Keeping Kenzie - Pepper North Page 0,47

she was. Her heart raced inside her chest as she tried to figure out what to do.

“Open the door, Kenzie! I can make sure that your death is quick or extremely painful. As long as you’re gone, you can’t testify.” His shoulder rammed into the door.

That lock wouldn’t hold long. Kenzie stood and grabbed a wooden chair. Standing as far away as possible, she shoved the chair under the doorknob. After grabbing Lollipop again, she looked frantically around the room.

The window! She could run out that way with Lollipop. Dragging the growling dog to the window, Kenzie tried to hold him in place as she unlatched it. He was not cooperating.

“Stop this, Lollipop. I’ll never play dress-up with you again if you don’t cut this out. Help me!” she hissed. To her amazement, Lollipop sat down and looked at her.

Immediately, she took advantage of his cooperation to unlock and push the window open. The thuds at the door strengthened, and the chair slid a bit. Kenzie fumbled with the screen, trying to push it up, out, whatever to make a hole for them to get through.

Large hands ripped the screen from the window. “Baby girl! Are you okay?” he asked as he pulled her through the window. When she wouldn’t let go of Lollipop’s collar, he reached through to lift the barking dog out.

“Daddy! He’s trying to kill me. He wanted me to write a suicide note. Lollipop protected me.”

He hugged her close before whispering, “I called the police. Run across the road and bang on Mrs. Wilson’s house. Tell her it’s an emergency and that I sent you.”

Pure rage flared through his body as he pulled into the drive and saw the car parked at the curb. Its license plate was splattered with mud. He jumped from the car and ran toward the door. A scrape of metal drew his attention. Kenzie was in the nursery’s window, trying to open the screen.

In two seconds, he was there to rip the screen away. A thousand questions battled in his mind. Osiris pushed everything away. It wasn’t important. “You okay?” he settled on asking as his hands roamed over her body, looking for injuries.

Osiris didn’t move until he saw her disappear into Mrs. Wilson’s house. Slipping around the back of the house, he found the sliding glass door open. He moved as silently as he could and peeked down the hall. A thin man banged his shoulder against the door to the nursery. Each time, the wooden barrier opened a bit more.

The police will be here soon. Osiris forced himself to stay at a distance. He’d attack only if Dean fled.

Watching as the intruder finally had it open enough to fit his hand inside and rattle the chair away, Osiris jogged quietly down the hallway and into the room behind him. He wouldn’t let this man who threatened his Little girl get away.

“Damn it!” Dean cursed as he took in the empty room and open window.

Dean whirled suddenly, hearing a whisper of sound behind him. Osiris grabbed his hand that held the gun and squeezed. Kenzie’s ex-husband fought with desperation, but Osiris’ muscle overwhelmed him. The gun thudded to the ground. Osiris kicked it across the room.

Roaring with anger, Osiris drew back a fist and swung, worry and anger contributing to the force of his blow as he heard sirens coming his way. Dean’s head snapped back, rocked by the power of the blow. The smaller man dropped backward and didn’t move. Tempted to batter this man who had threatened his Baby girl’s life, Osiris tried to take control of his ragged breathing.

When the police announced their presence, he stood vigil over the unmoving man. “Back here. I’m the homeowner who called you, Osiris Jones. My hands are up.”

Quietly, he heard the officers creep through the hallway and emerge into the beautiful bedroom. “He was going to kill Kenzie, but she got away. He threatened me with his gun. I kicked it over there,” Osiris reported, nodding with this head in the direction the gun had skidded.

“Step away from him, sir,” a police officer requested politely.

“He can’t get away,” Osiris warned.

“He won’t,” the older man promised. As Osiris backed away, the officer knelt by Dean’s side. Searching through his pockets, he removed his wallet, keys, and a knife. Without waiting for him to rouse, the policeman rolled him over and handcuffed his hands.

“What did you hit him with? A battering ram?” he asked when Dean didn’t wake up.

Osiris lifted one oversized