Chapter Thirty-Seven
Kat stood on the threshold, watching as Ethan slept, the shadows growing shorter in the waning light. His family had left half an hour earlier, thrilled that he was going to be alright. Concerned that he had a long road to recovery in front of him. Physically and mentally. He was going to stay with his mother when Kat went back to the city, but until then, she’d wanted him with her.
Two weeks Ethan had been in the hospital. Like last time, she’d had to deal with interview after interview between visiting Ethan in the hospital. Amongst other things, she thought with a sigh.
They hadn’t spoken. Not really. Ethan had been…polite, she supposed was the best way to describe it. As if she were no more than an acquaintance rather than his best friend.
And she wondered if this is what they’d become now, slowly slip apart, their relationship dwindling away until it was no longer there. No way, she thought, she was determined to fix what was broken between them, even though she no longer had the right to ask him for more. She’d chosen another man, but still didn’t want to give up Ethan. Selfish, she knew.
“Why are you crying?”
She hadn’t realized she was. She wiped her eyes, surprised to find them wet and pasted a fake smile on her face. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“Are you cold?”
Kat looked down at her oversized sweatshirt before glancing back up at Ethan. “A little.”
Ethan held her gaze and she was unable to look away. “Come here.”
Not a good idea, but she listened anyway, unable to deny him that small request. She sat on the edge of the makeshift bed, but he tugged her down.
“Ethan,” she warned.
“Let me hold you, Kat. One more time.”
Oh God. It would kill her, but she did as he asked again and laid her head on his shoulder. His fingers tangled in her hair and she felt him drop a kiss on the top of her head. Something he’d done countless times in the past six and a half years.
“I’m sorry I kept so much from you.” The betrayal still hurt, but she understood. “I was in denial. Even after my mother broke down and told me everything, I still couldn’t believe it was true. And that was right on the heels of Emma’s pregnancy…She was out to destroy me any way she could. In the end, I guess she succeeded.”
“She didn’t. Don’t let her win, Ethan. Your parents fought like hell to adopt you, to raise you. Don’t forget that.” After another moment, she asked, “Is that why your father didn’t want to let the case die?”
“Partly, I guess. Mainly, he wanted justice. Justice for Karen and Greg, even if they weren’t around to appreciate it.”
That was one answer Kat couldn’t argue with. She’d done the same for her parents. “It doesn’t change anything, Ethan. It doesn’t change who you are, the wonderful man you are. Thomas O’Rourke was your father,” Kat said softly.
Ethan didn’t respond. After a while, he said, “Genevieve Harrington came to see me today. My half-sister, apparently. She had proof. I heard you had something to do with that.”
“Your mother thought it would be okay. Are you upset? When she came to me, I thought she could probably use a brother. Especially one like you.” Because Genevieve would be going through hell, a hell Kat knew all too well. Made even worse by the public life her father led.
“No. At least I don’t have to wonder,” Ethan sighed. “Where’s Stephen? I’m surprised he let you out of your sight.”
“He had a meeting. Said he’d be late.” After another long pause, she said, “Thank you for saving him.”
Ethan blew out a breath and tightened his hold. “I’d do anything for you, Kat,” he whispered.
Even give her to Stephen, she thought. And as the darkness fell around them, Kat knew she should get up, knew she should leave, but couldn’t force herself to move, knowing it was the last time she’d ever feel his arms around her. So she took the opportunity, saying goodbye without saying the words.
“I’ll always be here, Kat,” Ethan whispered. “Always be your best friend.”
***
He owed Ethan his life, Stephen thought as he watched Kat. In so many ways now. His heart pounded a little too fast even as he fought to calm it, fought to act normal, as if everything was okay. He closed the door behind him. “Thank you,” he began, walking into the room. “For saving my life.”
Ethan didn’t respond right away, didn’t even glance up at him. Stephen didn’t miss the way he pulled Kat a little tighter, as if he’d rip her from his arms. He wanted to, Stephen thought. But if there were ever a time he had Ethan cornered, this was it. Not the ideal circumstances, but maybe, this time they could have that conversation he’d attempted a few days ago.
“I did it for her.”
“I know,” Stephen said, sitting on the side of the bed. He kicked his shoes off and leaned against the headboard, playing with a strand of Kat’s hair. But he didn’t make a move to take Kat from Ethan. There was no more jealousy, just a determined need to make this right between them. For Kat’s sake.
“She’s been my life for so long. The very best part of my life and I’ll do everything in my power to make sure she’s still a part of it.”
Ethan’s honest admission surprised him, so he responded in kind. “She loves you, Ethan. I won’t take her away from you,” Stephen eventually said. “She never wavered. In her belief of you, in trusting you. Made me realize how badly I fucked up all those weeks ago. I didn’t trust that she could look at me and not see my grandfather. Was honestly afraid to face her.” Not that he owed Ethan an explanation of why he’d left, but maybe it would put Ethan at ease, let him know he’d never hurt Kat again.
“She didn’t,” Ethan said. “She cried for you, you know. Woke up in the middle of the night, begging you to stay, begging you not to leave her.”
And they’d both abandoned her, left her to deal with everything on her own. Stephen closed his eyes briefly, letting Ethan’s words sink in. He’d messed up worse than he thought. “She needs us both.”
“So we’re supposed to be friends?” Ethan scoffed. “Like that’ll ever happen.”
His tone lacked cynicism though, belying his words. And he didn’t need to remind Ethan that he’d just said he’d do anything to keep Kat in his life. “We were friends once, Ethan.” Before Emma…before Kat. “For now, why don’t we start with a truce?”
“I hate you for taking her away from me.”
“Yeah, I know. But I’m betting on the fact that you love her more than you hate me.”
And then he blew out a breath. Brutal honesty, he thought. “Don’t do this to her, Ethan. It’ll tear her apart and you know it. She’s lost enough people in her life. Losing you…it’ll kill her. Leave a hole in her life that not even I can’t fill.”
Stephen’s phone beeped after a long silence. He glanced at the text, shooting Ethan a look.
“Where were you today?” Ethan asked, changing the subject.
Securing my future with Kat, Stephen thought, looking down at her. “Kat once told me she never wanted this life. Never wanted to be a police officer because she didn’t want to see the evil in the world. Unfortunately, she was thrust back into it this week, but I don’t want it touching her again. Not ever. And if I don’t want it touching her, I can’t have it touching me.”
Ethan shifted slightly at the same time Stephen did. “Sounds like you have a plan.”
“I accepted a new position today.”
He felt Ethan’s tension suffuse the room and Stephen swore he pulled Kat a little tighter. “Where?”
“The city. At a college.”
“A professor? You’ve got be kidding me.”
“I called in that favor I was owed.” Ten-fold, like he’d said. For having his name torn to shreds. Between Kat’s video and statement, as well as Stephen’s own, with the FBI standing beside him, he could finally hold his head up once again. Not that the job offers had been pouring in, but he’d gotten a few offers. Which he’d declined in hopes for something different.
“Columbia Law School?”
“NYU.”
A logical choice, he thought. One he could live with, be happy with. He felt Kat stir, looked down to see her staring up at him, just before the room went dark. He rested a hand on Kat. “The power must have gone out.” He picked up his phone, turning on the flashlight. “Probably just a blown fuse. I’ll check it out.”
But before Stephen could get off the bed, he heard the door creaking open, the blast of a gun as though from a distance, three rapidly fired shots in quick succession, then the yell of voices, everybody screaming over top of one another, unable to make out the individual words, his heart pounding in his chest.
Until the knock on the guest room door finally came. “We got him.”
Kat tried to leap off the bed, but Stephen held tight, forcing her to wait, to remain cautious. Slowly, he walked toward the door, undoing the new deadbolts that locked from the inside, only breathing when Kat held up her phone so he could see Xavier’s massive frame filling the space between Kat’s small pool house and the terrace.
“You called it baby girl,” Xavier said to Kat as soon as Stephen opened the door.
But Stephen didn’t think she heard him as she rushed past. Stephen grabbed her hand, halting her before officers came around the side of her house, giving her a nod of okay.
Mark Prescott, along with a swarm of federal and state officers, came through the front door. He paused when he saw Kat, but didn’t say a word.
His hands were cuffed behind his back.
“A few things,” Kat began, leaning against Stephen for support. He could feel her body trembling, knew she wasn’t as calm as her voice portrayed. “Your ring. That was the first thing. You were in the hospital the day I spoke to Jessica Adams. Yet, you never mentioned it when you were recounting your version of the events.”
Kat tried to walk a little closer, but Stephen held her back. He’d gone through enough hell for the past two weeks, knowing Mark would strike at some point, but never knowing when. Kat had called that too, knowing he wanted Ethan dead as much as he wanted Kat dead. So she’d set the trap, figuring Mark would wait until he could kill them both at the same time. A trap that scared the crap out of Stephen and Ethan, but Kat refused to back down, insisting they needed to catch him in the act. Needed hard evidence.
“The second was Jessica. I only spoke to her once. She would have had no idea I was getting closer to figuring out the truth if somebody hadn’t been feeding her information.”
Mark still remained silent as federal agents pulled him toward the waiting car. Stephen gripped her firmly, not letting her follow. “Wait!” she called out, pausing until Mark turned slightly. “I almost forgot the third.”
And Stephen could hear the triumphant smile in her voice when she said, “Allen didn’t die.”
Mark opened his mouth, his shock obvious, but closed it without saying anything. “And while most everything you told us two weeks ago was true, Allen didn’t kill Emma Anderson.” She paused for a moment. “That was you. The baby was yours. You went to the senator, told him about Emma’s story, used it as a motive. Because Emma, all these months, she was playing both you and Ethan at the same time.”
Allen had woken in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, had given a statement to the EMTs and later to the police. None of them had known that while talking to Mark Prescott in the hospital that night. But the next morning, Kat started asking questions, questions Stephen or his brothers had no answers for. So they’d gone to James Ashford, the state attorney.
Mark never said a word as he was pulled forward, escorted into the back of the SUV. One of three that would be part of the convoy and only then did Stephen breathe a sigh of relief. He waited for the house to be cleared, waited for the last officer to leave before heading upstairs to Kat’s bedroom. The carnage looked real, blood splatter on the bed, on the walls. The dummies, each with a bullet hole, one in the head, the other two in the chest.
He could hear the conversation from the pool house, Xavier, Ethan, and Kat. Much to Stephen’s irritation, Kat had insisted they needed to be on the premises, couldn’t take the chance of Mark seeing them leave.
“Congratulations. On your new job,” Alex said, coming up behind him.
Stephen turned. Alex was on the mend, moving a little easier, but nowhere near back to normal. At least he couldn’t go back undercover, join the hunt for Matthew Harrington. Thank God for that.
An hour later, they were at the cabin, Ethan safe with Xavier and Alex down at the main house. Kat was still a little pale. It would take time to decompress, take time for a lot of things.
“It’s finally over,” she breathed.
Stephen lifted her up. Immediately, Kat wrapped her arms and legs around him. He kissed her softly, but held her tight. “Never again, Kat. I never want you putting yourself in danger like that again.”
“I promise.”
“And that’s the last time you’ll ever be in another man’s arms.”
She laughed, tightening her arms around his neck.
“Kat,” he growled.
“Promise,” she said sincerely, all humor gone “I love you, Stephen. So very much.”
“Always.”
“Always,” Kat agreed.