I stared at the screen, reading the text over and over again. My heart raced at her words, her desperation. But my mind reminded me of the pain she’d caused. The lies she’d told. This could be part of her game.
The bartender moved back toward me, leaning closer. “So, you staying somewhere close?”
“I’ve actually gotta take off, sweetheart,” My dick twitched angrily at my words. I wasn’t sure why I'd chosen to get involved with Kat again. I couldn’t trust her, but I couldn’t bear the thought of her being in trouble.
I paid my tab, left a huge tip to make up for the let down, and slid from my barstool. I called Kat’s number as I walked outside. It rang once, twice, my heart started to pound hard against my chest. What if she’s hurt?
“Oh my God, thank you, Todd. I’m sorry, I didn’t know who else to call.” Her voice trembled on the other end of the phone. It was obvious she was crying, scared, and this wasn’t a game. At least if it was, she was a damn good actress.
“Where are you?” I asked.
“I don’t know.” Her voice became more desperate and scared.
“What do you mean you don’t know?”
“These men, they pushed me into a van, stole my ring. Todd, I’m scared.”
I was growing scared too. Men in a van? Where the fuck was she?
“Calm down and tell me what you can. Do you see a street sign, a building, anything?” I asked frantically.
Her sobs were uncontrollable and making it hard to understand her. I finally got her calm enough to give me a cross street. “I’m on my way,” I told her and waved down a cab driving by.
I kept her on the phone but didn’t ask her to explain anything else. “You’re gonna be okay, kitten,” I said, feeling my throat swell as I spoke. Damn, this girl really had me by the heartstrings, and she was tugging on them hard with those tears.
She wasn’t far from the condo, just about a mile. The neighborhood was dark, most of the houses seemed abandoned, and Kat looked like a scared animal as the cab pulled up to the corner where she was standing behind a row of garbage cans, ducked down, hiding and terrified of her own shadow. I got out, helped her up and into the cab.
I held her close to me, my arms surrounding her for comfort and warmth. She was shaking, still sobbing, and all I could do was caress her arm, squeeze her to me, and wipe away her tears as quickly as they fell.
I took the door key from her bag and unlocked her door. She immediately went to the bedroom, stripping out of the clothes she wore. She got down to her bra and panties before turning to me with a pale, panicked expression.
“I have to call my dad,” she said frantically, digging in her purse for her phone.
“First, sit. Tell me what happened, Kat. Who were these men?”
The story she told me kicked my memory into gear, and I truly heard everything she’d said at the bar that night. I'd been too drunk to comprehend it all, how bad it truly was, and why she’d hidden her father’s secret. I didn’t think she’d said anything about a large debt, or loan sharks, but I remembered her saying everything they owned was sold or repossessed. I heard her clearly now.
“A million dollars?” I gasped, shocked by the amount of debt old Spaceman had created with gambling but knowing that most of it was exorbitant interest. Hearing that the men broke all his fingers made me cringe. These weren’t reasonable people. They could’ve killed him. Hell, they could’ve killed Kat.
“What was the ring worth?” I asked.
“It was appraised at sixty thousand.”
“And he has a week to come up with the rest?” I asked.
She nodded as tears rolled down her cheeks. She’d stopped sobbing, but the tears wouldn’t seem to turn off. I pulled her into my arms, giving her my warmth and calm. I could easily give her the money, but should I trust her? Could I trust her?
“I’m so sorry for lying to you,” she whispered, her lips in my chest. “Everything about me is a lie, to everyone except you. I act fearless, like my life is one big adventure, but in reality, I’m just an ordinary, boring girl.”
She pulled out her tablet from the nightstand and scrolled through pictures on her social media page. “See, here I made it look like I was partying with the rock band. I took that at the station and then went home and ate ice cream in my pajamas. I didn’t even go to the concert.”
I was shocked to hear how she felt her father had overshadowed her, casting her into the darkness where she felt unseen. He was the hero, the shining star, and she'd always felt like she had to live up to his bigger than life image. She'd created this world where she appeared to be everything she thought she should be.
“It’s pathetic, I know,” she said softly.
There wasn’t anything pathetic about Katrina Delaney. She was a strong woman. She was a woman who had a huge piece of my heart. I didn’t understand her fears, her need to create an image for everyone to believe. But it didn’t matter. I had my own dysfunctions, like jumping out of an airplane when life wasn’t exciting enough. At least she understood why she did the shit she’d done. I felt like I was chasing that same old rush again and again, looking to fill a hole, an emptiness, and until Katrina had come along, I didn’t think it could ever be filled.
“I need to call my dad,” she said, turning her phone over and over in her hand.
“You’re too upset, let me.”
I was surprised when she handed me her phone. Her eyes were wide and filled with tears as I dialed the number. “Mrs. Delaney?” I asked when a female voice answered Bobby’s phone.
“Yes, who’s this?” She sounded frantic.
“This is Todd Morris, from the Beasts. I’m here with your daughter.” I spoke calmly, trying to reassure her from hundreds of miles away.
The woman on the other end of the phone sobbed as I told her about Kat’s night. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” I said, comforting her.
I thought about Kat being manhandled into that van, scared and alone. How she said he'd touched her, threatened her, and how it all still had her shaken. It was Bobby’s fault, and for that, I was grateful her mother had answered and not him.
“Is she hurt?” Janice Delaney asked.
“No, she’s safe. I’m going to stay with her tonight.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice cracking again.
I hung up the phone and caressed Kat’s back as she hugged the pillow on her large bed. “Please don’t hate him,” she said.
I did hate him, at least a part of me did.
“He has a problem, it’s a disease. He never meant for any of this to happen. He’d never put me in harm’s way,” she pleaded. “Or my mom. He loves us.”
But he did put her in harm’s way. Maybe he didn’t mean to, but he did.
“I feel so dirty,” she said softly.
“C’mon,” I said, extending my hand to her. She was trembling as I helped her from the bed. Her body quivered as my hands unfastened her bra, letting it fall to the floor. I pulled her in close, her breasts pressed tightly against my chest as I kissed her softly on the neck. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”