Clinch (The Underground Book 2) (16 page)

Leo smirked. “I like the clothing choice.”

She glared at him and then pulled a sweatshirt over her head. Her hair was a mess on top of her head. No one in their right mind would believe she hadn’t been fucked hard.

“I’ll be right back.” She pounded her feet toward the door in frustration, turning at the entrance to speak again, “and don’t leave this apartment. Let me handle Marshall.”

Leo nodded when she waited for his consent. He had mixed feelings on the subject. On the one hand, he wanted that jerk to know Katie was Leo’s woman now, not his. On the other hand, he would win no brownie points from Katie if Marshall went to her mother with news that Katie was shacking up with a bulky MMA fighter with tattoos all over his back and arms.

However, no way was Leo going to miss the action. The minute Katie was out the door leading to the stairs, he bolted from the bed, shrugged into his jeans in record time, and followed her on silent bare feet. He wouldn’t let himself be seen, but he did want to hear what Marshall Pierce had to say for himself this morning.

Leo made it to the hall outside the waiting room of her clinic before she had the front door open. She’d left the door to the back rooms ajar. Leo would have no trouble remaining hidden while listening to every word. Maybe he was an asshole for spying, but he was the asshole currently falling hard for the woman he was sure was about to take a verbal beating from the dick who stepped into the clinic already enraged.

“Katie, where have you been?” Marshall’s voice was an octave too high, way too loud, and disrespectful.

Yeah, Leo was going to struggle to keep himself from rounding the corner and slamming the guy into the wall.

Katie ignored his ridiculous question and shot back one of her own. “What are you doing here? It’s early. I was asleep.”

“Asleep? You never sleep this late.”

“Well, I did. It’s not a crime. You need to stop pestering me. I’m not going out with you anymore. We’re over.”

“Have you told your mother that?”

“Multiple times.” She sounded exasperated.

Leo winced. It seemed her mother wasn’t one to listen to her daughter, either. What was with these people?

Marshall chuckled sardonically. “Really? Because she called me last night to invite the two of us to dinner this evening. It’s your day off. I think we should go.”

“Not going to happen, Marshall.”

He humphed loud enough for Leo to hear him. “Are you still pissed about that damn fight I took you to? Because you need to get over it. Grow up. Stop being such a baby. I said I was sorry. And you’ve never once apologized for disappearing. Do you know how long I spent looking for you?”

“Was that before or after you collected your winnings and went home to get a good night’s sleep?” Her voice was higher, matching his.

“What difference does it make? Now, go get dressed. You look hung over. Have you been drinking?”

“Seriously?” she screamed. “Marshall, go home. I’m not going anywhere with you. Not today. Not ever. We’re done. If my mother won’t listen to me, maybe she’ll listen to you.”

“Katie, when are you going to stop whining and get your life together? This little pet project of yours can’t go on forever. Do you realize how pissed your mother is that you’re wasting your inheritance on a dump? The people who come in here aren’t worth saving, Katie. Pull your head out of your ass. I’m not going to wait around forever. If you don’t sell this place, buy some proper clothes, and move in with me soon, I’ll find someone else.”

“Please. For the love of God, find someone else. We’re
not
an item. We never were.”

“We were practically engaged. The ring has been sitting on my bedside table for almost a year. Two carats. Lose the clinic. It was a sweet gesture toward undeserving homeless people who won’t be bothered to do for themselves. You’re pissing away money making choices we should be making together.”

She gasped. “Please tell me you did not just insinuate you should have any say whatsoever in how I spend my money.”

“Of course I did. You obviously can’t make good choices for yourself. You need someone to regulate your spending, invest your inheritance wisely. It’s time to take your proper place in life.”

“Not ever,” she gritted out. “Not if you were the last man alive.”

Leo had to grip the wall with his palms to keep from rushing into the waiting room.
She has it under control. Let her handle it
.

He heard stomping, and then the front door squeaked open. “Goodbye, Marshall. Give the ring to some debutante and leave me alone. Don’t come back. Stop calling.”

“I’m warning you, Kathryn. Get over this phase quick before you lose everything.”

“And I’m telling
you
, Marshall, over my dead body. The people I treat here are worth more than ten million of you and your hateful, money-loving, bigoted friends. Don’t make me say this again. Get out.”

Louder stomping, and then the door shut. Leo could even hear the twist of the lock. He strolled slowly back down the hallway to the stairs and sat on the bottom step, putting his head in his hands.

Jesus
.

He heard Katie round the corner and then gasp when she spotted him. “You aren’t very obedient, Mr. Gulin. Perhaps
you
are deserving of the next spanking.” She stomped toward him and then stepped around him to climb the steps at a quick pace.

He lifted his heavy body and followed. When they were back inside her apartment, he shut the door behind him and watched her huff around the kitchen, yanking out the coffee pot and then filling it with water. She kept her back to him, and he let her.

She was pissed.

He was too. Not at her, but at the world at large for treating her so poorly. She was the kindest, most caring person he’d ever met. How dare her friends and family treat her like she was the biggest regret of their lives?

He waited, letting her blow off steam. She stared at the coffee pot while it brewed and then poured two cups. Finally, she turned around to face him.

“Are you mad at me?” he asked.

Her shoulders slumped. “I probably should be, but no.”

“It wasn’t like I was spying on you, Katie. I’m worried about you. That guy’s a loose cannon. I don’t trust him.”

“I can see your point. Until this morning, I would have laughed at the idea. But he was definitely off his rocker today.” She plopped onto a chair and took a sip of her coffee. “I can’t believe that asshole actually insinuated he should be in control of my inheritance. That mother fucker.”

He rarely heard her curse so freely. “Are you parents really that pushy about you marrying him?”

“Unfortunately, yes. I haven’t spoken to them often lately. Especially my mother. She does nothing but complain every time I call her. You’d think I was thirteen instead of thirty.”

“Is it true you’re spending your inheritance to keep this place running?” He admired her spunk, but that took balls.

“Yes, and no. I had to use a large chunk of it to get things going, but I’ve been open for three years now. I run largely on grants. My mother, and apparently Marshall, choose to pretend I’m squandering away the family fortune on indigents.” She lifted a finger. “Which, by the way, is my right if I so choose. And, let me point out that my grandfather left me that money to do with as I pleased. He would be proud.”

Leo smiled. He was just as proud. “You’re an amazing woman, Dr. Kathryn Schwan. You deserve much more than someone like Marshall Pierce. Guy’s a world-class dickwad.”

She slapped her forehead. “I’m so stupid. Now that I think about it, I’m sure my mother told him exactly what my inheritance was. He’s undoubtedly been hovering around me in an effort to get his hands on every dime.”

Shit. How much was it? Leo shook the question from his head. He didn’t give a fuck about her money, but how far out of his league was she? He lowered his voice and cleared his throat. “What you’re doing here is important. It’s what made me fall for you the moment I met you. You’re the kindest, most giving, loving person I’ve ever met.

“Every patient you see means something to you. I’m certain your grandfather would be proud, just as I’m certain it wouldn’t matter if you spent every dime keeping this clinic alive. Every day you make people’s lives better. No one can put a dollar amount on that. Not even your mother.”

She had tears in her eyes when he finished speaking, her bottom lip trapped hard between her teeth.

A long silence ensued.

Finally, Leo took another long sip of his coffee and then tested the waters by changing the subject. “I need to run a few errands and go by my place to check on Mikhail. Go with me?”

She released her lip and then glanced around. “Aren’t you tired of me? I probably should get a few things done around here also.”

“I’ll never tire of you. And whatever drawers you need to organize can wait. Spend the day with me.”

She hedged for a moment and then nodded. “Okay.”

An hour later, they were both showered and ready to head out when the doorbell rang again.

Katie checked out the window this time. “The police?” She turned around, her eyes wide.

Leo cringed inwardly. The way things were going lately, he would believe anything. “Let’s see what they want.” He led the way down the stairs and through to the front entrance. When he unlocked and then opened the front door to two uniformed officers, they both nodded.

“I’m Officer Cooley, and this is Office Tanner. May we come in? We have a few questions.”

Leo held the door open wider as Katie grabbed his arm. “Of course.”

The officers stepped inside, Cooley continuing to speak. “I’m sorry to bother you folks on a Sunday.” He glanced at Katie. “Are you Doctor Schwan?”

“Yes.”

“A number of homeless people have been reported missing in the area along the western edge of downtown. I’m wondering if you’ve heard anything about it.”

She gasped, her grip on Leo’s arm tightening before she released him to stand on her own. “No. God. That’s awful. Where would they go? Did the shelter get too crowded?”

Cooley shook his head. “I’m afraid many are turning up dead. We’ve found several bodies. There’s a large area used primarily for dumping on the south end of this neighborhood. Somebody called in reporting seeing a body in the rubble. We’ve been investigating it for several days now. Unfortunately, all we’ve managed to do is find several more bodies. None of them have any identification.

“We passed around photos on the streets and determined most of them were living under the radar in this area. Homeless,” he clarified.

Katie flattened her hand on her throat and sucked in a breath. “That’s… I can’t even…”

“Would you like to sit down, ma’am?” Cooley asked, spinning around to grab a chair from the row behind him.

Leo took the seat and eased her into it, pulling up another for himself at her knees. The officers spun two more around and sat facing them.

Officer Tanner spoke after a few moments. “Would you take a look at a few pictures to see if you recognize any of the bodies?” He pulled out a stack of photos from the portfolio he held against his chest. “I’ll warn you, some of them are graphic.”

Katie bit her lower lip while she slowly looked through the pictures. She stopped a few times and pulled out three of the dozen photos. “I think I’ve treated these three at one point or another. Probably recently. But it would be difficult to verify. Not everyone who comes into my clinic registers a name. Sometimes we have to mark their file by description or simply give them a letter and a number.”

The officer looked at the three pictures she’d identified and handed them to Cooley.

“That’s a lot of bodies. Do you think there are more?”

“Possibly. Who knows how long they’ve been piling up at that dump site?” He cringed. “Unfortunately, it’s difficult to track the homeless, and often they aren’t reported missing. None of these people had any identification on them. We only ascertained they were from the streets when we began asking around.”

“What did they die of?” Katie asked hesitantly.

Leo grabbed her hand and squeezed it. She loved these people. Tears were forming in the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill over.

“That’s the strange part.” Officer Tanner ran a hand through his thick brown hair. “There’s no evidence of gunshots or stabbings. The only thing visible is track marks. Perhaps someone got a hold of a bad batch of heroin and shared it. Could be they’re overdosing. An autopsy is being performed on several of them, but I’m not hopeful we’ll get answers.”

Katie cringed. “I’ll see if I can find out anything from my patients as they come in this week. The ones who trust me. I walk a fine line with some of them. They don’t trust handouts.”

“That’s what we were hoping. Homeless people are even more leery of cops.” Cooley shrugged. “Can’t say as I blame them. But if any of them have seen anything suspicious, it would sure help. I don’t like thinking some asshole is picking up homeless people and killing them for grins.”

Leo stiffened. His mind wandered to Yenin. The man was devious. But it was a gigantic stretch to assume he would start killing off homeless people in order to hurt Leo or Katie. A bit too indirect for Yenin’s taste. If the man wanted Leo back in the fold or intended to send a warning, he was the type to be far more direct.

No. Killing homeless people wasn’t his style. Killing Katie was. But not something as unrelated as the patients she saw. Too subtle.

Then again, perhaps the asshole was being far more devious than Leo gave him credit for. He couldn’t take out one of the fighters without raising serious red flags and incurring the wrath of Abram Gromov. If he took out Katie Schwan, an heiress, her family would freak out and bring too much attention to the murder.

But the homeless? Was it possible Yenin was sending a message to Leo and the others to back the fuck off?

The officers rose, and Leo held Katie’s arm to help her stand also. She was shaking. “We’ll be in touch.” Cooley handed Katie his card. “Call if you think of anything at all.”

She took the card, her fingers unsteady.