Page 13 of Redemption

My world stopped.

CHAPTER FIVE

Katarina

I stared between Leo and Jack, observing the silent communication between them that I didn’t like one bit.

Jack Drayton.

Of all people to be on my porch this morning, I never thought it would be this guy. When did he get out? Why weren’t we notified? And why the hell had he turned up here?

His cheek was bleeding from my nails and a violent part of me, that hadn’t existed until five minutes ago, reveled in it. I tracked the droplet as it slowly trickled down his cheek,satisfaction filling me and riling me up again.

Jack frowned at me, his light blue eyes narrowing. His stance stiffened, like he was prepared for me to launch myself at him again. I was ready to, but I knew Leo wouldn’t let me and I didn’t want Leo getting hurt in the fray. I turned my vicious stare away before I did something I couldn’t control.

Then Leo told him that Daddy had died and Jack’s entire attitude changed. He choked, his eyes bugging slightly and he spun away and bent forward, his leather jacket creaking as he hunched and rested his elbows on his knees.

Leo’s stare flicked to me. I could see from the corner of my eye that he was concerned but I ignored it. As much Leo was like a brother, he could never understand how I was feeling. The agony we all experienced at losing my mother was a direct result of the man in front of me. I would not be moved by Jack’s apparent distress.

Jack struggled to get his breath, I could hear it rasping from him. Was he having a panic attack? Because we told him my dad died? Leo nudged me but I didn’t move. Eventually he sighed and slowly approached Jack, putting a hand on his back.

“You okay, man?”

At the touch, Jack flinched and immediately spun away from Leo. Leo held his hands up in surrender. “Sorry, that’s my bad. I wasn’t thinking. I just wanted to check you’re okay?”

Jack swiped his hand along his top lip, his eyes red-rimmed and so sad that for a second, a split second, I felt bad for him. Until I remembered exactly who he was and squashed that feeling like a pesky bug.

Jack took a few deep, shuddering breaths then asked. “How?”

“Heart attack.”

“Leo!” I hissed. I didn’t want to share that information with Jack, he didn’t deserve to know anything about us. He lost that privilege when he fractured our family.

Jack sighed. “So that’s why he stopped visiting,” he muttered, scuffing his boot in the grass.

My blood ran cold. “Excuse me?”

Jack’s cool stare met mine and for a moment he looked confused before his expression blanked.

Leo plugged his hands onto his hips and nodded towards Jack. “Charlie’s been visiting him.”

“What!” I stared between them, hardly able to believe what I was hearing. Daddy had been visiting Jack? And Leo knew about it and didn’t say anything? “For how long?”

“Once a month. For the last eleven years,” Jack spoke softly, his eyes on the ground.

My sharp intake of breath drew his gaze. My heart thudded, trying to pound its way out of my chest and I pressed my hand to it, struggling with the ache. Jack stepped forward, concern pinching his chestnut brow but Leo jumped between us and shook his head.

“I think it’s best if you leave, man,” Leo said.

Jack nodded. “Of course. Kat, please know that I never would have turned up here if I’d known you were here. And, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry about Charlie. He was a great man.”

I bit my tongue to keep back the vitriol I wanted to spew at his words. How dare he talk about my father like that, like he knew him, like they were friends.

He hung his head and turned, trudging off the property and I watched, chest heaving with rage, until he was a speck in the distance.

Leo shuffled next to me and cleared his throat. He wasthe closest thing I had to a brother and I loved him fiercely but I sure as shit didn’t like him right now.

“I think it’s best you went home,” I growled.

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