Page 31 of Hearts of Wealth

I called Catherine, but she didn’t answer. I knew I was in trouble once again. She wasn’t going to be happy things got violent, but damn, did he deserve it.

I pulled through the gate and saw Catherine’s truck in the driveway.

“Shit,” I muttered. I was in trouble.

I walked into the house, knowing she was about to yell at me.

“Where the hell have you been?” Catherine demanded as she walked into the foyer. She took one look at my face. “What the hell did you do?”

I took a deep breath, steeling myself for her wrath. “I need to tell you the truth,” I said.

“Kitchen. Now.”

I followed her into the kitchen and watched her yank open the freezer. Her movements were jerking and angry as she pulled out the ice holder.

She grabbed a small towel from the drawer and wrapped a handful of ice cubes in it. “Sit,” she ordered, pointing sharply to a kitchen chair. I obeyed without a word, wincing slightly as she gently pressed the makeshift ice pack against my swollen cheek.

“I am not going to ask again, Timothy,” Catherine said, her voice dangerously low. “What did you do?”

I looked at her, meeting her furious gaze with a steady one of my own. “I confronted Henry about what he did to you.”

A mix of emotions crossed her face—surprise, anger, confusion—before finally settling on concern. “You what?” she asked, her voice almost a whisper.

“I stood up for you, Catherine,” I said, my voice as steady as my gaze.

“And you got into a fight? With Henry?” she asked, incredulity shadowing her tone.

I gritted my teeth against the sharp sting as she pressed the ice harder against my cheek. “He had it coming, Catherine. No man has any right to treat a woman the way he treated you.”

“For shit’s sake, Timothy!” she exploded, pushing away from the table and throwing her hands in the air. “You can’t go around punching every man who insults me!”