73. Michael
Michael
“Everything’s fine,” Katie says, swiping at her face.
I look at Marco.
He nods. “Miss Katie was thirsty. I told her I would walk her down for a drink.”
“Is that okay with you, sir?” she asks, her eyes locking on mine.
My jaw tightens. “Don’t call me that.”
She lets out a short laugh. “Right. Forgot.” She steps closer, just enough to make it intentional. “What’s the title here? Boss? Or should I just skip to warden?”
I don’t answer. She drops the glass in the sink with a sharp clink and brushes past me. My hand twitches at my side, but I let her go.
“Go,” I tell Marco.
He follows her. I stay where I am, staring at the doorway she just walked through. I take her glass from the sink and wash it—soap, water, and rinse. I set it aside, dry my hands, and lean into the counter, eyes shut. Nothing settles.
I push off, run a hand through my hair, and pick the glass up to put it back. I get halfway across the kitchen before it leaves my hand. Glass slams into the wall and breaks apart.
“Fuck.” The word comes out rough. Then it’s louder. “Fuck! Fuck!”
I stand there, breathing hard. My hands stay braced on my hips as I stare at the mess I just made. I grab a broom and sweep it up, pushing the shards into a pile. When I bend to pick up the last few pieces, one slices into my palm.
“Shit.”
I grab my hand as blood starts running fast, dripping onto the tile. I move to the sink, turn the water on, and hold it under the stream, watching red wash away. I wrap it tight in a paper towel and leave the kitchen, flipping the light off behind me.
When I get to the top of the steps, Marco’s sitting outside Katie’s room.
“It’s late,” I tell him. “Go. Get some sleep.”
“I don’t mind.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “What were you and Katie talking about when I walked in down there?”
He shakes his head. “Nothing. She’s upset. Saying self-deprecating things about herself.”
“And what’d you say?”
“I told her I was sorry she was hurting.”
I hold his gaze for a second.
“Yeah,” I say. “Me too.”
He pushes to his feet. When he passes me, he slows, just for a second.
“She’ll come around.”
He keeps walking, disappearing down the hall. I sink into the chair, holding the paper towel to my hand, the sting barely registering.
At some point, my eyes close. I wake to a muffled sound coming from our bedroom.
I’m on my feet instantly, and I cross the hall and push the door open before I can stop myself.
The room is dark, lit only by the hallway behind me, but I can see her outline on the bed.
I hear it. I don’t have to guess. She’s sobbing.
I can’t help it. I go to her. She’s facing away when I slip into the bed behind her. I pull her into me, my arm wrapping around her waist. She doesn’t tell me to stop. The sobs keep coming, shaking through her, but after a second, her hand closes around my arm.
She rolls over and presses herself into me. Her arms wrap around my back, holding on tight as the sobs keep coming. I run my hand up and down her back, trying to calm something I know I caused.
“I’m so sorry, Katie.” She cries harder, her grip tightening. “I never should have lied to you. I never should have brought you into this.”
“I just wanted you to be the one,” she says into my shirt, her voice cracking as she speaks. A hiccup breaks through her sobs, and her arms loosen around me before falling away completely. Still, she doesn’t move away.
I pull her back, forcing her to look at me, and take her face in my hands.
“I still can be,” I say.
She shakes her head.
“Michael.” Her voice cracks. “You do really bad things.”
“I know,” I say. “But I love you.”
Her breath stutters.
“You kill people.”
She collapses back into me, crying harder.
She cries until there’s nothing left, until her body finally gives out, and she falls asleep against me.
Her breathing is uneven, catching every few seconds, her hand still clinging to me.
I don’t move. I hold her there, and I know I’ve destroyed the one person who ever looked at me like I was good.
I wake and turn over to find Katie staring at me.
“Hi,” she says.
Her hand is tucked under her face. Her eyes are swollen and her skin flushed.
“Hi,” I say. I don’t move. I stay where I am.
She closes her eyes, and when she opens them again, tears slip down her cheeks.
“I’m so sorry,” I say, reaching for her. I wipe them away.
She catches my hand before I can pull back.
“You trapped me in this world without me even realizing it, and now I don’t have anywhere to go.”
Her voice wavers just enough to catch, but she doesn’t stop. Her fingers clutch at my hand, holding on.
“You’re a murderer.”
God.
“And you want to know the most fucked up thing about it?”
More tears fall.
“I still love you.”
To Be Continued…