Katalina buried her head in her hands, wanting to disappear.
“Someone’s here,” Bass said into the noise.
Jackson spun around turning his back on Amelia just as the door opened. More people crowded into the already packed hallway. Amelia pushed past Jackson, racing for the door, her knuckles strained white as she gripped her little boys’ hands.
“No, you don’t!” Jackson moved with such speed, Katalina couldn’t follow the movement. One minute Amelia was making a run for it, the next Jackson was lifting her from the floor, his thick muscular arm wrapped around her middle.
The three men who walked in looked on in surprise. Katalina decided this was the craziest family reunion ever.
“I didn’t want to do this but you leave me no choice.” Jackson sighed before he spoke his next words. His tone changed, taking on a whole new level. The power and strength in his words was palpable in the air, the command an unbreakable thing. “As your alpha, I forbid you to leave this house unless given permission by me.”
Jackson put her down, dismissing her. “What do you know?” he asked the men standing with their backs against the closed door.
The eldest of the three was about to answer, but Bass interrupted, “Jackson.” Everyone went silent, staring at him as if they couldn’t believe he’d spoke.
“Yes?” Jackson half-growled.
“We’ve got company, cops.”
“Shit!” Jackson ran his hands through his hair with a groan. “Everyone in the back, now! Not a word out of any of you.”
Katalina jumped to her feet. “Come on, boy,” she murmured, patting her leg as she instructed Arne to follow.
People scrambled into action, bodies pushing their way through the door into the kitchen.
Katalina heard Karen speak in a firm tone. “Everyone over there. I don’t want Toby disturbed.”
“Look at this place! It’s like a war zone!” Jackson shouted, looking at the bloodied rags across the floor.
Katalina picked them up, as she walked.
“William, what the fuck are you doing sitting bleeding on my floor? I told you to go see Karen.”
Katalina came back into the hall to see what was taking Bass so long.
“Well, someone had to keep an eye on him. Dark Shadow scum!” William spat.
Bass froze in his path. Katalina saw the hurt cross his face for the briefest of moments before his mask slipped back into place.
“And how exactly did you plan to stop him with a broken leg? Cage, come get this idiot off my floor!”
Cage appeared through the doorway, took one look at William and laughed, “Come on, buddy.”
There was a knock at the door.
Jackson’s eyes looked at the pool of blood William had left behind.
The knock came again, louder.
Katalina pulled a towel from off the banister and rushed forward to mop the blood up. “Get the door,” she hissed.
“Just a second,” Jackson called toward the door. “Both of you stay out of sight. I don’t want either one of you caught up in this.
They slipped through into the kitchen in silence. William lay on the floor with Cage at his shoulders holding him down. Karen’s fingers prodded at his leg, causing William to moan in pain.
“Shush, Jackson’s talking to the cops,” Katalina hissed.
Karen looked up at her. “Kat, come help.”
Katalina tossed the towel aside and dropped on her knees beside Karen.
“What do you need?”
“Well, the stupid idiot didn’t come to me straight away, so his leg’s healing crooked. I’m going to have to re-break it. I want you to hold his thigh down. Cage, hold his shoulders. Here, William, bite on this. No noise, remember.”
Katalina watched as Karen knelt at his feet. She took his foot in her hands and pulled. The crack echoed through the silence. William’s muffled cry sent a shiver down Katalina’s spine.
Jackson popped in briefly to inform them of the cops’ departure and then disappeared to do something else. Hoping to escape now the cops had left and William’s leg had been straightened, Katalina went to stand but Karen gave her more instructions and before she knew it, she was lost in the task at hand. Katalina followed Karen’s instructions not thinking of anything else.
So it was a shock a little while later when she felt the first trickle of anxiety form in her gut. She focused on the feeling, wondering where it had come from, because although, treating injured people wasn’t the nicest task she’d ever done, it was nice to feel needed, to help. It took her a minute to realize it wasn’t her feelings, but Bass’s. She glanced up from her task of holding the splint while Karen strapped William’s leg in place. Bass stood alone in the corner, his eyes glazed, staring at nothing. To anyone else in the room, he look as indifferent as he always did, but to Katalina, he looked lost, and Bass never looked lost. He was the type of person who owned a room. As if he sensed her looking, his glazed eyes focused on her. He flashed her a forced smile.