by Janie Marie
“Sir,” the officer said as the other officers moved closer, “we appreciate your efforts to assist, but they’re unnecessary. Please attend to your own affairs, or we will have to escort you out.”
Kylie realized Logan had been staring Kevin down, like they were having a silent argument.
He chuckled suddenly, and it was that deep, promising sound she’d heard when he was really angry. “I thought it was a bit much to have four with you.” Logan dropped a kiss to her hair and whispered, “I love you.” She opened her mouth to say it back, but he shook his head gently and whispered again. “He’s using his pull with the cops. He probably saw us and went back for them. I won’t let him take you.” He stood straighter and faced Kevin. “I’m not the bad guy, Blackwood. But I will be if you try to take her.”
Kevin was quiet, his attention behind them. She turned, gasping when she saw Ryder, Savaş, and Archer, along with Lance Grimm and Gareth Knight. They were standing behind them, and surprisingly, their intimidating gazes were focused on the officers and Kevin.
“I underestimated you, kid,” Kevin told Logan.
Kylie whipped her head back around as Logan smirked.
“But I’m not the bad guy either.” Kevin shifted his gaze to her, giving her the concerned attention she had craved from him earlier. “I’m doing what I should have always done, Kylie. I’m trying to make things right.” He looked toward Ryder, then at Logan. “I know Kylie didn’t hurt Maura. I don’t know exactly what happened, but for some reason my wife is trying to see that Kylie is held responsible. One of my daughters might not live through the night—I’m protecting the one I can.” He nodded at the officers. “I trust them. As far as I know, you broke Kylie’s heart yesterday. So I have no idea why you would be here with her now.”
She glanced over her shoulder, smiling awkwardly when Ryder’s gaze settled on her. He didn’t smile back, but her gut told her he would back Logan up if needed.
God, he was still backing Logan up, and she’d mocked and wished the worst on them.
Look what you’ve done, that brutal whisper resounded through her mind.
She was so overwhelmed to see them all standing behind Logan, standing behind her, that her urge to beg for forgiveness was great. She mouthed the words ‘thank you’ instead and grinned when Ryder gave the slightest of nods before focusing on the officers again.
Logan exhaled as his body relaxed. “Do they really need to talk her?”
The officer spoke up this time. “We just have a few questions for her. It won’t take long.”
“Then you won’t mind if I come, too.” He reached for her hand.
“No,” said the cop.
Kevin sighed. “Logan, I appreciate your concern, but they aren’t going to do anything. This is just to clear up the mess my wife has started.”
“Logan?” Ryder said, moving closer. Everyone looked at him as he threw a dark look at the cops. “Mind your fucking business for a moment.”
Kylie couldn’t believe it when the cops actually stepped back.
Ryder leaned close to Logan looking as though he hadn’t just threatened police officers. “I need your help first. They’re stressing her out trying to question her. They’re about to sedate her, but she’s panicking. I need them to put pressure on him until I can leave.”
Logan was tensing every few seconds. “Who’s with Janie?”
“Tercero and Luc,” Ryder said without showing any worry that his older brother was there.
“I won’t leave Kylie. Something isn’t right. I don’t want her taken in for this shit.”
Ryder looked at the cops, then dropped his gaze to her. “Blondie,” he said without any of his usual harshness, “Than will be here in a few minutes. I’ll instruct him to go to you instead of coming to Janie’s room. He won’t let you get taken anywhere. Do you think you can go with them so Logan can help me?”
Logan didn’t let her answer. “I’m not leaving her. I’ll go talk to the detectives when we get done.”
The pain in Ryder’s eyes hurt her stomach. She would be strong, and for once let go of her hate. She’d prove that voice wrong. “Logan, it’s okay. Go help. I don’t know what’s happened, but you were involved. You need to help catch the person responsible. I can go by myself. Kevin won’t let them hurt me.”
Logan started to shake his head, but she wasn’t going to let him refuse.
“This is nothing,” she continued, even though it hurt her to tell him to leave. “If Kevin knows she’s lying, that’s all that really matters. Go and help Ryder.”
“I’ll come find you as soon as I’m done.” He looked so relieved it broke her heart.
“Okay,” she said and received a quick kiss on her lips before he pulled away.
“I’ll stay with her.” Kylie realized Lance Grimm had walked closer. He smiled in her direction before speaking to Logan, “I’ll make sure she doesn’t go anywhere.”
“Archer, Gareth,” Ryder said, not looking behind him. “Go with Kylie. Keep an eye on things.”
“Sure.” They agreed, walking to her.
Gareth threw an arm over her shoulder and smiled down at her. “You’ve looked better, darling.”
Logan glared at the Knight brother as Lance chuckled and patted him on the back.
“We’ll keep her safe, son. Go help Janie.” His father held out his hand to greet her. “Lance Grimm.”
She shook his hand and smiled. “Kylie Hood. Sorry about earlier. I had no idea.”
He didn’t say it was okay, but smiled nonetheless.
“Don’t let them take her out of your sight,” Logan told them.
Ryder’s glare silenced the officer about to oppose her new escort. “Do we have a problem?”
The normal, violent sound of Ryder’s voice had her grinning as he continued to glare at Kevin and the officers.
She smiled wider when they quickly turned to walk away.
“I’ll be right back.” Logan pointed to Gareth. “Watch yourself.”
Gareth chuckled and squeezed her shoulder. “Just go help my sis. Keep your head together. She needs you.”
“I’ll be okay.” She watched Logan war with himself. He was ready to run to Janie, but he was trying to show her she was important, too.
“I know,” he said and nodded to whatever his dad was whispering in his ear. Logan received a pat on the back, then smiled at her. “I’ll be back, baby. Don’t let them intimidate you, okay? You didn’t do anything wrong. Just tell them what happened. If they have more questions, they can contact you at my place. Dad, give a number for her. I don’t know where I’m going yet.”
Lance Grimm nodded. “It’ll be fine. Go.”
Logan was shaking as he returned his gaze to her. “You’re okay, right?”
“Yeah,” she said. “Go.”
He smiled, kissing her before turning away.
“Thank you, Blondie.” Ryder stared at her before nodding at his brother, then he followed Logan down the hall.
Seventeen
Always Two
“And she didn’t mention a name?”
Kylie looked at the cop in front of her, then to her left where Kevin sat beside her. He nodded encouragingly, and she smiled before looking over to her right where Lance Grimm, Gareth, and Archer all stood against the wall.
They hadn’t said a word once they entered the private waiting room with the officers, but their presence couldn’t be dismissed. The officers seemed on edge under Lance Grimm’s gaze. It was clear Logan got his intimidating personality and his handsome, dark looks from his father. Maybe even his interest in tattoos, because she could see some peeking out from under his sleeves, which were pushed up his forearms. One almost looked like a wolf standing on its hind legs. A werewolf. Her heart raced as she realized it almost matched the tattoo Mr. Prince had. ‘The wolves are everywhere . . . and you’re fucking with our queen.’
“Miss Hood?”
Kylie jerked her head to look at the annoyed cop as he jot
ted something down. “Oh, um.” She rubbed the sweat on her forehead. “No. I don’t remember everything. I was scared.”
She didn’t realize her fingers were tapping the table until Kevin’s hand covered hers.
“Don’t be nervous, sweetheart,” he said.
She looked back at the cops and felt her hand shaking when one leaned over to whisper something to one of the other officers.
Kevin squeezed her hand to get her attention. “We just need to know what she said. It might help her and this mess your mother is spouting.”
“I really didn’t do anything.” She didn’t know why she felt more afraid in this situation versus the one she had just been in with Luc Godson. Maybe because she knew Janie wouldn’t let him do anything to her.
Janie’s not here to save you now, and when Luc tells them how much you really hate her, they’ll leave you all by yourself.
The voice was right. No one would help her. Once Lance Grimm found out how much she really hated Janie—his freaking goddaughter—he’d wish the worst on her, too. They all would.
If they abandoned her, no one would believe her.
No one should believe you.
Memories of being called a liar came forward.
She was fourteen, and Maura had screamed, “You’re a liar. She’s lying, Mama!”
Kylie shook the memory away, refusing to see it, but another assaulted her. It was the first time Maura had hit her.
“Please, Mrs. Queen,” Kylie had said, “she’s lying. She hit me with her baseball bat.”
Lorelei stared at her, her eyes red as she swallowed and said, “Maura wasn’t even home last night. Kylie got upset because Maura was allowed to go out with friends, and she tripped while throwing a fit. She fell down the stairs.”
Kylie stared at her, shocked.
“Kylie,” Mrs. Queen said, shaking her head. “I realize your father’s death is something you’re still coping with, but you cannot make up lies about your family. These are serious accusations, and I will not feed into them simply because you are grieving. You must learn how to cope, and your stepmother and stepsister are the best hope you have. They lost him, too.
“Now, as standard procedure, I will contact social services and the police to do an investigation, but I assure you, Kylie, once they discover your sister wasn’t even home, they’ll conclude you’ve made a false accusation against her.”
“But she was home!”
“Kylie,” Lorelei said, wiping away a phony tear. “You know the truth.”
The scene shifted, and she was sitting in her living room, crying as Lorelei escorted the officers out. Lorelei had been able to provide witnesses to Maura being gone, and they said they’d only consider this a warning for her making false statements.
“You brought this on yourself, you know.” Lorelei stared out the window. “Nothing good ever comes from lying.”
“You would know,” Kylie snapped.
Lorelei slowly turned, her expression empty of all emotion. “Yes, stepdaughter. I do know what lying can cost, and you have only just begun to see the consequences.”
Kylie pressed her trembling lips together as the memories faded. Logan had been the first person to believe her since her abuse started. She hoped he would be the one person to always believe her. But he wasn’t here. Even Ryder wasn’t there to protect her. And none of them would care if Luc chose to expose her.
“I believe you, Kylie,” Kevin said.
She smiled as warmth spread through her chest. That’s right—she had Kevin. She didn’t need Ryder. Even though Ryder was a lot scarier than Kevin, and she was sure he could stop them from dragging her away with just one word to the chief, she believed Kevin would really come through. This was practically his town.
Kevin gave her hand another squeeze. “We still need to know what she said. If someone hurt her, we need to know who and why.”
Maura’s pale face surfaced in her mind. She could help. She could do something good. She almost expected that voice to whisper something nasty, but it was silent. She grasped the silence, hopeful that doing something good would redeem her. “All I remember is going to my room. I was probably in there for ten minutes after Kevin had left with Lorelei when I realized she’d come in. She was standing in the doorway.” Her eyes flicked over to see Archer whispering something to Lance. Lance’s eyes narrowed at something, and her head throbbed, but she looked back at the cop to continue her story. “She said something about her dad. I’m assuming her biological dad. It was something about him telling Lorelei she was the prettiest woman on earth. But then she looked sort of crazy and said she was the prettiest of them all.”
One of the cops scoffed.
Kevin shot him a deadly glare. “If you’re going to mock her, you can get the hell out of here. I’m sure the press would love to hear about your unprofessional behavior with a traumatized teenager.”
“Apologies, Mr. Blackwood.” The officer shifted in his seat. “If you would, please continue, Kylie.”
“Um, right, that’s when she started coming toward me. Then I noticed she had a trail of blood at her feet. She said I wasn’t supposed to be seen—that no one was supposed to see.” Her head throbbed, and she gasped but kept going. “And he, whoever that is, would love her—that Lorelei said this one would.” Her words dried up as she recalled Maura saying Logan’s name. Oh, God.
“And then?” the cop asked when she paused.
Kylie leaned back and pulled her hand from Kevin’s as her chest felt tight. She blinked back the sting in her eyes and tried to swallow, but it seemed so difficult. Had Logan done something to Maura? No. There was no way. She didn’t know what to say. Maybe she could just ask Logan. Yes, she couldn’t tell them anything. Maura had to have just been hallucinating.
So big . . . So pretty.
A sudden image popped into Kylie’s mind. It was her, and she was on a bed in a white room as Lorelei entered through a door, but everything turned to darkness before she could make sense of it.
Kylie released a strained breath, blinking as her sight returned. Pain began building in her chest. “I told her she was hurt because I realized blood was still dripping from her hands. I didn’t know if she wanted to hurt me or not. But she had the knife and said again she’s the prettiest—not me. Why does he see me? And then she said something about both of them—I don’t know who, and then she fell. I called for help and tried to stop the bleeding after I got the knife from her.”
Her heart pounded, and she lifted her hand to her chest as the squeezing sensation surrounding her heart and lungs increased.
“Anything else?”
She couldn’t answer. It hurt too much. Not again.
Her eyes watered and she gasped for air. Lance Grimm suddenly pulled out the chair beside her.
He sat and placed his hand on her back, right behind the spot where it started to hurt. “Breathe,” he said as he pressed his hand harder.
She felt the tears falling. She could feel her body shaking and starting to sweat as intense pain pressed down on her chest. I’m going to die. I’m going to die.
“Get your hands off her,” Kevin shouted and stood up, but Gareth and Archer moved forward, halting him.
“She’s having a panic attack.” Lance used the heel of his palm right where the pain was trying to grow—just like Janie had. “It will pass, Kylie,” he murmured. “Breathe. Just breathe. We’re with you. We’re right here.”
She gasped again and again. Her heart was going to burst. Something was squeezing it. Shredding it.
“Slower,” Lance said, pressing harder. “I know it hurts.”
“Ow,” she said, shutting her eyes and clutching her chest. Her heart was going to stop. She could feel it.
Kevin dropped down beside her and yelled for someone to get help.
“Nothing helps. She just has to get through it,” Lance told him as he kept rubbing. “Slow your breathing, Kylie.”
“Ow!” She gasped as two of the officers cl
eared out and Than Messor walked in. She knew it was him, but she felt like everything was spinning out of control. She just wanted to die already.
“What’s this?” Than walked closer.
Kylie leaned forward, panting as Kevin grabbed the hand she flailed out. She had no idea what she was doing. She kept seeing blood and Maura’s terrified eyes in her head as it throbbed with a humming noise. They weren’t going to believe her. Why would they?
“Kylie, calm down,” Kevin told her.
The light faded, and she saw Lance Grimm beside her.
The police chief nodded at Archer, who fled the room, and patted the officer who had been questioning her on the shoulder. “You’re done with her,” he told him. “I want you to report straight to me in the morning. No more of this tonight.”
Lance Grimm pulled her into a side hug. She could hear Kevin muttering insults, but he just held her hand.
“It goes away,” Lance Grimm murmured. “It always goes away.”
She sobbed, not knowing why anything was happening anymore. She didn’t even feel like she was there.
Lorelei’s voice filled the room. “No, she’s lying. I want her taken into custody. Get these men away from her!”
Kevin let go of her hand, allowing Gareth to take his spot.
“Easy, darling,” Gareth said softly. “Sissy has these. They always go away. We’re getting Logan.”
She tried to nod, but all she could hear through the humming was Kevin’s muffled shouts to Lorelei.
“Get her out of here,” Than ordered. Lorelei’s protest continued as two officers came and dragged her away, and Than Messor pulled Kevin out into the hall.
Kylie felt tears streaming down her face as she was suddenly lifted out of her chair and pulled against a familiar chest.
Logan, she thought over and over, don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me.
“What the fuck happened?” Logan yelled as he hugged her tight. “Breathe, baby.”
She kept nodding, hardly able to understand Lance’s words to him. But she felt the pain receding now that his arms were around her.
