“Go on,” I encourage, keeping Kat’s hand clutched in mine.
“I don’t know if it’s connected but, a few days ago, I kept getting these random calls. I ignored them thinking they were just bullshit sales calls. But then the person at the other end started messaging instead.
“She was begging for help, and said she had nowhere else to turn.”
“Styx, tell me it wasn’t. Fucking tell me she hasn’t been in contact.”
One look from him gives me all the answers I need.
“I didn’t fucking reply if that’s what you mean. Or answer her calls. I hoped she’d figure out I was a lost cause and fuck off. I checked in with D and she’s not been in touch with him. I was more than happy to just ignore the bitch.”
“But?” I ask, aware that this can’t possibly end there.
“She turned up at my front door a few minutes after I kissed Kat goodbye Friday morning. She was a mess, told me her ex has been abusing her and she needed a roof over her head so she could plan her next move.”
“No, Styx. Fuck no.”
“What the hell was I meant to do? She’d just seen us together. She was going to go and—”
“Who gives a fuck. Whatever D could do to you for loving Kat would never be as bad as what she could do to all of us.”
Styx glares at me. “You just want him to put a bullet between my brows so you can have her to yourself.”
“So what happened next?” I ask, choosing to ignore that comment. I would never fucking want that and he knows it. We’ve been friends for far too long for me to wish him dead because of a girl. Even if that girl is Kat. In my opinion, there are much better ways to resolve our current issue than one of us bleeding out.
“I told her she could have twenty-four hours then she had to get the fuck out of Red Ridge.”
“And I’m guessing that went over well.”
“Well, she went. I tried to go to D to tell him what’s been going on just in case she tried to get to him first but I was told he was out on club business so I didn’t get very far.”
“So you just hoped she’d fuck off and forget all about this?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know that this was her.”
“Really?” I deadpan. “It’s got her name written all fucking over it.”
“She wouldn’t hurt Kat. She might be a conniving bitch but she’s not that cruel.”
“You don’t even know her,” I boom, instantly regretting allowing my anger to take over. “Of course this was fucking her. She might not have been the one who laid a finger on Kat but you know as well as I do she was behind it. What did they want?”
“I don’t know. My house is trashed. Money, I guess?”
“Fucking hell, Styx. How could you be so fucking stupid?”
“Fuck you, Jack. Fuck you. I thought I was doing the right thing.”
“Helping that bitch is never the right fucking thing. You should have slammed the door in her face and called D to confess your sins immediately. Where the fuck is he anyway?”
“Not answering his cell. I’ve spoken to Cassie, she’s going to tell Evelyn when she wakes up. She didn’t think it was a good idea to give her this news in the middle of the night. Hopefully, by then Kat will be awake and we can be a little more positive.”
“This is a fucking mess,” I mutter, scrubbing my hand down my face.
“Yeah, well. It’s all your fucking fault.”
I rear back, not believing what I’m hearing. “M-me?” I ask, pointing at myself.
“Yes, you,” Styx bites back. “If you never taunted me that night, if you never flaunted everything I was trying so fucking hard to stay away from then we wouldn’t have found ourselves here. We wouldn’t be fighting over her like she’s a new fucking toy we both want.”