"Yea, so what? He's my brother first and as my brother he's an a.s.s," Justin says eyes darting around the hall as his deep chuckles join mine.

"Justin, I can defend myself." I give a slight nudge with my shoulder, "However, right now my only focus is Drew. He's all that matters."

Julie walks up. She takes in the embrace between Justin and me before she speaks.

"Is everything okay?"

"I'm good, I just want to junk punch Cole right now." I say with a slight chuckle.

"Right I think you are more likely to junk suck him then punch him."

Her deadpan sends Justin laughing. The vibrations rumble through my body as he continues to hold me.

That small exchange is enough to break through the tension. All three of us are soon laughing uncontrollably. My body relaxes. I was wound up tight worrying about Drew. Now that I know he is going to recover I breathe easier.

Julie keeps eyeing Justin and me strangely. It's then I realize he's still holding me and I'm not pulling away from him. I'm not sure why Julie is concerned. Justin is like a brother to me. The only guy I want in the Knight Family is Cole. I will have to be on guard around Cole. My body's reaction to being near him is indicative of how easy it would be for me to fall into bed with him again.

"Oh s.h.i.t!" I exclaim as I pull out of Justin's embrace.

"What is it?" Julie asks alarmed by my outburst.

"I left Luke in there with Cole. It could lead to bad things, Luke's not a fan of your brother."

The three of us walk back into the waiting room. Bruce and Luke are in a quiet conversation. Cole and Pete sit close by. Cole's eyes burn with anger as he glances at Luke. I take my seat next to Bruce. Luke looks up at me. I smile letting him know everything is fine now. Bruce reaches out and pats me on the knee. Julie sits down on my other side. Justin joins Cole and Pete.

Justin begins talking to Cole and I can tell the conversation is strained. They are talking too low for me to make out what is being said. The brothers are in a heated discussion that is clear from their faces and body language. Justin is giving his brother h.e.l.l over what I just told him in the hallway, there is no doubt in my mind about it.

Cole meets my gaze, and it's easy to see the irritation on his face. He can kiss my a.s.s. He had to know that eventually it would all come out. My anger threatens to take control of me again. Thinking of Cole leads me back to Drew taking bullets this morning. The Knight men have avoided answering my question long enough.

"What's going on? Who's after Cole, who else are they after and why?"

My eyes dart back and forth between the Knight men sitting there. Pete shifts in his seat. The men stare at one another. Bruce and Cole appear to have a silent conversation. Luke's face is lined with curiosity.

"Leave it alone Kat. Let us handle it," Cole barks out.

"f.u.c.k that. My brother almost died because of what's going on." I pause to calm myself my voice has begun to raise "I have a right to know."

"Kat now's not the place to discuss it."

Bruce pointedly looks around the room as he speaks, drawing my attention to all the people sitting there. Over half of them are curious about us and listening to us talk.

A nurse walks up to us before I can say anything else. "Robert's Family?"

"Yes" I nod my head looking at her expectantly.

"Mr. Roberts has been moved to recovery and will be transferred to ICU next. You should make your way to the ICU waiting area where they will update you."

Once again my body relaxes. I didn't even realize how tense I still was over Drew's condition.

"How long until we can see him?" I ask.

"He will be taken into recovery for an hour and then moved to ICU. You should be able to see him once he is moved to the ICU, so I would guess in the next couple of hours," the nurse responds.

"Why don't we go get something to eat before we move to the ICU waiting room?"

Bruce's suggestion is a good one. We have some time before we can see Drew and I haven't eaten since Luke and I had dinner the night before. Not that I'm hungry now, but I should try to eat something.

Our little group walks to the cafeteria. My body begins to tingle as someone moves next to me. I know by my reaction Cole is walking beside me. He is the only one who makes me react this way. It's pathetic I'm turned on while my brother is in the hospital fighting to survive. Instinct has me wanting to move closer to Cole, but I resist the urge.

"Please tell me what's going on?"

"Sal Martin."

My heart speeds up. There is a mixture of fear, anxiety and antic.i.p.ation coursing through me. All Cole did is say the name.

"f.u.c.k Kitten," Cole bites out. It's so easy for him to call me his pet name even after all these years. "You have that same look on your face right now that you had years ago when you shot Sal's guy."

I ignore that comment for the time.

"Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"That's what we were at the diner discussing this morning. Drew was headed to California with some more guys for security. We were planning to tell you. I was making sure you'd be protected,"

"Why?" I sigh "Why would you care about my protection?"

"You are a Knight. I'll always protect you."

"Sal is dead."

"Kitten,"

"Don't Kitten me! I'm going to make him pay for this just like I made him pay for Julie and Seth."

"Let the guys and I handle this."

"f.u.c.k you!"

"What the h.e.l.l did you study in that f.u.c.king college you went to?" he asks with a trace of humor "Business."

"And part of your education was dealing with guys like Sal Martin?"

"No a.s.shole! I'm from Belmont, and a Knight that's how I learned to handle guys like Sal."

Cole and I have stopped just outside the door of the cafeteria. Our family has already gone into the cafeteria.

"Kitten, don't' get involved."

"Don't! Don't you dare tell me what I f.u.c.king need to do," I say in a heated whisper.

"Kitten, you been living the life of a rich princess the last five years I don't want to see you hurt. I like that you've been safe out on the west coast away from this s.h.i.t."

A small part of me knows Cole is right. I have been away from the lifestyle. However, I was still tough. I had to be. I had to survive a broken heart. I had to survive losing a child. I had to live without my family. I had to survive Fraternity brothers, and other a.s.sorted douchebags. Since graduation I had been working out of the Smith law firm taking care of the Knight's west coast investments. No, I may not be part of the crime world the way he was, but I was still a part of it.

Rage surges through my body, I react without thinking. My hand draws back and my fist b.a.l.l.s up landing square on Cole's jaw. He staggers from the blow.

"Kat" I hear Bruce's voice call out. How long has he been watching and listening to us?

"I'll not be kept in the dark. Sal f.u.c.ked with my family once before, and he won't do it again without paying for it."

I speak coldly before turning to face Bruce who is looking at me in shock.

There is a dark rage taking over me. It scares me. I am murderous.

Justin is standing there as well fighting a laugh as a small smile graces his face. Bruce leads me into the cafeteria. Cole stands there rubbing his jaw with surprise on his face.

Tension leaves me after I punch Cole. Guess it was a stress reliever. Cole didn't really deserve that punch, but it made me feel better. Drew was shot this morning because of what I did five years ago to Sal. The Knights are under attack because of me. The knowledge weighs heavy on my mind. I vow to myself that I will take down Sal Martin once and for all.

"Katarina, I told you before you left for California, there would be consequences."

Bruce pulls me into his side with an arm around my shoulder.

"I'm aware of that. I've dealt with them for years. I play house with Luke when he's not dating someone. I can't let myself get close to a man because I'm still in love with your son. He hates me and I have kept secrets from him and the rest of the family."

Bruce has a soft smile on his lips "I'm proud of the young woman you've grown to be since you left here. Keep making me proud. And he doesn't hate you."

Julie moves up to us "still have a mean right hook."

I can't stop the laugh the escapes me.

"Yes, I kept that right hook when I was in college. Fraternity guys are major douches when they get drunk."

Walking through the cafeteria line, I'm not hungry and settle only on a bottle of water.

Cole, Pete and Justin are sitting at a table together. Their mouths move as they keep a low conversation. I walk toward them with a confidence I don't really have. I pull out a chair and sit down. They all look up at me getting quiet as I join them.

"Don't,"

I give each of them a cold hard stare.

"If this conversation has to do with Sal Martin I won't be kept in the dark. I'm not going to sit back and do nothing. You can either let me help or I'll do it on my own."

None of them speak. They stare at me in disbelief. Bruce keeps glancing over from the table next to us. Luke and Julie are sitting with Bruce, but are totally engrossed in flirting with one another. I hold back the smile wanting to cross my face. Again not the time or place, but I can't help feeling those two would be a perfect match.

"Sal was released from prison a few weeks ago. Even before he was released information was coming to us that he was going to seek revenge on the Knights and especially you Katarina," Cole's use of my given name snaps my head up.

"He threatened me. He's threatened you. He threatened our families?" I ask Cole.

"Yes! You'd have been safer in California, but Drew had to play hero this morning and now you are back in Belmont. There's going to be trouble."

"Trouble? Oh, there's going to be h.e.l.l to pay for Sal Martin. He's f.u.c.ked with too many people that I love."

Chapter 12.

The shrill sc.r.a.ping of my chair is the only noise as I move away from the table. I walk away needing time to think about what Cole told me. Sal Martin is back, and is a threat to me and my family. Luke and Julie catch up to me. They walk on either side of me silent, but there. My heart warms as I realize my two closest friends are by my side.

I head toward ICU. Drew is all I can visualize. I need rea.s.surance that my brother is alive. Entering the ICU waiting room Julie and Luke flank me.

"What happened with you and Cole?" she asks quietly.

"He's just an a.s.s. He wants me to stay out of the stuff with the Martins. Sal's after me too."

"Is that all?"

She questions. I pause before answering her. I realize it was the catalyst, but it is not the only reason I punched him.

"No. I also wanted to punch him for the last five years. He made me feel like he was the one and I hadn't been gone a week and he was already s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g around."

I spit out not even trying to mask the bitterness and pain. It seems today is my day to have word vomit. All these years of hiding everything and it's all coming out.

I slump into a seat in the waiting room emotionally drained. Getting the phone call and rushing across country, running into the man I love and left is not making for an easy day. Luke pulls me into him as he takes a seat next to me.

He begins to mumble softly to me.

"You can do this. Don't let him shake you!"

He is right I can't let Cole distract me from why I am here. First priority is Drew, then I am going after Sal. That motherf.u.c.ker only thought I was a pain in the a.s.s. I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet, but I know somehow, someway I will make Sal pay for f.u.c.king with my family. Cole can let me be a part or I go out on my own. It doesn't matter I will not just sit back and do nothing.

We haven't been sitting there long when Cole and Pete enter the ICU waiting room. I notice faces around us take in the alarming size of Pete and the air of power and strength and all around bada.s.sness that is Cole. Bruce and Justin follow behind them shortly causing even more people to shift uncomfortably in their seats. Many moving away from our little group.

Cole looks at Luke with his arm around me and a snarl comes on his face. I can't help thinking Suck it up a.s.shole!

I may have left Belmont five years ago, but I didn't leave my family. Each one of them holds a piece of my heart. As I look at the faces of my family, I wonder what would have happened had I not left for UCLA? How would my life be different? Would Cole and I be a happy couple? Would I be a mother instead of losing a child?

The familiar jab of pain hits me as I think of our lost baby. Cole is watching me closely. I know how eerily easy it is for Cole to read people. I want to hide myself right now so he can't read me. It wouldn't take much for him to figure out that I'm harboring a lot of pain and anger.

I hate how being home brought all these painful memories to the surface. This is just one of many reasons I had not been back to Belmont. Julie gets up and moves to the other side of Luke. They had met on previous occasions, but I loved to see my two best friends bonding with one another as well.

Justin moves to the seat his twin has just vacated. He looks at me intently. He is just like his brother with an ability to read people.

"What?"

My impatience screaming out.