Angel heard Dax start up his bike and leave. He was headed to meet up with Hunter. He was resistant to her idea about involving the police to get them a list of stolen vehicles…for reasons that were obvious, once she thought about it. They had tucked Susie in together and now Angel was planning on pouring herself a glass of wine and trying to relax when she heard something on the front porch. She went over to the window and looked out. The big shadow of a man was sitting on her steps. Since Dax told her about the photos and the blackmail the night before, she’d been slightly on edge. Even though she knew no one would be able to get on the ranch, she almost turned to go get her gun. The more she looked at the shadow however, the more familiar it became.

Sliding her feet into her slippers and pulling her robe more tightly around her shoulders, she stepped outside. It was cold…freezing…and David was sitting there in a short-sleeved t-shirt and jeans. Angel had on flannel pajamas underneath her robe and she was still freezing. “David? What are you doing? You’re going to catch pneumonia.”

David shrugged. “I just didn’t want to go home. I didn’t know where to go.”

Angel went over and sat down next to him. When he finally looked at her, she could see the tear stains on his cheeks. “Oh my goodness, David, what’s wrong?”

“It’s Kat…”

“That bitch—I told you not to get involved with her again. What did she do this time?”

“Stop it, Angel! She didn’t do anything. It was me…us…Jesus, it was us. We’re horrible people. How dare we act like our beliefs make us better than anyone else? I’m disgusted with myself.” He looked at Angel and said, “With all of us.” He buried his face in his hands and his shoulders began to shake.

She was confused. What was he angry with her about? “David, what happened?”

“She didn’t have an abortion.”

Angel rolled her eyes. It would be just like Kat to try to turn him against his family. “She told you that? Are you kidding, David—you believe her? I saw her there. Hell, she admitted it.”

He looked at his sister again and Angel saw something in his eyes she’d never seen before. She wasn’t sure what it was, but it frightened her. “She was there, but not to have an abortion. She was on her way to the hospital because she was cramping and bleeding. She stopped at the clinic because she couldn’t keep driving. She lost our baby, Angel. They dilated her that day and scraped her uterus. She went through that all alone…and then the fight with you…and being arrested…fuck…”

Angel felt like a vise was pressing on her lungs. Surely David was wrong. If that was the case, why didn’t Kat tell them that years ago? Why not tell Angel that day, or Kyle when he was hurling accusations at her about cheating…or David when he took her to the hospital? “David,” she said, trying to word it cautiously. “Why did she wait so long to tell you this?”

“She tried to tell me that night. I wouldn’t listen. I thought she was just going to make excuses. I was…how did she put it earlier? I was acting ‘holier than thou.’ I was focusing on the fact that you’d seen her come out of an abortion clinic and all the things you and Kyle were saying about her…I didn’t give her a chance. I made her suffer alone. I made her suffer even more.” He put his head down again and Angel put her arm around his back. He felt like he was freezing.

“Come inside and we’ll talk, okay?”

He shook his head. “No. There’s nothing more to say. If she never forgives me for this, I won’t blame her.”

“She should have told you when you calmed down, instead of leaving town.”

“Stop it, Angel! Stop making excuses for me. I loved her. You don’t just walk away from someone you love. Even if she had aborted the baby, I should have stayed and listened to her reasons why. I left her alone, just like everyone else in her life has done.”

“I’m sorry,” Angel said, still unsure if she believed the story or not. “If what happened between the two of you was because I jumped to conclusions, I’m so sorry, David.”

“It’s not your fault. You weren’t the one in love with her. I should have been strong enough to stand up to my family and strong enough to listen to her even if I was afraid it was something I didn’t want to hear. Kat would have been. She would have told anyone that tried to convince her I was wrong for her to fuck off. I should have been as strong as she is. I’m so ashamed.”

Angel knew she didn’t have words to make him feel better so instead, she leaned her head into his shoulder and ran her hand up and down his back. She felt bad, terrible. She’d put her hands on a woman who had just lost her child. Angel’s stomach turned at that thought and she shamelessly hoped that Kat was lying.

“Why did she tell you, finally?”

“She didn’t have much choice. Dillon’s in the hospital and I followed her around all day, until she passed out…”

“She passed out?”

“Yeah, different story. Anyways, I went to check on Dillon. He was confused, in and out of it. But he told me about the baby first. When I asked Kat about it later, she finally told me the truth. She said she was going to tell me that night, but I wouldn’t let her. I feel…God, I don’t even know what I feel. I’m just so ashamed. I love her so much, Angel. How could I have hurt her like that?”

Angel understood his shame; she was feeling it herself in spades. “You made a terrible mistake. We all did. You said that she would have been strong enough to stand up to her family and you weren’t. Fine, we all have our strengths and standing up to family is not one of ours. But your strength is your heart. You have more heart than anyone else I know. Just show her your heart, David. Don’t just tell her you’re sorry, show her. You’re going to have to regain her trust, but I’m confident that you can do it.”

He looked down at her. “Now you’re encouraging me to go after her?”

“I’m encouraging you to follow your heart. I’m sorry that I was part of your hurting her. I will apologize to Kat myself…but I hate seeing you like this. If Katrina Brown is going to be what it takes to make you happy, then don’t give up.”

David put his arm around her and pulled her in for a hug. “It’s fucking freezing out here.” Angel laughed.

“First, I told you that. Second, hanging out with that woman has been detrimental to your vocabulary.”

“Maybe it’s spending so much time here, with all these bikers.” She conceded that it could be either. “Go back inside where it’s warm. I’m going to go see if I can get Kat to leave the hospital and get some rest. I’ll stay with Dillon.”

“Okay, but you make sure you get enough rest too,” she told him as he stood up and pulled her to her feet. “Hey…can you do me a favor, on the DL?”

He raised an eyebrow. “On the DL from your husband?”

“Yeah, for now. Can you run a spreadsheet for me on all the reported stolen vehicles on the Southside for the past few months?”

David chuckled. “You could probably just go out to the shop and make a list.”

“Ha, you’re hilarious. Will you do it for me?”

“Sure. I took a few days off so I could be there for Kat while Dillon’s in the hospital. It looks bad; I think he’s dying. But as soon as I get back to the station, I’ll see what I can do. Can I ask why Dax shouldn’t know about this?”

“You can ask.”

He rolled his eyes and kissed her on the cheek. “Get inside before you freeze.”

“Night, David. I’m sorry.”

“I know. Me too. Love you, sis.”

“Love you too.” Angel waited until he stepped down off the porch and headed for his car before going back inside. It was going to take more than a glass of wine to help her get over the feelings she had about what she’d done to Kat. Impulsivity wasn’t usually one of Angel’s faults…unless she thought someone was messing with her family.

* * *

David stopped and got Chinese food on his way back to the hospital. If he knew Kat, she probably still hadn’t eaten anything. When he got there, he sent her a text message. She either ignored it, or her phone was off. He was about to call the nurses’ station when Gunner Davis walked in. “Hey, David, what’s up?” Gunner was carrying a pizza and a large soda.

“Is that for Kat?”

“Yup.”

“Does she know you’re bringing it in?”

“Yup.”

“Do me a favor?” Gunner raised an eyebrow. It was so weird to David sometimes to look at Gunner’s face with his dark skin and hair and see his brother-in-law looking back at him. Dax was so fair-skinned and his hair was so light that you wouldn’t think you’d be able to see it…but they could be twins if not for the pigmentation.

“What kind of favor?”

“Text Kat and tell her the food is here, and leave.”

“Damn, what did I do to you?” Gunner laughed.

“You’re okay,” David said with a grin. “Stubborn woman problems.”

“Well, hell, I know about that one first-hand.” Gunner’s old lady Tammy was probably the most stubborn woman David knew outside of Kat, so he knew Gunner would sympathize. “Alright, but if she’s pissed at me, you have to run backup. Hurricane Katrina ain’t nothing to mess with.”

David chuckled, “You’re telling me.”

Gunner put the pizza and soda down and sent Kat a text. When David heard the reply ding in two seconds, he was a little bit hurt. “She’ll be right out. Good luck.”

“Thanks,” David said, “I’ll need it.”

Gunner took off and about two minutes later, Kat walked into the room. She narrowed her eyes at David and looked around. An elderly couple, a middle-aged man, and two women sat along one wall and David sat by the other, pizza and Chinese food in front of him. “Where’s Gunner?”

“He got a call…”

“Bullshit. You’re a terrible liar. I’m too fucking hungry to care.” She went over where he was and sat down. As she opened the pizza box she said, “He brought Chinese food too?”

“No, I brought that.”

“Figures. I hate Chinese food.”

He laughed. “Now who’s lying? It’s your favorite.”

“Tastes change.”

He took a deep breath and asked the Lord for patience with this woman. “How’s Dillon?” Kat took a long drink of the soda and another bite of pizza. She made David wait until she swallowed before saying:

“The same. He wakes up and talks crazy and then goes back into a deep sleep.”

“I’m sorry. Are you going to go home and get some rest?”

“Nah, I’m okay.”

“Kat, you passed out today. You need to take care of yourself.”

She stuffed the rest of the piece of pizza in her mouth and picked up another one. After washing that bite down, she said, “I can sleep in his room. I don’t like leaving him alone. It takes forty minutes to get here from the bar.”

“My apartment is only five minutes. I’ll stay here and you can go there and sleep. I’ll call you if there’s any changes.”

Kat narrowed her eyes at him again. She always looked like a predator about to pounce when she did that. “You think kissing my ass will make me forgive you?”

He shrugged. “It couldn’t hurt.”

“Tell you what, I’ll make a deal with you.”

“What’s that?” He had to wait for her to finish another piece of pizza before she said,

“I’ll go sleep at your place if you’ll stay here with Dillon tomorrow. I have a red-eye flight to California in the morning and I’ll be back in the evening.”

“Why do you have to go to California?”

“Are we married now? You need to know all my business?”

Rolling his eyes, he said, “Fine. Deal. You go get some rest.”

“If you’re going to be here all day tomorrow, you’ll need sleep too. I’ll use your shower and sleep on your couch. They can call me if anything happens since I’ll be close by.”

“You can have the bed.”

“Keep kissing ass, it’s not working.” She was being sarcastic, but not mean. It was working…or something was.

“I have to keep trying,” he said.

“Why’s that?”

“Because I love you.”

“Stop saying that.”

“Why? It’s true.”

“I’m not sleeping with you.”

David laughed. “Okay.”

“You know you want it.”

He laughed again and ran his eyes over her body. “Yeah, I do. But you don’t want me and you need your rest, so we’ll leave it at that.”

She snorted, ate another piece of pizza, and finished the soda. “I’m going to let them know I’m leaving and look in on Dillon one more time. I’ll meet you downstairs.”

“Okay.” David stood up and started gathering up the Chinese food. Kat got as far as the door and turned around and said,

“Bring that disgusting Chinese food, just in case.” David was shaking his head at her and laughing as she went out the door.