Hearing his voice makes me want to cry. What have I done? I open and close my mouth a couple of times.
"Are you going to talk or what? It's freaking 3am here, Katherine." I can't find the words, he spits out my name like venom. Tears fill up my eyes and the dark hospital room blurs out.
"Ok, I'm gonna hung up." I can sense the anger in his voice, I knew that sooner or later I would have hurt him.
"You hate me, do you?" the words come out like a whisper, I can barely breathe, trying to hold back my emotions. I hear a sigh of frustration on the other side of the phone.
"Hate you?! You PROMISED me you would have waited for me. We kissed like there was no tomorrow, for God's sake, you tuned me on like crazy. And all of a sudden you vanish! I went nut!" He's screaming at the top of his lungs and the phone almost slips from my hand.
"Nathan.."I feel the tears sliding down my cheeks and I taste the saltines in my mouth. I close my eyes trying to stop them. Don't f*****g cry.
"No! Don't "Nathan" me with that voice, Katherine. I was worried sick and where were you? On a f*****g spiritual journey! And above all, it was Maddie that told me! MADDIE! Why didn't YOU told me Katherine? Why?!" He is a completely different person, I've never heard this kind of rage coming from him. I really did hurt him, but I can't leave him without at least try to repair this damage.
"Let me explain Nat. Please.." I'm doing my best not to sound like a delusional little girl, I'm f*****g stronger than this.
"Go on then." He seems calmer now but I cannot sense any emotions in his words. It feels like a knife that keeps turning into the wound.
"It was a thing out of the blue Nathan. One day I was home and the other I left. Maddie only knew it because she talks to Marcus. It was him that told her." I wait a couple of seconds but no response. I can only hear the light breathing.
"Please.. talk to me.. I'm really sorry.. " I hold my breath until he talks again.
"I don't know what you want me to say Katherine." What? no. Please, no. The indifference in his voice hits my like a slap across the face. Did I really ruined everything?
"Nat.." I start to panic, searching for the perfect words to say, to let him know that he's the the one I care for the most. But it just feels like I'm trying too hard.
"I need some time. Goodnight." and he hangs up. Everything that happened comes crashing on me and I burst into tears, crying my eyes and my heart out. I ruined everything, I hurt him. Dad was right, heartless is better. I would not be so sad now if only I had listened to him. For f*****g sake, I would not even be here! f**k. I punch the wall beside me, ignoring the jolts of pain to my shoulder, and I curl up under the sheets. I squeeze my eyes shut but the tears won't stop rolling down, soaking the pillow. I cry and sob all night long and I fall asleep just before the dawn.
*The next day*
"So Miss. From 0 to 10, how's you pain?" the nurse is checking my blood pressure and my wounds.
"There's no the option "like s**t"?" I take a deep breath, ignoring the pain in my chest.
"No dear, I'm sorry. Are you feeling that bad?" She strokes my hair and gives my a sweet smile, but I just wanna get the hell out of here so I hide the pain and put on a big smile.
"No, I'm fine, like a 3 out of ten. I'm just a little drained" the nurse tilts her head and gives me my pills.
"You've been through a lot lately, it's understandable that you're upset. Try to sleep some more now. If all goes well, you'll be out of here in the next few days, don't worry." Few days?? I really cannot do this. I wanna go home, to my bed and my shower.
"Ok, thank you" I sigh and the nurse leaves me alone. I let my eyes wonder around. The silence is deafening, I can almost hear the blood running through my veins. The window overlooks the empty garden and a heavy, cloudy sky. The lighting are sparkling in the distance. The sky is almost as black as Nathan eyes, will I ever have the courage to speak to him again? I get comfy in bed and let the soft sound of the upcoming thunderstorm lull me to sleep.
*A few hours later*
The rain is slightly hitting the window in my room, creating a calming effect. I always liked it. I'm on the phone with Maddie, she's tying to distract me in every way she can.
"So you're all good?" I can hear the sound of the ocean's waves, she must be sunbathing somewhere, with her big sunglasses and even bigger hat, sipping some delicious drink.
"Broadly, yes. The bullets on my heart and on the stomach caused two minor hematoma, but they are healing fast. It's hard to breathe tho. My shoulder is still down, I can move it a little but it makes me want to scream every time." Its so easy to talk to her, but my mind won't focus on anything.
"At least you're going home soon, aren't you relieved?" I can almost see her, a big smile just for me, to confort my soul. I smile myself, I'm so lucky to have her.
"Oh you have no idea! I can't wait to pay that motherfucker who shot me a visit. He's gonna wish to have never crossed my path." As I think of him the anger builds up in my stomach and I clench my fist. He will wish to never be born.
"You're scaring me gangster!" She laughs and I follow her, letting go of some of the tension.
"I'm doing this right then! I have to go now. Love you Maddie, goodnight." she blows some kisses through the phone and I hang up. And here I am, alone In a hospital room. And the only person than I want, right now hates me. What can I do? He asked for some time and the same goes for me. I drift into a disturbed sleep, studded with dark eyes, bullets, blood, tears and a city that I don't recognize.
*Home.*
It's been a few days and I'm finally out of the hospital. I heading downstairs with my dad and Marcus to pay a little visit to the sniper. He's been locked down here since he shot me.
"Are you ready?" My dad gently places his hand on my shoulder and looks at me, he's worried but knows that I can do it.
"You have no idea." I take a deep breath and recall all the anger that I have inside of me.
"I'll wait outside, call me if you need me. But be careful, don't let his words get to you." I nod and he leaves me in frond of his closed cell. I close my eyes and stretch my neck before stepping inside. Let the show begins. When I close the door behind me Rivera, the sniper, looks at me in shock.
"What the hell are you doing here?! I killed you!" He's chained to the wall. I raise a brow and start approaching him.
"Well, unfortunately for you, I'm very much alive. And, by the way, your aim is one of the worst I ever seen." I smile for a second and cross my arms.
"Shut up you slut! You're nothing more than a spoiled girl that has her pretty ass always covered by someone else. You useless pathetic woman!" He's agitated and pulls the chains, trying to come for me. I take my knife out the pocket and place it on the table beside me. Rivera looks at it and I see the fear spreading on his face. God, I love this sensation. Using my healthy arm I punch him across the face, so hard that I break his nose. He lets out a loud scream and falls back on the ground.
"Now, honey, if you don't mind, I was talking. Where was I? Oh yes, your shitty aim. See, if you wanted me dead, why didn't you shot to my head? You're not so smart, aren't you?" He's about to talk back but I raise my finger, shutting him up.
"Now, we're going to have a little chat, ok?" I go to the window overlooking the corridor and I shut the blinds, after smiling at Marcus. Then I lock the door and reach for the camera, from what my dad and the others are looking, turning it off. I don't want anyone to see. When I look back at him, he's shivering.
"What are you doing?" his words come out like a whisper, even if he's trying to hide the fear.
"I already told you. We're going to have a little chat. Just me and you." I'm smiling. I bet that's it that is freaking him out. My completely empty look. Right now I'm not Kate. Right now I'm Katherine Moore, the future Boss. And I show no mercy. I stop in front of him.
"So, who sent you?" I bend down to him, my face a few inches from him.
"I'm not gonna talk to you, you little brat!" He spit near my feet, he's so desperate. I roll my eyes.
"Look, sweetie, we can do it in two ways: the good one and the bad one. You choose." I get up again and take the knife from the table, playing with it in my hands.
"Over my dead body." He pulls the chains again and glares at me, a pathetic try.
"The bad way then. This will be so much fun, I promise." I take deep breath and smile again.
"Why don't you free me? Fight like a real man, you cheater!" I'm walking slowly in circles and as I hear him I stop dead in my trap. A man? Oh no.
"I'm slightly offended now. First, as you can see, I'm not a man. Second, I never played by the rules, so why start now?"
MARCUS POV
I hear Rivera yelling and launching at her, huge mistake. Katie punches him so hard that he screams like a little girl and falls down. She's just like Boss, if you're on her bad side, you can start digging your own grave. Katherine walks up to the window in front of me. She looks at me straight in the eyes and, before closing the blinds, she gives me the creepiest and more satisfied smile I have ever seen. Sometimes she scares the crap out of me. Katherine is just 5.3 feet tall but she can be a mortal weapon. For several minutes I can't hear almost nothing. She's playing whit him, like a wolf that plays with his pray. That's not the first time that I've seen Katherine doing like this. And I refuse to assist to a similar scene again, so I'm glad that she has closed the blinds. The screams start out of nowhere and I get goosebumps. Now I know, I won't see Rivera alive again.