Free Home Is Where the Heart Is by Abigail Hart Page A

rage filled her like never before. She wanted answers and she wanted justice. She was lost in a tumultuous wave of sorrow so strong that her body shook from the fierceness of it all. She had been through so much already. Losing both of her parents in a matter of days was too much for anyone. Her life was changed forever because of two acts of seemingly mindless violence.
    Dylan rounded the corner, frozen at the sight before him. He knelt down beside her, wanting so much to take her pain away.  Putting his arms around her, he consoled her as best he could. At that moment, he decided he would do whatever it took to ease not only her pain but the anger and loneliness that would follow. There wasn’t anything he could say to make this better but he could make sure the people who did this paid.
    The sirens grew closer, and then flashing red lights could be seen through the windows in the front of the house. A few minutes later, emergency technicians stepped through the kitchen door, taking in the gruesome scene before them. The cops came in moments later, taking photos and asking questions, and finally releasing the body to the EMTs.
    Dylan didn’t expect much from this group of cops. He knew they were as dirty as the landfill just past the county line. He had his work cut out for him now, that was for damn sure. Two murders. A score of dirty cops. A town once beautiful and pure now tainted with crime and lies.
    The first thing he had to do was get Kyra somewhere safe. For some reason, her family seemed to have gotten wrapped up in a nightmare and he didn’t want it to touch his Kyra.
    His Kyra?
    If Liz had been targeted, it was highly possible that Kyra would be next. A shudder raked through his body, tightening his muscles painfully as he looked at the chaos around them. He damn sure wouldn’t let her be harmed on his watch. “Kyra, you can’t stay here tonight. Let’s grab some of your clothes and get you cleaned up at the office.”
    “Why… why is this happening to my family, Dylan?” she asked between strangled sobs.
    He didn’t have the answers she needed, but he would find them if it was the last thing he did. “I promise I’ll get to the bottom of this,” he said. “I won’t give up until I find the truth. I’ll never give up.”
    Dylan helped Kyra retrieve her belongings from upstairs and load them into her car, helping her into the passenger seat before sliding behind the wheel. She looked at him curiously.
    “We need to get you out of those bloody clothes and you don’t need to worry about driving or anything else right now. Jake can bring me back later to get my bike.
    She nodded, too exhausted – too stressed – to object. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, wishing she could open them and discover this was just a bad dream. She thought about the way Dylan looked at her, with concern… and possibly something else. Okay, she didn’t want it all to be a dream.
     

CHAPTER ELEVEN
     
    Jake looked up, shocked to see Dylan carrying Kyra through the door, almost falling out of his chair. Their clothes were soaked in blood. The sorrowful look upon Kyra’s face indicated that whatever had happened was really bad. He shot out of his chair and locked the front door, closing up shop for the rest of the day. He knew Dylan would want to talk strategy as soon as Kyra was settled.
    He watched as Dylan slowly carried Kyra down the hall to the back of the office, disappearing into the small makeshift apartment in the rear of the office. It wasn’t much, but it sure helped to have a place to crash when their caseload was heavy. The guys often found themselves in sticky situations that required a lot of their time… and this was beginning to look like one of those times.
    Dylan eased Kyra into the tiny apartment realizing that she was emotionally spent. “Kyra, the shower is right through that door.” He pointed towards the bathroom door, hoping that a warm shower would ease the tension weighing