HORNS (BoyXBoy)

Chapter 97

Chapter Ninety Seven

Gloria Sanchez was not at all what I was expecting. Short, rotund, and very strong-boned in the shoulders, with a strong jaw, flawless ivory skin, and beautiful brown eyes that mirrored her daughter's. Even with her crow's feet and her prominent laugh lines and the wrinkles belying her age, she was extremely pretty.

Her hair was long and very dark, but unlike Kat's, it was straight and smooth like liquid silk. I stood in the doorway feeling awkward and unsure of how to act or move because while Kat was busy fussing over her blankets and tucking her in, the woman's eyes remained fixed on me.

I didn't like it.

I was already uncomfortable being in the hospital and it was only worsened with her intense scrutiny, so instead of meeting her stare I focused on the rest of the room. It was a drab grey, it smelled like scratchy fabric, sweat, sterilized cloth, blood, and hand sanitizer, and only two of the ceiling-fixed lights were working so there was an uneven balance of shadows and light that made everything grainy and fuzzy.

"Mama," Kat groaned when the woman tried to shoo her off. "Mama, por que sacaste las sabanas? Necesitas descansar y acostarte! Tuviste un derrame cerebral!"

"I am fine, Mija!" the woman scolded, finally looking away from me and swatting her hands off the sheets with a stern gaze. "I am alive and well! Now, you have someone to introduce."

Kat sighed heavily and rolled her eyes, then turned to me and waggled her finger in the universal signal of 'come here.' I did so without a word, moving on my crutches and stopping beside the woman's bed, feeling sort of like a bug under a judgmental microscope.

"Horst," Kat said gently, "this is my mother, Gloria. Mom? This is Horst McKenzie. He's the one who saved my life after I crashed the truck, and the one who also got me and Tommy into the basement after the hurricane rolled our house. And his family paid off all our bills--"

"So it was you," Gloria interrupted, trying--and failing--to sit up. "It was you who rescued my Katrina and my Thomas during the storm. I admit, I was beginning to think my daughter hit her head just like my son and that you didn't actually exist at all."

"Mama!" Kat scolded, quickly jabbering something in Spanish that I couldn't catch. The woman yammered back and waved her off.

"So, what is it that you want from us?" Gloria demanded, staring suspiciously even though her daughter immediately facepalmed. "You somehow paid off all of our medical bills and somehow managed to wire over half a million dollars into my bank account even though I never gave my information to anyone by your name. What's your motive for helping us?"

"I have no motive," I said simply, staring her down with no expression. "You lost everything in the storm, just like a lot of other people, and my family didn't just help you and yours. We also helped ninety percent of the community around Wilmington in a similar manner. All of my uncles, brothers, and even my father were out helping to clear the wreckage--"

"How did you get that money into my bank account without access to my information?" she demanded, and I stopped talking because there was a keen intelligence burning behind her dark eyes. I felt my face twitch when she looked me up and down, studying me. "Answer me honestly, young man. Are you part of some sort of Mafia group around these parts?"

"Mama!" Kat snapped, instantly going red with anger. "You're being an absolute--"

"Yeah," I easily interrupted, watching as a startled look crossed Gloria's features. "You could look at it that way since am, in a sense, part of a group that holds a lot of immeasurable power and wealth. We also do a lot of stuff behind the scenes, including things that you might not approve of, like tapping into bank accounts. Yours is a perfect example."