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Linda waves her off. “You’ve always been dramatic.”
“Mom, do you hear yourself? You told me how to act, how to speak, how to feel. As if that’s not enough, you decided what school I should attend, what course to take, which friends I should hang out with. You never asked me what I wanted. Not once!” Katherine chokes on a sob, and my arms go around her. She takes off her glasses to wipe her tears angrily.
Linda’s eyes narrow. “What do you want me to say, Kate? If I let you be, you’re gonna end up with people not on your level, those who will just take advantage of you.” She looks me up and down, a look of pure disgust on her face. “Like this man.”
I steel my spine. “With all due respect, ma’am?—”
“I didn’t tell you to speak.”
I give her a smile so cold, she steps back. “No one tells me what to do, Linda.”
Patrick chooses that moment to stir. His eyelids flutter open slowly, brows furrowed in confusion. I can tell the exact moment when reality crashes back into him, and he sits up straight, pressing a hand against his jaw that’s now starting to swell.
His gaze flicks to each of us, and when it lands on me, he points an accusing finger, probably the only thing he’s good at. “You fucker! You’re gonna pay for this!”
My only response is a smile. It’s never not funny to me when rich kids realize they can’t get away with everything.
Bill, sensing that neither I nor Katherine will budge, grabs Patrick’s arm to help him up. The piece of shit staggers and almost brings Bill to the floor with him before he’s pulled upright again.
“You asshole are spending the rest of your life in jail because of what you did to Patrick.” Bill tips his head to the door. “Let’s go, Kate. Don’t make me drag you all the way out.”
Katherine lets go of my arm and straightens her back. She glances at me and gives me a soft smile before wiping it from her face and staring at her parents. “Go fuck yourselves.”
Linda’s hand flies to her chest, shaking her head. “You’ll end up on the streets because we’re cutting off your cards and allowance. Say goodbye to your trust fund.”
With my arm draped on her shoulders, I pull Katherine closer to my side. “You’re acting like you’re doing her a favor, Linda. You can barely fund your shopping sprees and ski trips.”
Bill lunges forward, but I step in front of Katherine. He has the good sense to back away. Good because if he thinks I’m violent, he hasn’t seen what kind of man I become when someone tries to hurt my girl.
“Let me make one thing clear, Bill, Linda, Patrick. You touch Katherine, hurt her, or do anything to upset her, and I’ll come for you. You think knocking out this guy is the worst I can do? You don’t know half of it. The richest, most powerful people pay me hundreds of thousands to protect them. You think I can’t do the same to the one I love for free?”
Bill shifts his weight from one foot to the other, unable to look at me anymore.
But I’m far from done. “Those creditors after you, Bill? I’ll make sure they all find out you’re no longer capable of paying them. And the investors whose calls you’ve been dodging? I’ll send them every piece of paper that proves you have nothing on your name but debts.”
I drag my feet forward, and the three collectively step back, Patrick sprinting towards the door and leaving the two. “No one hurts my girl and gets away with it,” I continue. “Not even her good-for-nothing parents.”
Their backs are on the open door, and I growl. “Now leave.”
Bill and Linda can’t do it fast enough. With one last glance at Katherine, they spin on their heels and leave.
I’m about to close the door when I see Dina raising her cane at the retreating figures and yelling, “And don’t ever come back or I’ll unleash hell on you both!”
We both stand in the hallway until we lose sight of the pair. I start to get back inside when Dina raises her cane and rests it on my chest. “Good job, young man. But if you hurt her, I’d have your head on a plate.”
As someone who has trained long and hard in assessing threats, I have no doubt this old lady means it. I guess I’m not the only one looking out for Katherine anymore.
6
KIERAN
“You really read everything in my diary, huh?”
“I’m just ticking off boxes to impress you.”
She frowns. “You don’t have to do that anymore. I’m already yours.”
This pulls a smile from me, and I take her hand and brush my lips along her knuckles. “I disagree. I promise to never stop trying to impress you … not until my last breath.”
