by J. E. Parker
Before I could take a breath, he flipped me to my back and grabbed Heidi’s right arm, yanking her down beside me. She hit hard, letting out a yelp as her hip slammed against the floor.
Kyle ignored her cry of pain and covered our bodies with his own.
Arms wrapped around both of us, he held on tight.
Pop, pop, pop!
Three more shots rang out.
Grandmama, who I hadn’t seen get up from the love seat started screaming. “Keith!” Her voice was laced with panic. “The shots are coming from across the street!” Footsteps—whose I don’t know—pounded toward the front door. “From Anthony’s house!”
Two faces flashed in my mind.
First Shelby.
Then sweet little Lucca.
My fear increased tenfold.
Scared out of my wits, I wrapped an arm around Kyle’s lower back, holding him tight. With the other, I grabbed Heidi’s hand and intertwined her fingers with mine. Then, I closed my eyes and spoke to the one person I knew would be listening.
Please, Mama, I prayed. Keep us all safe.
SEVEN
Kyle
I stood on Grandmama’s dimly lit front porch watching the flurry of police activity across the street. Behind me, Hope, Clara and the boys were seated on a row of white wicker chairs. On the other side of the porch, about fifteen feet away, Carissa and Heidi sat on the swing, their gazes fixated on the same place mine had been for the past twenty minutes.
Worry for the people they considered their family filled their eyes.
Rage consumed me at the sight.
It flowed through my veins, simmering beneath the surface of my skin. Like a second heartbeat, I felt it race through me, fully aware of the destruction it would cause if allowed to run free.
Setting it free was exactly what I wanted to do.
I didn’t know who’d shot up Anthony’s house with him, Shelby, and Lucca inside, but if I found out and reached them before the police did, they would die by my hands. Plain and simple.
Because of some unknown assholes actions a beautiful woman could’ve been hurt, an innocent child could’ve died, and a good man could’ve lost his life and his family.
None of that was okay.
“Kyle!” I glanced down the driveway at the sound of Evan’s shout, spotting him right away. Headed toward the house, he walked next to Keith, who held Lucca in his arms.
Hendrix, Maddie, and Grandmama were still inside Anthony’s.
Cap, who’d shown up minutes after the police, was there too.
What the hell he was doing there, I hadn’t a clue.
Though I guessed he was being his usual nosy-as-fuck self.
At the sight of Lucca, Clara leaped to her feet, jumped down the steps, and barreled down the driveway, sobbing the entire way. Once she reached Keith, she scooped Lucca out of his arms and held him against her chest. Keith wrapped an arm around her and guided her back to the porch.
Evan reached me seconds later.
“What did you find out? Everybody alright?” My voice sounded rougher than sandpaper, making the anger bubbling inside me obvious. “Do they know who did it?”
Evan glanced at Hope before answering me. “Everybody is fine. House is shot to shit, but no one was hit. As for who did it, the perp is Shelby’s ex. Lucca’s father.” Blowing out a frustrated breath, he swiped his palms down the sides of his face. “Police put out a BOLO, but Anthony isn’t hopeful. The guy, man, he’s a real piece of work. I won’t go into detail because it’s not my story to tell, but that son of a bitch did a number on Shelby before she escaped him. Tried to hurt Lucca too. If he gets his hands on either of them again…”
He didn’t need to say more.
I got the picture.
The anger simmering in my veins reached a boiling point. I had to do something. If I didn’t, I was going to explode. “What do you need me to do?”
He nodded toward Carissa and Heidi. “Can you take them home? I’m keeping Hope, Clara and the boys with me.”
Arms crossed over my chest, I looked at Carissa. Her eyes were locked on me, a blank expression on her gorgeous face. “No one but me will ever take them home again,” I replied so only Evan could hear. “You get what I’m saying?”
His eyes searched my face. “You want C, don’t you?”
“Yeah,” I replied without hesitation. “I do.”
He nodded once. “She’s a good girl. They both are.” Glancing down at Hope again, he tapped his fingers against his thigh, a conflicted look on his face. “Treat her right, Tucker. You don’t, and Grandmama will shoot you dead. That’s if one of the other ladies doesn’t get to you first. They’re all protective of those girls.”
Of that, I had no doubt.
I turned and took a step toward Carissa. When Evan spoke again, I stopped. “There’s something else you should know.” I looked at him over my shoulder. “It’s not my place to tell you, but since Hendrix is your best friend, I figure you’ll find out soon regardless.”
I waited for him to respond.
“Shelby,” he said, his brows drawn together. “Turns out, she’s more than just some girl Maddie and I helped save.” I grew more confused with each second that passed. “She’s also Hendrix’s little sister.” My mind blanked for a moment. “Pop is her father.”
It took a few seconds, more like a minute, to recover. Then, “Hold the hell up,” I said. “You’re telling me Cap is Shelby’s father?”
Evan nodded. “That’s exactly what I’m telling you.”
Dumbfounded, I headed for Carissa.
My last thought before reaching her? Talk about a clusterfuck of epic proportions.
The cab of my truck was silent.
Beside me, Carissa’s body trembled, her lingering fear evident. Next to her, Heidi stared out the window, her forehead pressed against the glass pane. Neither had said a word since leaving Grandmama’s house, and it was pissing me off that some asshole made them worry like this.
I wasn’t angry at them, but at the situation.
I didn’t blame them for not talking.
If our roles were reversed, I wouldn’t have much to say either.
Then again, I never said much to begin with.
Not with words anyway.
My fists though? Those talked plenty.
Needing to comfort them somehow, I shifted in my seat, and swallowed around the boulder lodged in the base of my throat. “Everything is going to be alright,” I said, breaking the silence. “Nothing to worry about.”
I was full of shit.
I didn’t know if everything would be alright.
In fact, I had a feeling it wouldn’t be.
Earlier, a monster had appeared. It may have retreated after shooting up Anthony’s house, but if there was one thing I knew about monsters, it was that they didn’t stop. Sometimes they vanished for a while, but they were never far away. Experts at lurking in the shadows, they remained hidden until the opportunity to strike arose.
That’s precisely what happened to Lily.
The monster who stole her from us had patiently waited, biding his time.
Then, when the moment was right, he struck.
Just like Shelby’s ex will…
Carissa continued to tremble. “I hope so,” she replied, softly. I can’t stand the thought of something happening to Shelby or Lucca.” She paused. “Anthony either. It makes me sick to even think about it.” She pointed out the windshield toward a well-lit house down the road. “That’s our house.”
I flicked on my turn signal and steered the truck onto the gravel driveway that led to her house. Hendrix hadn’t been lying when he said she and Heidi lived in Bumfuck, Egypt. I hadn’t seen another car or home for the past five miles.
Desolate or not, their house was beautiful.
Even at night, I could see that. With a wraparound porch and large oak trees scattered throughout the front yard, it was the type of house Mama would’ve fallen in love with.
Lily too.
The thought cut me deep.
Lily should’ve been there.
With me.
Not dead and buried in the ground.
I’m sorry, Teacup. So damn sorry.
I parked my truck at the top of the driveway. Before I could unlock my door, Heidi opened hers and jumped out. She turned to face me, a small smile on her pretty face. The resemblance between her and Carissa was uncanny. The only difference between the two was their hair color.
Carissa’s hair was blonde.
Heidi’s was inky black.
Lifting her fingers to her mouth, Heidi placed them flat against her lips. Then she moved her hand toward me and down while mouthing the words, thank you.
Until that moment, I hadn’t known she was deaf. Considering the fact that she wore hearing aids in both ears—something I just noticed—it should’ve been obvious. But I’d been so focused on Carissa that I’d only spared Heidi a fleeting glance.
I felt like the dick everyone thought I was.
I made sure to look at directly at her as I replied, “You’re welcome.”
She smiled one last time before running to the house.
Carissa climbed out next.
Like her sister, she looked ready to bolt.
That wasn’t happening.
Heidi could go in the house, but Carissa wasn’t leaving me.
Not yet.
Determined to stop her, I reached for my door handle. My fingers grasped air as my door was ripped open from the outside. Before I could process what the hell just happened, a huge hand grabbed the front of my shirt and yanked me out of the truck.
My booted feet hit the gravel and my hands fisted.
Before I could throw a punch, the person holding me slammed my back against the truck bed. The end of a double barrel shotgun met my chest a second later.
“Daddy!” Carissa shouted, running around the back of my truck. “Stop it!”
“You have one damn second,” the man said in a deceptively cool and collected voice. “One damn second to tell me who you are and why my girls were in your truck.”
Carissa, who looked scared to death, spoke up before I could. “His name is Kyle, Daddy. He’s Hendrix’s friend.”
Hearing that I was Hendrix’s friend could go one of two ways. Either the man was going to punch me or shoot me. Hendrix, like me, wasn’t liked by most people. We were both assholes. It came with the territory.
“He was at Grandmama’s and offered to give us a ride home since everyone else was preoccupied,” Carissa continued, “and for a good gosh dang reason too.”
The big bastard holding the gun tilted his head to the side the slightest bit. His gaze roamed over my face before dropping to the navy-blue Toluca County Fire Department shirt I still wore. Recognition, followed by pity, flashed in his eyes.
“You’re Kyle Tucker,” he mumbled.
Without having to ask, I knew what he was thinking.
He’s the fuck-up who let his sister get murdered…
“Yeah,” I replied, anger coursing through me. “That’s me.”
He dropped the gun to his side, letting it dangle freely. His eyes swung to Carissa. “Thought you were going to call me when you and Bug were ready to come home?”
Carissa’s nervous gaze flitted between her daddy and me. “Some stuff happened. I—”
“What kind of stuff?”
“Heidi and I are fine,” she rushed to say. “But Shelby’s ex shot up Anthony’s house. We were going to call you, but Kyle offered us a ride. I thought that was better than having you hit the highway this late, especially since you’re about to go on the road again. I figured you had enough driving to do over the next few weeks.”
I chuckled at her trying to downplay the situation.
Her father, Daryl I think Hendrix said his name was, blinked. “You’ve gotta be shittin’ me!” Carissa’s eyes bulged at his raised voice. “Carissa Ann Johnson, good Lord almighty, when somethin’ like that happens the first thing you do is call me!”
“We had it under control,” I said, stepping in. The man was her father, and I was a nobody, but his raised voice pissed me right the hell off. No one would ever speak to her that way. Not when I was around. Father or not, I had no problem going toe to toe with him. “She’s fine. Heidi’s fine. Chill out, big man.”
Daryl looked like he wanted to slug me. For a minute, I fully expected him too. Instead, he growled in my direction. “How old are you? You look a lot older than either of my girls.”
That’s because I am. “Twenty-six.”
Wearing a dumbfounded expression on his face, Daryl shook his head and pointed a lone finger in my direction. “Neither of my daughters can date until they’ve graduated college, so don’t get any bright ideas in that thick skull of yours. You understand me?”
I quirked a brow. A lopsided grin graced my face. “You mean I have to wait three years to ask Carissa to marry me?”
Carissa gasped at what she thought was a joke.
On the contrary, her father looked a breath away from having a heart attack. “Boy, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll climb back in that shiny black Chevy of yours and get the hell off my property.” He turned to Carissa. “And you… if you know what’s good for you, Carissa Ann, you’ll say goodnight before I’m forced to shoot”—he pointed at me again—“him.”
Carissa stood taller. A look of defiance crossed her face. “I’ll say goodnight as soon as you go inside.” The challenge in her tone didn’t go unnoticed by her father or me. “I’d like some privacy, please.”
“Five minutes,” Daryl said, looking from me to her, then back to me again. “Not a second more.” Without another word, he turned and headed in the house, leaving Carissa and me alone.
“I’m sorry about him,” she murmured. “He’s a smidge overprotective and apparently a tad bit crazy.”
“Yeah,” I replied, smiling. “I got that.”
Not that I blamed him.
Covering her face with her hands, Carissa laughed softly. “This is so embarrassing. I don’t even know what to say.” She dropped her hands and looked up at me. When our eyes met, I became lost in her gaze. Once again, the pull was back, beckoning me to come closer. “I can’t believe he told you I can’t date. I mean… I don’t want to. Not until I earn my degree. But he’s nuts if he thinks you would want to date me to begin with.”
My face dropped.
At my hardened expression, Carissa’s smile vanished.
Dipping her head, she started to pick at her nail polish for the second time that night.
Before I could stop myself, I slid my hands up her smooth neck and cupped her jaw gently. She gasped as I tilted her head back, forcing her to look up at me. Our gazes locked and my heart kicked into overdrive. “Carissa, I want a hell of a lot more than to date you.”
I want to protect you.
I want to keep you safe.
Her eyes widened.
Yet she said nothing.
“But if you want me to wait until you’re done with your degree before I ask you out, then I will.” I was one hundred percent serious. I knew what I wanted, and what I wanted was her. “Doesn’t matter if it’s a year, two, three. I’ll wait.”
“You’ll wait that long?” she asked, seemingly confused. “Just to take me on a date?”
“Yeah, Princess, I will.”
“Why?”
I didn’t bother to stop the words that danced on the edge of my tongue from rolling off. “Because,” I said. “Tonight, you turned my world upside down with just a simple look.”
“Me?” she asked in disbelief.
I smiled. “Only you.”
“I don’t understand… how did I—”
“Understand this, Beautiful Girl. One day”—I dipped my face towards her, closing the small space between us—“when you’re ready, I’m going to make you mine.”
“Kyle…” Her eyes slid closed as she took a deep breath. “Are you go
ing to kiss me now?”
There was no hesitation on my part. “Hell yes.”
Without wasting another second, I pressed my lips to her, tasting her sweetness for the first time. Wrapping an arm around her lower back, I held her steady as her hands flew to my shoulders.
The ever-present pain in my chest waned.
In its place spread warmth.
At that exact moment, I knew the truth.
That truth? Carissa Ann Johnson was my salvation.
It didn’t matter that I had to wait three years to claim her as my own.
Until then I’d spend every minute watching her from the sidelines.
Protecting her from afar.
The wait wouldn’t be easy.
But it would damn sure be worth it.
EIGHT
Carissa
Three Years Later
It was 9:03 pm when I punched out.
Yawning, I slid my time card back into the slotted rack that hung on the wall next to shelter’s ancient looking timeclock. Tired as could be, I was ready to go home and dive headfirst into my bed. But first I had to drive home, and that was something I wasn’t sure I could do safely.
I was that worn out.
“Are you heading out, Miss Carissa?”
I turned at the sound of Charlotte, who was my boss and also Hope’s mother’s, voice. Sitting behind her desk, her shiny black hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail, she looked like an older version of her only daughter.
“Yes ma’am,” I replied. “Unless you need me to stay.”
Charlotte beamed a smile my way.
I returned one of my own.
Like Hope, she radiated happiness. It didn’t matter what worry weighed me down, it was impossible not to feel lighter in her presence. Standing, she walked around the desk and toward me. “Absolutely not. Tomorrow is a big day and you need all the rest you can get.”
I drew in a breath at the mention of tomorrow.
It was a big day.
Huge, in fact.
A myriad of emotions battered my nerves, overwhelming me at the thought. The most prominent among them: pride mixed with disbelief. “I can’t believe I’m graduating,” I whispered, speaking the clearest of my jumbled thoughts aloud. “It doesn’t seem real.”