I nodded. “You?”
He gave a weary nod, turning around and adjusting his hoodie to make sure my teeth marks were covered up.
And I finally looked at Kai.
He stared at the ground where Natalya lay, and I couldn’t make out the expression on his face as I moved around to his side. It seemed to change by the second.
Was he afraid? He did nothing wrong. If he hadn’t shut her up, she…
I couldn’t even think about it right now. My brother had completely locked up, and I couldn’t wrap my head around what was happening to him. Would it happen again?
I was glad Kai hit her.
Damon walked up to his side, both of them glaring down at Natalya. She laid on the floor, having fallen back against a chair leg, but she looked like she might be hurt. Her eyes were closed, but her head bobbed lightly as she held her side.
“Are you okay?” Kai turned to Damon. “Man, I’m sorry. I didn’t know—”
“Shut the fuck up,” Damon bit out. “She was talking nonsense. Forget it. You understand?”
My brother glared at his friend, a threat lacing his words.
Kai didn’t answer, just closed his mouth and stared at Damon. He knew it was a lie.
Blood seeped through Natalya’s fingers, and I searched the table, finally seeing the stem of a wine glass broken and laying on its side. One of the sharp edges was doused in blood. She’d been cut.
“She’s hurt,” Kai went on. “We need an ambulance. I think she hit her head, too.”
“I’ll take care of it. You’ve done enough.” He glanced over his shoulder at me. “You put her in danger. She shouldn’t even be here.”
“I didn’t see you making a move to do anything.”
“Enough.” I stepped forward.
We had bigger problems. Natalya’s sanity had clearly deteriorated even more since she’d disappeared three years ago. All that stuff she’d said, and right in front of Kai…There was no telling how out of control she could become. Gabriel didn’t like to be embarrassed. What were we going to do with her?
“Leave,” Damon told Kai. “I’ll call my father.”
Kai regarded him, looking uncertain. “No, it’s my fault she got hurt. I want to make sure she gets to a doctor.”
“And when she tells someon
e at the hospital that you hit her?” Damon retorted. “Yeah, I’m sure that’ll do wonders for your college applications.” He shook his head. “Just get out of here. My family will make sure she’s fine and kept quiet. Don’t worry. No one wants a scene.”
Kai hesitated, probably worried about making sure she was taken care of, but the Torrance’s obviously had some serious family history, and he had to understand Damon wanted his father to see to Natalya. No hospitals. No cops. We all had a stake in keeping her quiet.
Kai took my hand. “Come on.”
But Damon grabbed me and yanked me over to him. “Mine,” he said to his friend.
“Like hell.” Kai scowled at him. “I saw it on your face, man. You’re a mess. You would’ve hurt her.”
Damon just shook his head at him, not bothering to defend himself. That was something I admired about my brother and wished I could control in myself. People will think what they want to think, not because they believe they are right, but because it’s in their nature to maintain that they are. By defending yourself, you feed the appetite for drama. By not, you’ve ended the conversation. You. Not them.
But I couldn’t help but also wonder if Kai was maybe right. What would’ve happened if he hadn’t interceded?
Damon turned to me, jerking his chin. “Go with him, then. Go.”
What?