Guardian of Justice
For two days, she’d been able to block all of that from her mind.
    Her dad and brothers were pacing outside the condo with the local officer, making sure nothing was missed. She heard them ticking off things that were out of place, wondering how they could know her so well. She wrapped her arms around herself and rubbed her skin to warm herself up.
    Dallas walked into her condo and emerged with a jacket barely a minute later. “You look a little cold, and since my jacket is in the car outside the gate…” He waved his arms.
    “It’s thatway,” Kira corrected. “Just so you don’t get lost when you go to leave.”
    “How thoughtful of you,” he said with a wry smile. “Anyway, I talked them into clearing one of your jackets for you.”
    “Thanks,” she said. You can’t be so nice and then walk away, leaving me miserable again, Dallas. Keep your guard up, Kira.
    Dallas glanced around, then tucked his thumbs into his pockets. “So, do you have any more brothers?”
    She felt a sinking feeling as she remembered a little boy as he was torn away from her. She nodded. “Yes, but he’s not a cop, and he won’t be showing up here, that I can assure you.”
    Dallas smiled, “If I’d known you were related to half the force over here…well, it would have simplified things.”
    “You call this simple?” Her brothers were stalling, studying her and Dallas. Probably waiting for the full scoop.
    Dallas turned his back to the men and squinted at her critically. “I was worried when you didn’t return my calls. It’s been nearly a week. One message and we could’ve avoided this scene.”
    Kira wrapped her arms around her body once more, trying to escape the chill that was taking over again. “I can’t explain.”
    “You’d better try,” Dallas retorted.
    “Whoa, whoa, whoa, time out here.” Kent said as he approached, holding his hands in a T in front of him. “All of this is about a date gone bad?”
    Suddenly everyone was back in the driveway, looking at them.
    “What?” Kira and Dallas said in unison.
    Kira’s face flushed. “No, this isn’t about—”
    Dallas interrupted her. “It’s a small misunderstanding about a statement for an incident report. But it seems that the incident has led to more problems.” He moved the focus back to her condo, and her brothers took over the conversation again. Kira was bombarded with questions about who would have done this to her, why, when….
    “Wait just a minute,” she finally blurted out, clearly overwhelmed by all the attention. “What makes you think someone targeted me? I’ve been gone for two days. Maybe they just—”
    “This wasn’t a crime of opportunity, Kira. They didn’t take anything of value. They were looking for something specific,” Nick interrupted. “This officer came a long way out of his jurisdiction to make sure you’re okay. So if your not calling him back has nothing to do with a bad date, why don’t you start by telling us what didhappen.”
    “Could we talk alone for a minute?” Dallas suggested quietly as he turned to Kira.
    She nodded. Anything to avoid the inevitable.
    He took hold of her arm with gentle authority, leading her to the end of the driveway. He released her immediately when she began to pull away.
    Dallas’s eyes seemed deeper set, and concern etched his face. “I know what you’re going through. You don’t want to think about it any more than necessary, especially not when it means telling your family. Fact remains, they’re not going to let it go now, and I need to get your statement.”
    She tucked her arms into her jacket and noticed her brothers working hard to listen to her conversation with Dallas. She turned her back on her family and whispered, “Let’s take a walk around the block.”
    Though his eyebrows furrowed, Dallas told her brothers, “We’ll be right back.”
    Garrett jumped forward instantly. “You’re not—”
    Kira glared him, letting Dallas stand between them.

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