The Distance Between Us (MAC Security 3)

He smiles and stands up, bringing his hand out. I place mine in his, shaking it and then letting it go. “Don’t let me down, Kitty.”

“I won’t, sir.”

“It’s Ty, or Boss, whichever, but never sir.”

“Got it,” I chuckle.

The day that Ty showed me the cottage, I fell in love with it instantly. It was toward the back of the property, on its own but also within the safety of the compound.

As soon as I walked in the front door I knew that it was me down to a T. It’s small and homely, the layout simple. Three doors lined the small hallway, two on the right and one on the left. The living room was through the first door, then the kitchen next to it and the bedroom on the left with an adjoining bathroom.

I spent about a month doing the place up and putting all of my quirky touches to it, including the zebra print wallpaper that I hung in the living room. The whole place was an eclectic mixture. The living room somewhere between sixties vibe and modern, a leather wingback chair thrown in for good measure.

The kitchen looked out onto the woods and I couldn’t not bring the outside in, potted plants lining the window and dark blue tiles surrounding the countertops.

But the bedroom was where I had the most fun, painting a mural of all my favorite flowers; daisies, roses, chrysanthemums, lilies and many more. They calmed me and that’s exactly what I wanted in my bedroom, something to relax me. The furniture was all stark white in there, a stark contrast from the mismatched furniture of the living room.

“Kitty?”

“What?” I ask, my eyes flying to Kay’s.

“Come on, let’s get you inside.”

We walk up the narrow path, Kay nearly falling into my bed of flowers as she nearly drops the bag that she’s carrying. Her face is comical as she stares at them and back to me, her eyes wide and her mouth open in shock. I smirk at her and tilt my head to the door.

By the time I’m sitting in my leather wingback chair, I start to relax. But my arm throbs from all of the movement, the pain so bad that I know I need to take some more pills, no matter if I’m not due any for another few hours.

“I’m fine now, Kay. I just want to rest.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I’ll come over later.”

She bites her lip, wringing her hands in front of her. “I’ll be back in about an hour then,” she says, stepping forward and placing all my meds on the table in front of me.

“Thanks,” I whisper, my eyes not moving from them.

The pain is so intense, it’s all I can think about and as soo

n as I hear the front door close, I pick up my pills, head straight into the kitchen and grab a bottle of water. I carry them one handed to my bedroom and lie on my bed, opening the bottle and taking another two, the feeling of relief rushing through me almost instantly.

It’s been several days since I last saw Kitty. I wanted to go and visit her in the hospital again but every time I’d get in the car to go, something would stop me. I hate hospitals. I really don’t know how I managed to stay in there when she was first taken in.

But now that she’s home, I can go and see her anytime I want, but I know it won’t be as often as I’d like to, I need to bring Jonny down. It’s his fault that she got hurt. If she wasn’t there, none of this would have happened in the first place.

“He’s on the move,” Kurt says as he comes into my office. I sit up straight, piercing him with my eyes, silently telling him to continue. “Word is he’s got a meeting with the cartel. Leroy and Sanchez are on it.”

I pull my cell out, shooting a quick message to them, telling them to keep me informed. I’ll get him in a prison cell if it’s the last thing I do.

“How is she?”

My head flies up and I frown. “Who?”

He raises his brows, looking at me like I’ve lost my mind. “Kitty.”

“Oh… erm… she got out today, should be home now.”

“You going to see her?”