KATRINA

 

“Have another drink.”

“I can’t.”

“Just one more.”

“That’s what you said the last time.”

“I know. But this time I mean it.”

My brother gave me these goofy, puppy-dog eyes. A guy like him was intimidating even when he wasn’t trying to be. He wasn’t getting any sympathy from me no matter how hard he tried.

“Come on, Kat. Just one more. For me.”

I rolled my eyes and sighed, knowing there was no other way out of this.

“Just one more,” I said. “And that’s it. I have to get going soon.”

“Get going soon? The night’s just getting started!”

“I’m not used to staying up so late. You know, some of us like getting up when the sun does.”

“If you wake up before the sun’s up, that means you’re getting up too early.”

“Let’s just get this over with…”

I looked down at the two freshly poured shots on the bar counter.

It was another festive evening at The Bone Pit. The alcohol was flowing. The music was blaring. The conversations were just one curse word away from turning into all-out brawls.

I leaned up against the counter with Jordan as I pounded down the last shot of the evening. It was only my third shot but it was enough to make me feel it. I swallowed some water immediately after to try and get rid of the stinging pain in my throat.

My brother laughed at me as he ordered himself another drink.

“Lightweight,” he commented. “Just stick with me and we’ll get you drinking heavy in no time.”

“You say that like it’s a good thing.”

“Isn’t it? You didn’t come back to Ivory to sit around and do nothing all day, did you?”

“And I suppose drinking and partying is what you expect me to do?”

“I just want my little sister to have some fun. The two Harris siblings. We’re the only ones left.”

He wrapped his arm around me. His jovial attitude was the clearest indication that the alcohol was affecting him. I laughed at him celebrating for no reason.

Despite the alcohol I had, my mind was clear enough for me to think. The wild scene around me wasn’t enough to distract me from the conversation I needed to have with him.

“What happened?” I asked. “I came by here earlier looking for you and they said you were talking to the cops.”

“Oh, that… Yeah, I got arrested.”

He said it nonchalantly as he took a sip of his drink. I blinked my eyes to make sure that I wasn’t drunk and misheard him.

“You got arrested?” I asked.

“One of my delivery vans got stolen. Turns out the same van was used in some hit-and-run accident that put a woman in the hospital.”

“Oh my gosh…”

“The pigs wanted to know if I had anything to do with it, seeing as how the van was registered under my name.”

“Did you?”

He looked at me and the smile on his face disappeared. An eyebrow raised, Jordan’s face was stone-cold when he got serious.

“Do you know what happened?” I asked.

“I’d be locked up if I did. Truth is, I’m just as pissed as anyone. Some bastard stole my van and used it to put a woman in the hospital. Even if she is a Reaper’s old lady…”

“What was that?”

Jordan put a hand on my shoulder and smiled.

“It’s nothing you need to worry about,” he said. “The cops will find the asshole who stole my van. Insurance will cover any losses. Everything is all good.”

“You’re telling me not to worry about but—”

“I’ve been president of the club for how long now? Five years or so. And I’ve been in the club even longer. Nothing has happened. Don’t worry yourself, Kat. You didn’t come back to Ivory to concern yourself with my business.”

“Don’t bullshit me. I know you’re doing some stuff under the table. I know you’re trying to keep secrets from the cops. That’s fine. That’s your decision. But that doesn’t mean I can’t be worried about you biting off more than you can chew.”

Jordan gulped his beer and sighed a deep breath.

“Sometimes life in a club gets tough,” he said. “But I wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the world. Do you think I’m a bad person—”

“No,” I said. “I trust you. A hundred percent. You’re my brother. That’s all that matters.”

Looking into his eyes, I saw the real Jordan. People might have called him Shooter, but to me, he was just my brother. The leather kutte and the tattoos were just a facade to me. Deep down, I knew he was a good man more than anything else. And I was proud of what he’d made of himself.

While I looked at him, he leaned forward and kissed me on the top of my forehead.

“Come on,” he said. “Let me introduce you to some of the fellas.”

“Some of the fellas?”

“Yeah! The boys in the club have got their eye on you. Why wouldn’t they? You’re my sister and you’re fucking gorgeous!”

“Ha!” I laughed. “You must be real proud of me. You’re talking about me like I’m some piece of meat at a butcher shop.”

“It’s not like that. I just know how it is.”

“You know how what is?”

“Kat, you’re a flesh and blood woman. You’ve been in Ivory for a few days now. You’re alone. You’ve got nobody to keep you company. I won’t think any less of you if you find someone to hook up with.”

“Thanks,” I said, still laughing. “I’m glad I have your approval.”

“There are a lot of good men in the club. They’d know how to treat you right. Maybe you should give them a chance.”

“Actually…”

I looked down at the ground. I suddenly felt sheepish about the whole conversation.

It wasn’t about talking to my brother about relationships. Ever since we were teenagers, we always helped each other out when we needed it.

But for some reason, I didn’t want to tell him about what I did the first night I was here.

I didn’t want to mention Blake and how I was still thinking about him.

“Wait a minute,” he said.

“What?” I said, raising my head back up.

I watched a grin form on his face. A grin so obnoxious I would have slugged it off of his face if he weren’t my brother.

“There’s someone,” he said.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, looking around the room.

I poked the inside of my cheek with my tongue to stop from smiling.

“Yeah,” he said, starting to laugh. “There is someone. Kat, you dirty dog!”

“Oh, shut the hell up!”

I slapped him across the arm, causing him to laugh even harder.

“Who is this guy?” he asked as he sipped on his beer.

“It’s… It’s nothing,” I said, shaking my head. “It was… It was just a thing.”

“It must be a hell of a thing, considering you’re turning down a chance to meet the boys in my club. You know, every woman in the place is trying to hook up with a Cobra.”

“Comparing me to every woman in this place isn’t much of a compliment.”

“Good point.”

I finally gained the nerve to laugh along with him. As much as Jordan liked to tease me, I always knew he had my best interests at heart.

“Am I gonna meet this guy?” he asked.

“What?” I exclaimed. “Jordan, it’s not like that. Like I said, it was one night. And it was because my car broke down.”

“Oh, that guy. The mechanic who fixed your car. Well, he sounds like a good man if he’s willing to help you out. Just as long as he treats you right.”

“All right, stop,” I said putting my hands up. “We’re not having this discussion.”

“Okay, okay,” he said as he put his arm back around me and shook me. “You know I’m only teasing you.”

“I know… I really should be heading home now. The Bone Pit is too much for me.”

“You need a ride?”

“I’ll be okay.”

My brother gave me one last hug before finally releasing me from his grip.

As soon as I stepped out of the Winter Cobras’ clubhouse, a cool rush of night air blew against my face. The sky was clear. The evening was silent except for the music coming from the club in the distance.

I got into my car and sighed as I started my engine. A bit of alcohol had me loosened up but I still had my wits about me. My apartment wasn’t that far away and the streets were empty, so there wasn’t much of a chance I would get myself into any trouble.

I rolled a window down and sang along with the radio as I made my way down the road. I wanted nothing more than to get to my apartment and collapse in my bed. The freedom of not having to work for a bit provided me a relief I hadn’t felt in a long time.

As I pulled up to a stoplight, I saw a black van in my rearview mirror.

“Hmmm… Strange…”

I narrowed my eyes but couldn’t see through their windshield. I didn’t think much of it as I continued to move down the road.

The van kept following closely behind me, its headlights shining brightly on my car.

“Fucking asshole…”

I muttered to myself as the van continued to tailgate me. I kept driving, waiting for the van to turn and stop following me.

It didn’t.

It kept following me until I was near my apartment.

“Shit…”

I pulled up to my apartment parking lot but the van was still behind me.

Whoever it was, they were making it obvious they were on my tail. I drove past my apartment and headed down the road.

The streets were eerily empty. I was the only car on the road with the van following right behind me.

I was so distracted that I didn’t realize where I was driving.

The buildings started to disappear. The roads started to look unfamiliar. I was leaving the part of Ivory I was familiar with. Anything to get away from the van right behind me.

“Dammit…”

I should have just sped away. But my car wasn’t having any of it. My tire popped and deflated. My heart started to do the same.

“At least I know a guy who can fix this…”

I reluctantly pulled over. A lone streetlight hung over my car.

I reached for my phone and called my brother.

No answer.

I sent him a text message, telling him a van was following me.

No response.

I narrowed my eyes to try and see the plate of the vehicle but there were none.

“Shit, shit, shit… What do I do?”

Before I could try and find an answer, I saw a figure standing next to my door. He was dressed in all black. A ski mask covered his face. All I could see were the whites of his eyes and his teeth as he spoke.

“Step out of the car,” he said.

“Who are you?” I said, shaking my head.

“You’re Jordan Harris’s sister, right?”

“How…”

He knew my name. This was more serious than I thought. As I tried to figure out what was going on, I saw another man standing at my passenger door. If I couldn’t have been more uncomfortable, he had a gun raised with the barrel pointed right at me.

“Step out of the car,” the man next to me said. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

I clenched my jaw. My phone tight in my palm, I glanced down at it and desperately waited for a response from my brother I knew wasn’t coming.

“Get out of the car!”

“All right!” I said, as I put my hands up. “Just… Just please don’t hurt me.”

“Follow my instructions and there’ll be nothing for you to worry about.”

I swallowed anxiously as I slowly got out.

Just my luck. I drove to the one road in Ivory where nobody else is…

The man standing in front of me towered over me. He was as thick as a tree, his stare more menacing than any man I could remember. I kept my hands up while he snatched my phone out of my hand. The other man continued pointing his gun at me.

“Just do as you’re told and you won’t get hurt,” the man with the gun said.

“W-what do you want?” I stuttered. “Do you want money? Are you gonna rape me? I don’t think you guys know who you’re dealing with. When my brother finds out—”

“Your brother isn’t the one calling the shots anymore.”

The man put something over my mouth and held it to my face. It was a rag. The smell was so pungent, so powerful.

I struggled only for a second before everything went pitch black.