leaves I start the shower, undress, and wrap a towel around me before leaving my clothes on the bed. Closing the bathroom door behind me, I step under the hot spray and let the steaming water try to soothe me. However, it brings no peace. The silence and privacy has my mind reeling at everything that’s happened. With Vince dead, and now Victor, all I can think is Kolan has suffered the same fate, and that’s why I can’t find him.
It’s why he hasn’t contacted me.
I grind my teeth against the pain that thought brings.
Please, God. Don’t let that be the reason.
A few tears escape, mixing in with the hot water, but I do everything I can to ward it off. Feeling too fragile to break right now. If I do I may never be able to put the pieces back together.
I quickly wash up then shut off the water and walk out with my towel wrapped around me, still feeling that huge lump in my throat. A fresh set of clothes sits on the bed, with my cell phone that I had left in my pants pocket beside them. Picking it up I look at my screen saver, ignoring the low battery warning, and study the picture of Kolan and me. It was from when he won the heavyweight championship. I’d never seen him so happy—so proud. I stand next to him with my arms wrapped around his waist, my own proud smile in place as a thousand pictures were captured. I remember being blinded by all the flashes but more than anything I remember when he leaned down and whispered in my ear, ‘I did it, Kate’.
He did do it and he deserves every bit of success he created for himself. After everything we went through as kids, especially him, he overcame it all and rose to the top. I’d give anything to be able to tell him one more time how proud I am of him, to tell him I love him, and thank him for everything he did for me.
The screen begins to blur as my agony erupts, stabbing my fragile heart like a hot poker. Crawling onto the bed I bury my head in the pillow, holding the phone against my chest as I let go of all the pent up emotions I’ve been trying to keep inside. I’m so lost in my grief I don’t hear Nick come in until I feel the bed dip and his warm weight settle in behind me.
“Come on, Kate, please don’t cry,” Nick murmurs, his lips close to my ear as his arm comes around my middle.
“He’s dead. I know it,” I say, crying harder.
“No, he’s not.”
“Yes, he is. Why else isn’t he calling me? It’s been days, Nick. He would find a way to contact me. He’d let me know he’s okay.” I try to catch my breath but have a hard time grasping it from the pain ripping through me. “He’s all I have, and I’ll never get to tell him I love him ever again.”
“Katelyn, stop. Look at me.” He turns me to my back, his fierce eyes softening at the pain etched on my face. He wipes the overflow of tears with his thumb before cupping my cheek. “He’s not dead. There could be a million reasons why he hasn’t contacted you yet. If anyone can take care of themselves it’s your brother. You know this.”
“With every day that passes I feel less hopeful, especially now with Victor and Vince both dead. These people are more dangerous than I thought. Kolan may be strong but he’s not invincible. No one is.”
“I promise you, I’ll find him, and I know I’ll find him alive.”
“How?” I whisper, desperately
wanting to grab ahold of the hope he’s trying to give me.
“I have a few ideas. In the meantime, Ryder’s looking into some things right now. We’ll see what he comes up with before we make our next move. Either way, I promise I’ll find him.” I stare back into his blue-gray eyes, ones I’ve desperately missed. “Tell me,” he says quietly. “Tell me you trust me to help you. That you trust me to figure this out.”
“I do,” I whisper before I can stop myself, because as stupid as that may be I do trust him to figure out what’s going on. It’s one of the reasons why I called him.
His fierce eyes hold mine, and I intimately become aware of how close he is to me. How the top part of his body leans over my half-naked one that’s minimally wrapped in a towel. My heart rate kicks up and my mouth goes dry. I desperately want to feel him wrapped around me right now, for his arms to bring me the same safety they did in the past.
I’m snapped from my blissful thoughts as my phone starts to ring in my hand, where I still hold it against my chest. I glance down at the caller ID.
“It’s Faith.”
Nick rises to his elbow and looks down at me. “Don’t tell her where you are.”
“Why? We can trust her.”
“I know, but I don’t want it getting out to the wrong person. There’s a reason your brother isn’t trusting anyone right now.”
I think about that then nod just before I answer. “Hey.”
“Katelyn! Oh thank God,” Faith cries, sounding terrified. “I’ve been worried sick.”
I frown. “Why? I saw you twenty-four hours ago.”
“Oh I don’t know, maybe because we found out from Cooper in the middle of the night that Vince is dead in Kolan’s apartment and your place has been broken into. Meanwhile, no one can find you.”
I glance at Nick and he nods, letting me know he heard her.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you.”
“Ask her where the fuck she is.” I hear Cade roar in the background.
“Where are you?”
I lick my dry lips. “I’m so sorry, but I can’t tell you that.”
“What? What do you mean you can’t tell me?” she says, hurt thick in her voice.
“Put it on speaker!” I’m pretty sure that’s Jaxson who just yelled.
“Katelyn, we’re worried about you. The guys are going crazy. They about turned Charleston upside down looking for you.”
“I’m sorry but you don’t need to worry, I’m with Nick.”
“Who the fuck is Nick?” Cade yells again, obviously able to hear me.
“Will you stop yelling!” Faith snaps with a whisper.
My phone vibrates, reminding me of my low battery. “Faith, listen, my phone is about to die. I’m sorry I can’t tell you more but I promise I’m safe. There’s some very serious shit going on right now. Things I can’t tell you yet, but Kolan is in even more danger than we originally thought.”
“What kind of danger? Katelyn, you’re scaring me.”
Guilt thickens my throat and a fresh wave of tears spring to my eyes. Nick senses my struggle and shakes his head.
“I’m sorry. I promise I’ll keep in touch and tell you everything as soon as I can.”
“Katelyn, wait, please don’t hang up.”
“She better not fucking hang up! Tell her—” I cut off Cade’s bellow by ending the call.
I drop the phone and cover my face with my hands, feeling horrible. Nick lies back down and pulls me in his arms again. My fingers curl in his shirt with a desperate grip as I sob against his chest.
“We’ll tell her everything as soon as we can,” he whispers, laying a kiss to my head. “I know things are a shit-storm right now, Katelyn, but I promise I’ll figure this out. I’ll take care of you.”
I move in closer, absorbing his strength. After I’ve cried out all the tears I have, the warmth of his embrace and soothing words have me slipping into a deep slumber.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Nick
I woke up fifteen minutes ago with Katelyn sleeping in my arms, flush up against me. As panicked as it makes me feel, it also feels good. Really fucking good. It’s been a long time since I felt her like this, and it brings me back to a time when she gave me no choice but to hold her. I’ve missed those times, even though I tried not to.
I reluctantly covered her with a blanket when I realized her towel had slipped off her. My cock hasn’t settled down since. My mind’s been conjuring up all sorts of images from the small glimpse of heaven I saw before I was stupid enough to cover her up. Remembering what it felt like to be buried inside of this girl is something I could never forget. Not even seven years could dull that memory. Nothing or no one has ever come close to feeling as amazing as her.
A sharp rap on the door brings me back to reality and makes Katelyn jolt awake. My arms tighten around her body, soothing her before I glare at the door.
“Stone, I found something,” Ryder calls on the other side.
My muscles tense. “I’ll be down in a sec.”
I hear him walk away before I look down at Katelyn. She stares up at me, her eyes red and swollen from crying earlier. “Hey.”
“Hey,” I mumble back.
“My towel fell off,” she remarks sleepily.
I smirk even though my cock jumps at the reminder. “I know. I’m the one who covered you.”
She licks those pouty lips of hers before clearing her throat. “Well, I think it’s only fair you show me yours since you got to see mine.”
My eyes move to the ceiling with a chuckle that trails off on a tortured groan. This girl and her fucking mouth will be the death of me, I swear it. I glance back down at her to see amusement dancing in her eyes. It’s a hell of a lot better than the pain that’s been embedded in them since seeing her again.
Before I can do something there will be no coming back from, I lean down and drop a kiss on her forehead, making sure not to linger. “Get dressed and meet me downstairs.” I don’t wait for a response before I leave the room, closing the door behind me.
A heavy breath escapes me as I head down and into the kitchen. Emily stands at the stove, cooking supper, while Rosa sits on the floor next to Summer. She crawls over her like a jungle gym. Her chubby smile brings one of my own. I drop down on my haunches, meeting her at eye level. “Hey, squirt, where’s your dad?”
She releases an ear-splitting scream of laughter and slobber.
“He’s in his office,” Emily answers with a laugh.
I drop a kiss on her dark, curly hair before standing and looking at Emily. “Can you let Katelyn know where we are when she comes down?”
“Of course.” A smile takes over her face. “Hope you both slept well.” My eyes narrow at her nosiness. “All right, I’ll stop. I promise.” She tosses a piece of bread at me.
Catching it, I sink my teeth into the slice of heaven and groan when I realize it’s her homemade garlic bread I love.
“Supper’s almost ready, and I’m making your favorite. Chicken Parmigiana.”
“You know I’m madly in love with you, right?” I tell her with a mouthful of bread.
She rolls her eyes. “You love that I cook for you but nice try. And don’t let my husband hear you say that.”
“Where would be the fun in that?”
She shakes her head with a smile. “Go on. I’ll let Katelyn know where you are.”
I pop the rest of the bread into my mouth as I round the corner and open up the fogged glass doors to Ryder’s office. He sits at his desk, leaning in close to the computer.
“Your wife is cooking my favorite meal. I told you she’s in love with me,” I say, closing the doors behind me.
His narrowed eyes meet mine with a grunt. “In your dreams, asshole. Now sit down and shut up so I can tell you what I’ve found.”
Instead of dropping down in the chair, I move around the desk and stand next to him, looking at the computer. “What do you have?”
Before he can ans
wer there’s a gentle knock on the door as Katelyn enters. I take in the outfit that Emily obviously lent to her. There’s nothing revealing about it but it has my blood running hot all the same. Black yoga pants mold to her like second skin and a loose gray sweater hangs off one slender shoulder while her long, dark mass of tangled hair falls around her. My hands curl at the thought of wrapping the silky strands around my fist while fucking us both into oblivion.
“Hey, you’re just in time. Have a seat,” Ryder says, knocking me out of my thoughts.
“Thanks.” Her eyes never stray from mine as she drops into the chair across from us. “So did you find my brother?”
“Sorry, no,” he responds. “But we might have a lead. There’s been some suspicious activity in his bank records.”
I tear my gaze from Katelyn and bring my attention to the screen as he scrolls up with the mouse.
“His finances have been pretty consistent over the last few years, up until seven months ago. Since then I’ve found two large sums of money withdrawn from his account. Both of them leading me to a dead end except the first one, which was the largest.”
My eyes widen at the number he points to on the screen. “Jesus, one hundred and twenty thousand dollars? Who the hell did he pay that to?”
He clicks to the right. “This person.”
I freeze, ice thrumming through my veins as I stare at the name on the account.
What the actual fuck?
“Nick? Who is it?” Katelyn asks.
My gaze meets hers. “Your father.”
She flinches, looking like she’s been slapped. “What? No way. Kolan would never give that bastard money.”
I wouldn’t have thought so too but the proof is here.
“When and how much is the other sum?” I ask.
Ryder scrolls further down. “The next one was only a month after that then nothing. It was a lesser amount, sitting at seventy thousand.”
“That’s still a lot of money.”
“Maybe he splurged on something?” Katelyn suggests. “My brother has the money to do that.”
Ryder shrugs. “Possible, but I doubt it. That’s a lot of cash with no evidence of where it went. There were no big purchases around that time, from what I could find. The only trail I found was the first one, where it was directly deposited to a Keith Slade.”
