Page 69 of Tempt

I fly into motion, tackling him and his body thuds when it hits the floor. His hands are behind his back, but I punch him over and over.

The sounds of my fists hitting his face don’t satisfy me. I crave more.

“Garrett,” someone yells my name, then suddenly I am being pulled off Phil and dragged backwards onto the front porch. My chest is heaving, and a groan falls from Phil’s mouth when he rolls over onto his side.

“I’ll kill you,” I ground out, my body vibrating with anger.

“Garrett,” my name is spoken again, but I don’t look away from Phil. I’ve never in my lifewanted to hurt anyone more.

“You ain’t gonna do shit, pretty boy,” Phil chuckles and I’m off again, trying to get past the officer.

“Son,” I glance behind Phil and see Warren, my father’s friend wearing his uniform. “She needs you,” the minute he says the words something clicks inside of me.

The other officer grabs hold of Phil forcing him to stand once more and leads him off the porch toward the awaiting car.

“Kyra has herself barricaded in the back bedroom.”I step toward him, only he doesn’t let me by. “She’s terrified. The neighbor saw Phil walking through the yard and called into the station before making his way over here. If he hadn’t things could have been a whole lot worse.”

“How bad are they?” Fear fills every part of my body. My stomach tightens, and suddenly I feel sick.

“We got here before he could do some real damage,” Warren says. “But I will say that I think he’s put the fear of God in that poor girl. I need to take her statement, but I’m pretty sure she isn’t gonna come out of that bedroom unless she’s got someone she can trust fully on the opposite side of that door.”

I nod, because I can’t seem to form the words. So many things are running through my mind, so much anger, so much hate.

“She needs to hear your voice, Garrett.”

I take a slow deep breath; my throat feels as if it’s on fire.

Then I step past him and start toward the back bedroom. Pausing, I breathe in once more before saying her name.

“Kyra, baby its me.”

I lean in close to listen, only I hear nothing.

“Kyra,” I say a little louder. “It’s Garret,” fuck this is killing me. “Please, baby, I need to see you. I need to know that you’re okay.”

I hear a scraping noise echo as if something is being slid across the floor. I’m just about to reach out and turn the handle when the door comes open just enough that I can see movement through the cracked doorway.

“It’s me,” I reassure her, and the door comes open and her tiny frame comes barreling toward me in a flash.

She is trembling, burying her face in my chest.

“It’s okay,” I tell her even though I’m not sure it is. The not knowing is eating away at me. “Look at me,” she shakes her head against me. “I need to see you, Kyra.”

I desperately need to see her eyes.

She remains where she is for a minute longer before I feel her body shift as she takes a deep breath. Then she starts to lift her head and looks up at me.

That is when I feel like once again my world shifts.

Her eyes are reddened, and swollen and the bruise forming on her left cheek confirms what I feared. Phil hurt her.

Before anyone could get to her, before he was able to be stopped, he’d put his hands on her.

Right then I want to get my hands on him once again. I want to hurt him. I want to hear him cry out in pain.

But I can’t.

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t here.” I grab hold of her and cup her face with my hands. “Never again will anyone ever hurt you.” I’d kill them if they tried. I now understand where my brother's possessiveness with Maddi comes from. I understood the protective nature of my father and every other man in my family.

---