"What the fuck is going on here?"
Realising Seth has caught them red-handed, Kate pushes Richie away and quickly pulls up her shorts. Guilt flows over her, then pure unadulterated fear as Seth storms towards them. She has never seen him this angry before, not even at the Titty Twister.
"Relax, brother. It doesn't concern you."
Hearing Richie's patronising tone, she ponders smacking him herself. "Shut. Up. Richie."
"Does the fang-bitch know her lapdog is running around bumping uglies with teenage girls?"
In spite of how embarrassed she is, Kate steps up in front of Richie before Seth can get in his face. Hands pressed against Seth's chest, she struggles to keep him in check. "Seth, I swear. He wasn't hurting me."
Jaw clenched, his face filled with rage, Seth snarls at her. "I'll deal with your Judas ass later!"
Not expecting him to force her aside, she trips over her feet and falls to the ground.
"Hey, don't push her!" Richie barks.
Kate watches in horror as Seth starts shoving Richie.
"You have the gall to say that to me? I wasn't the one fucking her like a two bit whore just now."
"Why are you so upset, Seth? Did you want to trade places with me?"
"I'm not the perv here, you dead fuck!"
"But you are the prick using her as bait. Think that's any better?"
All hell breaks loose after Seth throws a mean punch across Richie's jaw. The brothers start fighting, beating and kicking each other. Running on instinct, Kate quickly makes her way towards the bag she'd dropped earlier on the ground and pulls out the gun from inside. Raising it up in the air, she fires a shot.
Startled, the Gecko brothers pause momentarily to look at her. Irritation surges through her. They're staring at her like she's the crazy one when they're the ones fighting like dogs over a bone.
"Smart move, Einstein. Wake the neighbours so they can join in too," Seth grumbles.
"One more word, Seth, and I swear I'll put a bullet through your shoulder," Kate warns, glaring at them.
"Brilliant job, giving her a gun," Richie deadpans.
She makes good on her threat, fires a shot at Richie. The bullet whizzes right past him, grazing his pinky finger in the process.
"Jesus Christ! What the fuck are you doing?" Seth yells, grabbing his brother's wounded hand.
Richie cocks his eyebrow at her. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised. Chekhov's law and all that."
"He's a vampire, he'll be fine," she reminds Seth. "But you won't be if you don't shut up and listen to me." Both brothers glare at her like she's sprouted a second head from her neck. "I'm not a piece of toy for you to fight over. And this isn't even about me! You're just using me as an excuse to beat the hell out of each other. Enough's enough. I'm sick of this crap." She withdraws the gun. "Seth, why do you think he's here? It's not for me." She keeps her gaze trained on Seth, refusing to look at Richie. "This is about you, Seth. Richie's a stubborn jerk, just like you, and he won't admit he made a mistake when he picked her. But he did. He messed up, and now he's trying to make things right even if he's going about it in a really stupid way."
"That's not-"
"Shut up, Richie!" Kate interjects. "Seth, I know you're angry. You're hurting but he's here now, he's standing right there. No matter what he's said or done, he's still family. And he loves you."
"Stop with the Dr. Phil routine. I ain't got time for this shit," Seth fires back, starting to walk away.
"See what I'm dealing with here?" Richie adds.
"Then make time!" Kate yells simultaneously, pushing herself in front of Seth. "Because you're not coming back up to that room until you make peace with Richie."
Clutching her bag, she turns around and heads towards the stairs.
A thumping noise startles her awake. It takes a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the surroundings and she realises the other bed is empty, she's alone in the room . A quick glance at the radio-clock reveals it's past two in the morning. It's been almost three hours since she left Seth and Richie alone.
Eyes glued to the ceiling, she ponders what the Gecko brothers are up to. Maybe they're still fighting in the parking lot, but she doubts that. It wouldn't exactly be a fair fight considering Richie has supernatural strength on his side. Even earlier when Seth was provoking his brother, Richie was holding back. Maybe they're at the bar, drowning their sorrows in tequila. Another possibility enters her brain - the strip club located a few miles down the road - but she refuses to dwell on it. Nope, nope, nope. The idea of Richie with other women, naked women, dancing all over him, grinding against him, burns her up with jealousy. The memory of Santanico dancing for Richie and that awestruck expression on his face is still etched into her brain. She doesn't want to think about it or relive through that ever again.
The door opens and Seth stumbles inside, tripping over himself as he enters the room. He reeks of alcohol, cigarettes and weed - a stomach churning combination. She quickly gets up, heads towards him. Helping him rise to his feet, she moves him to the bed.
"Are you okay?" she asks.
His shoulders droop down, his head hung low. "Do you care?"
"Of course I do. How can you ask me that?"
He turns to look at her.
"It's either me or him, princess. You gotta choose," he says, his words slurred.
"What?"
His hand awkwardly curves around the back of her head. "I'm done with him, he's dead to me. So if you want to stick with me, you gotta cut him loose. Simple as that."
Her heart sinks with disappointment. They didn't reconcile. She wonders if they even spoke after she took off.
"Can't have your cake and eat it too, Katie-cakes."
Seth only calls her that when he's extremely angry or trying to provoke her into an argument. Either way, she knows her attempts to get him to talk to his brother failed miserably. "You can't just cut Richie out of your life."
"Can't I? He's a fucking liar! I gave up everything for him, everything, and he left me to be a minion for that viper-bitch queen!" Seth bites out. His brown eyes narrow onto her face, peering at her closely. "He's not here for me, or you, he wants something. Something big. And he's playing us both to get it."
She shakes her head. "No, he wouldn't do that."
He sneers. "Think you're an expert on him now? Why? 'cause he knows how to find your g-spot and get you off?"
"Don't be disgusting!"
"Then don't be a fucking idiot!" he snaps. "Me or him. Pick."
"You!" she screams. "You, okay? I pick you. You're all I have. You're my only family now. So there is no fucking choice when it comes to you and Richie. Because it'll always be you!"
For so long he's kept the hurt bottled up, hiding the pain of losing his brother behind anger and other distractions, but now his eyes brim with tears, the dam threatening to collapse, and he can't contain the despair any longer. His face crumbles, she draws him closer. His head rests on her lap, his tears streaking his face, down to her skin, and she holds him in her arms. His sobs are heart-wrenching, a painful reminder of the keen loss of her own father and brother.
It's a long time before he falls asleep, and even longer before she does.
