Kash looked at me in surprise. “Of course, Abby knew. I helped her put it in Katya’s drink and told her the time frame of when she could ask questions.”
“And the side effects?” I demanded.
Kash shrugged with a nervous twitch. “My guy said it was safe. It could cause slower breathing and heart rate with some sleepiness. She might also get amnesia about being questioned.”
I cursed.
“She’s young and healthy,” Kash insisted. “It won’t really hurt her.”
“She’s tiny,” Kingston interrupted. “She barely weighed anything when I carried her up the stairs.”
I rubbed my face, worry bleeding into my voice. “Our goal wasn’t to kill her.”
“Mav,” Kash said regretfully. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think.”
I leveled a glare in his direction but didn’t answer.
“We’ll keep an eye on her,” Kingston said seriously.
“And if she gets worse, we’ll bring her to the hospital,” I told them in a tone that left no room for argument.
Kash murmured his agreement, and the only thing that stopped me from punching him in the face was the fact that he genuinely hadn’t thought this through. He and King never did.
“Find out what it was,” I ordered Kash. “And if we need to get her medical attention based on the symptoms that she has right now.”
Kash nodded, but Kingston still looked worried.
“Do you think we should call a doctor, just in case?” he asked.
“Dude, do you know how much hell could rain down on me from this?” Kash asked. “My dad…”
His voice trailed off, but he didn’t need to finish his sentence. We were well aware of what Kash’s father was capable of.
“If it comes down to it,” I said as I grasped his shoulders. “I’ll take the blame for it. But for now, our first priority is making sure Katya is okay.”
Kash gave me a strange look. “I’ve never seen you give a fuck about a girl before.”
“I’ve never had my cousin inadvertently try to kill one before either,” I grumbled in response.
“Mav is worried because he has a massive crush on Kitty Kat,” Kingston informed Kash.
“I thought she was the devil incarnate, here to destroy your family?” Kash asked in confusion.
Kingston laughed. “Nah, she’s cool.”
It was true that I’d painted a grim picture of Katya for Kash, but that was before he came back to Bedford. When I first met Katya, I was convinced that she and Nina were two sides of the same coin. Katya was slowing proving me wrong, but I still didn’t trust her.
“Regardless of whether or not we like her, I don’t want to see her die,” I told Kash seriously. “Putting something in her drink went too far.”
Kash and King both needed to understand that this wasn’t a joke. Something like this could have seriously hurt Katya. They both knew that we didn’t fuck around with drugs. Doing a line of cocaine or smoking pot wasn’t worth the potential of failing a drug test and having to sit out part of the hockey season. Giving an illegal substance to someone who was completely unaware crossed a line that I never thought I’d have to explain to either of them.
Kash looked chastised and pulled out his phone, texting his dealer. That idiot was going to be the death of me one day.
“Next time you feel the urge to drug someone,” I growled at him. “Check with me first.”
I paced back and forth as Kash texted, and King googled Katya’s symptoms. The thought of Katya being hurt had me tied up in knots. I told myself it was because I didn’t want to see Kash or my brother be sent to prison, but the image of Katya’s weak form lying helpless in her bed was burned into my brain. As soon as we were sure she didn’t die, we needed to find a way to get her out of this house and away from my family. She may not have come here to scam us out of money, but that didn’t mean we could keep her. Even if that’s what I really wanted.
People changed whenever large sums of money were on the line, and the ugliest parts of themselves were revealed. I’d be doing Katya a favor by getting her out of here. So why did my mind immediately start making up reasons why I should keep her here? I shook my head. Delaying the inevitable would just make it more painful for everyone involved. Besides, she’d want nothing to do with me when she found out the truth about her fake friendship with Abby and her near-death experience.
Chapter 27
Katya
On Friday, I was up before the sun and feeling more like myself. It had taken me several days to recover from my first, and maybe last, attempt to lose my sorrows in alcohol. I had no idea that a hangover could last that long. When dealing with my emotional pain, I’d prefer to stick to working my body into the ground over drinking myself to death.
Kingston, Kash, and Maverik had all checked on me multiple times, bringing me water, Gatorade, and snacks my stomach wasn’t ready for. Maverik mainly hovered silently, but Kingston had tried to cheer me up with jokes. The caring behavior of all three of them had thrown me for a loop, though, and I wasn’t quite sure what to think about it.
Mr. Ferguson was already in the kitchen, getting Richard’s morning coffee ready. After I said good morning to him, I pulled some fruit and yogurt out of the fridge. I was just finishing up when Richard came down and lifted an eyebrow in surprise.
“Ten minutes early, Katya? I wish my boys would take lessons from you.”
I shrugged in embarrassment. “Habit. I always get to
