Burned by Passion(55)

“I didn’t do nothing! One moment we were talking and then she fell over. I was trying to help her up when you came in!” the man said, grabbing at Blake’s wrists. Blake stared down at Kira and to his relief, her eyes opened.

“Blake?”

Blake relinquished his death grip on the man’s throat and hunched over Kira, cupping her face and placing it on his thighs as he kneeled beside her. “I’m here baby. What happened? Are you okay?”

She nodded. “I just felt dizzy for a second and the next moment…” She shuddered, her eyes rolling up at the ceiling. And then she winced. “My father…”

Blake glanced around quickly but he was already gone. The front door was ajar and Blake heard shuffling footsteps moving quickly down the porch stairs, the sound receding.

He turned to Kira, stroking her face tenderly. “Forget him, my love. He’s gone.”

“But he’ll be back,” Kira moaned. “He always comes back.”

“Don’t worry about that now,” Blake said. His heart was still pounding fast. He’d been so scared of what might have happened to her. She looked so pale, but otherwise unhurt. He cupped a hand over her belly. “We need to get you to a hospital. You could have hurt yourself when you fell, or the baby.’’

She shook her head. “I feel fine except for being a little queasy. It’s just one of the dizzy spells I get a few times a day. Help me up on the couch where I can stretch out and then have a drink of water. I’ll be okay in a minute.”

Carefully, Blake lifted her in his arms and carried her into the living room, placing her gently so that she laid full length on the cushions. He would’ve pulled back once he had her settled but she hugged him around the neck. “Hold me, Blake,” she whispered. “I’m so scared.”

Blake’s arms closed around her tightly. “I won’t let him hurt you. I promise.”

“It’s not him I’m scared of,” she said, shaking her head

The terror in her voice reached to the depth of him. He unlinked her arms gently from his neck and drew back slightly so he could look into her eyes. “Whatever it is, you don’t have to worry. Now lean back and I’ll get you some water.”

Blake secured the front door and then poured her a glass of water, watching as she downed it slowly. He tucked some loose strands behind her ear. When she was done with the glass, he took it and placed it to the side.

“What are you doing home so soon?” she asked once he turned to her again. She still looked like she’d lost too much of her color and Blake’s worry deepened. He was furious, knowing her father had probably triggered Kira’s collapse. Blake was going to insist they visit the hospital for a checkup anyway. He was taking no chances with her wellbeing or the baby’s.

He sighed deeply. “It was Brittany. She came by today and started talking about how she became suspicious about your background. She decided to hire a private investigator who managed to track down your father. Then she told me he was already coming over here to see you. She made me almost homicidal. I came here as fast as I could. What happened, Kira? Why did you let him in?”

“I didn’t know what else to do. I was confused about him finally tracking me down – and then I was worried about him drawing attention. He wasn’t going to go away until I opened up. Besides, I knew all he ever wanted was money and I was right. He said some mean things and tried to belittle me as usual but all he needed was cash. I gave him all I had in the house which wasn’t much. He promised to return and said that I’d better have something more substantial next time. He wanted $25,000 and I knew I’d never be able to get my hands on that kind of money without you finding out he was extorting money from me. He threatened to cause trouble for me if I didn’t have his cash ready when he showed up next time. Said he’d drag me back down in the gutter where I belong…”

She shook her head and turned her face into the cushion. Blake felt a murderous rage but reined in his fury, rubbing her hands gently as he said, “You know that’s not going to happen. You’ve always known that nothing he ever said was true. But you have to promise me not to ever let him get so close to you again. If you want me to, I’ll get a restraining order on him. But if he truly needs help and you want to help him, then I don’t mind doing what I can to get him rehabilitated. He’s your flesh and blood after all. I’ll do whatever you think is best.”

To Blake’s shock, Kira burst into tears.

“Darling, what’s wrong?” he said in alarm, gathering her in his arms. “Please. You’ll hurt yourself if you keep crying like this in your condition.”