Protection

Chapter Two

“Kyra!” He was at the front door.

She came running down the stairs, and straight into his arms. Tears ran down her face as he lifted her and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

He wrapped his arms around her, holding the small body as close to his as he could get it. “It’s okay,” he whispered above her ear. “It’s okay. They’re gone now.”

Her body shook in his arms as she cried. “I’m… sorry,” she sobbed.

“No,” he gently pulled her back far enough to lift her face to his with one hand, and still held her up to him with the other arm. “You did the right thing. I wanted you to call me. I’m glad you called me.”

“I shouldn’t have stayed here,” she started to get control of herself again, pushing herself away from him, and he sat her back onto her feet. “I should have listened to you. I shouldn’t have stayed here.” She turned away from him.

“Calm down,” Ben spun her back around to him. “They’re gone now. They won’t be coming back today.”

She looked up at him, and then down at the floor, his words sinking into her head, “Why do you think they came back?”

“They either came because they thought you weren’t home or….” his voice trailed off.

“Or to kill me,” she finished for him, her voice low. She turned and looked at her living room. The sofa was flipped over, the pictures on the floor. Nothing was left on the entertainment center.

“It looks like they were looking for something.”

Fresh tears stung her eyes. Why would someone want to do this? They had no enemies. Why would someone kill her brother and turn their home upside down like this? What were they looking for? What would they have done if they had found her? They would be back. Maybe not today, but they would be back.

“What if something happens to me?”

She turned back around and looked into the dark brown eyes, “What do you want me to do?”

“Go get dressed,” he paused for a moment. “I’ll see if I can straighten some of this back up.”

She looked down, realizing she was only wearing one of Nicky’s t-shirts. She ran up the stairs and back to her room, glad it hung to the middle of her thighs. She pulled out a pair of her cropped jeans and her bra. Now that she had calmed down some, she couldn’t believe she had even gone running to a man she had just met, and in only a t-shirt at that. She put the clothes on and then climbed up on her bed.

She moved the blades of her ceiling fan so she could get to the slightly uneven tiles. When she had those out of the way, she pulled down her heavy lock box, letting it drop onto the bed. She pulled her suitcase out of the closet that she packed last night before crying herself to sleep.

She reached under her bed, getting her cell phone. She quickly saved Ben’s number then she called the shop to come and get the Trans Am. She wanted to be able to get to her car, and get Nicky’s fixed.

Kyra had so many things she needed to do today. She didn’t think the day would be long enough. So many things she didn’t want to do.

She went down the hall to her brother’s room, stopping when she opened the door. Everything about the room was Nicky. She took a deep breath, stepping in. Quickly, trying not to think, she gathered everything that had value to her brother, personal or otherwise.

She went back to her room, placing the items in a duffle bag. She went around her own room, gathering things she didn’t want to lose. She put her purse over one shoulder, the duffle over the other. Then she picked up the suitcase and the lock box, carrying them downstairs.