Knight: Over The Edge Part 10

"Shorty." Luke's voice breaks the silence. "You need to calm down."

"Calm down? Calm down? You want me to calm down. My brother is f.u.c.king in surgery with three bullets in him." My body shakes with the anger consuming me.

"Katarina," Bruce begins "I understand you're upset, but don't make it worse than it already is," Bruce is only trying to calm me, but I am livid.

"My brother took bullets meant for Cole. Where is the a.s.shole now? Why isn't he here?"

My breathing is ragged my body heaving as I let my frustrations out. Others in the waiting room have turned to see what the commotion is about. All I think about is the fact my brother acted as a human s.h.i.+eld for Cole.

"Where was Pete? Isn't that his job?"

My last questions were b.i.t.c.hy even to my own ears. However, I am feeling a bit selfish as my only blood relative is the one on an operating table right now.

"Pete had gone to get the car. Cole and Drew were standing in front of the diner waiting." Justin speaks.

"Where are Pete and the a.s.shole now?" I ask.

"Cole's at the police station giving his statement," Bruce answers me. "Pete's sticking to his side right now. There's a major threat to Cole and others..."

"Cole and what others?" I ask. No one is answering me. "f.u.c.k someone better start talking!"

"Kat," Luke calls out "You are rightfully upset but don't..."

"Someone better tell me what the h.e.l.l's going on?"

"Katarina! Enough!" Bruce states his voice firm.

His tone makes me stop, but my body shakes. The tremors going through my body are obvious to those standing around me. Panic begins crawling through my body.

"What's going on?" My teeth clench.

I'm terrified of losing my brother. I need someone to lash out at. Someone to blame for all this happening. Cole "f.u.c.king" Knight is winning that honor right now. Every moment of trauma or drama in my life goes back to Cole.

My jaw clenches, in fact every muscle on my body is taut with tension. Nostrils flaring I begin to storm away from those standing around me. Strong arms grab me, holding me tight. I fight against them, wanting to break free. I recognize Luke's arms, but right now it doesn't matter who tries to hold me. I don't want to be held.

"I'm going to kill Cole when he shows his face," I spit out.

Bruce keeps a wary eye on me. The concern reflecting back at me just further enrages me. He might want to consider I possibly could kill his son before the day is over.

Luke begins dragging me away from the Knights as I continue to struggle in his arms. The few people scattered in the waiting room are watching me. No doubt questioning my sanity. h.e.l.l right now I'm concerned for my sanity. I don't even care. I want to lash out at everyone in that waiting room.

"Shorty, you need to cool it. Enough's enough." Luke says next to my ear.

He continues moving us away from the waiting room. Once down the hallway, he abruptly turns me to face him. His face is fierce. He's not happy with me. My body sags with defeat.

"He's all I have left," my voice quivers. "You can't begin to understand what it's like."

"Bulls.h.i.+t! Your family's in that waiting room. They love you like one of their own!" Luke is exasperated with me.

"I hate him!" I spit out.

"Who? Cole?"

"Yes! This is all his fault."

My body shakes as I pace the small s.p.a.ce between us.

"You're mad right now. I don't think you could ever hate Cole. Plus you need to find out what really happened." Luke says calmly.

"I can't believe my idiot brother would take bullets meant for Cole."

"I can. I get why he did it."

"It's his job."

"Think again Shorty."

I stop and stare at Luke "What the f.u.c.k are you talking about?"

"Sure it's partly Drew's job to protect Cole, but he's your brother and he knows that you love Cole and I guarantee he took it into consideration."

"Bulls.h.i.+t!"

My arms fly in the air from the irritation I have with the whole situation and especially this conversation.

"You know I'm right!" his little trademark smirk on his lips.

I hate that Luke is right. My brother knows me. Drew did it as much for me as he did for Cole. Drew knew I buried my feelings for Cole, but they were still there.

"Someone's after Cole and others. Who's after my loved ones? This is not happening again."

Tears begin streaming down my face. I'm not sure if its sadness, anger, or a combination that has me crying. Thoughts of Cole, our lost child, my brother and my Knight family fly through my mind. Luke doesn't say anything he pulls me into a warm embrace. We stand there for some time while I cry it out.

"Do you feel better Miss Hill?"

Luke asks in reference to the infamous Virginia Hill who was the long term girlfriend of Bugsy Siegel.

I nod softly as I snort over his humor.

I think about the friends.h.i.+p Luke and I share. Nights of us studying past crime families so that we were familiar with where the Knight's history came from. He often joked about me being like Virginia Hill, especially after we watched Bugsy one night. I was the gangster's girlfriend, but wasn't opposed to getting my hands dirty when the time came.

"Thank you! You always put up with my s.h.i.+t."

"We're friends Kat. It's what friends do."

Luke and I understand each other. I am thankful every day for our ability to meet each other's needs while not blurring the lines of friends.h.i.+p.

"Are you ready to go back in there?"

"Yea. I owe Bruce an apology. I shouldn't have talked to him the way I just did. Not after he's treated me like one of his own all these years."

"Bruce understands." Luke pushes me gently towards the waiting room.

Entering the room, my gaze falls on the Knights sitting together in a corner. Heads bent talking quietly. The other people sitting in the black plastic chairs have all gone back to their own little worlds. The room is plain and boring. I was too upset to notice my surroundings the first time I entered the room, but I took it all in this time.

I walk up to Bruce who is looking at me.

"I'm so sorry," I say. Bruce stands taking me into his arms once again. A small smile on his face.

"It's okay," he soothingly says to me while hugging me to him once again. "Come let's sit."

A few tears slip down my face and I reach up to swipe them away. Bruce gestures toward the chairs. I sit down next to Bruce. Luke takes an empty seat next to Julie. Julie and Luke speak quietly to each other. I lean over and put my head on Bruce's shoulder.

We sit there for a while, all of us silent, waiting for them to come out and update us once again on Drew's condition. Time seems to crawl by until finally I hear a voice call out "Robert's Family" I immediately jump out of my seat and walk towards the doctor who has come out from behind the double doors.

He tells us about the surgery and that they feel ninety-eight percent positive they removed all bullet fragments. He says Drew was lucky that nothing vital was. .h.i.t, but he did lose a lot of blood. Drew was giving a blood transfusion and with time would recover. He said the hardest part would be Drew healing and getting through the pain of being shot and having three major incision areas.

My knees weaken as relief hits me. The doctor's words have rea.s.sured me that Drew will recover from this incident. I start to sway on my feet. A culmination of everything had been happening in the last seven hours. I am going down my knees buckle and I sense myself falling, but just as I am going to drop, arms catch me as I look up to see who has saved me.

I look into his "pretty eyes" and he gazes down at me with a smirk and says "h.e.l.lo Kitten".

Chapter 11.

Literally falling into Cole's arms after five years was not how I pictured our first encounter. I am dismayed to find my body tingling under his touch, despite my tirade of how much I hated Cole. Gathering my wits about me, I stand on my own two feet moving out of his touch. b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Still looks hot as h.e.l.l. Why did he have to look better than I remember? Why does he still affect me so much?

"Thanks," I manage to say to Cole.

"No problem," his deep s.e.xy voice answers.

Luke and the Knight family are all glued to Cole and me. It's as if they are watching a drama unfold. Everyone is aware this is the first time Cole, and I have seen each other since I walked out of that hotel room. What do they think will happen?

The family moves to take their seats again now that we are done speaking to the doctor. I'm left shaken and a little unsettled by landing in Cole's arms. I take my seat next to Bruce again placing my head back on his shoulder, his arm wraps around my shoulders. A father's touch always makes a girl feel better.

"Kat, I'll be doing everything I can to ensure Drew gets the best medical help during his recovery. Y'all are family," Bruce speaks softly in my ear.

"This is goin' to be fun" Justin calls out making all eyes turn to him.

"What's that son," Bruce asks.

"Watching the fireworks, or maybe I should say bombs go off with Kat and Cole in the same room again."

"Are you ever going to grow up?" I ask Justin.

"Babe, I'm all grown up wanna try the better brother now?" he asks while wagging his eyebrows at me.

"Um no," I manage through the little chuckle that escapes me.

An uncomfortable emotion descends on me. Eyes are staring into me. I sit up straight. Cole is staring daggers at me. Those beautiful eyes gaze upon me coldly. Yet, there is something else, another emotion, but it's gone so quickly I can't identify it. I press my lips together afraid of the words that might escape.

"So it takes your brother almost dying to get you back in Belmont?"

I bristle at his words. There is anger in them. Even with the text he sent me, it hurt him to have me walk out on him. However, I'm sure it hurt nothing more than his pride. Cole never loved me. His actions hurt me too. That hurt was the main reason I never told Cole or anyone else about the miscarriage to this day.

"Cole" a stern warning is in Bruce's voice.

"It's a legitimate question the b.i.t.c.h walked out five years ago and never looked back," Cole replies.

Ouch, that hurt! Luke tenses in his seat he is trying hard not to say anything.

"Drew's my brother, why wouldn't I be here?" I ask coldly.

"Hmmm maybe because you're a cold hearted b.i.t.c.h."

"Cole," Bruce yells, "This is not the time or place."

"Whatever Bruce, let him be an a.s.s to me, I don't care." I begin walking away but call over my shoulder, "I walked away, but you screwed it away didn't you?"

There is so much anger between Cole and me. It shouldn't come as a surprise. There is so much that was left unresolved between us. My therapist told me one day I would have to face Cole. Even now I'm not ready for that to happen.

Out in the hallway, I swipe at the tears that began pooling in my eyes at the memories of Cole and me. Distracted by my own thoughts, I don't realize that Justin has followed me, his body presses behind mine his arms wrapping me in a hug.

"Kat, you did nothing wrong. You went to college. He's the one who couldn't handle it," Justin says comforting me.

I sob, "Three days he couldn't keep it in his pants for three f.u.c.king days."

"What!"

"Three days after I left your brother sent me a text... A girl on his d.i.c.k and another on his face."

Anger resounds in my words. The hurt is still so raw. p.i.s.sed that I can't hide how I still feel about Cole.

"You're f.u.c.king kidding me? He threw a raging fit right after you left, the two of us literally got in a fist fight over you."

"What? Why?"

"That's not important, I'm going to kill him" Justin turns to go. I pull him back by his arm.

"Forget it Justin, it's not worth it."

"f.u.c.k that! He's not getting away with treating you like trash."

"Aren't you suppose to show him more respect?" I ask, with a chuckle. Here we are twenty-three years old adults, yet we are acting like high schoolers again. This is what it's like being family.