Gasping, Kat covered her mouth with her hand before promptly dropping it to ask, “Is he okay? How badly was he hurt?”
“When the first responders arrived, they found him bleeding and unresponsive. There was a lot of damage to the vehicle, and it took over two hours to get him out.”
Despite her earlier protests, Kat stumbled over to the arm of the couch and sat down. “Oh, my god,” she whispered. Her head had begun to pound, and suddenly, she found it very hard to breathe. “B-but he’s okay. They got him out and to the hospital, so he’s going to be okay. Right?”
She stared back at the two men, Matt’s entire face filled with an emotion she refused to accept.
I have to go. Now.
Kat shot up from where she’d been sitting and started for the bedroom. “I need to be with him.”
“Kat, wait.”
Matt hurried to follow her, but she ignored him. Already in the bedroom, she grabbed her bag from the closet and tossed it onto the mattress. Her head spun, adrenaline rushing through her body as she tried to think clearly. To remain calm and gather only the items she really needed.
“Kat, stop.”
“I know you hate him, Matt.” She continued packing. “I don’t blame you. Part of me hates him for what he did, too, but he’s still my dad. I’m the only family he has left.” She ripped a blouse from one of the hangers and shoved it into the small suitcase. “He doesn’t have anyone else. I should be with him.”
“Baby, stop.” Matt gripped her shoulders gently yet sternly.
With her voice raised, she tried wiggling out of his grasp. “I can’t! My father needs me!”
“Your father’s dead!”
Kat’s breath froze in her lungs as her world stopped. “W-what?”
The sympathy pouring from Matt’s eyes crushed her. “He broke his neck in the accident. I’m so sorry.”
Her body went numb, and though she could tell Matt was saying something else, she couldn’t hear him over the loud buzzing in her ears.
Concern began to filter through his expression as the room—and everything in it—tunneled down to the size of a pinpoint. The last thing Kat heard before everything went black was Matt’s muffled voice, screaming her name.
Chapter 11
Matt scanned the immediate area surrounding Thomas Marsh’s final resting place. Then, from behind his dark, polarized lenses, he watched Kat as she stared down at the solid mahogany casket adorned with a large splay of red roses.
Other than to thank her father’s so-called friends and acquaintances for coming to pay their respects, she hadn’t spoken much today. Though he’d made multiple attempts to strike up a conversation, she’d pretty much been locked away in her own thoughts all afternoon. Not that he could blame her.
Still, knowing she was hurting was like a punch to the gut, and Matt hated that he had no idea how to help her. She’d scared the hell out of him when she’d passed out after hearing the news of her father’s death. Thanks to his medical training, he’d understood it was her mind’s way of protecting itself.
She came to a few minutes later, and he’d held her as she sobbed. After that, they packed all her belongings and left. With a quick trip to Matt’s place for a few more clothes, they met Zade at Jake’s private hangar on his ranch.
With permission from their boss, the two men and Katherine had flown here, to Long Beach, so Kat could begin making arrangements for her father’s funeral. That was four days ago.
In that time, she’d been quiet and distant. While Matt understood why, he wished like hell he could find the words to make it all better for her. Unfortunately, he knew they didn’t exist.
Not only was Kat struggling to deal with the loss of the only parent she had left, she was also heartbroken by the fact that she and her father’s strained relationship hadn’t ever really had a chance to fully heal.
Upon Kat’s insistence, they’d all stayed at her dad’s estate, rather than a hotel. Matt was more than a little okay with that, but only because it was more secure.
No further action had been taken against her in regard to the formula, but she’d also been under R.I.S.C.’s protection in the middle of the woods. Matt refused to take any chances with her safety. Especially now.
If he had it his way, they wouldn’t even be here. Having her out in the open like this left him anxious as hell. But it wasn’t like he could order her to miss her own father’s funeral, which is why Jake had instructed Zade to accompany them on the trip as backup.
Matt turned his head on a swivel again, his gut tight as Zade stepped up beside him.
“Uh, oh. I know that look. What’s up?”
