She flinched, feeling her cheeks flush with heat. “Oh, uh…y-you’re not bleeding,” she said, trying to act as normal as she could.
“I told you it would stop in a minute,” he answered, easily lifting a shoulder.
Yeah, well, he could have specified that it would literally only be one minute! Geez!
“I-I really didn’t mean to hurt you,” she reiterated, thinking that he seemed to make the bedroom feel several sizes smaller than it normally seemed. “I’m sorry. I thought you were him and it took a second to realize that…you weren’t.”
“I’m sorry I scared you,” Kyle apologized. “I didn’t want you to walk into the house alone. I thought you might be afraid.”
“I-I was afraid.” Which was why she had used her forehead to fracture his nose.
“You don’t have to be scared, Lanie. I’ll be close by you,” Kyle told her, taking a step toward the door.
But, Lanie was hit with a sudden thought that had her stepping in front of him. “Wait. H-have you…eaten today?” she asked, wanting to flinch as she said it, but refusing to give in to the urge.
“I’m good, thank you,” he said, stepping around her and heading for the doorway.
“Wait. Why don’t you stay and I’ll fix you something,” she said, going after Kyle and grabbing hold of his arm before he could make it out of the room. She knew if he got out into the hallway, he’d be gone before she could blink and she couldn’t let him go knowing that he might be hungry.
“I’m fine. Really. Don’t worry about me,” Kyle told her in a reassuring tone.
“You are not,” she told him firmly, tightening her grip on his coat sleeve. “You’re…I-I know that you’re living in your car. And I know that you aren’t eating. That’s not fine.”
Kyle’s expression stiffened and his green eyes went cold, but he stayed where he was, letting her keep her hold on his arm. However, he didn’t deny either accusation.
“You are, aren’t you?” she asked softly, sympathy for this handsome person rising up inside her. “You’re living in your car? How…how are you…living?”
There was a moment of silence during which she really thought that Kyle Vincent was going to turn and bolt from the room and from the house. But, he didn’t. He didn’t answer her questions, either.
“Please, just stay here for a while and I’ll make you some food,” she said to him. “You can…you can stay up here and rest if you want.” Sleeping in the backseat of a car couldn’t be easy, he had to be exhausted. But, she could tell that Kyle was going to deny her offer, and probably flee the house, and she wasn’t about to let him do it. “Please, stay. The least I can do is to make you something to eat.”
“You already gave me something to eat,” Kyle told her, looking highly uncomfortable.
“That was hours ago. You have to be hungry. Now, please, just stay here and let me make you some lunch. It’s no trouble,” she implored.
He’d saved her life and she’d thanked him by giving him a bloody nose. Feeding him lunch was only right.
Kyle stalled for another minute before finally walking back past her and over toward the bed. Lanie didn’t wait to see if he sat down there, she just turned and left the room. She actually didn’t want to have the picture of Kyle Vincent sitting on her bed in her mind right then. There was enough stuff going on up there and she didn’t want to add those kinds of thoughts into the mix.
Getting herself down the staircase, Lanie headed toward the kitchen, where she scrounged through the fridge to find something to make a sandwich out of. In a mad hurry, for fear that her father would come home at any second, she threw together a plate of turkey sandwiches with lettuce, tomato slices, and mayo, grabbed a couple of bottles of soda and some napkins and headed back up to her room, where she halted in the doorway, a little shocked to see Kyle Vincent still sitting on the edge of her bed, as stiff as a board and looking like he was being forced to endure some sort of invasive procedure.
Hoping he didn’t find her room that disgusting, Lanie walked in and handed the heaping plate to him, along with a bottle of soda, keeping one for herself. “If you’re still hungry after you eat these, I’ll make you some more.”
Kyle took the plate and soda from her and hesitated for a beat before setting the soda aside and picking up a turkey sandwich. Lanie, not wanting to stand and watch him while he ate, decided to busy herself by stealthily slipping into the bathroom and trying to tidy up in there, which included hiding the bra, which was only an A-Cup, in the hamper. She did not want Kyle Vincent to think that training bra was hers!
Bra safely in the hamper, she wiped out the sink, which was splattered with makeup and toothpaste, wiped out the shower stall, the floor of which was covered with enough hair to actually make a small pet, and then made sure that nothing embarrassing was visible in the garbage can. The bathroom as tidy as she could make it at the moment, Lanie went back out into her room and quietly took a seat in the overstuffed chair sitting by the window. Kyle was down to only one more sandwich, she’d made four, and as he started on that one, Lanie tried not to watch him eat it, but she couldn’t help herself. She’d never seen someone look so good just…chewing! He was staggering, even when he was just sitting there eating!
When all the sandwiches had been eaten, he opened the soda bottle and chugged half of it down without even stopping for a breath and there was a moment there, when Lanie was watching his Adam’s Apple move up and down while he swallowed, that caused her to feel as if the air in the room had been sucked out, so she quickly dropped her gaze to her own soda and began trying to peel off the label, just to have something else to focus on. After a few minutes, she snuck a cautious glance at Kyle, finding him putting the lid back on his soda.
“Are you still hungry?” she asked him, wishing her voice didn’t sound so throaty.
“I’m fine. Thank you,” Kyle told her, setting the plate and the soda onto the night table.
She wanted to insist that he eat something else, but after four large sandwiches, she feared he might get sick. “Would you like something else to drink?” she asked him, refusing to analyze the reason why she wanted to keep him in her house longer than she knew she should.
“No, thanks. I’m really fine,” Kyle told her. “But, can I wash up in your bathroom?”
“Sure. Go ahead. Take your time,” Lanie said, getting to her feet as he got to his.
As Kyle headed toward the bathroom, which she was glad she straightened up, she picked up the empty plate and nearly empty soda bottle and headed back down to the kitchen, figuring Kyle Vincent might want a little privacy. While she was down there, she decided to tidy up the mess left over from breakfast and quickly wiped down the center island, put the cereal bowls into the dishwasher, and ran the broom over the floor.
Once the kitchen was back to clean, she wended her way back up to her room, halting in the doorway again, this time because she was shocked to find that Kyle Vincent was stretched out on her bed, sleeping soundly, his long coat lying at his feet. On top of the coat laid his crossbow, which in broad daylight looked like a large handgun that someone had fused with a miniature bow. It almost looked like a kid’s toy.
Next to the crossbow was a leather pouch that was filled with…shards…that were made out of some material she couldn’t identify. The slivers were about the width of two of her fingers held together and judging by the size of the pouch she’d guess they were about as long as her forearm and the ends that she could see had all been honed into fine points. The color of those shards was amazing, they looked like they had been carved out of some multi-toned jewel that she wasn’t familiar with. The colors and sheen reminded her of the inside of an oyster shell, only deeper and richer in hue.
She didn’t know what those glinting slivers were made of, but she did know what they used for. She knew. She’d seen…
Pulling her gaze away from those beautiful fragments, Lanie allowed herself to look at Kyle Vincent, feeling something in her stomach
squeeze tight. The man lying in her bed was…breathtaking. His mussed hair created a wheat colored halo around his head, his rugged features were peaceful and relaxed in sleep, letting Lanie see just how young he really appeared. Despite the scruff of beard on his chin, he looked far younger than he should have, barely more than a boy, really.
Lanie’s gaze slid from his handsome face down to the rest of him. Without his long coat, she could see just how…well put together he was. He was long and lean, his faded jeans and dark blue button down shirt clinging to him in a way that revealed his shapely legs and well-muscled arms. He was stunning. Staggering. Breathtaking. And he was living in the back of a car and chasing after a…vampire. It just didn’t seem to go together. This staggeringly handsome man, chasing after a monster, and nearly starving to death while he was doing it presented too much of a contrast.
It was obvious that Kyle Vincent needed to rest, in a bed instead of the backseat of a car, so Lanie tore her gaze away from him and crept back down stairs, hoping and praying that her dad didn’t come back right then. Good lord, if he came home and found Kyle Vincent not only in his house, but in his daughter’s bed…there would be a massacre and nothing left afterwards but a heap of bloody innards.
With nervousness wafting through her belly, Lanie headed back toward the living room to straighten up there, making a quick pass with the feather duster, pouffing pillows, putting away blankets, gathering up empty paper plates and soda bottles, and otherwise trying to undo the damage their movie night had done. Usually, the Bancroft household was a very tidy dwelling, but adding Johnna and Devyn into the mix had shot that to pieces. Those girls were clearly not used to picking up after themselves. This was another reason why she preferred to keep her home life separate from her outside life. Having her little sanctuary invaded and everything tossed all around was…upsetting. She almost felt defiled.
Moving back through the foyer and toward the downstairs bathroom, figuring she’d better check in there to see what sort of havoc had been wreaked, Lanie suddenly froze, her heart leaping up into her throat. Had she heard something on the front porch? Had it been the sound of a footstep?
Spinning around toward the front door, she paused, panic racing through her. Oh god! What if it was her dad! She hadn’t heard him drive up, but she’d been in the living room and it was hard to hear in there!
What if it was Frederik! What if he was going to try for her again! She did not believe for one second that a doorway would stop the monster she’d seen in the park!
Standing motionless, Lanie strained her ears, definitely catching the sound of someone walking across the front porch. And then suddenly a shape appeared, silhouetted through the sheer curtain on the front door and it took Lanie’s raging mind a second to realize what was happening.
Without warning, a strong arm clamped down around Lanie’s chest and shoulders and she was hauled backward until she was crushed against a hard wall of flesh and bone. In the blink of an eye, there was a crossbow leveled at the front door, one of the multi-hued shards glinting in the light, ready to fire into whoever was on the other side.
A gasp flew out of Lanie as her mind caught up to what was happening. “Kyle, no! Don’t—“
“Don’t move!” Kyle warned just as the knob turned and the front door was pushed open.
A loud shriek erupted from both Lanie and the person standing in the doorway and Lanie braced herself, waiting to hear the whoosh of the crossbow firing the shard at her Aunt Gretchen, but…nothing happened. For several seconds Lanie stood, crushed against Kyle Vincent, her heart hammering in her chest and dread buffeting her as she watched that gleaming sliver, waiting for it to leave the weapon and enter Gretchen.
After those few frozen seconds, Gretchen, her eyes enormous and her mouth hanging wide open, seemed to abruptly shake herself out of her shock and she took a couple of steps forward into the house.
“Stop there!” Kyle suddenly ordered, his arm tightening around Lanie so that the breath was pushed out of her. “Did you come here alone?”
Gretchen said nothing as the two grocery bags hit the floor, sending cans and things scattering outward, and she started at Lanie and Kyle with all the ferocity of a charging bull, her eyes burning like two red hot cinders. She didn’t hesitate as she flew at them, her fist whistling right past Lanie’s head and cracking right into Kyle’s face.
A surprised grunt sounded from Kyle, but Gretchen wasn’t stopping with a single punch. She quickly drew her fist back and nailed him again, while simultaneously swiping her free hand sideways, knocking Kyle’s arm holding the crossbow away from her so that she could step up to him and snarl right in his face.
“Let go of my niece, asshole!” she spat at Kyle through her teeth. “Then you and me’ll step outside!”
It all happened so fast that Lanie didn’t even have time to react until Gretchen’s fist drew back again and took aim and Kyle’s face. And then she sucked in a breath, her body jerking into motion. “Aunt Gretchen! Stop! He’s not—“
It was too late. Her fist cracked into Kyle’s face for a third time, sending Kyle backward a step and taking Lanie with him.
“Aunt Gretchen, stop!” Lanie cried out again, trying to wrestle out of the iron grip Kyle had on her. “He’s not hurting me! He’s my friend!”
That last statement fell like stones into a still pond and Gretchen, her fist drawn back to strike again, froze, her face going slack. Terror shot through Lanie as the realization of what was happening came crashing in on her.
Oh crap. She was caught. And so was Kyle. They were both caught. Which meant, they were both dead. Sam Bancroft was going to string them both up by their heels and beat the stuffing out of them. And then, if there was anything left of either of them, he’d kill them. Slowly and painfully.
“Wh-what?” Gretchen breathed, her hands both going to her chest to clutch at her heart and her wide gaze going to the crossbow clutched in Kyle’s hand. “Lanie…I-I…what?”
Lanie could actually see her life flashing before her eyes. It didn’t take very long, because she hadn’t been around for that many years, but in that brief flash, she realized that she wasn’t ready to die. She had things she wanted to do! It wasn’t fair to be cut down at such a tender age by her own father!
But, there was nothing she could do to stop it. She’d tried her hand at subterfuge and she’d lost. She’d have to face the firing squad like a woman and take the bullets without complaint.
“Lanie? Tell me what’s going on!” Gretchen demanded, her large blue eyes going from the crossbow to Kyle and then back to the crossbow again.
Lanie tried to take a step forward, but Kyle’s arm around her stopped her. Slightly annoyed, she gave his ribs a jab with her elbow, eliciting a little oomph from him. But, he got the message and loosened his grip so that she could move away from him. Facing her aunt, Lanie swallowed hard and opened her mouth to…lie? Ha! What lie could she possibly tell that would explain why Kyle had been pointing a crossbow right at her aunt?
Oh crap.
Again, Lanie saw her short life flash right in front of her face. She was going to have to tell her aunt the truth…or some version of it, which meant that her dad was going to kill her. Her life was over. She was a walking corpse. It would have been less painful if Kyle had just let that monster kill her in the park the night before.
“Lanie? Tell me what’s going on,” Aunt Gretchen demanded.
Lanie shot a quick glance over her shoulder at Kyle, who was once again pinching his nose closed and tilting his head backward. Oh no. Not again. This was just not Kyle Vincent’s day.
“Start talking, Lanie, or else I’m calling your father,” Gretchen warned.
Gretchen probably wouldn’t have to bother. Her dad would most likely come home at any second and then…game over.
“Alright,” Lanie sighed, feeling her body resign itself to the fate that surely awaited her. “Let’s go in the kitchen. Kyle’s bleeding.” Again.
Lanie
and Gretchen both hurried to gather up the spilled groceries and then they headed toward the kitchen, where Lanie wasn’t sure what she was going to say, but whatever it was, she was certain it was going to lead to her own father committing cold blooded murder.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Lanie Bancroft had always lived her life by one simple rule. The truth was always best. If a girl told the truth, she didn’t have to worry about keeping her story straight or worry that her lies might catch up to her one day. Lies could only lead to trouble and the liar was always found out in the end.
However, in this case, telling the truth was a bit more complicated than it should have been. Even telling a half-truth wasn’t something that could be easily done, thanks to Kyle’s crossbow!
She could not come up with a single, feasible explanation for why a strange man was not only in the house, but was also armed with a weapon which he happened to have been pointing directly at her aunt. And telling her aunt the complete truth as to why Kyle Vincent was in her house, didn’t seem like a viable option, either. Aunt Gretchen would ask questions, questions she could not answer without opening up a can of worms that just might get someone she loved killed. But, she had to come up with something because the clock was ticking and her dad might come home at any minute!
The sudden pressure of the situation began to crush Lanie and she knew right then that she was going to crumble beneath it. However, she didn’t have to. Kyle, sitting at the center island with a cloth held to his bleeding face, was the one to speak up.
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