Chapter 25
Kat
Fucking hell.
I’d driven straight to the MC bar after leaving Ivy’s, feeling guilty about leaving my dad with Mav for so long. The whole point of me being here was to take care of him, and here I was, pawning him off on someone else. And for what? Lashes and nails? I sighed. I had to be the worst daughter ever.
At least Dad knew who I was when I walked in the bar.
The back and forth was giving me whiplash, but it was better than him forgetting me all the time.
That was probably my fault too. If I’d come around more often, insisted he use the tablet I’d sent him to video chat, maybe he would remember me like he did Mav.
I’d planned to pop in to tell Mav thanks and to apologize for crashing out earlier.
I could tell there was a lot more to Ivy’s story, but it was clear she trusted the MC completely.
And Lexie, too. Surely someone as sweet as her wouldn’t be involved with anything too messed up. But it turned out that was unnecessary.
Mav hadn’t been bothered at all. In fact, he was already moving on to his next conquest in the middle of the fucking hallway. Asshole. But maybe that was another part of the MC life I would never understand, fucking multiple women in a day. The fucking fuckhead.
I sat with my dad while he waited on a to-go cup for his sweet tea.
“Did you want one too, Kat?” Lexie dropped Dad’s tea off at the table.
“Will it have booze in it?” I asked, only half joking. Mav hadn’t come after me when I’d caught him, and I hadn’t seen that hussy either. I could only guess what was going on.
Lexie smiled. “It’s technically against the rules, but…” She looked around. “I think we’ll be okay.”
She poured Coke into a styrofoam cup and added a double shot of rum.
I smiled. “You’re a saint.”
She nodded. “A little rule breaking never hurt anybody.”
“I promise to wait until I get to the house before drinking.”
Lexie gave me a thumbs up.
Dad stood up and we headed out of the bar.
“Want to ride with me?”
He whistled and Noodle ran out from behind the dumpster.
Gross.
“I’ll walk back with Noodle. By the time you drive around the road, I’ll be on the couch and halfway through the next episode of The Unit.”
He was probably right. And there was no telling what Noodle had found behind the dumpster. I wouldn’t argue about not having her in my car. “See you in a few.”
I climbed into my car and drove onto the main road. A part of me worried Dad would forget me by the time I made it home, but that was ridiculous. Probably. He’d had a nap and some food, so he should be okay. His issues seemed to happen more when he was tired or stressed.
After a few minutes, I pulled into the driveway and turned off the car. I couldn’t resist checking out my lashes in the rearview mirror. They weren’t that bad. I think I was just having flashbacks to the great poodle perm debacle of sixth grade.
And now that I had a few minutes to think, I thought back to Mav and that woman.
As much as I tried to deny it, what we had was more than a vacation fling.
A man didn’t pretend to be your boyfriend or look after your sick father for a hookup.
Not when he had women like that available.
Maybe she was just… checking him for ticks.
I rolled my eyes. What had my world come to, that I was hoping my fake-ish boyfriend had parasites? Was this what living in the country did to a person?
I was still sitting in the driveway when my phone pinged with an incoming text. My heart leapt as I dug through my purse. Was it Mav? Was he coming over to explain? I pulled out the phone and my heart fell.
Becky:
Hey! Wanted to let you know I reached out to a local agency and found a health aide for your father. They have someone who can start tomorrow and stay for a few days while you handle the presentation. IT’S UP TO YOU THOUGH!!! NO PRESSURE!!
A pit settled in my stomach. I could be back in Maryland tomorrow. Back to my job. My coworkers. My fake plants. That was the plan all along, so why did it feel so hollow?
***
I unlocked the front door and walked inside. Noodle was barking from the kitchen. “Easy girl, it’s me!” I shouted, taking off my jacket and hanging it in the closet. “Dad, I’m back! How far into the episode did you get?” I paused, not hearing the television under Noodle’s yammering. “Dad?”
And come to think of it, why hadn’t Noodle run to me? Why was she barking in the kitchen?
A gunshot exploded and my heart stopped.
“That’s right, you sorry bastard!”
I raced toward the living room and saw a man lying on the ground, a red puddle growing underneath him. Dad stood across from him, gun raised.
I froze in the doorway and slammed my hand over my mouth to muffle my gasp. I had no idea what state my dad was in and didn’t want to startle him.
Noodle whimpered and sat back on her haunches.
“Good girl.” Dad walked over to the man. He prodded the body a few times with his foot and shook his head. “Don’t think he’s getting back up.” His gaze turned to me, and his eyes softened. “You okay over there, Katie?”
I let out a sigh of relief. He knew me! “Yeah, I’m fine, but what about you? Who is that guy? What happened?”
“No clue who he was. But he was in the house when I got here, trying to rob us, I guess.”
“So you shot him?” I asked, my eyes widening. “Like shot him to death?”
“‘Course I did. What was I supposed to do? It was him or me, and I damn sure wasn’t going to let it be me knowing my daughter was about to walk in that front door.”
My eyes watered. “Oh, Dad.” He held out his arms and I walked into his embrace.
“It’s okay, don’t worry.”
I sniffled and nodded, taking a step back as I collected myself. “Yeah, you’re right. It was clearly self-defense. The police shouldn’t have an issue.” I reached into my back pocket to pull out my phone.
Dad sighed. “We should probably call your mother and tell her to stay away for a bit. I don’t want her to come home and see all this.”