Alone ✧ KATE BISHOP

8 - More Questions Than Answers

WHEN JASPER, KATE, AND THEIR NEWFOUND FURRY COMPANION ENTERED KATE'S APARTMENT, JASPER'S MIND WAS ALREADY REELING. 

Everything had happened so fast she barely had any time to process it. But one thing was certain - she was ninety-nine percent sure that those men, whoever they were, had seen her face and would most likely refuse to stop until they found her. And Kate. 

"Welcome to my apartment," Kate said as the dog and Jasper walked through the door. "Uh, make yourself at home."

Jasper didn't even stop to acknowledge how simple and homely Kate's apartment looked - minus the fact that the whole place was massive. She simply collapsed in the nearest chair and leaned back, letting out a sigh of relief as she covered her face with one hand. 

"Whoa," Kate said as soon as they were inside, more so rambling to herself than speaking to Jasper and the dog. "Okay, that was, that was crazy. But we're safe. We're safe." Kate then rushed over to a bag which sat on the counter and began rummaging through it as she muttered, "Okay, what is going on with Armand?"

Jasper uncovered her face and sat up. "Kate, what the hell are you doing?" 

Kate froze, her eyes going wide. "I'm, uh... trying to track Armand." 

Jasper abruptly stood up, her chair screeching backwards and making Kate flinch. "Are you out of your fucking mind?!" Jasper snapped. "Kate, those guys had guns. Guns! We barely made it out of there alive, no thanks to you, and now those ski-mask-wearing lunatics could find us and kill us!" 

"No thanks to me?!" Kate repeated. "You're the one who decided to come along!" 

Jasper's hands balled into fists as her eyes flashed angrily. "Yeah, because I didn't think you'd take things so damn far and almost get our fucking heads blown off!" 

Kate fell silent at Jasper's words, the defensive look leaving her eyes as she looked down. Even though she hadn't known Jasper very long, it was rare for Jasper to lose her cool like that. But the stress of them almost dying - not to mention the confusion she felt over what was going on with her - had pushed her to her limit. 

"I'm sorry," Kate said with a sigh. "I know I took things too far, but..." She shook her head and looked up at Jasper. "I wanted to know what was going on. And after the explosion... I just couldn't sit there and do nothing while people were in danger. I... I'm not built like that." 

Jasper sighed as well, puffing air out of her cheeks as she ran a hand through her hair. "Well, like it or not, those guys are still after us. So we need to lay low for a little while until things die down." 

"But we have to go find out what's going on with Armand," Kate insisted. "I mean, threatening my mom and buying black market swords?" A look came to her eyes as if an idea had come to her, and she quickly added, "Do you think he's connected to the break-in somehow?" 

Jasper shook her head before crossing her arms. "I dunno. I mean, you didn't see what one of those guys was doing. He would've shot Armand if you hadn't stepped in. And do you really think he'd have some of his own men kill him?" 

Kate shrugged. "Who knows, they could've double-crossed him or something." 

Jasper huffed. Clearly Kate was fixated on her suspicions of Armand III, and there was no talking her out of it. So Jasper's shoulders sagged as she said, "Look, do you have something I could change into? I'm pretty overdressed." 

Kate nodded. "Yeah, my room's up there." She pointed to the flight of stairs nearby. "Closet's to the right the moment you walk in." 

Jasper nodded back. "Thanks."