Hunted Predators✔️

Chapter Twenty-five

Katherine throws Fallenchesca in the back seat.

"We can't go with him," Fallenchesca protests. 

"You want to take your chances with those guys?" Katherine buckles her up and then climbs into the front. Ethan starts the engine.

"Screw you!" one of boys shouts after them.

"Right back at you!" Fallenchesca yells, sticking her head out the window then her middle finger. Katherine reaches over and grabs the back of her belt, pulling her back into the car. Ethan flips the child lock on. "Where to?" he says.

"Um." Katherine pushes back her hair, taking a breath. "Her apartment. It's a two minute drive, just keep going straight."

"Did they hurt you?"

"As if!" Fallenchesca cries from the backseat. "Katherine gave one of them a bloody nose!"

"Oh, so you're a badass?"

Katherine rolls her eyes. "Sure I am. Take a right here."

Ethan glances at Katherine, shooting her a grin. "You know, this would be, like, the second time I've said your life."

Fallenchesca snickers. "Dude, you do not want to flirt with Katherine. Talk about baggage." Ethan raises his eyebrows. "Why are we helping her again?"

"We're cousins, but I'm still holding on to the hope she was adopted."

"Ah."

"That's it," Katherine says, nodding to the apartment in front of them.

"The one with the crazy lady?"

Even through the windows, Helena's shrieked Spanish is loud enough to be audible. She storms down the steps of the apartment, waving a sandall as she approaches Ethan's car.

Katherine blankly stares out the window. "Home sweet home."

"What is she saying?" Ethan asks.

"She's saying she understands and is grateful that I helped her daughter."

"Really?"

"No."

Helena taps on the window in rapid succession, like a woodpecker with a shot of ADHD.

"You sure you want to say? Maybe we should give her a couple of hours to calm down."

"No. I just have to get this over with."

"Your funeral." Ethan rolls down the window, shooting Helena a winning smile. "Hello, Ma'am. I'm Ethan. Pleasure to meet you."

"Unacceptable!"

Katherine jumps, turning to face her aunt with a smile that was more like a wince.

"This is unacceptable! I get home from work early, hoping to having a nice dinner with my daughter, only to find her missing!" Katherine sinks down in her seat. "Then," Helena continues, yanking open the door to the passenger seat and pulling out Fallenchesca. "Not only do bring back my daughter like this" Fallenchesca lifelessly flops around as her mother shakes her like a piece of damning evidence. "but you also take a ride from some strange-" Ethan rolls up the window. "Stop! Young man, you stop right n-!"

The window shuts.

"Sorry about that," Katherine mutters. "Well. Bye then." Her eyes lowered, Katherine grabs the car door.

"Hang on."

Katherine glances back at Ethan.

"All you did was help her. If you're going to get in trouble, it should be for actually doing something. I mean, you're screwed either way, might as well make it worth your while."