Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 68630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
“Mm-hmm.” She nods against my palm.
I release her and allow her a second to catch her breath before I dive into my reason for being here.
“I need some information, Nina. And you happen to be in the unfortunate position of being the only person who can help me with this task right now.”
“Information about what?” Her brows pinch together in concern.
“Your friend Kat.”
Her eyes narrow, and she shakes her head. “I’m not telling you anything about Kat—”
“Let’s dispose of the precious sentimentalities.” I tap my pistol against her cheek. “This isn’t optional, in case I didn’t make that clear. So, you either give me the information, or I walk down the hall and finish what I started with your father.”
Her eyes widen in understanding as she begins to piece it together. “You were the one who beat him up?”
“That was merely a warning,” I answer. “There won’t be another one.”
“You’re a fucking asshole!” she snaps. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“A lot.” I shrug. “Now tell me about Kat.”
She chews on her lip as she seems to consider her options, but it doesn’t take her long to realize she has none. Nina knows me to be a man of my word. She doesn’t doubt that I will murder her family without a second thought if she doesn’t give me what I want. Her loyalties might be torn, but at the end of the day, blood always wins.
“Why don’t you just ask her yourself?” she demands.
“Because I don’t want to. Now what did you tell her about me?”
“I told her you were dangerous,” she admits. “I warned her to stay away from you.”
“Cute,” I murmur. “And what else?”
“That’s it,” she swears.
“What were the names of her last foster parents?” I ask.
She frowns. “I don’t know.”
I consider her for a moment and then stand. “You can thank yourself for this.”
“Wait!” She reaches out in a frantic plea. “Okay, please don’t hurt my parents. I’ll tell you what you want to know. At least, what I know. But just promise me you won’t hurt her?”
“I’m not going to hurt her,” I reply.
Nina doesn’t look so sure, but she knows she’s out of options. “Her last foster parents were the George family. Marie and Robert. She lived with them until she was fifteen.”
“And then what?”
Nina swallows and hesitates, but one look at my face motivates her to continue. “Then she went to juvie. There was an incident with her foster dad, Robert. He was an abusive asshole, and some shit went down. She never told me exactly what.”
A low simmering rage stirs in my gut as I digest her words. Katerina was locked up? When I remember the fear in her eyes the last time I saw her, it makes sense. She was afraid, ready to strike out at any moment to protect herself. This isn’t something that happens overnight. Kat has been afraid her whole life, and I’m only beginning to understand why.
“The scars are from him?” My voice is rough, and Nina doesn’t miss it. Her eyes soften just a fraction before she nods.
“I don’t know what he did to her. I just know it was bad.”
“What detention center did they send her to?”
“I have no idea.” She shrugs.
“Who else was involved in the case?” I demand. “I need names. A lawyer, a judge, anything she may have mentioned.”
“I don’t know!” she snaps. “I swear. She doesn’t like to talk about it. It’s taken me years to get that much out of her.”
On that, I can believe her. Katerina is not an open book. She is a locked vault with more secrets than I ever could have anticipated. But inside, I can only imagine her as a young girl with no hope and no options. Nobody to save her. She was forced to save herself, and then she was punished for it.
I close my eyes, and it physically hurts to breathe as I contemplate the things that have happened to her. If I was a decent man, I would try to help her. Fix things for her. But I know that in all likelihood, I could only ever make them worse. I failed to protect someone else once, and I vowed I would never allow that to happen again. The only way to ensure Kat’s safety is to stay far away from her. But it still doesn’t feel right.
“Is she safe?” I ask Nina. “There’s nobody else from her past who might harm her?”
She shakes her head. “No. They are all gone now. Mrs. George moved, last I heard, and Joshua is dead.”
“Joshua?” I repeat, recalling the name from Kat’s dream. “Who was he?”
“Another foster kid. I don’t really know the whole story with that either. Kat started to tell me once, and then she just shut down. But whatever happened, she blames herself for his death.”