Nocturne 040 – Scions 02 - Patrice Michelle - Insurrection (23 page)

Grabbing Kent’s shirt collar, her muscles strained as she dragged him to the door, opened it, then dropped his unconscious body across the threshold.

“Officer. Down here. This man tried to attack my mother,” Kaitlyn called out to the police officer standing in front of the nurse’s station.

Kaitlyn sat in a boardroom the hospital staff had allowed the police to borrow so she could fill out her official statement report. The report was already written. She read over it once more while an officer sat across from her.

In her report, she told the story from the beginning of her original assigned Tacomi case to Remy and the Garotters blackmailing her into giving them evidence Ron had sent her before they killed him in exchange for her mother’s life. She also reported that they had supposedly planted evidence on Ron’s body to frame her. She’d left Landon, Caine and the other weres out of it, just stating there were bystanders she didn’t know who had come to her aid, then disappeared. Once she’d finished scanning her statement, she signed it, then slid the paperwork across the table to the police officer, John Roberts. He read over the document, while an appreciative half smile tilted his lips. “Man, you sure know how to make a splash, McKinney.” Glancing up, his expression turned serious. “Some of this didn’t happen by the book, though. Once the lawyers get a hold of it, you know as well as I do there’s no guarantee how much will stick.”

She rubbed her temples, completely exhausted and brain-dead at that point. “I didn’t have time. My mother’s life was at stake.” Placing her hands on the table, she leaned forward, her stomach suddenly a tense knot. “Tell me you all have Remy and his two men in custody.”

He nodded, then thrummed his fingers on the table. His brow furrowed as he stared at the report. “You know we’re going to need more proof. If we can’t get these guys to roll on each other, a lot of this is just your word against theirs.”

She withdrew Landon’s cell phone from her pocket and opened it. Scanning to the attachment Ron had sent her, she slid the open phone across the desk to John. He picked up the phone and glanced at the display. “You mentioned this in your report. It still doesn’t prove who murdered Ron and Wayne. And that’s if the men tell us where we can find the bodies so we can prove they’re dead.”

Kaitlyn pulled her keychain out of her pocket. “You can use this to get them to talk.” Taking the voice recorder that Abby had given her off her keychain, she set in on the table and pushed the replay button. John listened to the entire conversation she’d had with Remy as it replayed on the tiny voice machine. The voice recorder stopped, cutting off right before Remy had attacked her.

He smiled and slid the recorder into the evidence bag. “You’ve done a helluva job, Kaitlyn. I hope they nail the bastards to the wall for Ron and Wayne’s deaths, the attempt on your mother’s life as well as the gunrunning.”

She sat back in her chair with a tired sigh. “Me, too.”

Fortunately, Kaitlyn’s mom didn’t wake up until after they’d moved her to a new room.

The sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon when her mother opened her eyes. Her gasp drew Kaitlyn’s attention. She jumped up from her catatonic half-awake state in her chair and rushed to grab her mother’s hand. “Mom? Are you okay? Are you in any pain?”

Her mother smiled. “I guess today’s going to be an okay day. I was just surprised to see you. What are you doing here so early? You look exhausted, sweetie.”

Kaitlyn leaned over and kissed her mother’s cheek. “I love you, Mom. They mentioned they were going to move you due to renovations, so I wanted to be here when you woke up.”

Her mother’s soft gaze tracked the room. “I’ve been moved?”

Kaitlyn nodded. She didn’t like lying to her mother, but she didn’t want to upset her with the whole sordid truth. She knew her mom would worry about her. Pointing to the window, she said, “You’ll get a lot less hot afternoon sun in this room. You’re on the seventh floor now.”

Her mother’s eyes drifted closed. “That’ll be nice.”

She sounded so detached, like she was fading away. Kaitlyn blinked back her tears. When her mom didn’t open her eyes right away, her heart jerked. She squeezed her mother’s fragile hand. “Mom?”

Her mom’s eyes fluttered open once more. “I’m still waking up, I guess. You usually come at night.”

Breathing an inward sigh of relief, Kaitlyn kissed her mom’s forehead and stepped back. “I’ll let you rest, but can I come back tonight?”

Her mom slowly nodded. “Of course you can. I’ll see you tonight.”

Kaitlyn pulled her car keys out of her pocket and walked outside her mother’s room. Closing her eyes, she leaned against the wall in the hall. She felt as if someone had put her in a washing machine on “soiled” and then used the extra-long spin cycle. She’d never been more physically and emotionally drained in her life.

Landon’s alluring, magnetic scent entered her mind and she almost doubled over at how real and very comforting the smell was. She gripped her stomach and waited for the memory to fade, but it didn’t. Resigning herself to carrying around his wonderful scent in her mind all day, she sighed and opened her eyes. She gave a small gasp of surprise to see Landon sitting on the bench across the hall from her mother’s room. “How long have you been sitting there?”

“Long enough.” He looked so serious as he stood and approached her. He wore a long-sleeved navy-blue checkered button-down shirt hanging open over a heather-gray T-shirt. Faded jeans and a pair of scuffed boots rounded out his rugged look. Only, this wasn’t an affected look. The faint stains on his jeans told of hard work. And she couldn’t forget his wolf half. Landon was as outdoorsy as a man could be. He stopped in front of her, his light brown hair slightly damp and wavy, as if he’d run his hands through it several times. Even the soap he’d used mixed with his own musky scent to create a new, tempting aroma. He looked so devastatingly handsome and virile, her stomach felt as if it were being twisted inside out. She curled her fingers into a fist to keep from reaching for him, to lean into his strength and feel his arms around her again. She couldn’t forget how much everything had changed. When she saw the red scar running along the side of his neck, her first instinct was to touch it and to comfort him. Her gaze jerked to his. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” He reached for her hand and uncurled her fingers. Taking her keys, he said, “I came to take you home, Kaitie. You look dead on your feet.”

“Thanks for the compliment,” she mumbled, trying to grab back her keys. “I can drive myself home.”

“If you want to get home, you’ll have to meet me at your car.”

Before she could blink, he was gone. Just like that.

She would never get used to these weres’ speed. Clamping her teeth together, she set off after him.

Landon was leaning against her car as she walked up.

When she was three feet away, he stood beside the passenger door, holding it open.

Shrugging off her annoyance, she climbed into the passenger side. Though she’d never admit it to him, Landon was right to offer to drive her. She was so tired she wasn’t in any condition to drive. As Landon backed out of the parking spot, Kaitlyn closed her eyes and laid her head back against the headrest.

Kaitlyn awoke and her head was stuffy and groggy as Landon lifted her out of her car.

“Wha—Mmm.” Squinting against the sunlight in her eyes she tried to focus, but her vision blurred. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hid her eyes from the bright light.

“We’re at your house,” Landon said, holding her close.

“Mmm’kay,” she mumbled, completely incoherent. She felt like she was floating on velvet-coated steel. Landon held her securely as he carried her inside and then turned to walk her up the stairs. His boots made light thumping sounds on the hardwood stairs.

Her hat magically came off, and she kicked out of her shoes right before glorious softness surrounded her back. She realized he’d laid her on her bed.

Fingers lightly touched her throat. “Son of a bitch!” Landon whispered. She realized he must be looking at the bruises Remy must’ve left behind when he’d tried to choke her.

“‘S’kay,” she whispered. He started to pull away and her heart lurched. Cinching her arms tight around his neck, she yanked him close and begged, “No, please.”

When the mattress dipped and he lay down beside her, pressing her head to his chest, her body relaxed. There was a slight tug on her hair and the rubber band disappeared, replaced by Landon’s fingers slowly combing through her hair.

Emotions welled, strong and fierce within her, making her chest tighten and her eyes sting. When Landon wrapped his arms around her, the tears finally fell.

Kaitlyn cried for her father. She cried for all the lost years. She sobbed for her mother, for the near panic she’d felt when she’d thought she might lose her tonight and the knowledge that even though they’d caught the bad guys, her mother’s fate hadn’t changed. Every day she wondered if that was the day the cancer would finally take her mom away from her.

She trembled at the thought of being alone, of having no one to turn to, no one to love and cherish. Her thoughts naturally turned to Landon, and her heart ached.

Burying her nose against Landon’s hard chest, Kaitlyn felt as if she were falling deeper and deeper into a bottomless abyss. She wrapped her arm tight around his waist and felt him kiss the top of her head. Snuggling close to his warmth, she held on for dear life so she wouldn’t be sucked into complete darkness and lose herself forever.

Chapter 12
K aitlyn rolled over in bed and tucked her hand under her pillow. A few seconds later, reality set in, dispelling the blissful sleepiness from her mind. She opened her eyes and stared at the sun shining through her bedroom window. The sunlight appeared softer, less glaring, and the angle was in line with late afternoon. Had she truly slept the day away? Her head throbbed slightly and she remembered how she’d fallen asleep

—bawling her eyes out like a baby…on Landon, no less. She tensed. How utterly embarrassing. She was supposed to be so tough. Knowing she’d have to face him eventually, she took a deep breath and rolled over…to an empty bed.

Instinctively, she knew Landon wasn’t in the house anymore. Kaitlyn ran her hand along the feather pillow that still held an indention from his head and whispered, “Thank you.”

What time was it? Glancing at her watch, she sat up quickly. Four-thirty. She needed to take a shower and eat before she headed back to the hospital.

While the shower’s warm water sluiced over her, Kaitlyn leaned against the shower wall and thought about Landon’s role in her father’s death. Her stomach knotted as she pictured Morningside Park in her mind’s eye, her father bleeding and Landon…how had he felt? She’d been avoiding thinking about that fateful night, but she needed to acknowledge the truth and make peace with how she felt, so she could move on.

It was a gift from my father, she’d said to Landon about her wolf charm.

Me, too, he’d said, but it was the look in his eyes and the tone of his voice that stuck with her. He’d appeared tense and regretful. Did he wear it as a reminder of some kind? Past mistakes, maybe? “Oh, Landon.” She squeezed her eyes shut and hot tears welled. She knew he regretted taking her father’s life, but how could she be expected to forgive that?

He saved yours and your mother’s life, didn’t he?

He did and she hadn’t really thanked him for that. But could she consider never seeing Landon again? Not having him in her life at all? No! her mind screamed. He’s a good person. He challenges me, respects my opinion and is the most primal yet tender man I’ve ever been with. He recognizes and responds to my moods and he lets me be myself. Landon was everything she’d wanted.

God help her, she loved him with a fierceness that tore her up inside. Her stomach churned and her chest felt tight as the realization sunk in. She turned and let the water pound her face. Hundreds of tiny wet punches for her traitorous thoughts. He killed your father. Steam filled the room, and its thickness, combined with her guilt, nearly closed her throat.

Kaitlyn shut off the faucet. She stood in the quiet shower, letting the cold air that seeped past the curtain bombard her wet skin. When her teeth began to chatter, she pulled a towel down from the hook on the wall and began to dry herself off.

With a heavy heart, she climbed out of the shower and got dressed. After she’d eaten, Kaitlyn walked into the office to shut down her computer. She realized she’d left it on overnight. As she was clicking through the shut-down sequence, her thoughts turned to her mother and what she’d bring her tonight. Kaitlyn always brought a small gift of some kind to brighten her mother’s day.

Her gaze landed on the small wooden box with the carved wolf on top. She’d left it sitting on the carpet next to the couch. Her mother would love that. Walking around the desk, she sat down next to the cardboard box and emptied the bullets out of the wooden keepsake.

She pushed the cardboard box’s lid off and gently laid the bullets in the corner where the wooden box had resided. The stack of papers piled inside the folder on the other side of the box drew her attention. Lifting the folder, she laid it in her lap and opened it. Her heart jerked when she realized the stack of handwritten letters inside were from her father to her mother.

Kaitlyn felt as if she were intruding by reading the letters and poems, but her heart swelled at the wonderful gift she could give her mother tonight. When she finished reading them all, her cheeks were wet again, but she sniffed at the legacy of love her father had left behind. Setting her favorite letter on top, she stood and collected her purse and keys from the table in the hall.

As Kaitlyn passed the nurse’s station on the seventh floor, the grayhaired nurse called out to her, “Miss McKinney.”