We stood silence for a moment trapped in time. Then my instinct kicked in. I took the phone from his hand and hung it up.
“We’re getting Leigh and we are getting out of here,” I said, turning and pushing him towards the doorway.
Silently, we made our way back to the bedroom again, my eyes watching everything we passed. Brian picked Leighanne up into his arms and I led him back towards the front door.
“Stay here till I come back,” I said.
“Ryder,” Brian began.
“Stay here,” I ordered, cutting him off.
I disappeared out the door and did a sweep of the front yard. I saw no signs of anyone but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. I pulled my car up to the front door, tearing up their beautiful front yard. A small price to pay to stay alive.
Coming back through the door with the key they had given me, I urged Brian straight out into the car.
Ten minutes later, I stopped the car in the parking lot of my apartment complex. Turning, I looked into the backseat. Leighanne still lay asleep next to Brian as he looked at me.
“Here are your options. I can take you to Kevin’s or any one of the other guys for the night but I can’t promise how safe that is because whoever did this could be waiting for you to show up there. Or you could stay the night in the extra room in my place.”
“What about your brother?” Brian asked.
“Mike will understand,” I answered.
“We’ll stay with you.” I nodded and led him upstairs and into the apartment that was my home. I directed Brian into the spare room and told him to wake Leighanne and tell her what was going on. I didn’t need her waking up scared and hysterical in the middle of the night. I went to find Mike.
“Michael,” I called out, taping on his bedroom door. Quietly, I opened the door and peeked inside.
The gorgeous blonde that was my brother lay sprawled out on his bed, blankets and sheet kicked and twisted around his body. I had the natural instinct to go and try and cover him back up, but pushed it aside as I sat next to him on the bed and gently shook him.
“Michael,” I called out again as I touched him.
Suddenly, he shot up, grabbing my wrist.
“Mike,” I yelled, jerking my hand away at the pain in my wrist.
"Jesus, Ryder! You scared the shit out of me. I’m sorry. Are you all right?” he asked, taking my hand and turning my wrist over to check for bruises.
"I'm fine and I’m a big girl. I can deal with it. Are you all right?” I asked, smoothing his hair back.
"Bad dream,” he said, his tone chalking it up to nothing important. I was his sister though and I knew him better.
"About what?” I asked.
"Nothing. Don’t worry about it,” he said, his thumb going back and forth across my wrists as he stared at it in sorrow. That’s when I knew what his dream was about.
“Was it Danny?” I asked softly. He only nodded, his eyes refusing to meet mine. “Hey look at me,” I said, tilting his head up so my green eyes met his. “I’m all right. I’m better than all right. I am perfect. Nothing’s going to happen to me,” I promised.
“You said that then,” he reminded me.
“But I can take care of myself now. Nothing’s going to happen to me, Michael. I promise.”
He pulled me to him in a bear tight hug and I just held him for a moment.
The memories scared me too sometimes. They would sneak up on me, on the normal life I was living now. Days would go by when I never remembered any of it. Then a night would come and suddenly I was back in that house, with that man trapped in the fear. The memories haunted me enough. Mike didn’t need them too.
I pulled away from him and smiled gently.
“I did wake you for a reason. Brian Littrell and his fiancée are in the spare bedroom. He got a threat delivered to the house tonight and someone cut the phone lines. It’s jus for the night,” I said.
“Are they all right?”
“Aside from pretty shaken up, yeah. They are fine. I’m going to put them to bed and then get some sleep myself. Get some reason, Mikey,” I said, smiling at him.
He smiled and lay back down. I let my instinct take over and covered him back down then. Kissing him on top of his head, I left quietly, closing the door behind me.
When I came out I saw Brian sitting on the sofa alone.
“Did you wake Leigh?” I asked him.
“Yeah, I got her back to sleep though. She’s pretty worn out she’s so scared,” he answered.
“It’s understandable considering. Why aren’t you in bed?” I asked, sitting down in my usual spot on the sofa. I missed the feel of Mike’s head against my knee but shook the feeling off.
“Can’t sleep,” Brian answered, watching me.
“Sucks, doesn’t it?” I asked.
“What?”
“That someone who’s never met you can cause you so much pain, can try so hard to keep you from the woman you love,” I answered.
“And yet she never wavers in her love for me. Why would someone suffer so much? Wouldn’t it be easier to just call it quits and walk away?” he asked sadly.
“Easier? Not really. You give up the threats and the invasion in your life for a broken heart,” I answered, smiling gently.
“We’ve been through so much. It amazes me she’s still here sometimes.”
“That’s love,” I said, shifting to curl my feet beneath me on the sofa. “That’s love that makes her stick with you through all the bullshit and the pain. She’s a beautiful woman, inside and out.”
“She’s an angel. She’s been by my side through the ups and the downs, holding my hand, wiping my tears. She’s been my saving grace sometimes,” he confided in me.
“Not something you should so easily give up, don’t you think?” I pointed out.
“I’m not trying to give her up. I’m trying to find out she’s my soul mate or my best friend.”
“Don’t you think you should have known that answer before you asked her to spend the rest of her life with you?”
“I thought I did know that answer,” he shot back.
“Until?”
“Until I met you.”
“Go to bed, Brian. You’re tired and you’re scared and you’re confused. Get some sleep,” I said, standing up.
He grabbed my wrist and I spun, but this time he was ready for my reaction because he tucked the fist I threw at him.
“Why do you do that?” he demanded.
“Go to bed,” I said through clenched teeth as I fought the emotion rising inside of me.
“Why, Ryder?” he insisted.
“Just go, Brian,” I said, closing my eyes and I tried to keep that single emotion for getting the best of me again.
“Why, Ryder? Why is it every time someone touches your or grabs you from behind you response with violence?”
Eyes still closed tightly fighting so hard for my control, I gave Brian the answer he demanded. I didn’t yell, didn’t scream. My reaction was far worse. In a steely whisper I answered.
“Because I was raped.”
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