Page 15 of The Stolen Dagger

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

DREW

A fter an x-ray and some painkillers, Katherine’s shoulder was mostly just bruised. The doctor recommended she ice it twice a day and not do anything too strenuous.

That should be easy enough, but just in case, I’d see to it she made a full recovery.

Nothing was broken, much to my relief.

When Katherine had called me earlier from the library, my heart had almost dropped out of my chest. The terrifying edge to her voice had awoken something in me.

Something desperate.

The only thing I could focus on at that moment was getting to her. Protecting her from whatever threat dared to target my girl.

Even then, thinking back to that moment, a chill wrecked its way through my body. The fear in her voice would haunt me for the next few days. I never wanted to hear her voice tremble in fright like that again .

I’d make sure it never would.

While waiting in the hospital, I informed her of everything I’d discovered about Adrian and his involvement with the Phantoms. Including everything about Henry, who used to supply the related gangs with whatever they needed for a certain price.

I suspected that was why Adrian had met with Henry that night; to trade the dagger. Which matched Katherine’s recounts of what she’d witnessed the night of the murder.

But she still didn’t remember ever seeing a dagger or where Adrian would have stashed it.

That was the missing piece I needed to solve this.

Now, as we drove back to my apartment, I looked over at Katherine, curled in on herself in the passenger seat. She absentmindedly ran her fingers over the sling she wore to cradle her shoulder. She would only need to wear it for a few days, but her shoulder wouldn’t be completely healed for weeks.

I had noticed she’d been mostly silent since the attack in the library, which was a normal reaction to everything she had been through, but my worry for her had only increased as each minute passed.

She was in shock. A valid reaction for most victims, but Katherine wasn’t any regular victim.

She was strong and brave. Much braver than she gave herself credit for. She’d been through hell with Adrian, but she didn’t have to go through this alone.

I wished she would open up to me. Tell me everything going through her mind. I wanted to be the one person she could lean on for support. I wanted her to trust me enough to share her burdens.

So, I’d wait. I’d wait until she was ready for more.

In the meantime, I’d try to piece together everything we knew thus far .

Adrian was after her for a dagger she didn’t have. But so was this stalker who was working against Adrian and had apparently been watching her for the past week.

He had finally made his move, but what about the other guy? The one who sent her those letters and trashed her apartment. Where was he? What was he waiting for?

Adrian didn’t seem like the type of man to hide in the shadows, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t also playing this game of cat and mouse with Katherine.

I shook off those thoughts as I parked outside my apartment. I needed to focus on Katherine and her needs right now. She was more important than the what-ifs of this case.

I turned to Katherine. Her short brown locks were tucked behind her ear, so I could see that faraway look in her eyes as she silently stared down at her hands.

I waited for her to make a move for the car door, or realize we were parked, but she just sat there.

“Let’s go inside,” I suggested. “I can make you some food if you’d like.”

Food always made things better.

She nodded and quietly followed me up to my apartment.

As I led her through my home, she looked around as if she was taking everything in for the first time.

I didn’t know why, but her scrutinizing gaze caused a nervous flutter in my stomach. I wanted her to like my home. I wanted her to feel comfortable here.

She approached the black fabric sectional, which was topped with a throw blanket, just past the entryway and shuffled across the light brown hardwood floors. She glanced around the rest of my living room.

I looked around as well just to confirm the place wasn’t a mess.

The round glass coffee table was clear, except for some coasters and an empty coffee mug from the other morning .

The flat-screen TV and entertainment system across from the table could have used a good dusting, especially the shelves along the far wall that held a few books, pictures, and the vinyl disks for my hand-me-down record player in the corner of the room.

Katherine reached out and touched the closest leaf of the potted monstera plant next to her. One of many Leah had gifted me. She had claimed they tied the whole room together. I couldn’t disagree with my sister. The houseplants made my minimal apartment feel more homey.

I was proud of the home I’d made for myself. So why was Katherine’s approval so important?

Once Katherine had her fill of the space, I led her past the door to my bedroom and into the dining area connected to the kitchen.

“Is a grilled cheese okay?” I asked over my shoulder.

Katherine hummed her reply, and I got to work.

As I gathered and readied everything I needed for a grilled cheese, I heard the scrape of the wooden bar stool against the tiled floors behind me. When I turned to put something back in the fridge, I saw her place the bag of ice the hospital had given her onto the white-marbled kitchen counter.

The sound of sizzling butter was almost deafening in the stretch of silence between us.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I’d let her have time to process, but it was time for some more answers.

“I know you don’t want to talk about it,” I said down at the frying pan as I flipped her sandwich, revealing a perfectly golden toasted edge, “but I can’t see you with a guy like Adrian. I know what his kind is like. How could someone like you be with someone like him ?”

She sighed as if expecting the question but was reluctant to answer it .

I just wanted to understand. And I thought I deserved some answers from her, too.

“We met through mutual friends,” Katherine said.

“My parents didn’t have much to their name, and I grew up in a bad part of town.

After my mom passed, I made friends with a bad crowd.

Adrian was one of them. He was the leader.

He called all the shots. I hadn’t started dating him until about a year after I graduated, since he was a couple of years older.

Looking back, I think we only got together because it was expected and there was little that Adrian wanted that he didn’t get. ”

I used the spatula to flip the grilled cheese again and then put it on a plate before serving it to her. I remained silent, encouraging her to continue.

“He was nice at first, but over the next few months, he changed,” she explained.

“I think that was when he joined the Phantoms. Gang activity was pretty common in our area, and I learned later that a few of his cousins were members. After he joined, he became distant and ill-tempered. A few months before “the incident,” I noticed how easily angered he was. I thought of breaking it off then, but every time I tried to confront him, he’d apologize and say he was going to change.

I felt trapped. I didn’t know what to do. ”

I pursed my lips and tightened my fist around the handle of the frying pan. “Did he ever direct his anger toward you?”

I tried to contain my rage at even having to ask her that question. The thought of Adrian putting his hands on her enraged me.

Only pathetic cowards directed their anger onto women. Adrian seemed like the type.

“No.” Katherine shook her head and stared down at the grilled cheese in front of her. “Not physically.”

I clenched my jaw at her word choice, turned off the stove, and faced her with a hard look. “Physical or not, it’s still abuse.”

“It wasn’t like that,” she explained. “Adrian never hit me, but he wasn’t particularly gentle either.

When he threatened me the night of the incident, he was completely transparent about what he’d do to me.

He’d do whatever he had to in order to protect himself.

That’s why I ran.” She shrugged as if the details didn’t matter.

“It seemed like the best option, considering I didn’t have any close friends or family besides Pearl, who Adrian didn’t know about. ”

My gaze softened at hearing that. I owed everything to the woman who helped Katherine and ultimately led her to me. “Why didn’t Pearl come with you?”

“Her partner died a few years back,” she said quietly, her voice full of emotion. “She wasn’t ready to leave. They’d had so many memories together in that house. She loved her more than anything. And now Adrian might have her.”

Feeling the need to comfort her, I stepped around the counter and wrapped her in my arms. She rested her ear on my chest as she returned my hug. I placed my chin on the top of her head, relishing in the feel of her body against mine. “You can’t blame yourself for Adrian’s actions.”

“But if it weren’t for me, Adrian wouldn’t have gone after her to begin with.”

“Maybe,” I stroked her hair, “but I’m sure she doesn’t regret helping you leave. From what you’ve told me; you’re like a daughter to her. She chose to help you.”

Katherine trembled against me, and an ache filled my chest at what she must be feeling. I could tell that guilt consumed her at what Adrian might do to Pearl.

I knew that feeling of guilt all too well with my profession. It was often heavy and suffocating, but what got me through it was Leah and my family.

They supported me, made me understand that people made their own choices, set their own paths, and there was little you could do to change the actions of others.

I leaned back, one arm still around her waist, and tilted up her chin with my other hand. “I promise I won’t let Adrian hurt you. We’ll make sure Pearl is all right.”

Katherine looked up at me, her gaze watery. “What if he gets to Leah?” she asked in a whisper, as if afraid to voice her question aloud.

My features softened. “I’ll make sure Leah is protected. Besides, she knows self-defense just as well as you do.”

“It’s not just Leah I’m worried about.” Her deep brown gaze shifted between my eyes, and suddenly, I realized her meaning.

Katherine was worried about me.

After everything she’d been through, after being targeted by not one but now two different gangs, and being attacked, she was still more worried about Leah and me.

Her admission warmed something in my chest. The feeling was strange but not completely foreign when it came to her. It was a new feeling, though, and it felt … good. It felt right.

“Katherine …” I trailed off and cupped her face in my hands. My gaze flickered between hers as I tried to formulate the words to express what I was feeling.

The urge to kiss her was strong, and my gaze flicked down to her parted mouth and back up to her captivating eyes, only to catch her doing the same to me.

Then she surprised me by closing the short distance between us and pressing her soft lips to mine.