Page 54 of Kiss Me Forever

"This one sounds legitimate. It's nice of you to be a Big Brother, considering how busy you are running your company."

"I can relate to Tyler. I want to stop him from making the mistakes I made."

"What kind of mistakes?"

"I got so used to being sent away that sometimes I'd force the issue just so I wouldn't have to wait for it to happen. Tyler does the same thing. He tests the Monroes, pushes them to see how much they'll take. But they're a good family, and he could do a lot worse."

"Did you stay with any good families?"

"One, but then the mom got sick and the dad couldn't handle taking care of the kids, so we were split up and sent back into the system. The others ranged from nothing much to very bad. I ran away a bunch of times."

"And then you met someone you liked, who was willing to take you in, but she wasn't your aunt, was she?"

He gave Andrea a quick glance. "You have been digging, haven't you?"

She didn't answer, just gave him an expectant look.

"She wasn't my aunt. She was someone who had a big heart and was willing to take in a kid that no one else wanted."

"Thanks for finally telling me something that's true. That's a start."

"And that's all we're going to do for now," he said, as he neared their destination. "Before we pick up, Tyler, we need to get something straight. You cannot write about him. His name—this event—cannot be in your story. You have to promise me that. If you can't, I'm going to drop you off and get you a cab home."

She stared back at him. "I will keep Tyler out of the article. That's a promise."

"Okay, good."

"But you and I still have a lot more to talk about."

Chapter Eleven

Andrea settled back in her seat as Alex drove slowly through another run-down neighborhood. A couple of homeless people were camped in a doorway, and the shops all had bars over the windows. It was eight o'clock at night and everything but a nearby liquor store was closed.

"There he is," Alex said, relief in his voice.

She saw a lone figure standing in the shadow of a building.

"Stay here, Andrea. And keep the doors locked."

"Okay." Andrea watched as Alex walked over to the boy. The kid was wearing a baseball cap, a T-shirt and jeans, and he had a backpack over his shoulders.

Alex put a hand on the boy's arm. Whatever he was saying was making Tyler very uncomfortable. He kept looking at the ground and shuffling his feet. Once in a while he tried to make his own argument, but whatever he was saying appeared to be quickly taken apart by Alex.

As her gaze moved down the street, she noticed two older boys walking toward Alex and Tyler. She tensed, suddenly seeing Alex in the glare of the streetlight as they did—a prime, juicy target. His car and his suit cried money, a beacon calling out to the youths. It didn't take long before they moved.

Andrea's only thought was to warn Alex. She forgot about his admonition to stay in the car with the doors locked. She had never been a passive bystander, and she wouldn't be one now.

She jumped out of the car and yelled, "Alex."

Her voice brought everyone's attention to her.

Alex turned toward her, but he was further away than the two guys, one of whom grabbed her, wrapping his arm around her neck.

A surge of panic ran through her as she struggled in his hold.

"Stay back," the other guy warned Alex as he took a step forward.

"Tyler, get in the car," Alex said sharply.

---