Home Is Where the Heart Is (8 page)

“Mom! Oh my God!” Kyra screamed. She rushed across the room, falling to her knees as she huddled on the floor next to her mother, not caring that she was sitting in a pool of her mother’s blood. Dylan ripped Liz’s shirt open, trying desperately to locate all her wounds. The attack had been brutal, almost mindless, in its ferocity.

He grabbed several kitchen towels and firmly pressed them against the stab wounds on her abdomen. There were too many wounds to count, and from his experience, it didn’t look good. So much blood had already been lost. Swallowing the lump rising in his throat, he knew he had to stay strong for Kyra. She had already lost her father, and now this had to happen. He had no idea if she was strong enough to handle this much horror.

Dylan gently placed Kyra’s hand on the towels that were covering her mother’s abdomen. “Kyra,” he said, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible, “Press as hard as you can. It should help to slow the bleeding. I have to call 911. Do you understand?”

Kyra nodded, unable to speak.

Liz Michaels was knocking on death’s door when they had arrived and she wasn’t out of the woods yet. She had lost so much blood that Dylan could barely believe she was still alive. The ambulance was on its way and he hoped like hell that they could make it before it was too late.

Kyra held her mother tight. “Mom, please don’t leave me. I love you so much. Please, Mom, don’t go.”

Liz was in terrible pain, but she had to speak to her daughter. She had so much to say to her beautiful baby girl and feared not having the time. “Kyra,” she gasped, “I… so many… secrets. Don’t… trust the cops.”

“Mom! Oh God! Please don’t die. I can’t lose you too!” she sobbed.

“Love him with all of your heart,” Liz whispered, raising her hand to touch Kyra’s cheek. “Dylan’s… home” She closed her eyes and drew her final breath in her daughter’s arms.

“Mom!” Kyra screamed. “No!”

Kyra sobbed uncontrollably. Sirens screamed as they approached the house. She grasped her mother’s lifeless limp body tighter, rocking back and forth. Eyes closed to the world around her, she prayed a silent prayer for her parents and vowed to never stop searching for the men responsible. Anger and rage filled her like never before. She wanted answers and she wanted justice. She was lost in a tumultuous wave of sorrow so strong that her body shook from the fierceness of it all. She had been through so much already. Losing both of her parents in a matter of days was too much for anyone. Her life was changed forever because of two acts of seemingly mindless violence.

Dylan rounded the corner, frozen at the sight before him. He knelt down beside her, wanting so much to take her pain away.  Putting his arms around her, he consoled her as best he could. At that moment, he decided he would do whatever it took to ease not only her pain but the anger and loneliness that would follow. There wasn’t anything he could say to make this better but he could make sure the people who did this paid.

The sirens grew closer, and then flashing red lights could be seen through the windows in the front of the house. A few minutes later, emergency technicians stepped through the kitchen door, taking in the gruesome scene before them. The cops came in moments later, taking photos and asking questions, and finally releasing the body to the EMTs.

Dylan didn’t expect much from this group of cops. He knew they were as dirty as the landfill just past the county line. He had his work cut out for him now, that was for damn sure. Two murders. A score of dirty cops. A town once beautiful and pure now tainted with crime and lies.

The first thing he had to do was get Kyra somewhere safe. For some reason, her family seemed to have gotten wrapped up in a nightmare and he didn’t want it to touch his Kyra.

His Kyra?

If Liz had been targeted, it was highly possible that Kyra would be next. A shudder raked through his body, tightening his muscles painfully as he looked at the chaos around them. He damn sure wouldn’t let her be harmed on his watch. “Kyra, you can’t stay here tonight. Let’s grab some of your clothes and get you cleaned up at the office.”

“Why… why is this happening to my family, Dylan?” she asked between strangled sobs.

He didn’t have the answers she needed, but he would find them if it was the last thing he did. “I promise I’ll get to the bottom of this,” he said. “I won’t give up until I find the truth. I’ll never give up.”

Dylan helped Kyra retrieve her belongings from upstairs and load them into her car, helping her into the passenger seat before sliding behind the wheel. She looked at him curiously.

“We need to get you out of those bloody clothes and you don’t need to worry about driving or anything else right now. Jake can bring me back later to get my bike.

She nodded, too exhausted – too stressed – to object. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, wishing she could open them and discover this was just a bad dream. She thought about the way Dylan looked at her, with concern… and possibly something else. Okay, she didn’t want it all to be a dream.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Jake looked up, shocked to see Dylan carrying Kyra through the door, almost falling out of his chair. Their clothes were soaked in blood. The sorrowful look upon Kyra’s face indicated that whatever had happened was really bad. He shot out of his chair and locked the front door, closing up shop for the rest of the day. He knew Dylan would want to talk strategy as soon as Kyra was settled.

He watched as Dylan slowly carried Kyra down the hall to the back of the office, disappearing into the small makeshift apartment in the rear of the office. It wasn’t much, but it sure helped to have a place to crash when their caseload was heavy. The guys often found themselves in sticky situations that required a lot of their time… and this was beginning to look like one of those times.

Dylan eased Kyra into the tiny apartment realizing that she was emotionally spent. “Kyra, the shower is right through that door.” He pointed towards the bathroom door, hoping that a warm shower would ease the tension weighing on her. “Take your time and get yourself cleaned up. I’ll check on you in a minute.”

Kyra stood frozen, as if she hadn’t heard a word he had said. Dylan trembled as he looked at the broken woman before him. She had endured a lot in a short amount of time, more horror than anyone should have to deal with in a lifetime. Seeing her like this broke his heart. She looked so fragile. Shattered.

He placed his arm around her petite shoulders and helped her to the bathroom. Once inside he eased the door closed. She just stood there, unmoving, her eyes dull with shock. He carefully gripped the hem of her snug fitting t-shirt and pulled it over her head, revealing a pink bra stained with blood. His fingers found the clasp and snapped it free, letting the bra fall from her slim shoulders, revealing her perky breasts. Her breath hitched at the feel of his touch on her skin.

Dylan placed a large warm hand on her hip to steady her as he unbuttoned her jeans and slid them down her slim gorgeous legs. He glanced up into those enchanting green eyes, wishing he could join her in the shower but knowing this was far from a good time. She needed his trust and friendship, not the lust that was thrumming like a hurricane inside him.

Taking a deep breath and holding it for what seemed like forever, he kept his eyes at her feet counting slowly to ten before letting it out, hoping his head would clear, allowing him to find the restraint he desperately needed. He didn’t want to stare at her nakedness. It just wasn’t right and it made him feel dirty considering the situation. Enjoying this was wrong. He knew that. He reached for her tiny pink panties and carefully slid them down her body, easing one foot free of her clothing and then the other. Feeling guilty for having lustful thoughts at a moment like this, he pushed the urges aside and helped her into the shower.

Kyra huddled under the warm spray, taking the washcloth Dylan handed her. He turned away, disappearing from the bathroom. Her movements were slow and robotic as she began washing away the blood that had already begun to dry on her skin. She collapsed onto the shower floor, crying. The choking sobs had taken over her body, barely allowing her to catch her breath. She couldn’t feel anything anymore. She had nothing else to lose. The darkness Dylan talked about earlier in the day had taken everything from her. In one week, she had managed to lose her entire family.

Before she could collect her thoughts and get herself together, she heard a knock on the bathroom door. Not ready to face the world yet, she drew her knees to her chest and fell to pieces all over again. A few seconds later, the bathroom door eased open.

“Kyra, are you alright?” Dylan asked.

“I just need a few more minutes,” Kyra mumbled between sobs.

“Sure. I just wanted to check on you.” Dylan responded with a soft tone as he closed the door.

Kyra shook her head, stunned that she had let him undress her. In that moment, she had fought an internal battle… and let the darker side of herself win that battle. She had let him undress her, let him see her as no other man had. She had no regrets; not really. But she so wanted to feel his hands on her flesh once more. In all her fantasies, she had never once imagined anyone but him seeing her naked flesh. But not like this. Not when she was so very separated from her body, unable to register his touch, unable to enjoy the pleasure of being so close to him.

Then, like a freight train, the memory of her mother lying dead in her arms slammed into her and guilt followed. Kyra felt disgusted for thinking of herself, felt dirty. Shame coated her so thickly even the warmth of the shower couldn’t wash it away. She deserved to feel shamed after letting her lustful thoughts take center-stage after the loss of her mom.

Regaining control, Kyra eased herself out of the shower and dried off. Dylan had brought her bag into the bathroom for her, and – not caring what she looked like – she threw on her comfy jogging pants and an Old Navy T-shirt. She ran a brush through her tangled brunette mane, pulling it into a quick ponytail.

Slowly, almost reluctantly, she exited the tiny bathroom. Dylan sat on the couch against the wall. “Feeling a little better?” he asked.

“Not really,” she mumbled. The tiny apartment didn’t offer a lot of seating choices so Kyra sat next to Dylan. He pulled her into his side, and she leaned farther into him, laying her head on his shoulder. The embrace comforted both of them at that moment. After a few minutes, Dylan slowly and hesitantly pulled away, remembering he needed to get a shower too. Kyra watched as he slipped into the bathroom, the door clicking behind him.

Kyra stared at the bathroom door until the she heard the spray of the shower, and then headed into the office. Jake sat at his desk, deep in thought. He glanced at her as she entered. “Feeling a little better?”

“A little, but not really. Everything is so fucked up.”

“Yeah, it seems so… but Dylan will figure this shit out. He’s damn good at what he does.” He hesitated, glancing back towards the little apartment, looked back at her. “You and Dylan. Are you guys an item or something?”

“Hell no!” Kyra almost shouted. “He’s married. What kind of woman do you think I am?”

Jake just shook his head and laughed, his eyes shining like he knew the punchline to the joke that had just flown over her head.

She looked at him, shocked, angry, and confused. “What?” she snapped.

He stared at her, still grinning. “Who…ohhh. That little blonde minx, right?”

“Harley Daniels,” Kyra snapped. “I didn’t stick around to see the happy couple waltz out of the church. I didn’t care to see that. That’s why I left town.”

“He had a big fat crush on you back in the day.”

Kyra’s cheeks burned red at the thought, but she shrugged it off. “I don’t think so. I’m not his type. Not now. Certainly not then.”

“Oh, you most definitely are,” Jake said. “Trust me.”

It seemed as though Jake had more to say on the subject, but the conversation was cut short when Dylan walked into the office. He noticed the smile on Jake’s face and the shocked and stunned expression on Kyra’s. He didn’t know what had happened in his absence, but he planned on finding out. “Kyra, I have a spare bedroom if you’d like to stay at my place for a while. You can stay as long as you need to. You’ll be safe there.” He hoped she wouldn’t refuse his offer.

Kyra glanced at Jake and then back to Dylan. She knew she probably shouldn’t stay with him. Harley hated her enough as it was. That was easy to see from how she acted at the funeral. But Kyra was determined to swallow her pride and deal with the woman. Safety was important; a lot more important than Harley’s feelings. “Okay, as long as it isn’t an inconvenience for you.”

“It isn’t. I have plenty of room.” Dylan tried to keep the smile off his face. He hadn’t expected her to agree so quickly. She didn’t even put up a fight and he was happy for it.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Kyra watched Dylan out of the corner of her eye as he maneuvered her car onto his driveway that ran up a hill. Just as it plateaued, a log cabin came into view. It was a spectacular cabin, with a porch wrapped all the way around it, complete with rocking chairs along the front, adding a cozy touch. She loved that it was surrounded by trees, making it feel secluded even though it was just off the highway and not very far from town. It reminded her of the romantic getaway cabins you’d find in travel magazines. The only thing it was missing was flowers.
“Oh my God, Dylan,” she whispered breathlessly. “It’s beautiful.”

“Thanks. Now let’s see about getting you settled in.”

Dylan eased the car up to the garage and put it in park. He quickly exited, making his way around to open the door and help her out. She grabbed her bag from the backseat, closing the car door with a thud, forcing herself to walk a few feet behind him instead of charging ahead, not wanting to seem too eager to be inside his personal space. It was strange to be at his home. Strange and shocking and exciting all at once. Dylan unlocked the door motioned for her to go ahead of him. “Well, come on in. It isn’t much, but it beats that little apartment at the office any day.”