Fallen Idol (Love and Music in Texas Book 4)

by Nikki Lynn Barrett

  "Okay, I've got more bags to- Kyra!" Matt dropped the bags he was carrying and rushed to her side. "I didn't want you to see this," he whispered, cradling her against him.

  "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry this happened to you," she repeated, clinging to him. "Your shop-"

  "Will be cleaned soon. Don't you apologize, Kyra. Just don't." He was so calm. How? How could he be this calm? His shop had been vandalized, and he'd been up all night already with her to get Amy! "Why did you come over here? Not that I don't want to see you."

  "I had to see what they did. There's no clue as to who did this?" She straightened and wiped her face.

  "No. And the cars... I think they were looking for yours."

  "Please tell me they didn't get any other cars."

  The grim expression on Matt's face answered her question. She uttered a loud curse and turned away. Matt gently pulled her back to him. "I'll pay for this," she promised.

  "You'll do no such thing." Matt's voice filled with anger. "You didn't do this. You're not paying. It'll be covered." But he didn't sound so sure. "How are things at home?"

  "Amy's devastated. Mom and Dad are trying to cope. David and Andrew are quieter than normal."

  "Thanks for letting him stay with you today." He brushed her sweat matted hair back. Even with the deep November chill in the air, Kyra couldn't get cool. "The search is on for Brandon?"

  "Yeah. Amy gave the cops his car make and model. She even knows the plate numbers. You know what's horrible? She doesn't know his last name! The bodyguard- he's got family. A wife and kids. Damn it." She shuddered. How much more could they take? Fatigue swept over her. Another round of coffee was in desperate need. "Can I do anything?"

  "As a matter of fact, you can." Matt kissed her temple. "Go home. Don't look at this. Take care of yourself and your family today. Ignore the news. I'll come by later if you want."

  "I want." She wrapped her arms around him again, not wanting to let go. Thinking back to the song title painted against Matt's wall made her cringe. The same type of thing happened to her apartment in Nashville. You couldn't be in two places in a short time so freely. No possible way, unless the person was well off and flew back and forth, but that was ridiculous. And expensive. There had to be multiple people doing this. Thinking of that worried her even more. Everywhere she turned, someone was in the shadows lurking.

  It was only a matter of time before they struck again, or they were caught. Kyra hoped for the latter, and soon.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Matt was more than ready to get the hell out of the shop. It had been a long, tiresome day, and he couldn't get the images out of his head. The ugly words across his wall, threatening and nasty, against Kyra. She'd mentioned it was another one of her song titles. Sick! Poor thing had been so rattled all day, and no wonder. He'd sent her home to hide out and be with her family, but she'd been reluctant to leave him. He promised he'd head straight to her house after he left work.

  Amy answered the door when he approached and gave him a small smile. "Hey. Come on in. I'm sorry you had to come all the way out there and get me last night." Dark circles found their way under the young girl's eyes.

  Matt wasn't sure how else to respond. An apology from Amy was rare.

  "Matt, I didn't mean for all of this to happen. I don't know what to say to Kyra now. I never meant for my resentment toward her to get out of hand. Brandon- I didn't know all of this." She kicked at a small pebble that had made its way into the house. "Are you two dating or something?"

  Or something. Matt didn't know how to explain what he and Kyra were. More than friends, but not sure about a couple. That dreaded in between zone. He decided to not answer that one. "You should talk to her. Even if only to get out all your resentment. Have a real good sit down talk. Kyra's more understanding than you think."

  Her sister narrowed her eyes. "That didn't answer my other question, but thanks. I know I should. I grew up in her shadow. It was always 'Why can't you be like your sister?' My parents didn't do that, but so many others did. My friends wanted to be friends with me because I had a famous sister. Then after that accident, I wasn't cool any more."

  "I'm sure it's not easy for any of you. Kyra lived in the limelight, and you all had to deal with everything else." Speaking of Kyra, or anyone else in the family, where were they?

  "Yeah, you're right," Amy muttered. "Andrew and David are in the tree house. I think they got tired of all the drama today. Mom and Dad are resting. I feel horrible! They're so damn tired. And Kyra... I think she's in her room. We kinda went at it earlier, and I haven't seen her since."

  "Maybe you should rest, too," Matt suggested, looking her over again. "You look exhausted. It's been a rough day for everyone."

  "I hope they catch Brandon soon. I didn't take these threats seriously and scoffed at the idea of having a bodyguard watching my every move. I feel bad that I kept trying to sneak my way around. I never imagined-" Amy shook her head, breaking out in a sob. "Yeah. I think I'll go lay down. My head is killing me. I really hope he wasn't behind all of this." She darted up the stairs without another word.

  Matt made sure the front door was locked, then headed out toward the tree house to say hi to Andrew. From the door, he heard the sound of a guitar. David and Andrew were playing while talking. As quiet as possible, Matt climbed up the ladder. "Hey boys."

  "Dad!" Andrew set the guitar down, sounding guilty. "You're here already!"

  "Already? Boy, it's after seven." He grinned, leaning on the edge of the treehouse. "I came up to say hi and let you know I'm here. I'm going to go talk to Kyra for a bit. You probably can't avoid school tomorrow."

  "I already figured, and I'm okay with going. It was tense around here. We're both ready to go back," Andrew said. "How's the shop?"

  "It's a mess, but we're working on cleaning up. I'll come back for you in a bit, okay?"

  "Okay, Dad." They went back to talking music. Matt backed down the ladder and trudged inside, searching for Kyra.

  Her door was open a crack. Matt rapped his knuckles lightly against it. No answer. Not sure if he should proceed and invade her privacy, he knocked again. Still no answer. A small sliver of light poured through the ajar door. Was she awake?

  "Kyra? I'm here." He pushed the door open and stepped in her room. Kyra's laptop was open on the bed with her curled up next to it. Her eyes were closed, and she had one arm under her head. The other arm was wrapped around a pillow she held close to her chest.

  She was beautiful. Matt's breath hitched as he continued to watch her. He slowly approached the bed, his whole body and soul aching to touch her, to be close, to comfort her. He wished he was that pillow right about now. The way she held it, he wanted her to hold him the same way. Matt sat at the edge of the bed, wondering if he should even be in here right now. The sight of Kyra tugged on his heart. He moved her laptop and placed it on the nightstand beside the bed, then ran his hand through her hair.

  Kyra gasped, opening her eyes. "Oh! Matt, geez you scared me."

  He laughed, feeling a little sheepish. "Sorry."

  "What time is it? Where is everyone?" She sat up.

  "After seven. The boys are jamming on guitar in the tree house, your sister went to rest, and from what I heard, your parents are resting."

  Kyra scooted over on the bed and patted the spot beside her. Matt kicked off his shoes and moved closer to her.

  "I didn't mean to fall asleep. I've been talking to my family all day, the police, and Mark. I also looked up my old band members, as Taryn suggested. I'm trying to find any connections." She rested her head on his shoulder, so Matt wrapped an arm around her.

  "What did you find out?"

  "Everyone is doing well. The only one in Texas is Taryn. I still wonder about her. I'd like to think she's not behind any of this, but I don't trust her yet. I don't know who to trust. If I have to be honest, I'm still wary about my sister. I hate this!" Kyra's voice cracked. "There's only one person I can't track down on the web, and that's m
y ex-boyfriend. There's so many possibilities and suspects, it's overwhelming."

  "Maybe I shouldn't have found Taryn and did what I did." He never thought about the woman possibly having something to do with this. He'd just wanted to help. Talk about overstepping.

  "No, I think in the end run, it was the right thing to do. Caught me off guard for sure, but she opened my eyes to a possibility I never imagined. It sounds so damn far-fetched, though. If I think about it, there were a lot of people there that night who could have been been swayed to make me take the fall. We all had big dreams and promising careers. I'm even..." She sucked in a deep breath. "I'm even wondering if Mark has anything to hide. These bodyguards for protection were a joke! No one was there for me at the dance, or at Baby Stetson's show, or any other time other than when you and I were alone at your parents' cottage. My place in Nashville was vandalized, now it's out here." She curled her fists. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do now. I seem to have enemies everywhere!"

  *****

  Kyra took a quick shower before bed. Just before she turned on the water, she overheard a conversation between Matt and her parents. Her mother asked if he would stay for the night. Why? Was it to keep her sanity, or were they all afraid? Either way, Matt said yes after a slight hesitation. She loved that he cared so much, but getting Matt and Andrew involved was a bad idea. Too bad Matt was already involved.

  The police said they'd have cruisers drive through the neighborhood, looking out for Brandon. Mark swore he had more protection on the way, but she didn't hold much weight on that, considering. Maybe they should get Amy and the boys out of here. Or maybe Kyra should leave. But then, if it was this Brandon guy behind it, it was Amy he really wanted.

  Damn it.

  Unless that guy was an idiot, he probably wouldn't dare approach the house. He had to have known the bodyguard would be found.

  Right?

  Or maybe...

  Maybe he didn't kill him, but that wasn't a good thought either, because it meant whoever did it was out there and unknown.

  Her head hurt. Pain increased like a pressure ready to explode. The hot shower water poured like rain on her, and she sank to the bottom of the tub, trying to clear her head. Tears mixed with the water until she wasn't sure which was which. What could she do? Her life was in a strange limbo. Whoever wanted to hurt her had succeeded by messing with her family and the people she cared about. Who could she trust? Where could she go safely? Her family was at risk. Matt and his son were at risk. Her career was at risk.

  Time eluded her. Kyra didn't have a clue how much had passed until someone knocked on the door. "Kyra? You've been in there a long time. Are you okay?" Matt called from the other side. She barely heard him over the water, but she knew that sexy voice anywhere.

  She sat up and turned off the faucet. The knobs squeaked as she twisted them. "I'm fine," she called, but even she knew by the sound of her voice that it wasn't believable. Climbing to her feet, Kyra reached for a towel and started to dry off.

  "You're a terrible liar," he shot back.

  "I know." She stepped out of the tub.

  "What are you doing?"

  "Standing here naked."

  Silence.

  "Come in." Kyra grabbed a bigger towel and wrapped it around herself. Matt opened the door, peered in, then entered the bathroom. He closed the door, his gaze sweeping over her.

  The steam from the hot shower must be getting to her. Kyra's legs were like rubber. Either that or she was beyond the point of exhaustion. She gripped the granite edge of the bathroom sink. Heat consumed her.

  "Hey. Come on. Let's get you comfortable." Matt moved to her side.

  "I need to get dressed first." She pointed at her pile of clothes, which included the shirt and boxers she'd kept of Matt's.

  He leaned over and picked up the shirt. "This looks familiar." The corners of his lips lifted. "I could help you get dressed. Usually I like the undressing part, but in tonight's circumstances, I don't see this working. The house is full of Sanders' members, and my son."

  She laughed. "Told you, I'm keeping them."

  "I'm graciously saying you can have them. I didn't realize how much they looked better on someone else until I gave them to you." Matt fingered the edge of her lacy underwear. "Ready?"

  "You're serious?" He was actually going to dress her? What was with this man? She loved it. Wanted more of it. Hell, she wanted more of Matt.

  "I'm serious." Gorgeous, dark eyes met hers. There was a hunger there, and it made every inch of her body tingle. He knelt down to the floor and spread her panties with two fingers. "Step right up." He grinned, turning his face upward to see her expression.

  "Matt," Kyra whispered, not really sure where her thoughts or words were going. Instead of saying more, she complied. She raised her left foot. Matt slid the material up her leg, kissing her each time he inched it higher. She repeated the movement with her right foot, and Matt did the exact same. Inch by inch, he continued to slowly raise her panties until he had them right up where they belonged. Kyra wished they had the house to themselves, because she'd let him take her right here, right now.

  "Next?" Matt's eyes blazed with amusement. He grabbed the boxers and tilted his head.

  She raised her foot, but if this man did the same thing he did before with the panties, Kyra would be a goner.

  And... damn him, he did. Gentle, hot kisses along her leg. Then the other one. Kyra moaned. "You're killing me, Matt Greer."

  "Imagine how I feel. I shouldn't have started this, because I've got a raging hard on and too much respect for your family and my son to have my way with you here." His voice was hoarse. "And I still have your shirt to put on."

  "I can put it on myself."

  "Nuh uh. I like to finish what I start."

  "Yeah? Well, you're starting to drive me wild. How the hell do you plan to finish that with everyone here?" Kyra challenged.

  Matt's face turned red. "Damn you, woman." He edged closer, clutching the shirt in his hands. "Raise those gorgeous arms."

  Letting out another sound, she complied. Matt's gaze traveled up and down her body, settling on her face, then her breasts, then her face again. He raised the shirt over her head and helped tug it lower. He kissed her lips, then her cheeks, and once on each nipple before he lowered the shirt all the way down. "Finished."

  "That's a first for me." She leaned over and spoke close to his ear. "A man dressing me instead of the other way around."

  "I like firsts with you, Kyra Sanders. Wonder how many more I can make before you leave Texas?"

  His words weren't meant to hurt her, but they did. The realization of not only how much trouble she dragged with her, but how soon she'd be returning Nashville before her big tour hit her like a ton of bricks. She stiffened.

  "What's wrong?" Matt pulled back, gently cupping her face.

  "We don't have long together, but I want so much more. You don't want a fling, and neither do I, but I can't stop myself around you."

  His face crumpled. "I know. Come on, let's get out of the bathroom, curl up in your bed, and hold each other. I want so much more too, Kyra. More than I ever imagined I could want with-"

  "With?" She asked when he stopped short.

  Matt sighed. "Someone like you, and you know I don't mean that in a bad way."

  "You never thought you'd want something with a musician." Did her voice come out too harsh? Matt blanched.

  "Yeah. But you're amazing. You've got a big heart and you care so much about others. You're funny, sweet, talented, and so much more."

  Unlike his ex-wife. Kyra got it, but still, she didn't like the whole comparison thing. She grabbed her hairbrush and ran it through her wet tangles.

  "You're upset." Matt took the brush from her hands and finished the job for her. "Outside the obvious, that is."

  "A little," she admitted. "I don't want to be compared to your ex. It's not fair."

  He kissed the top of her head before he ran the brush from the top
to the ends. "I know. I keep opening up and saying the worst things. I'm trying not to compare, but it doesn't seem that way at times." Matt took her hand and led the way to her room. "Get some rest. You need it." He tucked her in bed. "I'm staying here tonight. Your mom and dad asked if I would."

  "I know. I heard before I turned on the water." Kyra closed her eyes as her head hit the pillow. "Where are you sleeping?"

  "Figured I'd take the couch. I'd rather be right here with you, but not sure it's a good idea. For more than one reason." He bent and kissed her cheek.

  Disappointment rippled through her, but she loved how respectful he was being. "At least stay until I fall asleep?"

  "You drive a hard bargain, woman." He growled playfully. "You win."

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  "You guys keep saving my ass." Matt handed a water bottle to Randy, and another to Blaine. They'd come by early this morning to help after they heard the news. Hours of work kicked up a sweat, even in cold temperatures. Texas had such wishy washy weather. Today was cloudy with an even deeper chill than yesterday. Add in the breeze, and it made it even worse. Matt couldn't even tell it was that cold, because he kept breaking out in a sweat. His back, neck, and hands hurt from all the scrubbing and cleaning up. There was still no word on who the hell did this. He'd left while Kyra was asleep this morning, took Andrew home to get changed, and then dropped him off at school.

  Blaine chugged her water before answering. "It's the least we can do. I have to say, I hoped that the news was wrong about how bad this whole thing is. I hope Kyra didn't see any of it."

  "She did. Stubborn woman dropped by yesterday. She actually wanted to pay for the damages." Matt leaned against the counter, wondering if he could get away with a fourth cup of coffee without messing his sleep schedule up tonight.

  "Is her sister okay?" Randy asked as he fiddled with the label on his bottle.

  "As okay as can be. The Sanders have all been through hell and back."