It takes me twice as long as I’d like to get to the car and when I’m finally sitting in the passenger seat, I feel like I could sleep for a week. But I made it out of there on my own and the thought brings a smile to my face.
Kay pulls out of the parking lot and starts driving back to the compound. It feels like forever since I was last there and when the gates open, my stomach flutters with nervousness. I notice that it somehow doesn’t feel like home anymore.
“You okay?” Kay asks, driving all the way down to my little cottage.
My eyes scan the flowers that line the path, flowers that I spent hours putting in and feeding, encouraging them to grow. I then look up to the front door, remembering when I first saw this place, the day that Evan introduced me to Ty.
After being in town a week, I finally get up the nerve to call Evan, telling him that I want to take him up on his offer. He tells me where to come and I follow his directions to a T, seeing him waiting at a set of giant gates for me when I pull up in the middle of nowhere.
I’ve never seen a place quite like it before. Surrounded by woods but fenced off with metal fencing so high that there’s no doubt in my mind this is the place. The caution sign hanging on the gates lets me know it’s electrified and my stomach dips. What the hell is this place? I pull through the gates, parking at the end of the aisle of cars and step out gingerly, starting to regret being here.
“Whattttsup!” Evan calls, wrapping his arms around me and lifting me a couple of inches off the floor. “Boss is waiting for you.” He winks.
“He is?” I ask, not sure if I’ve made the right decision in coming here.
“Yep!” he says, pulling me with him as he walks over the gravel and into a giant warehouse. What the hell is this place?
“You’ll see,” Evan answers.
“Did I say that out loud?” I squeak.
He just chuckles and leads me through the completely empty space and through a door on the right.
“We’re waiting for furniture,” Evan says as way of an explanation. “Boss, this is Kitty, Kitty this is Boss.”
“Hey.” I wave, an unsure smile on my face.
“Take a seat,” Boss says, pointing to the sofa. The only thing in here.
I move over to it, sitting on the edge and wringing my hands in my lap, waiting for what he’s going to say.
“What’s your name?” he asks.
“Kitty.”
“No.” I look up in time to see him shaking his head. “Evan? What’s her name?”
Evan frowns and slips his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “She just told you, Kitty.”
Boss blows out a big breath and stands up, going to the filing cabinet in the corner and pulling out a folder. I watch him move, his steps sure and the muscles in his arms tense. His head lifts for a moment and I look to what he’s staring at. Above the filing cabinet on the wall sits a framed photograph, all the men wearing special forces uniforms. That explains his curtness.
“See, when Evan told me about you, I did a little digging, I don’t want anyone here who I can’t trust. You get me?”
“Uh huh.”
“So, I’ll ask you again… What’s your name?”
I worry my lip, my eyes pinging back and forth between Boss and Evan. He wouldn’t be asking any of this if he didn’t already know.
“Katherine Walker.”
Evan’s eyes almost pop out of his head as he looks at me, stumbling forward. “Walker? As in… Senator Walker?”
“The one and only.” I smirk, rolling my eyes. “Or douche dad as I like to call him.”
Evan snorts and Boss smirks.
“I take it you don’t agree with what he does?” Boss asks.
“Hell no, I don’t!” I stand up, starting to pace in front of them. “Do you know how many shelters he closed last year? How many jobs he cut? People are out there struggling and he’s making it worse while he sits all high and mighty in his castle of a home, being served on hand and foot. The dude’s an asshat.”
Boss flips a few pages in his folder and looks back up to me. “This says you can shoot.”
“I can.” I nod affirmative. It’s probably one of the only things I can thank him for.
“What else can you do?” he asks.
“If I told you… I’d have to kill you.” I smirk.
He throws his head back and laughs. “I like you… you’re hired.”
“Really?” I ask.
“Yep, be here Monday at eight.”
I frown, realizing that I only have one day left at the motel. With no cash, I’m at an impasse.
“Evan? Do you think I could stay with you awhile? Just until I get on my feet.”
He raises his brow and folds his arms across his chest.
“You have nowhere to stay?” Boss asks.
I scuff the front of my boot against the floor, looking ashamed at the fact that I’m having to ask for help. I hate having to do that.
“I’ve been staying at the motel but I only have one night left.”
Boss leans back on the sofa, his face thoughtful. He’s silent for several moments, his eyes watching me carefully.
“How are you with tools?”
“I can DIY,” I say with confidence.
“I have this cottage toward the start of the woods, it needs some major work, but if you do all the work, it’s yours.”
“Really?”
He smiles and stands up, bringing his hand out. I place mine in his, shaking it and then letting it go. “Don’t let me down, Kitty.”
“I won’t, sir.”
“It’s Ty, or Boss, whichever, but never sir.”
“Got it,” I chuckle.
The day that Ty showed me the cottage, I fell in love with it instantly. It was toward the back of the property, on its own but also within the safety of the compound.
As soon as I walked in the front door I knew that it was me down to a T. It’s small and homely, the layout simple. Three doors lined the small hallway, two on the right and one on the left. The living room was through the first door, then the kitchen next to it and the bedroom on the left with an adjoining bathroom.
I spent about a month doing the place up and putting all of my quirky touches to it, including the zebra print wallpaper that I hung in the living room. The whole place was an eclectic mixture. The living room somewhere between sixties vibe and modern, a leather wingback chair thrown in for good measure.
The kitchen looked out onto the woods and I couldn’t not bring the outside in, potted plants lining the window and dark blue tiles surrounding the countertops.
But the bedroom was where I had the most fun, painting a mural of all my favorite flowers; daisies, roses, chrysanthemums, lilies and many more. They calmed me and that’s exactly what I wanted in my bedroom, something to relax me. The furniture was all stark white in there, a stark contrast from the mismatched furniture of the living room.
“Kitty?”
“What?” I ask, my eyes flying to Kay’s.
“Come on, let’s get you inside.”
We walk up the narrow path, Kay nearly falling into my bed of flowers as she nearly drops the bag that she’s carrying. Her face is comical as she stares at them and back to me, her eyes wide and her mouth open in shock. I smirk at her and tilt my head to the door.
By the time I’m sitting in my leather wingback chair, I start to relax. But my arm throbs from all of the movement, the pain so bad that I know I need to take some more pills, no matter if I’m not due any for another few hours.
“I’m fine now, Kay. I just want to rest.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, I’ll come over later.”
She bites her lip, wringing her hands in front of her. “I’ll be back in about an hour then,” she says, stepping forward and placing all my meds on the table in front of me.
“Thanks,” I whisper, my eyes not moving from them.
The pain is so intense, it’s all I can think about and as soo
n as I hear the front door close, I pick up my pills, head straight into the kitchen and grab a bottle of water. I carry them one handed to my bedroom and lie on my bed, opening the bottle and taking another two, the feeling of relief rushing through me almost instantly.
It’s been several days since I last saw Kitty. I wanted to go and visit her in the hospital again but every time I’d get in the car to go, something would stop me. I hate hospitals. I really don’t know how I managed to stay in there when she was first taken in.
But now that she’s home, I can go and see her anytime I want, but I know it won’t be as often as I’d like to, I need to bring Jonny down. It’s his fault that she got hurt. If she wasn’t there, none of this would have happened in the first place.
“He’s on the move,” Kurt says as he comes into my office. I sit up straight, piercing him with my eyes, silently telling him to continue. “Word is he’s got a meeting with the cartel. Leroy and Sanchez are on it.”
I pull my cell out, shooting a quick message to them, telling them to keep me informed. I’ll get him in a prison cell if it’s the last thing I do.
“How is she?”
My head flies up and I frown. “Who?”
He raises his brows, looking at me like I’ve lost my mind. “Kitty.”
“Oh… erm… she got out today, should be home now.”
“You going to see her?”
I grit my teeth, my muscles tensing. I hate that he’s asking about her. I don’t even know why I don’t like it.
“Kurt, I’m gonna say this once and once only, stay out of my business.”
He scoffs, widening his stance as he points at me. “Stay out of your business? How the fuck are we meant to do that when you’ve brought us all into it, huh? You’re the one that has us all chasing this guy and you haven’t even seen how your woman is?”
He starts to walk out and I follow him into the pit, my anger rising with each step.
“What the fuck—”
He spins around. “She’s not Emmy,” he grits out, his eyes burning with fire.
The breath leaves me at the mention of her name. He fucking went there, he actually went there. I open my mouth, ready to lay him on his ass but nothing comes out.
He’s right, she isn’t Emmy, but that doesn’t stop me building a wall around myself. It’s better to push people away than have them leave you. At least, that’s what my fucked-up mind keeps telling me.
My eyes move around the pit slowly, taking in all of their faces. He’s right, I’ve involved them all and for a second, I doubt going after Jonny. I’m using all the resources that I can get and I don’t even think twice about it because of my need to protect her.
“One, don’t you fucking say her name to me again… and two, you’re a fucking detective, it’s your job to bring down the bad guys and that’s exactly what he is… so fucking do your job!”
I don’t stay around to hear what he has to say, I barge past him, jogging down the stairs and out of the building, heading straight for my SUV.
The drive to the compound doesn’t take long and as soon as I’m through the gates, I drive as close to Kitty’s place as I can and park. There’s no way that anyone won’t miss my car here, but I don’t care, I need to see her, I need to touch her, to make sure she’s still here, safe and sound.
I head down the path, the flowers lining it a complete contradiction to who she is.
Kitty is the epitome of a badass, she’s hardcore complete with a potty mouth, but she loves the beauty of flowers, she loves spending hours out here, planting new ones and tending to old ones. She may think that I don’t pay attention to her, to all the little things that she does, but I do.
“Kitty?” I call as I walk inside, not hearing an answer back. I head into the living room and then her bedroom.
There she lies, on the bed, her mouth hanging open and a frown on her face as she sleeps. My lips lift up into a smile at the sight of her.
I can’t believe I nearly lost her. Never again. I’ll make sure she knows what she means to me, even if it means I have to let go of something else, because Kitty is here and I need to be present with her and not living in the past.
“Charlie?”
I step forward and crouch down beside the bed, placing my hand on her cheek. My fingers buzz with electricity as I touch her and my stomach flutters. This is exactly where I’m meant to be, right here, with her.
“Hey, Kitty Kat.”
“Hey.” She smiles, her full lips lifting and then dropping as she shuffles on the bed.
“You okay?” I ask, panicked. “Do you need some meds?”
She looks at the clock on her bedside table and grimaces. “Not for another hour.”
I can see the sweat starting to build on her forehead, the pain so apparent that it makes me physically hurt for her. I’ve never been shot myself but I imagine it would hurt like a bitch.
“Have you eaten?” She shakes her head no. “I’ll make you something.”
“I’m not hungry,” she pouts, moving onto her side and groaning at the movement. “I just need to sleep.”
I worry my lip, hating that I don’t know what to do. Ty would know what to do, how to deal with her. I feel like I’ve just entered the unknown and my feet itch to run away, to save myself before the inevitable pain takes hold, the pain of losing her because that’s what will happen. I’ll lose her one day and surely it’s better to lose her now rather than a year down the line when things are so much more intense.
“Charlie?”
“Yeah?” I croak, bringing myself out of my own head.
“Lie with me?” She moves her head to the side, her eyes capturing mine and I nod, slipping my boots off and climbing onto the bed.
For now, I’ll stay. I just hope I’m strong enough to stay for good and not run away.
I lean back in the chair, fed up with doing menial tasks at the compound. For two weeks, I’ve been stuck in my cottage, staring at the four walls and watching Netflix. Don’t get me wrong, I like to binge watch TV shows as much at the next person, but I can only watch so much before I become one with the sofa.
Now I’m back at the compound, stuck behind this goddamn desk.
I huff long and loud, earning me a chuckle from Kay.
“Bored?” she asks, standing up from the desk that she and Ty share.
“I don’t know how you stayed in this office all day,” I moan, twirling around in the seat, my head leaning back as I stare up at the ceiling. “It’s so fucking boring in here!”
I twist toward Kay as she leans on my desk, crossing her arms over her chest, her brows drawn down deep in thought.
“You need to get out.”
“You’re telling me! I’m itching to get out of this goddamn place.”
I wince as I look down at my arm in the sling, hating how it traps me, stopping me from doing what I want, when I want. I’m not used to having to watch what I’m doing or rely on someone to take me places.
“Let’s get out of here,” she says smiling, standing up and waiting for me.
“Where are we going?” I ask, practically bouncing over to her and putting my arm through hers.
“Where would you like to go?”
“Burgers!” I shout, earning me a chuckle from her. “I want a sweet juicy burger.”
“Burgers it is then.”
The smile on my face is so wide at the prospect of getting out of here, nothing could wipe it off my face right now, I can almost taste the juicy meat on my tongue.
We both walk out of the warehouse and over to the truck that she shares with Ty, opening the doors and about to get in as Ty calls her name.
“Where are you two going?” he asks, looking inside the truck. “You good, Kitty?”
“Burgers.” I grin at my one-word answer and he frowns, confused by my outburst.
“We’re getting Kitty burgers,” Kay says, turning to Ty and placing her hand on his chest. He wraps his arms around her waist, bringing her closer a
s he kisses her.
I make a gagging noise, bringing my fingers to my mouth and looking away.
Ty has always been a hard man with a soft side, but that soft side turns to mush when it comes to Kay.
I can understand it though because Kay is one of a kind. We’ve become close over the last couple of years and she’s the closest thing I have to a sister. I can talk to her about anything and she knows all about me and Charlie and our fucked-up relationship. Although she thinks that I’m not going there with him anymore, I just can’t bring myself to tell her that we slept together again, not wanting to see the disappointment on her face.
She pulls away from Ty, leaning back and smiling up at him.
“I’ll be back in an hour.”
“Take your time,” he says, turning toward the warehouse. “I’ll pick Eli up.”
“You sure?” she asks, looking to me and then back to him.
“Of course, I am, enjoy your burgers!”
I can feel the sweat rolling down the side of my face. My breathing somehow sounds like the only noise in the room. Trying to concentrate on what’s being said is harder than I ever thought. Something so simple, just to sit in a meeting and go over the jobs that everyone has been working on is the hardest thing in the world right now.
My arm burns and throbs at the same time, every little movement of my muscles makes it so much more intense. Almost like I’ve just been shot all over again.
If anyone ever says getting shot doesn’t hurt, they’re lying.
I plant my feet on the floor and stand. Gritting my teeth at the movement as I look around at all the faces watching me.
Charlie’s face is covered in a frown and I know he’s concerned about me but I don’t want him to be. I hate seeing that look on all of their faces. A mixture of pity and anger.
“I need to… I need… water,” I finally gasp out.
I hobble to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge and awkwardly twisting the top. It takes a few attempts as my vision blurs in and out and my hands shake, but once the cold liquid hits my tongue, I sigh in relief.
My hand wanders down to my jeans, pulling out my bottle of pills and placing them on the counter.
The Distance Between Us (Mac Security Series Book 3) Page 11