Page 37 of Coveting Catherine

The leader threw his head back and laughed, and his men joined him. “Such bravery for a woman about to die.” The leader unsheathed a large hunting knife with ridges and ran it down Kassie's arm. Catherine noticed the flicker of fear in Kassie's eyes before it disappeared. Recalling her friend carried scars from Roger Chapman repeatedly cutting her, Catherine held her breath.

“If you harm us, the team you asked about won't hesitate to kill you,” Kassie countered.

The man's face held a grim expression as he narrowed his eyes at her stubborn friend. His smile widened as he walked over to Catherine. He ran the knife down the length of her neck and stopped above her collarbone. He dug it in, causing blood to trickle from her neck. Catherine whimpered in fear. Yet Kassie stood firm.

“Be prepared to pay for hurting her. The leader of the team is named after a lion. He waits until his prey thinks he’s forgotten, then attacks. What do you want? Why does your leader need an army to protect him from two women and a child?” she pressed.

“It's not an army. You do nothing to threaten us. We have a mere ten men holding you. The rest lie in wait as you say for your lion to make an appearance,” the leader boasted.

“Ah, we shall see.” Kassie's chin tilted up as she stared at the man. Catherine's heart pounded harder as he stood in indecision. Kassie's remarks bothered the man, yet she showed no fear.

The man turned and suddenly pulled his arm back and socked Kassie as the two men held her. Kassie doubled over, wheezing to catch a breath. She coughed and spat the blood from her mouth on his shoe. The leader jerked his head toward the door angrily as the men dragged Kassie up the stairs. The leader turned his angry gaze in Catherine's direction.

His fists clenched as his gaze menacingly focused on her. Catherine braced herself as he let his fist fly. She fell out of the chair and felt the man straddle her as his hits made contact with various parts of her body.

Catherine's last thought flitted to Leo. His face swam before her. “I love you, Kit Kat. Until my dying breath, you'll always be mine.” She smiled, closed her eyes, and welcomed the darkness.

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

Catherine woke in the same room they originally placed her. She lay on the floor. Her ankle twisted the wrong way, and her body hurt. Her jaw ached, and she shakily held her hand to her face to find her cheek split open. The pounding in her head made her stomach roll. Catherine shut her eyes and took shallow breaths through her nose and mouth. She needed water. Where was Melody? How did Kassie fair? A low moan escaped her as she tried to move.

A scrapping at the door put her senses on alert. She closed her eyes, pretending to still be unconscious as the door slowly croaked open. A small figure slipped through the crack as the door soundlessly closed behind him. Catherine's heart raced as the figure crawled to her broken body.

“Catherine, wake up. It's Kassie. I need you to stay quiet. Melody finally fell asleep two doors down. Our girl has a set of lungs on her. Who taught her to call people assholes? Maddie and Carol will have a heart attack if they ever find out. Although, she used it properly and summed them up perfectly. Let's get out of here.” Kassie leaned over her friend in the dark. Catherine moved her hand up to Kassie's face and cupped her cheek.

“My ankle’s broken. It'll only slow you down. Get Melody out,” Catherine ordered.

“I'm not leaving you. Wherever you go, I go. It usually applies to my husband, who I'm sure will chew my ass out something awful. You won't want to miss it since you still plan on staying mad at me and all. Right now, I want to get my hands on your husband. I'll practice my new move Victoria taught me on his balls. It worked great on the man outside your door. I wish he stayed alive long enough to see if Victoria told the truth when she said it rendered men sterile.” Kassie sighed. She ran her hands down Catherine’s arms and legs. “Maybe I can rig something for the ankle. We can find a few sticks in the woods to stabilize it. Maybe if?—"

“Take Melody and run,” Catherine gripped Kassie's sweatshirt with what little strength she managed to muster.

“I’m not leaving you,” Kassie whispered.

“Listen, if the situation were reversed, you’d tell me to save Em first. If I'm truly your best friend and you love me, you'll grab my daughter, and find the team. Tell Leo…tell him…”

Kassie pressed Catherine's hand to her cheek. “I am your best friend. I love you. At least let me try to set your ankle and your arm feels funny. Then, I'll get Melody, but this isn't over. Stay strong. We're coming for you.”

Catherine squeezed Kassie's hand. “You can't. It's too dark in here, and if you manage somehow to fix it, they'll know you came in here. It will put them more on guard. If you're telling me the truth, the team won’t be far behind.”

Kassie softly sobbed. “I can't leave you.”

“Yes, you can. You're the strongest woman I know. I'm asking you to save my daughter. The team will come. If I die, I want to know Melody made it out. My best friend will watch over her. I’d do the same thing for you. Now go,” she ordered.

Kassie slipped through the door, and Catherine listened in the darkness. She lay in awe of her friend. Kassie made no noise to indicate any movement through the house.

Catherine tensely waited to hear an alarm raised as Kassie and Melody escaped. Time moved slowly. She closed her eyes and smiled as a memory of Leo popped into her head.

He nervously paced on the porch of her childhood home. Catherine hopped off her bike and smiled at the handsome young man.

“Hey, Leo. Welcome home.” She ran up the front porch, and her arms encircled his neck. She smelled the spice of his cologne.

Leo broke the embrace. His usual confident swagger felt off as he pulled out a chocolate bar and handed it to her. “Hey, Kit Kat. I'm home for three days. What do you say we go for dinner and a movie?”

Catherine unwrapped her favorite candy bar and smiled. Derrick “Leo” Armstrong finally mustered the courage to ask her out on a first date.

“Sure. Why don't we go tomorrow night? The parents will want to quiz you about where you've been and if you saw Eric. Sorry,” she rolled her eyes. “I mean Olaf. He still refuses to tell me how he got the name.” Catherine's face bunched up in annoyance at her big brother, drawing a chuckle from the handsome young man. “If I go out with you, will you tell me how you got your name?”

“It's not a secret,” he responded. “I'm named after a lion. I lock in my prey and find something to draw him or her out, then I wait to pounce.” He smiled down at her as he tugged her hair. An involuntary shiver coursed through her body. Leo Armstrong focused his attention on her. He found her weakness by bringing her favorite chocolate; she desperately hoped he planned to pounce. His eyes focused on her lips as she swiped the chocolate from them with her tongue. Desire flickered in his eyes, and she fell for him, hook, line, and sinker.

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