Hellcat

Chapter Nineteen

Now...

I laid in bed all day, ignoring all phone calls. The only person who called was Karen. Finally, around four, she showed up at my place. "Allison, I know you're in there," she called from the other side of the door, knocking loudly. I groaned, rolling onto my stomach. "Please, I really need to talk to you," she begged. Sighing, I forced myself to get to my feet. "Allison," she called once more. I trudged through the living room and reached the door. When I pulled it open, I saw Karen standing there, looking downtrodden and concerned.

"Have you been crying?" she asked me after a long pause. "Yeah," I sighed before stepping back, letting her enter the small condo. "Does it have something to do with what's going on between Matt and Foggy? And why Matt's lying about how he got hurt?" she asked me, arms crossed over her chest as she stood in my living room. "Nope. This is all my fault," I grumbled, moving into the kitchen.

"Want something?" I asked, grabbing a bottle of beer from the fridge. "Wow, you and Matt both. Having the same kind of day, I guess," she said, glancing at the unopened beer in my hand. I glanced down at the bottle. "Damn, you're right. I need a stronger drink," I mumbled, putting the beer back and reaching into my cabinet for the bottle of whiskey I had stashed. Twisting off the cap, I took a long swig. Karen stared at me with raised eyebrows.

"Wow. What the hell is going on with everyone? I can't get ahold of Foggy. Matt's lying. You've been crying and now you're day-drinking," she said with a scoff, shaking her head. "I've found alcohol helps forget the wounds of the heart," I told her with a simple shrug. She sighed once more, running a hand through her hair. "How about a distraction?" she asked as I leaned against the kitchen counter. "Hit me," I responded. Nodding, she took a deep breath.

"Okay, so I found something on Fisk," she started. My eyebrows shot up in surprise. "His mother is alive. Now, I went and talked to her. She's not all there but she admitted that Fisk killed his father. A-and she helped him cover it up. Now, Ben thinks this isn't enough to bring Fisk down," she explained. I gave a nod. "It's really not. But maybe we can find something else," I suggested to her. Setting my bottle of whiskey on the counter, I headed for my room.

"What are you doing?" Karen called after me hesitantly. I shucked off my tank top and heard a small noise of discomfort come from Karen. "We're gonna go digging. Where did you find this information?" I asked her as I stripped off my clothes. "The county clerk's office," she told me before I heard a gasp. Glancing back over my shoulder, I saw her staring at the scars all over my body. Fidgeting slightly, I finished getting dressed before turning to face her. "How did you get that many scars?" she asked me. "Thirteen years in the military leaves a mark," was my simple reply.

Then I snatched up my purse, jacket, and shoes, tugging the latter on as I grabbed the bottle of whiskey from the counter. "You're bringing that?" Karen asked, concern in her voice. "Can't leave without my medicine," I told her, shoving the bottle in my purse before stepping through the door.

Karen and I spent a few hours looking through more papers involving Fisk's mother. We found jack shit. I had a nice little buzz going, but it wasn't enough. I still felt like shit for hurting Matt – for hurting both of us. But it had to be done. By the time it was dark out, Karen suggested stopping for a drink at Josie's. I bet she was thinking she could get some information out of me. Whether it be about Matt, or Foggy, or myself, I don't know. But, when we arrived, Foggy sat alone at the bar, bottle of whiskey beside him.

Karen and I stepped up, her taking the bottle while I reached over the bar and grabbed two glasses. She gave me a hesitant glance, but poured us both a drink anyway. "You're a dick," Karen said before taking a sip. "The hell did I do?" Foggy asked her before topping off his glass. "I've been calling you all day," she told him. "Been busy," he grumbled, not looking up from the bar top. "Did you even listen to my messages?" she asked him as I downed my entire glass and then filled it up again. "Yeah," he replied softly.