Looking closely, I noticed some disturbances in the mud pattern in the area. I followed the path into dense woodland, walking precisely. My eyes automatically scanned the area for threats. A little further ahead, the path diverged. Just as I was contemplating the direction I wanted to go, I heard the faint rustling of leaves, as if someone had stepped over them.
At once, my senses went on high alert, years of training taking over. Treading on the path cautiously, I took out my gun, walking ahead until I saw a backpack fallen. Trusting my instincts, I picked it up and walked further.
Spotting them from behind the trees, I stopped short. My blood ran cold when I saw the fucker holding a knife at Katy’s throat. An icy hand gripped my heart, and fear unlike anything I’veknown, lashed through me. But my girl, my brave fucking girl, she was holding up like a queen.
I watched her profile, noticing the proud tilt of her chin. She hadn’t seen me, nor did that motherfucker realize I was in the vicinity. Unlike the previous time when she’d been held hostage, this time, her eyes were clear, and she wasn’t cowering.
Only then did I hear what Ben was saying.
“I lost my family because of you, you stupid bitch. I would have killed you yesterday, but your stupid bodyguard ran to you like a dog in heat. Asshole!”
A red haze of anger covered my vision. My breathing altered, and I held my gun tighter, taking care not to make a sound. I needed to move a little ahead to pull the trigger, and I hoped I could do that without alerting him.
“Your so-called blog, where you spout all the feminist nonsense, made my wife move away from me. She took my daughter with her. All because of your stupid posts filled with lies, you fucking whore.”
I watched him move close to Katy, making her flinch. Bastard! Something must have alerted her; she turned to look at me. For a split second, hope flickered in the dark orbs, warming my heart. God, she trusted me even after all that had happened!
I gestured to her not to make any sound. Heart hammering. I was just close enough to act, close enough to save her, but a sudden rustle broke the silence.
Ben stiffened, sensing movement. His grip tightened as he turned, dragging Katy close to him as a shield. The blade lifted, catching the light, and that’s when my instincts kicked in.
Within a split second, I lunged forward and shoved Katy hard out of that fucker’s grasp. She stumbled and fell to the side, hitting the ground but rolling away, free.
He gasped, stumbling back, his body reacting before his mind could catch up. That’s when pain exploded across my side as something struck me near my heart. Before the bastard could run, Luke ran in, kicking him in his groin. With a pitiful cry, Ben fell to his knees, doubling and howling in pain.
My eyes closed, welcoming the darkness, just as I heard Katy scream and Luke curse.I love Katywas my last thought before I lost all consciousness.
#18
Katy
The tubes were connected from his body to a machine that was humming quietly in the background. I was back at the Falcone mansion, and my eyes welled up again as I looked at the man I loved. Yes, loved. I could no longer deny my feelings for Barun Caruso. What was the point even? After the emergency surgery, and in the wake of everything that had happened, denying my feelings seemed futile.
Brushing away the tears, I sat on the edge of the chair and prayed. Barun had been stabbed, and there had been a lot of blood loss by the time Luke and I could get him to a hospital. My brothers immediately flew in along with Gio. There had been an emergency surgery, after which we’d brought him home under sedation by air.
Now, forty-eight hours after the incident, I didn’t know what to expect. Barun had to open his eyes to come out of danger. A danger that I had put him in. My lips trembled even as I struggled to contain my sobs.Please live, I prayed.
Ben had been taken into the basement, and my brothers and Gio had already attended to him. Knowing them, I doubt he’d be alive. I inhaled a shuddering breath, realizing my articles andsupport for women had triggered Ben into this action. Clearly, he’d not been right in the head. His loss of control over his wife and daughter had triggered these actions.
What bothered me wasn’t Ben or his threats. I’d been in the dark about the threats. Fortunately for me, Barun and Luke had been there. What if I’d been caught alone? I deserved full disclosure as an adult, and the denial of that infuriated me.
The door to the medical room opened. Noah and Rhett entered, their faces grim and tense.
“Did you eat something?” Rhett frowned, throwing me a piercing glance.
“You know you cannot stay here forever, Kitty Kat,” my older brother, Noah, chided me gently, infuriating me all of a sudden. In a sudden movement, I got up from the chair next to the bed to face my brothers head-to-head.
I’d been hiding my true self all these years, afraid of hurting their feelings. In protecting my brothers’ feelings, I’d let go of my true self. To the extent that I wasn’t informed of any threats to my own safety. Perhaps it was time to show them I was an adult who could face realities without crumbling.
“Noah, Rhett, it is probably better to have this conversation here and right now. I am not the same girl who was terrified after the kidnapping. Yes, it happened, and yes, I had been severely traumatized.”
I paused, swallowing, when Noah flinched, as if it was too much to hear. Yet I continued, knowing I had to be strong. For myself and for the choices I intended to make. “Do you know how big a risk you put me in by not telling me about the threats?”
“You don’t understand…” Rhett began, making me cut him off with a glare.
“I don’t want to,” I snapped, finally losing my patience after dealing with my brothers’ feelings with kid gloves. “I am a Falcone, as much as you are. In all these years. I’ve picked up self-defense, and I am trained to use a gun.”
Noah sighed, knowing he was losing this battle.
