the apartment was rough but Killian was there along with Jonah and Ryan. The uh, the bad guy stole my Tabby album.” I clenched my teeth as the burn of that admission sizzled through my body.
Sonia gasped. “No?”
I nodded my heart feeling as though it were in my throat. “Jonah promised to get it back and I believe if anyone can, it will be him or Ryan.” I looked up and saw the two men piling the food on their plates. Except Ryan wasn’t really paying much attention to what he was doing. His gaze was glued to Blessing who was still giving Charlie crap about her dating methods.
I lifted my chin toward the other guys. The three sitting with me followed where I gestured. “When do you think that’s going to culminate into something real?”
Sonia smiled. “Never.”
“Why not?” Quinn asked at the same time Killian asked, “What are we talking about?” He leaned toward me conspiratorially.
“Ryan has a thing for Blessing. She’s totally into him but refuses to acknowledge the attraction because of her father,” I offered.
“Is it a race thing?” Killian asked.
“The gang banger?” Quinn interrupted already knowing Blessing’s story and exactly who Tyrell Jones was.
I nodded. “Not a race thing.” I rubbed my hand over Killian’s knee where he sat cross-legged next to me. “She says it wouldn’t work, him being in law enforcement, her history, and her father’s current involvement in one of the worst gangs in Chicago.”
“What’s her history?” Killian asked, then took a monster-sized bite of his sandwich, getting a little mayo at the top of his mustache.
I smiled and leaned forward, wiping his upper lip with my thumb and then depositing the mess on my napkin.
“Thanks, baby,” he murmured. “The history?”
Sonia’s sighed. “Her mother was murdered when she was ten. Gang retaliation. The courts kicked Blessing here, but her father is still poking around. I worry about that girl,” she said then sipped her drink.
“Damn, I feel for her,” Killian said and left it at that.
Simone came out of the house, two cold drinks in her hand, and brought them over to us. She handed one to Killian and then one to me.
While Rory played an endless game of fetch with Amber, Jonah and Ryan, the rest of my family huddled around Killian and me while we updated them on the case and the visit to my apartment.
Once I got it off my chest, I felt lighter. Free to breathe again without the pressure of the day’s weight so heavily on my subconscious.
While Jonah and Ryan went back to work, we played with a Frisbee, catch with Amber, hopscotch with Rory, and a wicked round of adult croquet when Mama Kerri put Rory down for a nap.
Killian had called his friend Atticus to go to his house and walk Brutus. Apparently, he had a dog door and a patch of grass on the roof of the building which prevented Killian from having to walk him several times a day. I didn’t know such a thing existed and I was very eager to see this secret rooftop space.
When we were all tuckered out from the days emotional tidal wave and then fun in the sun with my family, I packed up two huge suitcases under Killian’s repeated request. He was determined to have me holed up at his house. And if I were being honest with myself, I wanted to be with him. He made me feel safe. With a scary man out there wanting to hurt me, feeling safe was a hot commodity, and more than anything I wanted my sisters and mother as far away from potential tragedy as possible. With me away, they would be safer.
Since Killian was a trained soldier and had a conceal carry permit, the guys felt okay with letting Killian be my sole bodyguard. They repeatedly warned me about going anywhere without him. I had no intention of doing any such thing, so I agreed to their terms. They also planned on having a patrol unit drive by the loft regularly to have a police presence which made me feel extra safe, not to mention the security guard who already worked the building.
All in all, I was feeling good when it was time to head back to Killian’s. The day started in tears and ended in laughter. I couldn’t ask for better.
* * *
Killian led me from his Jeep to the elevator with my suitcases. The building had two full-time security guards, and the underground parking was