Page 40 of Killian
“Yes, Mom,” Bri said with a saccharin sweet voice. She was playing with me. God love her. “I’ll do as you say.”
“Good!” I pulled her into my arms, hugging her one more time. It wasn’t as if she was going to another planet or something, and I wouldn’t see her. But I’d still miss her. I’d always miss her, either for five minutes or five years. Time didn’t matter. That was what best friends did.
I shot Brayden and Brantley with a scowl to rival Maleficent’s. “You take care of her. She gets hurt, then I’m coming after you.”
They both laughed at me. Brantley even came up and rustled my hair. They grabbed Bri and headed inside.
It was time to go. I really didn’t want to go back to Killian’s house and be alone. All he had to do was kiss me, and I’d be screwed once again.
Literally.
“I need to go to my house.”
Why did I say that? Why? Why? I didn’t want to see the devastation my home had been turned into. I didn’t want to see all my furniture shot to hell. No, I didn’t have a lot of stuff, but what I had was mine. No one else’s.
Now I’d have to go buy new stuff which would take a chunk of change. I wasn’t sure if my insurance company covered drive-by shootings, but I was hoping like hell they did. Remembering the policy was a no-go for me.
“You sure?” he asked, knowing that I didn’t want to go there because I’d told him. A couple of times he’d asked if I wanted to go, and I said no each time. But it was something I needed to do, and now was as good a time as any.
“No,” I answered honestly. “But I need to submit the claim and hope they write me a check so I can get the repairs done.”
“You plannin’ on livin’ there?” he asked, swinging into the SUV. I got in on the other side. I could actually feel the tension filling up the space, which was strange. Why wouldn’t I move to my own house?
My face scrunched up. “Yeah. It’s my house.”
“Right,” he said, a bit hacked off; about what, I didn’t know. I didn’t want to know. There was too much going on in my brain to worry about this too. Killian had a tendency to get pissed at things I said, and I just rolled with it. It was the best I could do.
“So will you take me?”
“Yep,” he answered without hesitation, and I liked that. Liked that he could give me what I needed and not make a huge deal out of it.
Unfortunately, the drive there was all too fast. Killian was too quiet, and as we pulled up, I felt my breath catch. While I might not have a lot, what I did have was pieces that I loved. The outside of my home had been riddled with bullet holes and mass destruction. I didn’t know what I expected to see, but suddenly the situation was all coming into focus.
The siding would need to be replaced, along with the windows, doors, and trim. Probably even the roof. Please, insurance man, save me.
I jumped out as soon as the SUV came to a stop. I took in my house, the absolute weight of it all crushing down on me. Killian said not a word as he grabbed my hand and led me to the back of the house. He pulled out a key and inserted it in the back door.
Stepping in from this side, everything was exactly the same. It was in the kitchen and living room where the damage was. And there was a lot of it.
While it sucked and I’d have a lot of work in my future, this wouldn’t slow me down. I’d fix it and move on just like always. That was what women like me did. We found solutions and rolled with them.
It didn’t make me happy, but I was alive. Bri was alive. That was the bottom line. Stuff could be replaced. I remembered telling Bri that, and it was true.
“Guess my premiums are gonna go up,” I murmured to myself, and Killian must’ve heard me because he chuckled. It was a great sound, never really paying much attention to people’s laughter before Killian’s hit my ears. Weird how life happened.
“Yep. Probably.”
“What can I do for your guys? The ones who boarded everything up.”
Killian moved into me, stuck his front to my back, and wrapped me in his arms. I didn’t push him away. His comfort was needed even though I was rolling on; it still sucked. His strong arms around me, though, helped wonders.
“Nothin’.”
“I have to do something. I can’t cook much or bake. But I could buy them cookies or cakes or something.”
Killian’s body shook, and I knew he was laughing. “Babe, my guys do what needs to be done. Nice gesture, but they get paid for what they do.”
This sparked my interest. “How many guys do you have?” I paused, wondering if he was even going to reply.
