Page 28 of Protect Me
Any crumbling uncertainty disappeared in a slow landslide. She blinked rapidly, then closed her eyes and sighed.
Resignation.
Ah, victory.
Vinita let out a long breath. “Vik,” she said, “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“There’s . . . look, there’s more going on here than it appears. Kate . . . it’s, again, not my story to tell. But suffice to say that she needs you. All right? Don’t let her talk you out of it. She needs a big brother more than ever.”
The hell with that,I almost said, but stopped myself. There would be nothing big-brotherly about my relationship with Katelyn.
Protective, yes.
Big brother? No.
“Got it,” I said. “We’ll call you later.”
Before Vini could boss me around and tell me how to pack, I closed the call and set my phone on the table. Katelyn regarded me like she wasn’t sure whether I’d explode or say something else sort-of stupid.
“If you have something else that’s better,” I said quietly, “then let me know, but it sounds like your best option.”
Katelyn swallowed and lifted her chin. Pride—or something like it—drove her gaze into mine.
“Thank you for the offer, Vik. I appreciate your gallant offer, but I don’t accept it.” She swallowed hard. “Yet. I’ll let you know in a week after I’ve looked at my options.”
And that was that.
The week passed in inhumane ways—and not just because I didn’t receive one call, email, or text message from Katelyn. Meanwhile, physical therapy drove into beast mode.
Shucking off the crutches—the embarrassment of how much sweat I broke with their simple exercises—took a grueling center stage. Thinking of all the alpine climbs, hikes, and yoga poses I used to execute so easily didn’t help. Dangling over a watery precipice in my twenties, held by only my fingers, flashed through my mind often while I labored to walk on my own without pain.
Katelyn’s eyes filled my thoughts next.
When a weird silence caught my ear, I glanced up. Bastian stared at me from across the table, a burrito in his hand. He lifted an eyebrow in silent question, because Bastian only used words when he absolutely had to.
I shook my head.
“Sorry, what did you say?”
“Hernandez said you have a girl now.” Bastian paused a breath away from taking a bite. He didn’t finish his question, but the rest lingered in his eyes.
“Hernandez is an idiot.”
My sore knee left me in a crabby mood, not to mention the blank screen on my phone. Lunch with Bastian didn’t help. Why it got under my skin so much that Katelyn hadn’t responded, I’d never understand.
Bastian tore into his burrito. I shoved rice around my bowl with a fork, then dropped it.
“But there is something.”
A shot of amusement crossed his eyes, but he had the wisdom not to let a smile show. Not while I wasthisagitated. Instead he leaned back, motioned for me to continue with a rise of his brow, and grabbed his drink for a quick pull.
“It’s Katelyn. You remember her? Vinita’s friend.”
He paused, then nodded.
“She popped back into my life unexpectedly, helped me out, and is back out of it again. She might need help but won’t let me give it, and she’s skittish, like a deer. Super evasive. It’s been three weeks, and I’ve seen her twice. Once because I sort of forced her into it.”
