Protecting His Forever(7)

“Hey, Ethan, can you come over? I need to talk to you; I have a situation…” I trail off biting my lip nervously. I’m scared for Brae and for myself. How could I not be? The man that has hurt her is crazy.

“What?” he hisses.

Sighing, I say, “Just come over.” I hang up and walk over to Brae who is clutching a pillow to herself.

“My brother will be here soon,” I reassure her. She nods and stares blankly at the wall. Not knowing what to do, I slowly walk over to her wanting somehow to take away her pain. Seeing this man, no doubt brought everything that happened to her back to the surface.

“You want to take a shower?” I ask her hesitantly not wanting her to get embarrassed. She nods and stands up. Leading her to the shower in my room, I give her a fresh razor and tell her she can use my products. Turning around, I start to leave but her hand on my arm stops me.

“Thank you, Sydney.” She gives me a small smile. Nodding my head, I grin at her.

“Go shower. I’ll be downstairs,” I tell her as I set some clothes on the counter. Ethan will be here any minute.

I pace in front of the door impatiently. Two loud trucks roar up my driveway. Ethan is obviously in the red truck, but there’s a black truck I don’t recognize. My brother gets out and turns to the man in the black truck as the door opens. Kane? My eyes widen in confusion.

Stepping out onto the porch, I close the door behind me. Ethan and Kane are speaking in lower whispers and when Kane realizes I’m close by he pauses and cocks a brow up at my brother. He stalks towards me and my breath catches in my throat as my eyes connect with his icy blues.

The closer he gets, the more his face hardens. Confused, I look over at my brother who is staring at Kane like he has grown two heads. He climbs up the steps and goes to stand directly in front of me.

“You’ve been crying,” he says bluntly, looking down at me.

“I-I-” I stutter and look at my brother who has now joined us.

“Sydney, what happened?” Ethan says, concerned and places a hand on my shoulder.

“My friend is in danger.”

“Your friend?” Kane asks and looks at Ethan.

“She will explain,” I tell them and walk into the house knowing they will follow.

“What are you doing here?” Ethan asks Kane behind me. Kane doesn’t answer. I’m curious myself.

Why is he here? I haven’t seen him since I left the hospital. Kane saved me and that is something I will never ever forget. That day still haunts me. I got away from that man, but he was close behind. I know that he would have gotten me one way or another. Police would have been too far away. That man obviously didn’t care about an audience or getting caught because he beat me and tried to kidnap me in broad daylight.

A creak of a floorboard on the steps brings me out of my thoughts. Glancing up, I see Brae slowly walking down the stairs looking down at us all. Stepping forward, I hope my face expresses that everything will be okay.

She timidly walks beside me. She looks at the ground, her whole body shaking. Kane and Ethan are a little scary—they’re really tall, tattooed, and intimidating.

“Braelyn, this is Ethan, my brother.” I motion to Ethan to step forward. He doesn’t take his eyes off of her. He searches her over, assessing. Looking up at Kane, I find him staring at me. Blushing, I look away quickly.

“And this is Kane, my brother’s best friend.” Her eyes shoot up to look at him and then back to the ground. She is so freaking scared. Ethan looks at me and gives me a desperate look. My brother, raised by a single mom, has a soft spot for women. “She’s scared,” I mouth to him.

Taking her hand, I lead her to the couch and sit directly beside her. Feeling a presence sitting on the couch arm, I look up. Kane is sitting there just watching me like before. Shuddering, I turn my attention back to Brae. My brother sits right beside her, and Braelyn sinks into herself a little more.

“Braelyn, honey, I know this hard, but you have to tell him. He is a police officer,” I tell her softly while putting my arm around her.

Braelyn sighs sharply as she looks at Ethan. He inhales a large puff of air and repositions himself on the couch, looking in my direction. Braelyn flinches at his sudden movement and drops her eyes to the floor. Their exchange is different, and I notice Ethan is studying her face closely.

Then it clicks. Brae has the most beautiful eyes. They aren’t one color—one minute they look blue, but they rapidly change with her mood. Braelyn is absolutely beautiful, like beyond super model pretty. She used to tell me that her beauty held a curse and it made her life hell.

Ethan shoots me a questioning look, and I shake my head, silently dismissing him for now. He nods, then turns back to Braelyn and places his finger under her chin lifting her face up to meet his. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he tells her intently. She nods slightly and she tells him everything.