Chapter Thirty-Four
Terry
Emmett was right, wallowing wasn’t a good look for me. Staring at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, I hated the image that stared back. Dark circles under my eyes, blond hair greasy as fuck because I hadn’t left the house in more than a week. Maybe two weeks. I didn’t want to risk running into anyone, especially Kat. Especially Jasper.
Fuck Jasper.
That thought came immediately as it always did when I thought of my former best friend and what he had cost me. Every-fucking-thing. I stepped under the hot shower spray to wash away all thoughts of my former life and my former family. Dwelling on that shit wouldn’t solve a damn thing, and I was determined to put it all behind me.
To forget and move forward.
The water turned cold before that happened so I stepped out, dried off and threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, my uniform lately because I didn’t need to look good if I never left the house. The delivery guys didn’t give a damn what I looked like as long as I tipped well. And I tipped extremely well just to make sure I didn’t end up with pubes or spit in my food.
The sound of the doorbell startled me out of my thoughts and I groaned at the intrusion. Emmett had mostly given up on getting me to talk to Kat or to leave the house. Instead, he called twice a day to make sure I hadn’t drunk myself to death. A quick look at my phone put the time at just past two, which meant he was late for his morning call. I now knew who would be on the other side of the door.
I opened it with a grin. “Came to give me another pep…Sadie? What are you doing here?”
Hers was the last face I expected to see on my doorstep, but there she was, keen green eyes looking intimidating as hell despite her petite frame. She arched a brow the way she’d always done to keep us boys in line and instinctively, I stepped back. “Come in.”
She shook her head. “Can’t.”
That one word sounded odd. Off. Like she’d been crying, which would be pretty fucking terrifying because Sadie hadn’t even cried when we got the news about Colm’s death. Hell, I didn’t think she even cried when she finally learned the truth of what that fucking priest had been up to.
“Kat’s been shot. Something told me that you’d want to know.”
Kat’s been shot. It took a moment before the words held any real meaning and when they sank into my dumbfounded brain, I nearly fell to my knees. It was like someone had stabbed me in the heart, kicked me in the balls, and sucker punched me, all at once. Kat was shot but she had to be all right or else Sadie would be falling apart now. Right?
“Is she okay? Who?” It was the only thing I could focus on, because the thought of Kat lying in a hospital bed, pale and lifeless, was too much to fucking bear.
“She’s at the hospital. We don’t know who yet, but you better believe I plan to find out. Are you coming, Terry?”
When Sadie took on that haughty tone, you knew she was pissed off but still, I risked life and limb by shaking my head.
“No. I’m the last person she needs to see right now, but send me the info you have, and I’ll take care of it.”
That was what I could do for Kat. I’d find the fucker who shot her and make him pay for daring to destroy her.
“Thanks, for uh, letting me know.” It sounded fucked up to my own ears, but there was nothing else to say.
“So that’s it, then? Jasper acts like a fucking baby and you’re done with all of us? Your whole goddamn family? Kat especially?”
I shrugged. “What can I say? It is what it is, Sadie. If Jasper doesn’t trust me, then I can’t do my job. And we both know Jasper will make her life hell if we stay together.”
As much as it hurt right now, it taught me a valuable lesson about belonging. I’d never believe I belonged anywhere else ever again. “You should get to Kat, she needs you.”
Sadie’s delicate shoulders fell but the icy look in her eyes only intensified. “She needs you, Manning. If it matters to you.”
“It matters, dammit. That’s why I’m going to take care of it. For Kat.”
“Bullshit. That’s the easy thing to do. To go out and get revenge. Big bad Terry’s going to make him pay. Well, you know what’s hard? Getting your ass to the hospital no matter what Jasper says. Being a man. Being there for Kat. But you and Jasper both want to use your big bad guns instead of your brains.”
“She needs to get better and she can’t do that if me and Jas are arguing. My guess is she’s still pissed at him too.”
“She’s still in surgery getting the bullets removed and fighting for her life, so right now she’s not pissed off at anyone. But both of you are doing a damn good job of pissing me off.”
“Get to the hospital, Sadie.”
She nodded and made her way to the door. “What a pity. I really thought you were a real man for my Kat. Guess I was wrong.”
I snorted a bitter laugh. “Lots of that going around lately.”
“Glitz Memorial Trauma Center, just in case you find your balls and decide to go after the woman you’ve loved your whole fucking life.” She shook her head in disappointment, turning one last time at the door. “Happened just outside House of Ashby.”
Shit. “Thanks.”
“Don’t thank me. Show up for Kat.”
With those parting words, Sadie left me alone with my thoughts, which all centered on Kat. She was hurt and as much as I wanted to go to her, to be with her and see for myself that she was okay, I didn’t have that right.
