Katarina
Irun out of the kitchen without another glance at Rocco. I can’t look. I’m too damn close to crumbling, and I need to get out of here.
“Kat, please!”
I don’t answer him. I grab my coat and pull it on over my sweats, my heart thumping so hard that it deafens me. I came back into the kitchen to see if he had another bar of soap since my search had come up empty.
Thank God I did.
I found out that he’s as much of a liar as everyone else around me.
I knew it wasn’t drug addicts looking for cash.
I knew it wasn’t just a coincidence!
Goddamn them all! And goddamn my father most of all. He’s the reason they’re dead. He did this to our family!
The tears are so close, but I have to get the hell out of here. I need to know what the fuck is going on, once and for all. I throw my cell phone into my bag and stop only to take a deep breath. Stoli 2 rests his head at my feet, no doubt sensing my not-so-hidden rage, and I rub his ears. “I’m sorry, boy. I wanted to stay with you, but I have to leave. I’m so sorry,” I whisper, jumping to my feet.
Rocco’s keys are on a table in the foyer. I grab them and push past him where he’s standing in his sweatpants. “What the hell are you doing with my keys?”
“I’m stealing your car,” I say, pulling open the front door and walking outside into the cool, crisp air.
“The fuck you are!” He runs after me, barefoot and shirtless. His fingers close around my wrist, and he yanks me backward with a small amount of force. I twirl around and launch a crushing blow to the side of his face. “Don’t you dare touch me! You’ll never touch me again!”
He stands there, his mouth hanging open, and my pulse rockets. “You wanna try me? Next time I won’t be so gentle, you asshole!”
I stomp toward his car, feeling his eyes burn a hole into my back. I open the door of his prized Maserati, get in, and slam the door shut before gunning the motor. I put the car in gear and press my foot on the gas. The tires squeal on the pavement as I fly out of the driveway. The scent of burning rubber makes me smile. “Take that, prick. I’m gonna run this bitch into the ground.”
I glance over at him before I peel down the street, and that’s when the tears decide to spill over, blurring my vision.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t in enough time for me to miss the look of anguish on his face as he hangs onto Stoli 2’s collar to keep him from running after me.
I downshift and the sports car screeches to a halt a couple of blocks away. My fingers are trembling, and my vision is fuzzy with the damn tears that seem to have become a part of my daily routine. Looks like Kat the badass decided to morph into Kat the basket case.
Yet again.
I don’t know how to deal with this tearful bitch.
My pulse throbs, thumping against my neck as I stab some numbers into my phone and let it ring. And ring. And…nothing. Not even voicemail.
Papa’s not picking up. Where the hell is he? Is he still in mourning, for fuck’s sake? Is he sorry for all of the lies he’s told me for the past eight years? Or for fucking up so many of our family’s businesses that our money is dwindling more and more by the day? Is he sorry for ruining my life? For ending the lives of Mom and Lili?
These questions pop through my mind like bullets ricocheting off a cement wall. I slam my phone against the steering wheel before dialing Alexi. Maybe he’s heard from Papa.
“Goddamit, Kat! Where the hell have you been?” he shouts into the phone as soon as the line connects. “You’re supposed to be with me! You never listen. Instead, you go to the animal shelter without telling me and then disappear from there. I left texts and voicemails all day and all night! I thought you’d been taken!”
“Alexi, just tell me where I can find my father,” I say, trying to keep my voice even. It registers that he knew I was at the shelter, but that’s not a shock. If he was looking for me, he’d have found my car. Based on what little I heard of Rocco’s one-sided conversation, it’s pretty clear why Alexi was so pissed off at me for running off without telling him. Papa has made his bed and mine, and he obviously fucked with the wrong people this time.
But screw that. If these people…my heart clenches…if Remy had anything to do with Mom and Lili dying, let them come after me. For eight years, I’ve wanted to find who did this to my family and make them suffer. And now that I’m so close, I can almost taste the revenge on my tongue.
I don’t need anyone to protect me. Not Alexi. Not Rocco. Not Papa.
“He’s in a meeting,” Alexi says, a harsh edge to his voice. “He came back to town this morning and went right to Red Square. But he cannot be disturbed.”
“Screw that!” I shriek.
“Kat, don’t go there alone! At least let me come with you.”