Part 28 (1/2)

”I know you do Kitten. He definitely spiced up New York with all those d.a.m.n fine bodyguards. Last night I had the best f.u.c.king dream where ” But Lane never made it to the story because they were practically trampled by a string of people exiting a store to their left. ”Watch where the h.e.l.l you're going!” Lane snapped.

”Screw you!” a familiar voice replied behind them.

”Marco!” Kat said in surprise, her head rising and turning in shock. ”Oh my G.o.d, what happened to you?”

”Like you don't know,” he sneered with a wince. His face was bruised so badly it looked like he'd taken purple eye shadow and applied it liberally, everywhere. His lip was cut, those four words enough to open the wound again. His arm was in a cast just like Blaze's, black instead of blue, and he teetered precariously on one good leg as he brought his sleeve up to dab at his lip.

”What's that supposed to mean?” Kat said, her hands making their way to her hips.

”Oh come on baby, don't play stupid. I know you told him to do it.”

”Told who to do what?”

”Told that nancy brother of yours to beat the c.r.a.p out of me.”

Kat narrowed her eyes, Lane's hand on her arm stopping her from lunging at him for that comment. She took a deep breath, biting painfully into her bottom lip as a reminder of restraint and asked, ”Why would I tell him to beat the c.r.a.p out of you?”

”h.e.l.l if I know baby. You're the one that's gone bat c.r.a.p crazy the last few months.” He s.h.i.+fted with a wince as his cast bandied about in frustration. ”Ignoring my calls, standing me up, acting all high and mighty. Whatever I'm done with you you're too high maintenance.”

”Too high maintenance?!” she squealed, completely unlike her. ”Too high Maintenance?! What, it's too much to ask that your boyfriend keeps it zipped in his pants when you're not around and doesn't f.u.c.k anything and everything with two legs?! You're ridiculous, do you know that, f.u.c.king ridiculous!”

”Whatever. You just tell that fruity brother of yours to stay away from me 'cause next time I'll press charges. One piece of a.s.s ain't worth all this trouble.”

”My brother's not who I'd be worried about,” Kat said, making a move towards him. Lane had to restrain her, wrap her arms around her middle and practically pick her up off the ground, to stop her from reaching Marco.

”You're all f.u.c.king psycho,” he murmured as he left.

”Yeah you better run!” Kat yelled after him.

”That,” Lane said, watching him stumble away, ”was highly entertaining.”

”Did you know?” Kat asked, rounding on her. At her blank look she added, ”Did you know that Blaze beat him up and wasn't injured playing rugby. Did. You. Know?”

Lane gave her a haughty look, not even needing to make a sound. ”I can't believe this,” Kat said, stalking away, ”I can't believe you guys.”

”Oh, what, did we ruin your life? Your chance with Marco dashed, what, you're going to go join a f.u.c.king cloister of nuns and be celibate forever because, d.a.m.n, he was your f.u.c.king true love?” Lane looked at Kat with disapproval, forcing her to stop.

”Don't cuss when you're talking about nuns.”

”Yeah, that's what I thought.” Lane took her arm again and started them walking at their previous leisurely pace. ”Pastrami on rye from the deli?”

”No,” Kat said, ”gotta go home and kill Blaze.”

”Sweetie, you're the only one that still harbored any illusions about Marco.”

Kat remembered the look in his eyes, angry, hissing. How his tongue had darted out at her words, his oily hair always looking as if it had been sh.e.l.lacked. And a story she once heard. ”I know, he's a snake.”

”You d.a.m.n well can't blame your brother for wanting to protect you from that.”

”Watch me.”

Blaze was on the couch watching the couple across the street fight when the door slammed behind him. ”Kat, you gotta see this! The pixie girl just ”

”What did you do?!” Her voice was deathly still but he knew that tone.

Blaze looked over his shoulder at her, saw the jut of her chin and those hands on her hips and winced inside, steeling for a fight. ”What do you mean?”

”Seriously, we're gonna play it like that? That's how you want to do this?” When he just looked at her, letting the silence stretch paper-thin, she continued. ”Fine. Fine. Have it your way. Guess who Lane and I just ran into on the street?”

He groaned but maintained the faade. ”Who, Sebastian?”

That startled Kat out of her bad mood for just a moment. ”No. Why would you even say that?”

”Well I know he's in town and I saw him the other day and . . .”

”Oh my G.o.d, how many people did you tell you beat the s.h.i.+t out of Marco? Is it how you start conversations now? What is wrong with everyone I know? I swear to G.o.d they've all gone certifiably insane.”

Blaze breathed just a little bit easier. Oh, she was mad about That. ”I was one hundred percent completely sane when I did that. Sanest thing I've done in a long time.”

Kat threw her hands up in surrender. ”And you're gloating about it? You're actually bragging about beating up my boyfriend.”

”Ex-boyfriend. He d.a.m.n well better f.u.c.king be your ex-boyfriend.”

”He is now that he thinks I called in a hit on him. Don't think you're going to get another chance at him, he said next time he'll press charges.”

Blaze barked a laugh, a howl of injustice, and jumped up from the couch. ”Oh that's rich! If he presses charges on me I'd press them on the h.o.m.ophobic posse that jumped me. Three guys and I still got the better end of that deal.”

”Don't make me feel sorry for you,” Kat said. Though her eyes couldn't help scanning him for more injuries now that she knew he hadn't been in a fair fight. ”And don't crow about being a macho idiot.”

”Hey, I don't regret anything I did. Defended my sister's honor, finally got to beat the s.h.i.+t out of that sorry excuse for a man and I was such an impressive figure, I got laid. Perfect day.”

”Good let's just forget about how you could have been seriously f.u.c.king hurt. Or spent two days in the hospital. Or how worried I was about you, hopped a plane from Europe and obsessed over you every d.a.m.n mile. So glad that you enjoyed it but please, don't mind me, didn't mean to bring you down.”

Blaze rolled his eyes at her dramatic turn but he couldn't excuse the niggle of guilt and truth in her words either. ”I am sorry about worrying you. You know I never want to do that.”

Kat begrudgingly waived that comment away. ”Whatever, I'm used to it it's in my job description.” She ran her hands though her hair, still angry as h.e.l.l. ”I'm just So Mad at you right now.”

”Come on Kitten, seriously? Why? Please don't tell me you were going to get back together with him. Please.” Blaze's voice was pleading with her, held an anguish she hadn't heard in a long time.

”Me being with him was that much torture for you?”

”Yes! He treated you like c.r.a.p. And cheated on you. And would just ignore you for days and sleep with whatever moved and then come back. And you'd take him back.”

”Wow, thanks for not judging.”

”Why?” Blaze asked, looking at her with true curiosity. ”Why did you always take him back?”

”Because . . . ”

”Because?” he prompted. At the earnest look on his face Kat lost it.