Fallen Stars and Broken Dreams - C.C. Masters Page 0,88

googled Katya’s symptoms. The thought of Katya being hurt had me tied up in knots. I told myself it was because I didn’t want to see Kash or my brother be sent to prison, but the image of Katya’s weak form lying helpless in her bed was burned into my brain. As soon as we were sure she didn’t die, we needed to find a way to get her out of this house and away from my family. She may not have come here to scam us out of money, but that didn’t mean we could keep her. Even if that’s what I really wanted.

People changed whenever large sums of money were on the line, and the ugliest parts of themselves were revealed. I’d be doing Katya a favor by getting her out of here. So why did my mind immediately start making up reasons why I should keep her here? I shook my head. Delaying the inevitable would just make it more painful for everyone involved. Besides, she’d want nothing to do with me when she found out the truth about her fake friendship with Abby and her near-death experience.

Chapter 27

Katya

On Friday, I was up before the sun and feeling more like myself. It had taken me several days to recover from my first, and maybe last, attempt to lose my sorrows in alcohol. I had no idea that a hangover could last that long. When dealing with my emotional pain, I’d prefer to stick to working my body into the ground over drinking myself to death.

Kingston, Kash, and Maverik had all checked on me multiple times, bringing me water, Gatorade, and snacks my stomach wasn’t ready for. Maverik mainly hovered silently, but Kingston had tried to cheer me up with jokes. The caring behavior of all three of them had thrown me for a loop, though, and I wasn’t quite sure what to think about it.

Mr. Ferguson was already in the kitchen, getting Richard’s morning coffee ready. After I said good morning to him, I pulled some fruit and yogurt out of the fridge. I was just finishing up when Richard came down and lifted an eyebrow in surprise.

“Ten minutes early, Katya? I wish my boys would take lessons from you.”

I shrugged in embarrassment. “Habit. I always get to class early because I want time to warm up.”

Richard gave me a warm smile. “Then let’s get going, we’re going to have a busy day today.” He hesitated. “I used to staying in my apartment in the city during the week, so I didn’t have to commute back and forth, but with your mother…”

I shrugged, understanding what he was saying. It also made me a little sad because I saw more of why the guys were angry with my mother and me. Richard never stayed at the house to take care of them, but now he was here all the time because of Nina? That had to sting.

Richard shot a grin in my direction. “Traffic is going to be bad this morning because of an event in the city, so we’re going to bypass it. How do you feel about helicopters?”

I smiled back at him. “It sounds like I’m about to find out?”

“I try to avoid wasting resources like this whenever I can, but I can’t afford to spend hours in a car this morning. Plus, I thought it would be fun for you,” Richard told me casually.

I grabbed my bag before following Richard out to the car. We made the very short drive to the helo pad, and I couldn’t help but bounce a little in excitement. This would be my first helicopter ride, and I couldn’t wait to see the city from the air.

The pilot chuckled at my excitement when he handed over my headset and explained some of what he was doing. I was practically glued to the window as we took off, and I watched the small town of Bedford, and it’s million-dollar homes pass beneath us. Bedford Academy looked even more impressive from the air, and I realized that Abby and I hadn’t walked over the entire campus, just a small part of it.

Richard was quiet in the seat next to me, reading something on his tablet, but he glanced up when we passed into Seattle.

“Have you gone into the city yet?” he asked.

I shook my head. “No.”

My jaw dropped when the helicopter passed over the famous spheres and landed on a tall, shiny building. The pilot helped me out, and several people were