Trigger warning: this chapter includes violence and assault. Feel free to skip this chapter if you want. You have been warned.
I took a deep breath as I looked at myself in the mirror. Katherine's "party" was set to start in an hour and I could swear you could see my heart beating outside of my chest.
I ran my sweaty palms over the top of the dress Katherine had gotten for me. It was an elegant, yet simple red dress that was off both shoulders with matching flats and a small black purse, even though I had nothing to carry. She'd even provided me with makeup. Granted, it was nothing more than some lipstick, a few neutral eyeshadows with the accompanying brushes, and mascara, but that was more than I needed.
I looked down at River's ring and instantly found comfort. I would finally get to see him and the boys again after what felt like lifetimes, and though it wasn't under ideal circumstances, I would be with them again. That is, if Kenny and I could carry out this plan and keep Katherine from having her way with them. I sighed. Once again, it was Katherine who was a roadblock. First she stood between my father and happiness before tearing apart our family, and now she's standing between me and those I love. It was like playing a huge game is Russian roulette to see what she would ruin next.
I shook my head. I needed to push the negative thoughts from my head and focus on the mission at hand: making sure I don't act too sus or else I'll ruin the whole plan and possibly cost people their lives. And death simply was not an option.
I quickly grabbed a brush and put my hair in a neat bun with a few loose strands to add some style. Kenny advised me to avoid having my hair down or else it could affect my vision and combat, if need be, so this was both stylish and practical.
I was about to start sliding on my shoes when there was a knock at the door, causing me to jump a bit. "Come in," I called as I straightened. Kenny also taught me that, as cliche as it sounds, confidence is key and if the dogs can't sense fear, they won't attack. But luckily, it was only Kenny and I had to admit that he cleaned up very nicely. His usually messy blonde hair was slicked back and he was dressed in a tux and dress shoes. He looked oddly elegant and classy, and I had to admit, if my heart and soul didn't belong to River, I might be swooning. But I'm not. Kenny's like a demented half-brother of sorts. But that's beyond the point.
"Hey Kenny," I said as I went back to putting on my shoes.
"Cat," he acknowledged with a nod as he walked in and closed the door behind him. "You look nice."
"Thanks. You're not too shabby for a psychopath yourself," I joked, causing him to narrow his eyes.
"Haha, your humor is impeccable, Caterina," he deadpanned.
I smiled. "Annoying you is too easy, I can't help it. You know what? I feel like you'd like my best friend Liam...if you two could go two seconds without potentially trying to kill each other...and if River doesn't kill you first...or if you don't try to kill him first. You know what? Let's just avoid all murder aspects because you're growing on me."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Cat," he flatly stated once more before he brandished a tie. "I need your help with this."
I couldn't help the memories that tugged at my heart as I rolled my eyes and chuckled. I remembered on River and I's first date I had to tie his bow tie for him and now...hopefully I can get back to him before the night's over and never let him go. My throat tightened, but I quickly cleared my throat and beckoned him over. "Alright, let's see what we can-"
"No," he said shaking his head. "We need to go in the bathroom. There's a mirror in there and I want to learn how to do this for myself."
My eyebrows furrowed as I looked at the huge body-length mirror he was standing right next to. "Kenny, you're standing right next to-?"
"Bathroom. Better lighting. Bigger mirror," he tightly said, the look in his eyes told me that it was important for us to go to the bathroom. Like now. So, even though I was completely confused, I led us into the bathroom and as soon as we entered, Kenny shut the door behind us and let out a breath, all tension visibly leaving his body.
"Okay, you got me with you in the bathroom and before you ask me anything, remember that I have a boyfriend," I joked, causing him to roll his eyes as a smile grew on his face and he punched my shoulder.
"Of course you do, you never let me forget," he chuckled. "But seriously, we're in here because there are no cameras in here. Trust me, I checked before I came down."
"That's a relief...and kind of creepy. Kenny, what exactly do you do in your free time?" Kenny punched me again, slightly harder and it caused me to smile as he blushed.
"Not like that, Cat. I was checking camera positions for our plan. I set the cameras to start looping about an hour into the party so that our tracks will be covered. But that's not why we're here. We're here for me to give you this," he said as he casually pulled a gun from his back pocket, causing me to jump a bit. Just seeing a gun made my healing bullet wound ache.
Kenny laughed. "Relax, Cat. I'm not going to kill you. I'm giving this to you. For protection just in case things don't go as planned."
"Are you sure you want to give a gun to a revenge happy girl that you messily shot in the thigh?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow, my eyes bouncing between the gun to Kenny and finally back to the gun.
"Hey, if it makes you feel better, if we make it out of this alive, I'll allow you to shoot me in the thigh to make things even."
"Really?"
"Nope."
I hit him in the head.
"Hey! Watch the hair! It took me forever to do it," Kenny whined like a little child. "But anyway, you see how the safety's on? If you need to use it, turn it off like this-" he said showing me how to turn off the safety "-aim and shoot." He turned the safety back on and offered it to me. "You remember what I said about how to shoot?" He asked, lowering his voice slightly and I nodded as I cautiously took the dangerous weapon. It felt cold and heavy in my hand. It was crazy that something the size of my hand could kill someone in an instant.
"Use both hands, brace for the kick back, make every shot count because once you're out you're out, and don't hesitate. Hesitation kills." The words felt heavy and tasted bitter as they formed on my tongue and slid past my lips. It was different with an actual gun in my hand.
He nodded as he put his hand on top of mine and the gun. "This is a last resort. But I have faith in us. In you. We just need to be alert and stick with the plan, 'kay?"
I mutely nodded.
He reached in his pant pocket and pulled out a holster. "Wrap this around your thigh under your dress. Make sure the gun is on your dominant side. Right in the thigh, not to high. Low enough for you to easily grab it but not too low for it to be seen, understand?"
I nodded as I did what I was told until I deemed it okay. I looked at Kenny for confirmation and he nodded. "Now the most important thing is speed. For example, you want to use your thumb to switch off the safety as you're grabbing for it like so," he said as he quickly pulled a concealed gun from the back of his waistband and pointed it at the toilet, the faint click as he did so indicated that the safety had been turned off. "See?" he said and I nodded, causing him to nod in response before he started putting the gun back in his pants.
"Wait! You forgot to turn the safety back on."
"Love, when you've been here as long as I have and done this as many times as I have, you don't use safety because that half second wasted turning it on and off can be the difference between life and death. The only reason you have it on is because it is extremely unlikely that you'll need to use it, and if you do, you have the element of surprise and Katherine's protection. No one has a reason to be gunning for you, but me on the other hand..." he trailed then let out a humorless chuckle. "Let's just say that I've pissed off my fair share of people and it's nice to have an extra half second or so."
"I know but...can you at least put the safety on for now and you can turn it off before the party or something? I don't know, it just makes me nervous."
Kenny chuckled and shook his head. "You are going to be the death of us all, Caterina Hardwick."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Just do it."
"Oh, she's feisty. What? Too soon?" He joked, though he did what I asked. "Okay, here's some extra things." He dug into his other pocket. "Here's some extra bullets, there's a spot in it in the holster, but hopefully you won't need them since you have a high capacity gun, but fingers crossed you don't need it at all." Then he fished and pulled out a switchblade and handed it to me. "A classic. Easy to use and highly effective. You can go with the classic stab or, if you wanna spice it up a bit, you can throw it. I love it. Ten out of ten recommend. I suggest going for the neck. Easy and simple" I rolled my eyes at his sales pitch.
This boy...
"Any questions?" He asked and I shook my head. "Good. I'll try to be with you the whole night as a fake date of sorts and if for some reason, someone clocks your glock, see what I did there?" He chuckled as he shook his head. "I'm a genius."
"Back to the point, Kenny," I said, snapping in front of his face.
"Oh yeah. You can tell them you got it for protection since you're at a 'gangster get together' or whatever you said earlier, and you wanted to feel safe. And if push comes to shove, you can say I gave it to you. I'm really good at coming up with excuses and escaping Katherine's wrath. How else do you think I've survived all these years?"
"I honestly have no idea," I said, shaking my head.
"Whatever. Okay, we need to get out of here before they get suspicious. There are security cams in your main room and we've been in here for a while and we don't want them getting suspicious or getting any ideas, unless you want to remind everyone for the thousandth time that you have a boyfriend," he offered with a smirk, causing me to smack him for the thousandth time in the five minute span he'd been there.
"Hey! I feel attacked!"
"Yeah, yeah. Please just hurry up and tie this stupid tie so that we can leave."
I huffed but did it anyway, though we both knew that he could do it himself. He finely adjusted his tie to his liking before he messed with his hair then turned to me. "Are you ready to bust out of here?"
In response, I wrapped my arms around him in a tight hug. "Whoa there, you do remember you have a boyfriend, don't you?" he joked before he wrapped his arms around me.
"Yes, Kenny. I am very much aware," I chuckled as I broke the hug. "It's just...thank you. For all of this. I know River and the boys aren't your favorite people and they've taken a lot from you, and I promise that after we get out of this we're going to figure all of this out because both of you did some pretty messed up, heartless stuff, and I'm not excusing what they did, but it means the world to me that you're willing to put your life on the line and put this all behind you for me."
He smiled. "You know, when I first met you, I thought you were annoying, and I was right," he started, causing me to hit his shoulder. "But you and your sassy, spastic firecracker of a personality grew on me. You're like a sister to me now Cat. Plus, I think it's high time for me to close this chapter of my life. I want to live normally without having to look over my shoulder every second of everyday or do all of Katherine's dirty work for her. I mean, she has been like a mother to me since mine...died," he said, his voice wavering a bit as he spoke about his mother, "but all the dangers...it's not worth it. I need to get out."
I nodded. "Me too. Once we're out of here, I'm leaving this stuff to the boys and minding my business, though hopefully I can drag them out with me. I don't like them doing this. I don't like any of you doing this," I frowned.
Kenny looked down at his watch. "We better go meet with her. The party starts in thirty and she said she wanted to show us some stuff." I nodded and followed him out of the bathroom, careful to conceal the knife he'd given me so that I could stealthily slip it into my purse without the cameras catching me.
"Are you ready, m'lady?" Kenny asked as he extended his arm for me to take, causing me to roll my eyes as I chuckled and linked my arm with his. He led me out the door and past the guards whose names I'd never learned. I had to admit that I was going to miss the daily guessing games I'd have with them and their hilariously silent comebacks.
"Bye, Thing-One and Brian," I waved as I walked by them and they simply nodded in response. I was starting to wonder if they could speak at all.
"What's up with those guys?" I quietly asked once they were out of range.
"Honestly, who knows," Kenny shrugged. "I haven't really heard them talk, those two. Silent as a doorknob. But I have to admit that I do enjoy hearing you take the piss out of them every now and then."
"Whatever," I brushed off as Kenny continued leading us on. "How do you navigate this place? It's like a labyrinth."
"Years and years of trial and error," he sighed, shaking his head. "Plus, these hallways are like a giant circle so you'll get to where you're going eventually. But let's just say that it is very very important that you know exactly where you're going so that you don't interrupt any important 'meetings' if you know what I'm saying." I couldn't help the shiver that ran itself down my spine as I thought back to those "meetings" with those various women I witnessed when the boys went to their meeting.
I looked at Kenny. "You've never, uh...had any meetings, have you?" I carefully asked.
Kenny instantly shook his head. "God, no! First off that's disrespectful to those women and men who have to do it, second off I'm not into that stuff, and third off, as unbelievable as it may sound, I'm saving myself for the one, you know?"
I nodded. "I do."
We continued walking in a comfortable silence, the plan replaying itself over and over in my head as the sound of chatter and movement slowly started becoming louder and louder. "It's showtime, Caterina," Kenny said before he plastered a fake smile on his face as we approached a closed door with four men in suits standing in front of it, noise spilling from the cracks beneath the door.
"Good evening, gentlemen," Kenny greeted as we approached them, flashing his dazzling, relaxed smile.
"Kenneth," the tall one in front of us said with a nod before he turned to me. "Caterina." I offered him a small smile and wave, though I was a bit unnerved that this stranger knew my name, but I wasn't too surprised considering the fact that Katherine was my mom so she'd probably spread my name and appearance.
"Seems the party started a bit earlier than expected," Kenny commented. "Is there a reason for that?"
"Guests arrived early and Katherine didn't want to keep them waiting," another man piped up.
I could see Kenny's eyebrows draw together ever so slightly for half a second, but he quickly covered his confusion by nodding. "Alright. Well, we'll be on our way if it's okay with you lads."
The first guy looked at the clipboard in his hand, and as he flipped through the pages, I couldn't help but look at the guns the men had proudly on their hips and my mind raced wondering what other concealed weapons they had. Worry instantly filled my head as I began doubting every aspect of the plan, but Kenny quickly noticed causing him to wrap his arm around my waist and give me a slight squeeze as if reassuring me that he was there and that everything was going to be okay. That calmed me down a little bit as I watched the man look at the clipboard, wanting nothing more than to be away from these men. And luckily after a few more moments, he looked back at the other men and nodded, causing them to open the door, revealing a set up that heavily resembled a club, complete with the purple-red lighting, a bar, an upstairs, an open floor for dancing, gambling tables, music, and podiums for "performances". I was still trying to process it when Kenny thanked the men and started leading us into the party. It was nothing like the masquerade I'd been to with the boys, but rather, this was an actual party.
I found myself taking Kenny's hand in mine and holding on for dear life. I was terrified, especially due to the various eyes that I felt on me as Kenny led us through the party, not to mention how my stomach turned when we passed the stages with the dancing 95% naked women and men with hungry, dehumanizing eyes staring at them and yelling disgusting things at them. My heart honestly went out to them.
"I know this goes without saying, but no matter what, make sure that you don't take a drink, hit, or anything else from anyone, okay? The stuff we have here packs a punch and for a petite girl like you, one drink or puff would be enough to have you high off your bum, and that's the last thing we want."
"Agreed," I said as I looked around trying to get a better bearing of my surroundings so that just in case something went down, I would have some idea of what to do. I laid eyes on the six possible exits as well as a few good hiding spots before Kenny squeezed my hand before leaning close to my ear and lowly saying, "Stop looking around like that. You look lost and vulnerable." I instantly stopped and looked ahead like Kenny was.
"What are we doing?" I asked, loud enough over the music, but quiet enough so that only he could hear me.
"Looking for Katherine. We need to stay close to her or at least have a visual on her at all times so that when things pop off, we'll be right there." I nodded and allowed him to continue leading me through the growing crowd. Every now and then, someone would stop us and talk with Kenny before their attention turned to me and my heart would race as I felt perverted eyes look me up and down. Luckily, after I introduced myself as Katherine's daughter, most people backed off, which seemed to be the only plus side of being related to her.
After milling around for about thirty minutes, Kenny led us upstairs where we sat in a couple of chairs that not only allowed us a breather, but also gave us a clear view of the whole party as well as the entrances and exits. Though everything had gone smoothly up to this point, my heart was still beating outside my chest and my nerves were through the roof. As if he could read my thoughts, Kenny wrapped his arm around me and pulled me in so that I could rest my head on his shoulder. "Relax, love. I know this is scary, but you're doing great, Cat. Just breathe and ignore everyone else here."
I nodded as my thoughts turned to River who was undoubtedly on his way and could be here at any moment. The thought filled me with both determination and fear, but I forced myself to only focus on the determination and thoughts of what I'd do when I got him back, which primarily consisted of holding him and savoring every second with him.
After sitting in a comfortable silence for a couple of minutes, Kenny patted my leg and motioned down at the main floor. "Katherine walking at three o'clock. It's game time, look alive." And sure enough my mother was walking through the crowd, greeting and hugging every person she saw. She was wearing a simple black pantsuit with heels in addition to her hair being slicked back in a neat ponytail, and even from this far away I could tell that she looked absolutely beautiful.
I took a deep breath before I stood up and started down to the main floor toward her, causing Kenny to call my name from behind me before he too quickly got up and hurried to join me. "Caterina, you can't just walk around here without me. You don't know these people and-" he was interrupted when Katherine's attention found us, causing her eyes to light up like a high schooler who'd just seen their best friend after summer break.
"Caterina," she greeted as she wrapped me in a tight, familiar hug which I forced myself to return as I plastered my own smile onto my face.
"Hi mom."
"You look so beautiful in that dress! Ugh, I knew it'd look perfect on you from the moment I saw it. Call it a mother's intuition," she winked before she turned to Kenny. "And you. You look so handsome and mature. It's hard to believe how much you've grown from that scared little boy to such a handsome strong man," she cooed as she playfully pinched his cheeks as if she were his own mother, causing him to laugh.
"Thank you, Katherine," he said as he took her hand and kissed the back of it. "You look lovely this evening as well."
"Oh stop, Kenneth," she laughed before she turned to me. "You better be careful with this one. He really knows how to charm the pants off of anyone and I mean anyone."
I found myself chuckling as a light blush painted itself on Kenny's cheeks. He looked adorable when he blushed. "Come on, you two. I have some people I want you to meet." Katherine drug us around and introduced us to a variety of people from men, to women, and boys that looked no older than Kenny. She even tried to set me up with one named Josh by trying to offer me a sales pitch of him, which I politely declined. But that didn't stop Katherine from telling him that I'll "come around" when she thought I wasn't listening. I had to admit that Josh was cute like most of the people in this dangerous world, but my heart was no longer mine. It was River's.
The party quickly became packed and filled with loud chatter, cheers from the gambling, and hollers from people as they threw money at the performers. It was honestly overwhelming. "I'm going to give you guys a break from networking so you can take a breather," Katherine almost yelled over the music with an amused tone. "Do you two want a drink or anything? Lincoln brought in some of his merchandise, and trust me, it's the good stuff."
"Thanks, but no thanks. I don't do any of that stuff," I politely declined, causing Katherine's gaze to go to Kenny, silently extending him the same offer and he shook his head.
"No thank you. I would like to remember at least some of tonight," he joked, causing Katherine to roll her eyes.
"You two don't know how to have fun. I swear teenagers these days..." she playfully mocked before she dug in her pocket and pulled out her phone, and even in the dim light, I could see the corners of her mouth slightly turn up before she pulled her eyebrows together and put on a fake frown.
Kenny lightly squeezed my hand alerting me of Katherine's sudden shift in attitude and I squeezed back. This was it. It was time to initiate the plan. "What's wrong?" Kenny asked.
Katherine sighed and put her phone back in her pocket. "There's a gambling dispute in the west wing and one of the guys pulled out a gun. Now I like a good fight as much as the next girl, but not tonight. I know it's a lot to ask, but will you go with me to take care of it? Then you can return to the party right after."
"Sure, what do you need us to do?" I asked as calmly as I could, though my heart was racing.
"I need Kenny to come with me, but I don't want you going anywhere near this," Katherine said, instantly causing my heart to drop. I couldn't be separated from Kenny or else the plan would fall apart. But deep down I knew the plan was doomed from the beginning. "It's too dangerous for you and I don't want you getting hurt."
"I can carry my own," I pushed, desperately trying to pull this plan back together. "Plus, I don't know nor do I feel comfortable with anyone else here but you two, and I don't want to be left alone."
"I know, sweetie," she said as she cupped my face and I had to fight every fiber in my being to not pull away from her. "It's just too dangerous for you right now and these things can go very bad very quickly, and Kenny and I are simply more experienced than you are. One day you will be able to handle things like this. But don't worry. There's a little 'safe room' of sorts that you'll be in with one of my most trusted guards and someone you should be familiar with while Kenny and I are out."
I looked at Kenny and he nodded. "Don't be worried about us, Cat. We'll be back before you know it," he said, though the look in his eye told me to be careful and not do anything until he got back. Panic quickly filled me again, though this time, Kenny's comforting hand squeeze didn't ease my worry in the slightest bit. But I forced myself to swallow it down and take deep breaths like I did when I was nervous before a competition then I nodded. "Lead the way."
"Which safe room do you want her in? I'll take her," Kenny offered, but Katherine shook her head.
"Thanks, but that won't be necessary, Kenny. I've got her. This'll be some quality time between me and my daughter."
Kenny's eyes met mine and I gave him and nod and said, "Be careful." He nodded, and the look he gave me said You too. Before his eyes went to my though for a quick second as he walked passed me as I'd to remind me of my concealed weapon.
"Come on, Caterina. Let's get going before things get worse out there," Katherine said as she grabbed my arm and started leading me through the dancing bodies and "performers" and gamblers until we walked out a door into a well light and hallway so quiet that you'd never guess that there was a raging party on the other side of a door. "So, you and Kenny are getting pretty close," she said with a slight nudge, a suggestive tone evident in her voice.
"Yeah, but definitely not in that way," I said with a slight chuckle, instantly shutting her train of thought down.
"But why?" She pressed like she was trying to convince me to date him. "He's so handsome and funny and caring. He's even got an accent! I mean come on, what's not to like?"
"Kenny is like a brother to me, mom and falling for your brother is weird, and not to mention against so many morale laws. Not to mention that he shot me."
"First of all, he's not related to you by blood, and second, though I do agree that shooting you probably wasn't the best way of getting you here, he's made it up to you and made sure that you were comfortable and safe here, hasn't he?"
"Yeah," I admitted. "But mom, I can't be with him because I love-"
"River?" She chuckled then rolled her eyes. "Trust me. Sooner or later you're going to realize how bad he is for you and how little he actually cares about you. He's just using you until he gets what he wants or he's tired, then he has a new Gracie or a new Cat." Her words caused my jaw to slighting clench but I kept my anger at bay. You know him, Cat. She doesn't. He loves you and you know that. Don't let her get to you, I thought to myself as I felt the weight of his ring on my finger and his necklace around my neck. He loved me and I him.
I remained silent and she sighed before she stopped walking and turned to me, taking both of my hands in her own. "Look, Cat. I'm not saying this to be mean or to try to spite you, it's just that River is a violent, toxic man, and though I haven't been in your life, I still want the best for you and River isn't the best for you and neither are those boys he's with. They'll drag you down until you're in the same predicament they're in: trapped and owned by someone else. Bending to someone else's will. Doing someone else's dirty work. And I don't want that for you, baby."
"What do you want for me, Katherine?" I found myself genuinely asking. "You're right, you haven't been there for me almost all of my life, so how do you expect me to suddenly believe you? To actually believe that you have my best interests at heart instead of using me for what you what, because so far you haven't done a good job of convincing me, Katherine. And there's a part of me that wants to believe you so bad, but then I remember all the things you've done not only to me and dad, but to others as well. How do you expect me to just see past all that?"
"The same way you see past what River and his clan have done," she simply stated before she sighed and looked down. "Look, Cat, I know it's hard, but I'm really trying, okay? And I promise that after tonight, our family is going to be back together."
I opened my mouth to ask what she meant, but I was interrupted by her phone going off in her pocket. She quickly grabbed it and answered. "Hello?" She listened for a few moments, causing her eyebrows to furrow before she cursed and sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Okay, I'll be there in a bit. Don't do anything until I get there, understood?" She quickly hung up before she started leading me down the twisted hallway once more. "The situation escalated," she said with a humorless chuckle. "The last time I let those two into one of my parties, huh?" I didn't respond. I was too busy trying to figure out what she meant but our family being together again. I remembered her saying something about my dad doing his duty but-
My thoughts were interrupted by us coming to a harsh halt in front of a door that looked exactly like the others that lined the hallway. I didn't understand how these people always seemed to know exactly where they were going in such a place like this. She pulled out a key and quickly unlocked the door before she pushed it open and clapped, prompting the lights to come on revealing the "safe room", aka a room that was structured like a presidential suite in a hotel with comfortable looking furniture, a gracious flat screen TV, a dining area and kitchen, as well as two hallways that extended into the unknown. I could also guess that there were some hidden weapons scattered about like they were back at the hotel the boys and I had been at.
Katherine cursed as she looked around. "He should be here," she grumbled then sighed. "Make yourself comfortable, Cat. He should be here any-"
"Hey, Katherine, sorry I'm late. Had some trouble in the north wing," a familiar voice said from behind us causing me to tense as my blood ran ice cold. Please don't let it be who I know it is. I slowly turned around and had to silence the scream that so desperately wanted to escape my lips at bay when my eyes locked with the one and only Shawn Lyon. The bruises the boys had given him had healed, but I knew it was him based on the true terror that was running through my veins at the sight of him. My hands began to sweat and my breathing became erratic as memories of what he tried to do to me and what he did do to me filled my head.
"Caterina, you remember Shawn? I had him and another girl, Heather, sent to your school to keep an eye out on you while I was here. Heathers still in the states, but luckily Shawn was able to make it for the party and is willing to look after you."
I shook my head. "Mom, if you really care about me you will not leave me in here with him," I begged, my voice low and a bit shaky.
"Cat, I know you're not used to him, but trust me you're in good hands with him. I trust him almost as much as I trust Kenneth, okay? Now, I'll be right back
in about thirty minutes to an hour. Talk to Shawn and get to know him a bit more and I bet you'll like him. Now I've got to go. Mommy loves you," she said before she kissed my forehead then hurried out and closed the door, quickly locking it behind her, and as the sound of the door locking filled the air, tears jumped to my eyes as I slowly turned to Shawn.
"Hey, Cat. Look I know we started off on the wrong-"
"Stay away from me, you bastard," I snapped as I slowly backed away from him. "You...you tried to rape me and assaulted me, and now you want to act like it never happened?" I shook my head in disbelief. "You're a monster."
Shawn lifted his hands in self defense. "I know what I did at the party was wrong, and I should've had more control even though I was drunk." He took a step toward me.
"Stay away!" I yelled, my body slightly shaking.
He instantly stopped and raised his hands higher. "And I know that what I did to you at the school was wrong, but if you'd just give me one more chance-"
I couldn't help the bitter laugh that escaped my lips. "You want another chance? You know how many nightmares I've had because of you? How much physical and emotional pain you've put me through? How many times you've made me hate myself for what you've done to me? And you want another chance?"
Shawn's jaw clench as annoyance became evident in his eyes. "Cat, I'm trying to be nice, but my patience is wearing awfully thin with you right now."
"Oh I'm sorry. How dare I be traumatized after everything you've put me through. How selfish of me," I scuffed. "Bite me, Shawn."
Shawn's nostrils flared as he balled his fists. "You know what, Cat? Maybe I will," he said as he started walking toward me in long strides. "Let's see how tough you are without your little boyfriend to protect you now."
An unparalleled fear instantly courses through me, but I forced myself to focus and remember everything that the boys and Kenny had taught me. I watched for the signs Kenny told me to, and Shawn stepped before he punched, causing me to instantly move out the way as he delivered his first punch, missing me by less than an inch. I instantly took the opportunity to grab his outreached arm to pull him close to me and knee him as hard as I could in the groin. He let out a pained groan before I delivered another knee to his stomach, causing him to double over. I was going in for another one when he grabbed my leg and effortlessly threw me onto the ground, causing me to wince due to the awkward angle I'd fallen.
Shawn limped toward me before he gave me a swift kick to the side causing me to cry out before he quickly pinned me down, trapping my arms by my side. "I tried being nice to you, Cat," he spat. "But you just kept pushing and pushing and pushing and there's only so many times a lion can be poked before it attacks," he seethed. "You're adamant about me being a monster? I can show you exactly how monsterous I can be."
"Shawn, please-" I begged as tears filled my eyes.
"Shut up!" He yelled before he took the handkerchief from his breast pocket and shoved it in my mouth before he slightly raised himself off of me and reached for his belt. "I always try to do the right thing, but sometimes people need to be put in their place..." he harshly whispered to himself, and I didn't waste any time reaching for the gun on my thigh, turning off the safety and cocking it in one swift motion as Kenny had shown me and pulling the trigger.
All tension instantly left Shawn's body due to the bullet that had entered through his left eye and undoubtedly ventured into his brain. He slumped over on me so that his head fell on my shoulder, causing me to let out a muffled scream as I quickly pushed him off of me and stood up, hurrying to the opposite side of the room as far away from him as possible as I threw the handkerchief as far away from me as I could. Another scream escaped my lips as I looked at what I'd done. I instantly dropped the gun with shaking hands and looked at the smear of his blood that now stained my bare shoulder.
I shook my head. "No, no, no. This wasn't supposed to happen," I whispered as I held myself and tears welled in my eyes. "No, God please." I found myself hurrying to the sink and desperately scrubbing his blood off of me, hoping that if I no longer saw his blood then it wouldn't have been real. But his slouched over body reminded me of what I'd done. I killed him. I murdered him.
The very thought was enough to trigger a panic attack, but I had to stop myself. Or at least try to. "No, Cat. You cannot do this. Not now." I harshly whispered to myself as I balled my hands into fists. "Y-You have to stay strong for River and L-Liam and M-Mason and Kenny. Just breathe. Just breathe, Cat." I repeated that to myself until I stopped hyperventilating.
After I managed to calm myself down a bit, I forced myself to pick up the gun and slide it back into my holster before I wiped my tears, trying my best not to look at Shawn. But out of the corner of my eye I saw a phone sticking out of his back pocket. Despite my fear, trauma, and shock, I forced myself to grab the phone hoping that there was some clue as to where exactly Kenny and my mother were because I knew that there wasn't a simple "gambling problem", and luckily, Katherine had texted him a few minutes ago before... I shook the thought out of my head. I was defending myself. That's what mattered. Unfortunately I couldn't see what she'd said due to the text previews being off, so I did the only thing I could: I picked up Shawn's limp hand and pressed his thumb to the fingerprint reader and it instantly opened up. Before doing anything else, I navigated to the settings and added my own finger print so that I could have the access to everything I needed before I opened the messages.
The message read, This is an emergency. I need all hands on deck. Everyone report to the west wing. I lowly cursed. I still had no idea where the west wing was. Nevertheless, I stood up, fiddled with the various locks on the door until it opened up and I quickly stepped out, and with the faint click of the door as it shut, I set back down the hallway from where I'd come from remembering what Kenny said about this place essentially being a giant circle. The hallways were silent except for the sound of my feet slapping against the cold concrete and with every step, my chest filled with more and more worry. What if I was too late? What if my mom found out about the plan? Worse, what if she'd killed Kenny or River and the boys? The very thought prompted my legs to move faster.
After running for a while, I had to slow down due to the intense burning within my legs as well as the unbearable ache in my lungs. I looked around, hopping that there would be something, anything that would be able to give me a hint as to where exactly I was in this compound, buit every door looked the same. It was as if I travelled everywhere, but nowhere at the same time. I felt extremely discouraged, but I didn't have time to throw a pity party for myself when the sound of a lone gunshot filled the air, causing me to jump due to how close it was. Despite the pain that was moving through my body, I forced myself to run toward where the sound had come from, through the various turns and curves of the hallway and as I ventured closer and closer, I heard muffled voices that seemed to be arguing.
Without wasting a single second, I hurried through the door only to be met with my mother and Kenny having a standoff with River and Liam, everyone's gun's aimed at each other as they stood in the narrow hallway. Fear, panic, and relief moved through me. Kenny was still "undercover" but I wanted nothing more than to yell at him to take his gun off my friend before he accidentally shot him for real or he got shot since they had no idea who he was other than the fact that he was the one who shot me and Mason. Mason. He was nowhere in sight. But I barely had enough time to process my worry due to the raw elation and shock moved through me because Liam and River, my family, were here, and I couldn't help the words that pressed past my lips. "You came," I breathed, causing River's eyes to instantly find mine and a smile tugged at the edge of his lips.
"Caterina," he whispered as he made a move toward me, causing my mother to shoot, the bullet burying itself in the wall less than a foot in front of River.
"Don't you dare make a move toward my daughter," my mother spat. "Don't even look at her, boy. And I only miss when I want to."
River's jaw clenched as he slowly turned back toward my mother, rage swimming laps in his eyes. "Don't you dare call her your daughter. You abandoned her, don't you remember?" He aimed his gun at my mother. "Liam, Mason, and I have been there for her way more than you ever will be." He let out a humorless chuckle. "You know what, I should blast your brains out for what you've put her through, you little b-"
I quickly interrupted him by saying, "Look you two, just calm down. We can figure this all out without-"
"Cat, you need to get out of here before you seriously get hurt," my mother tightly said as she narrowed her eyes at River. "As for you, I should shoot you right between the eyes for trying to threaten me, but I'm waiting for our final guest to join the party so that Kenny can have the honors of making everything even between us. An eye for an eye. A life for a life."
"You guys really need to-"
"Cat, leave!" She snapped before she sighed. "That's what I get for letting Shawn look after you."
"You what?" Liam spat, his eyes leaving Kenny's for the first time since I'd walked in the door.
"You left her alone after everything he's done to her?" River roared as he took a step toward Katherine, causing her to tighten her grip on her gun, and River stopped, his torso less than a foot away from the barrel of the gun.
"Riverdale-" she warned.
"Screw you! You left your own daughter who you claim to love so much alone with the man who almost raped her then beat her. No, you know what, he's not a man, he's a coward. A bastard, and I swear if he laid a hand on Caterina, I'll make both of you wish you were dead." By the end of his sentence, his voice was low and cold. He hadn't just made a threat, he'd made a promise.
"Shawn did what?" Kenny softly asked, genuinely taken back as he lowered his gun and looked at me.
Liam scuffed, still having his gun firmly aimed at Kenny. "Don't pretend like you actually care about her."
"I do care about her. You can ask her," Kenny instantly argued as Katherine's jaw clenched as her eyes locked with mine.
"Caterina, is this true?" She asked in a tight voice, anger seeping into her words.
I swallowed. "All of it."
Katherine shook her head. "Damn it! I'm going to kill that little bastard myself for touching you. For trying to rape you and beating you-"
"There's no need," I coldly stated, causing River to raise an eyebrow. "He's still in that safe room you locked me in with a bullet in his eye and his brains blasted out." As those words slipped passed my lips, tears filled my eyes but I didn't blink them away or try to wipe them away. "Let's just say that he'll never touch me again."
River wasted no time walking over to me in a few mighty strides and wrapped his arms around me, and I had to admit that it felt amazing to be in his arms again and I basked in the feeling. It was honestly so surreal, and even though Kenny and I'd plan hadn't worked, nor did we even really get the chance to initiate it, I was here with those I loved and that's all that mattered.
"I'm so sorry, baby girl," River whispered in my ear before he kissed right behind it, the feeling of this lips causing my grip on him to slightly tighten. "You shouldn't have had to do that."
I couldn't muster up any words, so I merely held him and let my tears silently slide down my cheeks before I felt Liam's arms around me too. "I'm so sorry, Cat. I wish I would've known so that I could've done something so you wouldn't have had to see that or do it."
I shook my head and let out a laugh. "I'm just glad that I have you guys back. I love you boys and missed you so much and-"
I was interrupted by a gunshot, causing me to jump as my attention went to my mother who had shot at the ceiling and had her gun trained on River once more with Kenny's pointed at Liam. "Get away from her," she said as she pointed her gun at Liam as well. "You too. I just got my daughter back and I will not let you two take her away from me. Not again."
River stood in front of me with his gun pointed at my mother, causing her to scuff. "There's two on two, River. And one of us have already taken out your girlfriend and child and could easily take you out as well."
River's whole body tensed at the mention of Gracie and his child. "Don't you dare talk about them," he growled. "Cat, say the word and I will take care of her for good."
"That's cute, he thinks he can play hero," Katherine teased before she turned to Kenny. "You know what, Kenneth? Why don't we just start the fun early and let our guests join in when they arrive?"
"That's a great idea," Kenny said and in a split second, he had his gun pointed at my mother, and just as he went to pull the trigger, my mother pointed her gun at him.
It was like time slowed down as they each pulled their triggers at the same time.
And that's when the heartbreakingly familiar bang of a gun filled my ears as an ear shattering scream escaped my ears and an immense pain filled my chest.
***
Hey y'all. Sorry it took so long to update but this is a super long and important chapter so I wanted to make sure I did it right. I hope you enjoyed this chapter because I've been staying up all night trying to write and edit it and now I'm super tired.
BUT SHAWN FINALLY GOT WHAT HE DESERVED AND HEATHER IS NEXT (but not in the same way as Shawn)
Here's a quick question: who's your favorite character in this book? Mine is Mason.
Alright, I'll see you in the next chapter, which is River's POV BTW and should hopefully be a longer chapter as well so please forgive me if it takes a while to update.
Love y'all- Jordan
PS what's your opinion on Bird Box if you've seen it? I honestly think it was kinda dumb, especially the end. Tell me what you think.