by Rayna Stone
When she rushed back to the room, she skidded to a stop, screaming and dropping everything. Ryan was slumped on the floor, his head bleeding profusely, Carson lying next to him. She saw Suzy resting her hip against the table in a relaxed pose, shaking her head at the mess Kat had made.
“Kitty, kitty. You really should be more careful. Especially since I no longer work here to clean up your messes.” She sounded so calm it made the hair at the base of Kat’s neck stand up.
“What did you do to Ryan, Suzy? And where’s Kent?” Oh, God. What did she do to Kent? He was supposed to be watching Suzy.
Suzy looked at her like she had to explain this to a child. “Well, Kitty, I hit Ryan over the head when he came in. I should think the wound and blood would have made that pretty obvious. And Kent, well, he frightened me. I was sitting at home, minding my own business, when all of a sudden I saw someone in my backyard. A woman can’t be too careful these days. He could be a rapist coming to attack me. I had to shoot him, honey. I simply cannot let intruders onto my property. It just isn’t safe.” Holy fuck. She shot Kent! And she was talking about it like she was giving stupid little Kat a lesson in safety measures! This woman was not mentally unbalanced. She was batshit crazy. Kat swallowed down the hysterical scream threatening to erupt. She was going to die. She was really facing off with a lunatic, and she was going to die.
Kat was frozen, and Suzy was just talking to her like they were best girlfriends, like she could not believe she had to explain all this to Kat. “Oh, Kitty. I tried so very hard to do this the easy way. You just wouldn’t leave. Mac is mine, you know. I’ve seen how he looks at me. Has for years, actually. At first I didn’t want anything to do with him. I am not a whore. I wasn’t going to go around fucking his friend and playing his games.
“But after so many years I could see how much he was suffering. He needs me. I realized he just needed me to help him, show him what kind of normal, healthy life we could have together. He would have told Jay to leave, and we would have been happy. But you showed up and tried to take my man. Why would you do that? Can’t you see that your whoring and sick sex games are destroying Mac?
“I thought if you would just leave town, I wouldn’t have to take extreme measures to save him. But here you are. Wearing my engagement ring. I just can’t have that, honey.” Suzy was batshit crazy and delusional. Oh, God, this was bad. And her voice had turned into a really creepy, almost childlike pitch. Kat was beyond freaked out.
When Suzy moved away from the table toward Kat, she could see the knife in her hand. Kat didn’t have anything to defend herself with. She needed to keep her talking so she could figure something out. If she could get to the surgical instruments, she could get her hands on some seriously sharp scissors. That was her best bet. She’d love a fucking scalpel, but she didn’t think she’d have time to get the razor out of its pack. She’d have to move fast.
“You hurt Carson, didn’t you?”
“Well, yes. I had to get you here somehow. That stupid dog will eat anything if you put it in ground beef. Cut glass is so destructive, don’t you think? It really is a shame. None of this would have happened if you would have just left. I don’t have a choice now. You see, you’re going to kill Ryan here after he notices more drugs are gone. Nobody will find you or your body. They’ll all think you ran. Drug addicts are such vile creatures. Don’t worry about Mac, kitty. I’ll make sure he gets over your abandonment.”
She lunged toward Kat and swung out with the knife. It missed her as she took off for the other side of the room and the instruments that could save her. She wasn’t worried about how crazy Suzy was anymore. Her adrenaline was spiking, and she was out of time. She needed to defend herself and get help. She had no room in her brain for any other thought.
Kat cried out in pain as she felt the knife slice into her shoulder when she reached for a surgical pack. Thankfully the pain only lasted a moment. She was too focused on moving and opening the pack to notice the wound. Suzy was on her again in a heartbeat. She tackled Kat to the floor and landed on her legs. They were both grunting and struggling as Kat ripped open the pack and instruments went flying. She felt Suzy stab into her inner thigh right as she grabbed a pair of large scissors. She used every ounce of energy she had left to kick at Suzy and flip over. There was blood everywhere. The look in Suzy’s eyes was inhuman. Her pupils were pinpoints in her eyes. Kat blocked the knife with one hand and plunged the scissors into Suzy’s neck with the other.
Suzy reared back in shock and pulled the scissors loose as Kat scrambled away from her. Arterial blood started shooting from her neck in quick pulses. Within seconds, Suzy’s face drained of color, and she slumped down. She never said a word.
Jesus, she didn’t want to kill her. She wanted to live, but she didn’t want to take even Suzy’s life to do it. She got up to grab gauze and a walking leash. She was numb and working on autopilot. She knew she was bleeding badly but couldn’t feel the wounds. She packed Suzy’s neck and cinched the leash around her tight enough to hold the gauze, but not choke her. It would have to do. She needed to call for help.
She stumbled on her way to the phone and felt nausea rise up. She knew her blood pressure was dropping fast. She felt like this every time she donated blood. As soon as she picked up the clinic phone and dialed 911, she lay down and propped her knees up, trying to keep from vomiting or passing out.
She told the operator that there was an attack at the clinic and three people were seriously wounded. She was starting to feel the pain now and the shakes of shock. Oh, God, she would die anyway. She was losing too much blood. And her shoulder and leg hurt like a bitch. She didn’t care that she was supposed to keep the line open, she needed her men. She had to tell them she loved them. Hanging up on 911, it took everything she had to punch in Mac’s cell number.
“Kitten? Are you guys done? How is Carson?”
“Master, I love you. Tell Jay I love him so much. Ryan needs help. Oh, God, Master…Kent’s dead.” She was reduced to a hoarse whisper. She just wanted to sleep. She didn’t even focus on Mac’s words, she just talked over him. “Love you. Love you…”
* * * *
Mac was screaming into the phone and running for his car. “Kitten! Kitten, what’s going on! Don’t you dare stop talking to me! I’m coming, kitten, you talk to me!” He was frantic. What the fuck had happened, and where was Ryan? Oh, God. His kitten was hurt and talking like she wouldn’t make it. He broke every traffic law getting to the clinic. He could see the police and ambulances in the parking lot. James slammed into the next slot. He hadn’t even realized he was behind him.
They both ran full out to the door. A cop was trying to block them, but they could see cops and paramedics inside. “My fiancée is in there, damn it. What the hell happened?”
James was yelling at the same time, just as frantic. “That’s my partner and employee. This is my business. Let us in there, now!”
“I’m sorry, sirs. There are three critically injured people in there and the paramedics need room to work. You’ll have to stay out here.”
Just then they were forced aside to make room for the gurney with Ryan on it. “You go with him, James. I’ll meet you at the hospital.”
James ran after the gurney and hopped into the ambulance. Mac was pacing, crazed with worry. His woman was in there, and he couldn’t even get to her. He was afraid to call Jay. He didn’t even know if she was alive. He didn’t know whether to tell him to go to the hospital or if it was too late.
Detective Ross came out of the building and Mac was on him in a flash. “What happened?” he shouted.
Ross grabbed his arm and took him to the side. The man actually looked sympathetic. “There was an attack. As far as we can tell, Suzy and Katherine were involved. Kat was stabbed twice with a knife. She’s lost a lot of blood, but they’ve stabilized her and are getting ready to transport her to the hospital. She’s unconscious, but alive. Suzy was stabbed in the neck. It looks like someone tried to stop the blee
ding, but she didn’t make it. Ryan was hit on the head. He just came around when we got here. They already took him out. That’s all we know so far. Hopefully Katherine and Ryan can tell us what the hell happened.”
Mac was livid. “What happened? I’ll tell you what the fuck happened! Suzy tried to kill Ryan and Kat, and you damn well know it!” He could not even look at this man a moment longer. “I’m going to Kat. Your questions will wait, detective.”
The second gurney was being rolled toward a second ambulance, and he ran toward it. He jumped inside and gently took Kat’s hand. She looked so pale, her breathing so shallow. If she didn’t make it, he would lose his mind. With shaking hands, he called Davis. He didn’t want Jay taking off in a panic and driving himself back. Then, he took a deep breath and called Jay. He told him that kitten had been attacked, but she was alive. He could hear Davis telling Jay to calm down. Jay agreed to let Davis drive him to the hospital, and Mac hung up to concentrate on kitten.
* * * *
This was the longest night of Mac’s life. Jay made it to the hospital in record time. Jay rushed into the room and held Mac tight as Mac told him that kitten was in surgery. They had to repair a nick in her femoral artery and suture up her stab wounds, but she would be fine. Thank God. If that knife had sliced her a millimeter deeper, her artery would have torn and she’d have bled out in seconds. As it was, she’d needed two transfusions. But she would recover.
They had both answered about a million questions for the police, and Ryan verified that it was Suzy who had attacked him. He couldn’t fend her off in time with Carson in his arms. Ryan had a concussion, but he would be fine, too.
Kent was in pretty bad shape with a collapsed lung, but the bullet went straight through, and his chances looked amazing. The cops found the big bastard still trying to crawl to his car. He was shot, bleeding, and could barely breathe, but he was trying to get to his phone. The guy really was a Titan.
Amazingly, the damn dog was even alive. James went back to the clinic when he knew Ryan would be okay and convinced the cops to let him in to look at the dog. When he realized Carson was breathing, he immediately got him into surgery. A ton of glass picking and suturing later, and Carson was in recovery, too.
Mac could honestly not believe that Suzy was the only one who didn’t make it. And kitten had even tried to help her. God, his kitten was amazing. He didn’t think he would have been able to try to save the woman that stabbed him.
Kelly had shown up white as a ghost. As soon as she found out kitten was going to make it, she started ranting and raving about the punishments she would devise for her. Apparently Kelly was planning to ensure that kitten never scared her again. He was hoping he wouldn’t have to break her out of Kelly’s dungeon. She was currently talking about a “safekeeping” room to put Kat in if she ever mouthed off to dangerous people again.
Kat would have a few weeks’ recovery time. She would be in pain, but she would be alive. The threat to their future was over, and Mac felt a relief like never before invade his body. He slumped into the chair, cradled in Jay’s arms, and they fell asleep under Kelly’s watchful eyes.
Chapter Twenty
Kat was glaring at Kelly. Two weeks. Two friggin’ weeks in her bed and she was ready to stab someone else. She understood that everyone was trying to help her recover, but come on. She did not require bed rest for two excruciating weeks. And Kelly was in full wedding-planning mode. If Kat saw one more flower, she was going to cry.
Now that Kelly was over her mothering mode, which Kat had to admit was pretty sweet, she was going all Domme. Kat found it exceptionally weird to be threatened with a bullwhip over picking the wrong color scheme.
“Seriously, Kat. How am I supposed to have these plans polished in four weeks if you won’t concentrate? Are you feeling okay? Do you have a fever? Let me look at your stiches. The doctor said there shouldn’t be any more seepage or swelling.”
“Don’t you come near me, Kelly. You are not poking at my stitches for a third goddamn time. They look the same as they did an hour ago, and I really don’t want to talk about seepage with you anymore. Jesus, go into the field if you like it so much, but leave me the hell alone.
“You guys are driving me nuts! I’ve been fine for a week now, but nobody will let me out of bed! And tell Mac to let my fucking cat in here. He’s not going to ‘launch himself carelessly at me and rip out my artery,’ for God’s sake. You guys need to chill out a bit.” And she was getting out of this bed today, no matter what her men said.
She wanted to walk around. She wanted sex! They hadn’t touched her since the attack because they were too worried they’d pull her stitches. It was maddening. No matter what she tried, they just tucked her between them and went to sleep. Maybe they’d wake up and take notice if she pinched them in the nuts. The doctor said it would take six weeks for her incisions to fully heal. She was not waiting till her wedding night to get laid. That ship had sailed long ago. It never made it to port, actually. If they made her wait that long, there would be a new definition of “bridezilla” on the books.
Kelly gave her best pouty face, which totally didn’t work. Kelly didn’t pout, and when she pretended, she just looked constipated. She wasn’t getting any more cooperation from Kat.
“Fine. I’ll get the damn cat. But if he stares at me with those creepy googly eyes, he’s leaving again. I never saw such a weird-ass condition in my life. And why am I the only one he stares at?” She was just talking to herself now, but Kat could understand Sampson. Kelly was not a person you wanted to take your eyes off. Sampson must be horrified if he saw more than one of her.
* * * *
Mac heard Kelly stomp down the stairs. They had been bickering for an hour up there. “Your suck-ass patient wants her special cat.”
“Kelly, please do not refer to kitten as a suck-ass anything. You know this is difficult for her. The cat’s in the spare bedroom upstairs. Don’t you dare tell her I’ve been keeping him in that room!” he warned. She would be pissed, but since there wasn’t even a bed in there, it was the safest room in the house. Nothing was happening to that cat on his watch.
“Fine, I won’t tell your lovely bride-to-be you’ve been keeping her accident-prone cat in jail. But if she tries to downsize my flower arrangements one more time, I am going to tell her about the kitty helmet you asked James to find. I’ll order the damn flowers while she’s cutting off your balls.”
Damn, he was only going to use the fucking thing when she was at work. He couldn’t help the fact that the cat made him nervous. “Fine, I’ll talk to her about the flowers. But don’t threaten me, Kelly, or I will advertise your wedding-planner skills all over the county.” She gasped in horror. Oh, yeah, two could play at this. He was a sexually frustrated man, and you don’t fuck with sexually frustrated men.
He and Jay had decided not to engage in any playtime, since kitten wasn’t allowed to join them. They would get down that aisle, but they wouldn’t be walking straight in the process. Four more weeks. They might all kill themselves first, but God, he was glad everyone was safe.
Kitten was healing well, grumpy as all get out, but healing. Jay had finally gotten word from Davis that the Cynthia Conner case was reopened, and her ex-boyfriend was cleared of all charges. Davis was heading up the new task force to search for the killer, but Jay’s part in the case was over. At least until they caught the guy. For now, though he was sad over the loss of life, he felt optimistic that Davis would do his job.
They were finally getting back to normal. He couldn’t wait for the wedding and honeymoon. They were taking their pet to Scotland. She had no clue. He couldn’t wait to see her reaction. He knew she loved the history and geography of Scotland and its castles. She had always wanted to go. They would spend a month traveling the isles and Europe. Anywhere she wanted to go, they would take her. They would spend forever giving her the chance to experience her dreams.
Jay walked into the room with a huge smile on his face. “I think
we should separate them, Mac. Kitten was yelling something about some Nazi, and Kelly threw a book of color swatches at my head.” Time to go break up the women.
* * * *
It had been the longest six weeks of her life, but it was worth it. Mac and Jay had promised that starting tonight, they would take her to bed and make up for all the sex they wouldn’t let her have. She couldn’t wait. ’Course, they hadn’t been having any sex either, so she was pretty sure they were just as excited.
They had decided to have the wedding in their own backyard. Kelly was a miracle worker. Kat was pretty sure no princess in history had a more beautiful venue to take her vows. The whole place was covered in trellises, flowers, silk and candles. It was so tastefully done and just so beautiful she wanted to cry. Kelly would kill her if she ruined her makeup, so she didn’t dare, but she wanted to.
She swished in her ivory silk organza gown, admiring the fall of the draping. She felt like a Roman goddess. The material was gathered at one shoulder and fell in simple waves close to her body. It was gorgeous. She was wearing her emerald and diamond collar, with new emerald earrings, and a sheer ivory lace veil. For the first time in her life, she wanted everyone to stare at her. She had never felt so comfortable in her own skin, so confident. She owed that to the love her men showered her with. They let her finally know what it felt like to love herself.
Kelly came up to tell her it was time. She was stunning in an emerald, Roman-style dress of her own. It was simple and unassuming, but Kelly looked like grace personified in the gown. She smiled at Kat. “Come on, honey. Men don’t like to be kept waiting.” No, she wouldn’t make them wait. She’d be lucky if she wasn’t running down the aisle. ’Course, since Kent was giving her away, and he wasn’t up to full speed yet, she’d definitely be walking. No way in hell could she drag his big ass anywhere. She loved them all. This was her new family. She owed them everything.