What The Cat Dragged In Ch. 30

"Not a stable woman." Kelly stood still looking down on Stan. "Did that instability start before or after you started feeding her Panacea?"

His eyes widened and then narrowed. "I don't know what your-"

She stepped forward. "I'd rethink that, Stan."

Anger twisted his features again. "What do you want?"

"Just the truth."

A derisive laugh. "And then you kill me, is that it?"

She smiled sweetly. "I'm not going to lay a finger on you." Kelly sat down across from him again to emphasize the point. "You married my mother because you wanted a ready-made family. Something to show off."

He swallowed hard. "I wanted to be a father-"

"Bullshit."

"What? You want me to say it?" He screamed. "Fine! I had everything else in place to move up in the Church except a family. You were window dressing. Didn't realize you would be a pain in my ass from day one. Figured Dawes would break you. Turn you into a submissive wife."

She'd known it all along, but the words hurt as much as any punch she'd taken from Müller's assistants. She forced herself to be still and keep her face expressionless. The silence stretched.

"What'd you do? Kill him?" Stan's face twisted, as if the words left a bad taste in his mouth.

A little smile touched her lips. "I don't think I'll be answering any of your questions today, Stan."

He stared at her, anger narrowing his eyes and tightening his jaw. "Little bitch. I should have made sure that the only way you left my house was feet first."

Kelly nodded. "Probably. You never were very competent though. That what got you in trouble with Paulie C.?"

His eyes widened and then narrowed again. He shifted in the chair as much as the restraints would allow. "What do you know about that?"

"More than I thought apparently. Delivery schedules, cash transactions, even sales strategies all from your lips to my receptive ears." Every minute she spent in the cell, maintaining control was easier. "Not very wise. How did Cavallo find out you two were overheard?"

His face was florid with anger, his teeth ground together and for a long moment Kelly was certain he wasn't going to answer. "That little bastard of a brother of yours. I was seeing Paulie to his car and the little son of a bitch started asking questions. After that, it was you kids or me. Wasn't a choice really." He smirked. "A couple of tragedies with the right spin could put me in the public eye. No one would have to know that you two were impure little freaks."

Kelly ignored the comment. "Cavallo didn't want Cody dead?"

Stan shrugged. "Don't know, maybe they thought he was dead. He sure as hell looked like it." His left eye twitched as he said it.

Kelly watched the sweating man in front of her. "You did it yourself." Her voice was quiet. "And in your usual style you screwed it up."

Anger flared again. He leaned forward pulling on the cuffs. "Yes. I did it and so help me every time I punched him or kicked him I saw your face. The whole thing was your fault. All you had to do was fall into line and he would have too, but oh no, you had to be a hard-headed little bitch from the minute I laid eyes on you. And I didn't screw anything up! Your mother came in and saw her precious little boy laying in a pool of blood and piss and I knew the only chance I had was to convince her it was an accident. I figured he'd die at the hospital. Little bastard hung on."

Kelly's stomach turned. She pushed the feeling aside. There would be plenty of time later to be sick. "That meant you owed Cavallo a life. Cavallo wouldn't have gotten any pleasure of watching his men try to torment someone who was already in a coma."

Stan sat back again. "Know an awful lot don't you." He shrugged. "Figured you'd be more fun for Paulie and his boys anyway."

She got up quickly because her rising anger prevented stillness.

Stan cringed back in fear. "What are you going to do?" He spoke quickly.

Kelly stared at him for a long moment. He was disgusting, something less than human and the quicker he was out of her life for good, the better. She took a deep breath. "I'm going to forgive you, Stan."

He stared at her. "What?"

She bent over and looked into his eyes, her nose an inch away from his. "You are a sorry excuse for a human being. You wrap yourself in hatred and excuses because you can't face what a cowardly waste of space you really are. Hurting the defenseless makes you feel less like the insignificant little maggot you are. I don't have room for that in my life, so in time I will forgive you. Then I'm going to forget you ever existed." She stood up again and smiled at him. "I think we're done here." Her head was spinning; a tremor was threatening to take over her body.

The door opened behind her and Victor pulled her into a deep kiss. How he knew she needed that kind of strength at that moment was a mystery to her, she was grateful that he did.

"What-who are you?" Stan's eyes were wide. Kelly and Victor both watched him until recognition dawned. "My God, you're-"

Victor grinned a fang-baring grin. "Her mate." He looked at Kelly again. "Whatcha got planned for the rest of the day, frail?"

The look in his eyes told Kelly that 'going home to throw up' was not the right answer. "I have a hair appointment."

"Mate? What the hell is that?" Stan was struggling now.

Victor held her eyes. "Where?"

"Irina's."

He nipped her lower lip softly. "Not too short."

She forced a smile. "I promise."

He led her to the door with his hand on the small of her back.

"You can't leave me here!" Stan's scream was filled with abject terror.

Kelly and Victor stopped to look at him.

"Why the fuck not?" Victor asked.

His eyes darted between the two of them. "Because...Because she forgave me. It's over, she forgave me!"

Kelly nodded. "I said I will forgive you. Eventually."

Victor grinned again. "I don't forgive."