Protecting His Forever

by Ashers, LeAnn

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Kane stomps over to me and tries to settle me back against the bed.

  Smacking his hands away, I hiss at him, “I have to pee!” With something to prove, I stand too quickly and my world sways as I tip to the side.

  “See!” he grounds out between his teeth as he locks his hands around my waist and catches me before I hit the floor. He lifts me off the ground bridal style.

  Sighing, I admit, “I just got out of bed too quick.”

  Peeking up at him, I’m hit with how unbelievably gorgeous he is. He is rugged and has the look about him that is all man. He is over a foot taller than me. Little scars cover his neck and chest. He has two full sleeves and it’s sexier than hell. I may or may not have a thing for a guy that has that bad boy look. He catches me looking, and smirks, causing me to blush.

  He shakes his head no and puts me back into bed, then presses the button to call the nurse. I huff and sit back in bed with my arms crossed across my chest while glaring at Kane. Who does he think he is? If I want to pee by myself, I will go pee!

  “Did you need something, honey?” the nurse asks as she enters the room.

  “A shower and to pee.”

  “Of course! Follow me,” she says and waves me out of bed as she turns on her heels.

  Kane’s husky voice stops her. “She needs assistance. She tried to get out of bed on her own and almost fell.”

  “Oh, of course. I will help her.” She rubs her hands nervously. Her eyes dart between Kane and me as she makes her way to the bedside.

  Rolling my eyes, I push my feet back over the side of the bed. My body protests with every movement. The nurse wraps her hand around my bicep and leads me to the bathroom. I can feel Kane’s gaze watching my every moment.

  The nurse walks inside with me and shuts the door. I stand there awkwardly. I don’t need help. This may be her job to help people with things like this, but it makes me very uncomfortable. She turns on the shower and motions for me to step forward.

  I push my hand toward her and with too much attitude that isn’t necessary, I bark out, “I can do this myself. That man out there is being too protective. I’m not even sure what he’s even doing here.”

  She smiles knowingly and motions to the string next to the shower. “It’s okay, honey. I think he’s being kinda sweet, but I understand how you feel. If you need help, just pull that string and I’ll be right in, if he doesn’t rescue you first.” She winks with a bubbly grin.

  As soon as she leaves, I all but rip the hospital gown off my body, not even checking the water before I jump into the shower. The cold water soon turns hot and kneads at my sore muscles. Grabbing some hospital soap, I scrub my body raw. Hoping to scrub the memories of yesterday away.

  Once my body is scoured clean with rough, red patches of heat and the entire room is filled with steam, I turn off the shower then wrap a towel around my chest. I step out onto the ceramic gray floor, slipping on a mist of water and fall directly onto my ass. The steam has dampened the floor like it was sprayed with Pam. Groaning, I grab my ass.

  “Great, add a broken tail bone on top of this,” I mutter to myself and push up to my feet.

  A knock sounds at the door.

  “You okay in there?” Kane asks.

  “I’m just dandy, thank you!” I know I shouldn’t be snippy with him. Although he’s one of Ethan’s closest friends, and I’ve heard a lot about him, that doesn’t mean I know him from Adam.

  I carefully step over to the bathroom mirror and take in my appearance. My lip is busted and swollen. Stitches knit the skin on my cheek together, little speckles of blood dotting the bruised flesh. There’s a knot on my forehead, and my head throbs persistently. Seeing myself, I realize the injuries aren’t nearly as bad as I expected. I’m banged up pretty good, but it could have been much worse. I’m lucky, that’s for sure.

  I towel off, careful of the tender bruises on my body. Looking around the room I notice that I didn’t bring any clothes in with me. I peek my head out the door and look around the hospital room, no sight of Kane. Coast is clear. I step out of the bathroom and go to the small locker to see if by chance my mom may have left me some of my own clothes so I’m not dressing in one of those itchy gowns. A husky grunt from behind, startling me. I jump and turn around quickly, clutching the towel to my chest. My eyes trail up his hard and lean body, broad and tight chest, meeting flared nostrils and a pair of hooded, darkened eyes.

  I cup my hand over my mouth with words caught in my throat. God only knows what kind of word vomit I may spew, and I’ve been edgy enough with this man today. I swallow back a gulp, “Kane?” my voice is barely a whisper.

  He snaps out of it his fog-filled daze and thrusts a handful of clothes toward me without so much as a word. I take the clothes and look down at my old granny panties resting on top of the stack. Hundreds of Pooh Bears hugging honey pots cover the panties, and they’re folded perfectly to reveal a visible hole on one of the butt cheeks. Fuck my life.

  Palming my face, I groan out loud. Kane looks down at me with a mischievous smirk playing at the corner of his mouth, a low chuckle rumbling through his chest as his shoulders visibly shake. Giving him a death glare, I clutch the clothes to my chest and step around him to make my way back to the bathroom.

  “Nice panties,” he calls over his shoulder.

  "Ha-ha-ha, laugh it up." Turning around I flip him the bird over my shoulder and slam the door closed.

  Holy shit. I'm going to murder my mom. Why did she bring my old panties from middle school? I toss the clothes on the counter and drop the towel to the floor. Searching through the pile for my bra, I find that she hid my regular panties under my shirt. Thanks, Mom.

  ~*~

  An hour later, she shows her cheeky face. Crossing my arms over my chest, I give her a death glare. Kane chuckles at me, so I turn my glare toward him instead.

  “Honey, I’m glad to see you’re awake,” she gushes and walks over to give me a hug. Closing my eyes, I hug her back tightly, basking in her loving hug.

  She lets go and touches my face gently, smoothing my hair back. Her kind face is etched in concern. Tears come to her eyes. “You scared me,” she whispers.

  “I’m sorry, Mom.” I rub her hand.

  “I know, honey. Some deranged man tried to hurt my little baby.” Her bottom lip trembles as her eyes fill with tears. She blinks and one falls down her cheek. My heart breaks that she had to go through this. Lifting my arms, I motion her over for a hug.

  Looking over her shoulder at Kane, he gives me a sad smile. Ethan and Chase stand by the door.

  “Mom, I’m fine. That man is in jail and seems like he will be for a while.” Kane told me earlier that the man had multiple warrants. One charge had me ready to throw up: rape and murder of a young woman about my age. That could have been me. Oddly enough, the girl’s description matched mine: dark green eyes, long brown hair, short curvy figure.

  Chapter Three

  One Month Later

  Waking up to the sound of knocking at the front door, I panic and fall down onto the floor clasping my pounding heart. My eyes shoot to the clock on the nightstand 10:00 AM. Letting out a deep breath I climb to my feet. My first thought when I hear the knocking is that the man has found me. Come on, Sydney, if it was him, he sure as heck wouldn’t knock on the door and he is in jail. Before I reach the front door, the loud banging begins again.

  Peeking out the peep hole, I see just the top of red hair. Weird, who could this be? Taser at the ready, I open the door. Something hard collides with my body and makes me a take a couple steps back.

  Pushing the person off of me, I look to see who it is.

  Gasping, I squeak, “Brae?”

  “In the flesh,” she answers guiltily.

  “Where the hell have you been?” I can’t contain my temper. Brae was my best friend. Since the first day of college we had been inseparable. We went to a party after finals our senior year because we wanted to celebrate.
I was busy dodging my stalker. Stalker may have been too strong of a word, but it seemed like he was always there every time I went somewhere outside of my apartment. Braelyn was talking to a guy, and when I left the room I never saw her again. I searched for her everywhere. I haven’t seen her since.

  “I, uhh. It’s a long story.” Tears rush to her eyes. The Braelyn I know is tough and doesn’t cry. Something horrible has happened. Braelyn had a horrible life growing up at the hands of her stepfather. He was abusive and her mom sat there and watched, but that only seemed to make her stronger. This girl standing in front of me with her eyes overflowing with tears has been broken by something much worse.

  “We have plenty of time. Let’s get you fed.” I lead her into the kitchen, her small, fragile hand in mine. Her wrist is really small, smaller than what would be considered normal.

  I watch as she lifts her small frame onto the stool, her hands shaking as she pushes her hair out of her face. Her cheeks are sunken in, her lips chapped, stains are covering her clothes and her hair needs a good wash. Bones are sticking out of her chest. She is starving.

  Turning around, I don’t want her to see my tears. Braelyn doesn’t deserve this shitty hand that has been dealt to her. Taking a glass out of the cabinet, I fill it to the top with water and hand her a banana.

  From the corner of my eye, I watch as she shakily peels the banana back and eats half of it with one bite. Tears fall down my face that I don’t try to hide. Braelyn, what has happened to you?

  Fixing her two sandwiches, I place the plate in front of her. She takes one sandwich off the plate and crams it in. If she doesn’t slow down, she will get sick. “Slowly,” I tell her softly, my hand resting on her arm.

  She nods and slowly takes a bite. My heart is breaking for this girl. She finishes the first one and then before she can get to the second she jumps up and runs to the bathroom. Her body is reacting to not having food for a long time.

  I follow behind her. Taking a washcloth out of the linen closet, I wet it and hand it to her. Her eyes search my face. Reluctantly, she takes the cloth from me to clean herself up.

  “I was starving, Sydney,” she says with a hitch in her voice.

  “I know, Braelyn,” I confirm and hand her an unopened tooth brush from under the sink. “I will be in the kitchen. I think we need to talk.”

  She nods her head, and I rub her back soothingly. Walking to the living room, I sit down on the couch.

  She comes in a few minutes later and stops at the end of the couch, twisting the bottom of her shirt nervously.

  “Come sit down, Braelyn.” I pat the seat beside me.

  She walks over and sits down, tucking her feet under her. Before I can say anything, she starts to talk, “Remember the party we went to at the end of finals?” Nodding my head, she continues, “I was hanging with this guy. He was sweet—too sweet. He offered to get me a drink, and I immediately agreed. Never once did I think that he could have put something in it. Thirty minutes or so later, I was getting dizzy, and my vision was blurred. I ran off into the woods.

  I remember falling down, and I could feel footsteps coming toward me. I couldn’t move, my arms and legs felt like lead. Then I heard a rip and my clothes were torn off my body.”

  She stops and looks directly at me. “He raped me and took the only thing I had left of my innocence. This man destroyed me. I ran and never looked back. I’ve been homeless.” Her face crumples, and I take her into my arms as she sobs into my neck.

  “Honey, everything is going to be okay now. You will stay here with me.” I rub her back and hold her closer to me. She is my sister. We may not be blood, but I love her just the same. Tears fall down my face, hurting for her.

  “That’s not all,” she says into my neck. Rearing back, I wait for her to finish. “Two days ago the same man that raped me found me.” She pauses and wipes the tears from her face with her sleeve. Sucking in a sharp breath, I hold her tighter.

  “He tried to again, but I fought him off and ran. I knew the only place I could go is here. I’m afraid that I’ve put you in danger.” Her bottom lip trembles.

  “Let me call my brother, he is a cop,” I tell her and grab my phone. Standing, I walk into the kitchen, leaving Brae alone in the living room.

  Dialing my brother, he picks up on the fifth ring. “Sydney?”

  “Hey, Ethan, can you come over? I need to talk to you; I have a situation…” I trail off biting my lip nervously. I’m scared for Brae and for myself. How could I not be? The man that has hurt her is crazy.

  “What?” he hisses.

  Sighing, I say, “Just come over.” I hang up and walk over to Brae who is clutching a pillow to herself.

  “My brother will be here soon,” I reassure her. She nods and stares blankly at the wall. Not knowing what to do, I slowly walk over to her wanting somehow to take away her pain. Seeing this man, no doubt brought everything that happened to her back to the surface.

  “You want to take a shower?” I ask her hesitantly not wanting her to get embarrassed. She nods and stands up. Leading her to the shower in my room, I give her a fresh razor and tell her she can use my products. Turning around, I start to leave but her hand on my arm stops me.

  “Thank you, Sydney.” She gives me a small smile. Nodding my head, I grin at her.

  “Go shower. I’ll be downstairs,” I tell her as I set some clothes on the counter. Ethan will be here any minute.

  I pace in front of the door impatiently. Two loud trucks roar up my driveway. Ethan is obviously in the red truck, but there’s a black truck I don’t recognize. My brother gets out and turns to the man in the black truck as the door opens. Kane? My eyes widen in confusion.

  Stepping out onto the porch, I close the door behind me. Ethan and Kane are speaking in lower whispers and when Kane realizes I’m close by he pauses and cocks a brow up at my brother. He stalks towards me and my breath catches in my throat as my eyes connect with his icy blues.

  The closer he gets, the more his face hardens. Confused, I look over at my brother who is staring at Kane like he has grown two heads. He climbs up the steps and goes to stand directly in front of me.

  “You’ve been crying,” he says bluntly, looking down at me.

  “I-I-” I stutter and look at my brother who has now joined us.

  “Sydney, what happened?” Ethan says, concerned and places a hand on my shoulder.

  “My friend is in danger.”

  “Your friend?” Kane asks and looks at Ethan.

  “She will explain,” I tell them and walk into the house knowing they will follow.

  “What are you doing here?” Ethan asks Kane behind me. Kane doesn’t answer. I’m curious myself.

  Why is he here? I haven’t seen him since I left the hospital. Kane saved me and that is something I will never ever forget. That day still haunts me. I got away from that man, but he was close behind. I know that he would have gotten me one way or another. Police would have been too far away. That man obviously didn’t care about an audience or getting caught because he beat me and tried to kidnap me in broad daylight.

  A creak of a floorboard on the steps brings me out of my thoughts. Glancing up, I see Brae slowly walking down the stairs looking down at us all. Stepping forward, I hope my face expresses that everything will be okay.

  She timidly walks beside me. She looks at the ground, her whole body shaking. Kane and Ethan are a little scary—they’re really tall, tattooed, and intimidating.

  “Braelyn, this is Ethan, my brother.” I motion to Ethan to step forward. He doesn’t take his eyes off of her. He searches her over, assessing. Looking up at Kane, I find him staring at me. Blushing, I look away quickly.

  “And this is Kane, my brother’s best friend.” Her eyes shoot up to look at him and then back to the ground. She is so freaking scared. Ethan looks at me and gives me a desperate look. My brother, raised by a single mom, has a soft spot for women. “She’s scared,” I mouth to him.

  Taking her hand
, I lead her to the couch and sit directly beside her. Feeling a presence sitting on the couch arm, I look up. Kane is sitting there just watching me like before. Shuddering, I turn my attention back to Brae. My brother sits right beside her, and Braelyn sinks into herself a little more.

  “Braelyn, honey, I know this hard, but you have to tell him. He is a police officer,” I tell her softly while putting my arm around her.

  Braelyn sighs sharply as she looks at Ethan. He inhales a large puff of air and repositions himself on the couch, looking in my direction. Braelyn flinches at his sudden movement and drops her eyes to the floor. Their exchange is different, and I notice Ethan is studying her face closely.

  Then it clicks. Brae has the most beautiful eyes. They aren’t one color—one minute they look blue, but they rapidly change with her mood. Braelyn is absolutely beautiful, like beyond super model pretty. She used to tell me that her beauty held a curse and it made her life hell.

  Ethan shoots me a questioning look, and I shake my head, silently dismissing him for now. He nods, then turns back to Braelyn and places his finger under her chin lifting her face up to meet his. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he tells her intently. She nods slightly and she tells him everything.

  It’s not easier hearing it a second time. I’m just as horrified.

  A familiar, warm hand touches my back then trails down my arm, linking our fingers together. I look up at Kane and notice the tortured look in his eyes. Giving him a small smile, I turn back to Brae and Ethan.

  Ethan looks horrified, pissed even. His jaw is clenched and his hands are hard in fists against his legs. Brae is getting to the part about the man finding her again. My brother’s eyes widen and his gaze shoots to mine, understanding.

  Kane squeezes my hand, his palm warm. I look down at our interlocked hands, and I can’t help but notice how his hand dwarfs my small one.

  The room quiets and I look at Brae who is staring at the ground again. Ethan jumps off the couch pacing the floor. Letting out a deep breath he turns to her. “Why didn’t you tell the police about him the first time?”