Kat took a moment to take it all in before she picked up the tape and assembled the first box. Most of the stuff would go to charity, but Kat would keep a few things that had sentimental value, like the teapot Gram had gotten from her own mother.
The room was relatively small, so it didn’t take long to pack everything up. She left the boxes for charity in the room as the staff had instructed and carried a lone box out to her car. Believe it or not, she’d miss this place almost as much as she’d miss Gram. The staff were always so welcoming and had become a family for the residents, many of whom didn’t have any family of their own. By extension, they’d become Kat’s family as well.
As Kat was juggling the box while trying to unlock the trunk of her car, her phone rang. She managed to answer it just before it went to voice mail.
“Hello?”
“Is this Ms. Katherine Delagrange?”
“Yes, it is.” Kat rubbed her brow. No doubt this was more unfinished business relating to Gram’s passing. When her mother died, things had been much easier since the woman hadn’t had any assets. Hell, she hadn’t even had enough money to pay for the funeral. Kat had had to take out a loan. Gram, it seemed, had been much more proactive, but aside from that, she had over eighty years’ worth of life to untangle.
“I’m Peter Finnegan, your grandmother’s lawyer.”
Another one? Kat had already spoken to one this morning. The conversation had been quick and efficient—nothing more than a formality.
“I already spoke with Mr. Plesser this morning.”
“Mr. Plesser is my associate, and I’m afraid he spoke with you before he had all the facts.”
“Okay.” Kat got into her car, but she didn’t start it. It irritated her that she’d wasted time on the phone this morning with Mr. Plesser only to have to do it all over again with this guy. That firm needed to get their act together.
“To make a long story short, your grandmother left you an inheritance that was only to be divulged in the event of her death.”
“What do you mean?”
“To use street language, the stipulation was kept on the down low.” The lawyer chuckled at his own joke, then cleared his throat. Kat had to smile. Gram had probably appreciated his corny sense of humor. She’d been the queen on puns and knock-knock jokes before the dementia stole that away from her.
“Okay, so what do I need to do?”
“Nothing, yet. There’s all sorts of paperwork to take care of first. But I wanted to reach out and let you know so you could be prepared.”
Prepared? What the hell did she need to prepare for? Kat had a bank account, so if Gram had left her some money, she would simply deposit it. Though the thought of benefiting from Gram’s death didn’t sit well with her.
“Well, thanks for calling,” Kat said, trying to wrap up the call.
“Do you want to know how much the inheritance is?”
Kat fiddled with the loose vinyl on her steering wheel. It felt wrong even talking about Gram’s money this way. Kat was nothing if not practical, but her grandmother hadn’t even been buried yet.
And Kat had yet to process her grief. She’d been going through the motions, checking things off her list that she needed to do. But soon, she knew it would hit her. When it did, she wanted to be in the privacy of her own home.
“Are you still with me?” the lawyer asked, sounding rather excited, inappropriately so.
“Yes,” Kat said. “I’ll be in touch to make an appointment soon.”
She disconnected the call, not caring if she was rude. She’d hit her breaking point.
And no amount of money could bring Gram back.
* * *
Marco sat with trepidation in Ryan’s apartment. When his friend had called and asked him to come over, he hadn’t wanted to, but Ryan had been insistent. Ryan’s place was Kat’s territory and he didn’t want to risk encroaching.
He’d picked up his phone countless times to call her, wanting to explain, but in the end, he let it go. What was there to explain? He caused the accident that injured her brother and she hated him for it. No amount of explaining was going to change that.
There was no reasonable explanation, anyway. He’d been a dumbass all those years ago and Ryan paid the price for that every single day.
“Kat’s grandmother died,” Ryan said.
“Wouldn’t that make her your grandmother as well?”
Ryan shook his head. “A few years ago, our mom confessed she’d had an affair, so Kat and I are only half-siblings.”
“Huh.” Marco didn’t know what to say to that. I’m sorry? Somehow that didn’t seem right. From the little Ryan had said about his father way back when, the man wasn’t anything to be proud of anyway. Maybe Kat was better off having a different father.
“Anyway, Kat’s real dad is just as much of an asshole as my dad, so she didn’t bother with him. Mom sure as hell knew how to pick the losers.” Ryan shook his head. “Her grandmother, though, is a classy lady. Well, was. I met her once, but I didn’t want to be the third wheel, you know? She lived in a home. Alzheimer’s set in pretty badly right after Kat met her.”
“And her grandmother didn’t tell Kat’s father about her?” Marco leaned in, curious about this arrangement. Then his brain cleared. What the fuck was he doing? He shouldn’t be inquiring into things Kat considered private.
But why the hell was Ryan telling him all this?
“No, she knew her son was an ass.”
Marco felt for Kat. That must have been hard to have her identity turned upside down only to learn her “new” dad was as bad as the old one. Marco knew a thing or two about asshole fathers.
“Is that why she changed her name?”
“No, she changed her name before that. That’s another story I’m not going to get into. You’ll have to ask her.”
That only made Marco more curious, but he guessed he’d never know.
“Why are you telling me all this?” he asked, hoping Ryan would get to the point.
“The funeral is tomorrow. I want you to go and keep an eye on her.”
Marco did a double take. “Are you serious? I’m the last person she’d want to see there. Why don’t you go?”
“She doesn’t want me there.”
“Why not?”
“It’s complicated,” Ryan said with a sigh, running his hands through his hair in frustration. “And besides, I have an exam in one of my classes. Even though she doesn’t know about the class, she’ll find out eventually, and if she finds out I skipped out on the exam to attend a funeral she doesn’t even want me at, she’ll be pissed.”
Marco leaned back in his chair. “She’s got to have friends who can support her. Isn’t she friends with Ginny and Natalie?”
“Those two sure as hell can’t go and before you ask, that’s another long, complicated story that I’m not getting into. Besides, those aren’t the type of friends she needs there.”
Exactly what type of friend did Ryan think she needed? Kat had made it perfectly clear she hated Marco and wanted nothing to do with him. He was not the man for this job.
“I appreciate you’re trying to look out for your sister,” Marco said slowly, “but asking me to go to the funeral is not the answer.”
“She doesn’t even have to know you’re there.”
Marco was thoroughly confused. “Then what’s the point?”
Ryan shook his head. “You’re not understanding. Kat’s strong. She can deal with the funeral. But remember how I said her real dad is an asshole? That’s putting it mildly. He’s dangerous. That’s the main reason she doesn’t want me at the funeral. If he—or his friends—show up, things could get bad. I doubt that will happen, but I’d feel a lot better knowing someone has Kat’s back if it comes down to it.”
“And I’m the guy you thought of for this job? She hates me.”
“You wouldn’t be my first choice considering that, but I don’t have a whole lot of options. If I wasn’t in this damn chair, I
’d go myself, my exam and her objections be damned. But that’s not an option.”
This was the first time Ryan had brought up his disability and the fact that it limited him. It felt like a sucker punch to Marco’s gut.
But still, showing up at Kat’s grandmother’s funeral would make an already tough situation for her even worse.
“It’s not a good idea,” Marco said, but his resolve was fading. He’d been trying to figure out a way to make amends with Ryan for years. How could he say no to the first thing his friend asked of him?
“Come on, man. Don’t make me play the you owe me card.”
“Shit.” Marco hung his head.
“Look, it’s probably nothing,” Ryan said. “But Kat’s all I have and she’s already dealt with some messed up shit in her life. I would feel a lot better knowing you’ve got her back. Just in case.”
Double shit. Marco wanted to know what the messed up shit was that Ryan referred to. It would probably explain why Kat put on such a defensive front, but he knew better than to ask. He didn’t have any right to that information.
“Ryan, are you sure about this? Your sister hates me.”
“She doesn’t even have to know you’re there,” Ryan reiterated. “The funeral is outside. Hide behind a tree or some shit. Use your military training. I figure if you can hold your own in the Middle East, then you can handle this. And I trust you.”
“Dammit.” Ryan had him in a corner. Marco owed him. And besides that, if Kat really might be in danger, Marco didn’t want her unprotected any more than Ryan did. “I’ll do it on one condition.”
“What?” Ryan asked.
“You cash those checks.”
Ryan opened his mouth to protest but must have thought better of it when he saw Marco’s expression. “I’ll cash some of them.”
Marco considered for a moment, then stuck his hand out to seal the deal. “Fair enough.”
Chapter 10
The funeral was outside and was in fact in the same cemetery where Nonno was buried. Unfortunately, there were few trees for Marco to hide behind as Ryan had so helpfully suggested. So Marco was forced to try to blend in with the crowd. Everyone was wearing dark clothing though, so at least that made it a little easier.
He’d had to borrow a suit from his brother, who’d raised his eyebrows at the request but hadn’t asked any questions. Other than his army dress blues, which would make him way too conspicuous, he didn’t have any formal clothes. He hadn’t had a need for them.
There was a decent-size crowd. Good. Perhaps the fact that her grandmother was obviously well loved would provide some comfort for Kat.
She stood at the front of the crowd but off to the side and not necessarily in the position of prominence that one might expect for a survivor of the deceased. That didn’t surprise him. Kat wasn’t the type to want to draw attention to herself.
However, she had Marco’s full attention. Even if he wasn’t there with the purpose of watching out for her, he still wouldn’t be able to take his eyes off her. Her back was straight and though he couldn’t see her face, he’d bet her eyes were clear. Stoic was an appropriate word to describe her.
Though he couldn’t pretend to truly know her, after learning of her relationship to Ryan, he understood her a lot more. She carried more on her shoulders than any one person should, and Marco didn’t even know her full story. He couldn’t stop wondering about the bad shit Ryan said she’d gone through.
Some of that was no doubt dealing with her brother’s accident. Marco was such a jackass—when he thought about Ryan he’d never considered his family, but the accident had affected more than just his friend. His actions had hurt people he hadn’t even met. Self-loathing pooled in Marco’s stomach.
He couldn’t change the past, but he’d do what his friend had asked of him today—keep an eye on Kat. Hopefully his presence would go both unneeded and unnoticed.
The minister started to speak and it was obvious from his words he hadn’t actually known the deceased woman. Marco tuned him out, turning his attention to the other mourners in attendance.
Standing at the back corner of the sizable crowd, Marco had a relatively clear view. So far, he could detect none of the suspicious individuals Ryan was worried about. Good. Marco had been hoping his friend was being overly cautious. Another twenty minutes or so and he’d be able to slip away, hopefully still undetected by Kat.
A black car pulled up along the drive. If Marco had actually been paying attention to the service, he wouldn’t have noticed. No one else did. The car sat for a while and no one got out for a few minutes. Marco was just about to turn his attention away when the door opened.
A man emerged. He was dressed in black and wore dark sunglasses that obscured his face, but they didn’t disguise the obvious grief he wore upon his features. Marco expected him to move toward the front of the crowd, but he lingered near the back.
Could this broken man be one of the people Ryan was worried about?
Marco observed him. Scars lined his face, the worst of which disappeared under his glasses. The man had definitely been in some rough situations. But his actions didn’t raise any alarm. For all intents and purposes, he appeared to be mourning Kat’s grandmother, the same as everyone else.
Still, for whatever reason, he set Marco’s nerves on edge. That man was troubling. Whether he was a threat right now, though, remained to be seen.
Marco edged farther into the crowd and closer to Kat. He risked her detection, but instinct told him he needed to be closer.
The minister invited people up to speak and he watched as a woman next to Kat nudged her. Kat silently shook her head. The woman sighed and stepped up to the podium herself.
She pulled the microphone down toward her mouth. “Miss Fran was a lovely woman. Kind. And at the risk of drawing ire from my other patients, she was easily one of my favorites. Alzheimer’s attacked her viciously, but that’s not what I remember about her. I remember her smile and her sense of humor. Mostly, I remember the absolute joy she felt spending time with her granddaughter, Kat.”
The woman gestured to Kat and as she did, the man in black sucked in an audible breath and staggered back a step. He pulled off his sunglasses, revealing an eye patch over one eye. Marco glanced up at Kat, who tucked her head down and clenched her fists at her side. So much for her flying under the radar.
Marco returned his attention to the man with the eye patch. His visible eye was wide and his mouth agape.
Marco wasn’t the only one who noticed him. The crowd shifted as three men made their way toward the man, who noticed the movement only seconds after Marco. He took off at a run for his car. Two of the men tore after him, knocking down an elderly woman clutching a walker.
Commotion ensued as the nurse who had been speaking at the podium rushed to help the fallen woman. Kat stood paralyzed, her eyes wide and a hand over her mouth. She was so focused on the woman she didn’t notice the man advancing toward her.
But Marco did.
Just as the man wrapped a hand around her arm, Marco shouldered between the two of them. Kat’s eyes widened even farther as she looked back and forth between Marco and the man.
The man shoved Marco in an attempt to get to Kat, but Marco had anticipated his move, digging his feet into the ground. He wrapped his hand around the man’s neck and using his forward momentum against him, pushed him to the ground. The man quickly rolled and reached in his jacket pocket, drawing a gun and pointing it at Kat at point-blank range.
For a fraction of a section, Marco’s heart stopped. If the man pulled the trigger, Kat would be dead.
Marco’s training kicked in and he sprang into action, grabbing the man’s hands and forcing the gun away from Kat.
Someone behind him screamed, a shrill high-pitched sound that made him wince, even in the middle of the fight. Kat took advantage of the diversion and kicked the man in the face, once, twice, three times. Blood spurted from his nose, but he had no way to defend himself without
yielding the gun to Marco.
As Kat kicked him one last time, Marco gained control of the gun. He decked him twice in the temple and his eyes rolled to the back of his head.
Kat’s eyes met his. “What the hell?”
Marco didn’t have an answer. His gaze searched out the other threats and his mouth hardened as he saw the black car speeding off and the two men running back toward the graveside.
He considered the gun in his hand. “Fuck.” He couldn’t keep it. He didn’t know who this man was or what crimes the gun had been used for. The only certainty in his mind was that the man was indeed a criminal.
He’d have to figure out what to do with the gun later. Leaving it in the middle of the crowd was not a good idea. He tucked it into his waistband.
“We need to get you out of here,” Marco said, and for once, Kat didn’t argue about going with him.
He grabbed her hand and they ran in the direction of Marco’s truck, which he’d parked far away so she wouldn’t notice it. Now he was cursing the action. Kat was having trouble running in her heels on the squishy grass and it slowed them down. The men were gaining on them, but the truck was in sight.
Marco fished in his pocket for the key fob, hitting the unlock button. A glance over his shoulder told him what he’d feared—the men were armed. Fuck. He wasn’t going to use the confiscated gun and he didn’t have his own weapon. Even if he did, opening fire was not a good idea. Too many bystanders in the way.
So instead, he hit the alarm button on the key fob and the truck’s horn blared. It was enough to get everyone’s attention. If the men were going to shoot them, they would have done it by now. Regardless, Marco wanted as many witnesses as possible.
They made it to the truck and as he yanked open the passenger door to usher Kat inside, the men retreated. Marco raced around to the driver’s side and jumped in. He quickly pulled out into traffic and left the men—and Kat’s grandmother’s ruined funeral—behind.
* * *
Kat’s hands shook. She’d seen some seriously messed up stuff in her life, but was nothing sacred? How could people disrupt a funeral like that?
Trust In Me: A Fight for Me Novel Page 9
