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Ian pressed his finger to his ear. Bring the girls up and ask Jenna to get Jade’s clothes on the way.
“The sad part,” Tyler sighed, “is they probably still followed you.”
Kieran arched a curious brow.
Tyler shook his head, letting out an annoyed breath. “It’s not my place to tell you what’s going on.”
“Someone’s after Jade,” Ian called everyone’s attention to him.
“Dante,” I added. “Madison’s real father.”
“Wait,” lowering the ice with wide eyes, he jerked his head back, “you have a kid?!”
I nodded solemnly. A knot formed in the pit of my stomach as I mustered up the courage to speak. “Yes,” I finally said, my voice barely above a whisper. The weight of my words hung in the air like a heavy fog, thick and suffocating. He’d missed out on her whole life already.
He looked like it was all a lot for him to take in. Staring at me, he blinked several times before lifting his attention to Luke. “And you are… who?”
“Her boyfriend, Luke, but Dante’s not getting near her and Maddie.”
The door opened. Jenna entered, followed by Giovanna and Amber. The moment the three of them spotted Kieran, they froze. Jenna took a step back, dropping my bag on the floor.
“It’s okay,” I reassured them as I stepped over to dig through my belongings, taking out clothes and shoes. “He’s my little brother, and it seems not only do he and I have a lot of catching up to do, but we have a lot to figure out regarding Dante.”
“Hi,” Kieran scrambled to his feet, offering the girls a nod. “I’m Kieran. Nice to meet you.”
“Little brother?” Amber snorted, raking her gaze over his chiseled muscles and broad shoulders as he removed his jacket. “My ass. You’re Chance’s height.”
He offered a polite smile, opening his mouth to respond, but Jenna cut him off.
“Ian?” She slowly peeled her suspicious, tight gaze to him, “did you hurt Jade’s brother?”
Kieran sat back down, shifted in his seat as I slipped the clothes and shoes on while listening.
“No,” Ian replied, “Dante’s people did that. He came here looking for her and apparently, we have a lot to figure out.”
Tonight, I danced for nothing, though it felt amazing to be on stage again. After everyone made their formal introductions to my twenty-eight-year-old brother, he provided a description of the people who hurt him. Only one of them sounded like he could’ve possibly been Dante, and he may have altered his looks while away. Ian and Luke weren’t taking any chances. And for that, I was thankful.
After everyone was on the same page, Ian sent someone over to Kieran’s apartment to change the locks. He also appointed somebody to stand outside his apartment door in the hallway to keep an eye out for any intruders.
“I feel it’s highly unnecessary to have a guard outside my apartment,” Kieran said. “I have some pretty nosy neighbors and there’s no way in hell they’re going to be okay with some random dude standing outside in the hall.”
“He’s not wrong,” Tyler said. “I feel like it’s going to draw more attention if he stays at his place.”
Kieran lifted a hand. “And it’s not just me that I have to worry about. I have a wife, a five-year-old daughter, and a dog.”
I felt myself becoming emotional. My eyes swelled with tears, but now wasn’t the time to cry about the fact I’d never met my sister-in-law or niece. To be able to hold her and watch her grow up while having a relationship with her older cousin. I felt a surge of guilt for not fighting harder for my brother when we were younger. Glancing at Luke, I tilted my head. I didn’t even have to tell him what was on my mind because he read it and spoke up before I did.
“You and your family can stay at my house.”
That wasn’t at all what I was thinking. I was hoping they could stay at my house, and I never would’ve offered Luke’s house as an option because it wasn’t mine to offer. “They can stay with?—”
“They can stay at my house.” he shifted his gaze to Kieran. “I’m staying at her house until further notice, so mine’s empty and you’re welcome to stay there if you’d like to. I feel like you guys would be safer there.” He started to protest, but Luke wasn’t having it. “For your safety, I insist.”
Kieran didn’t argue, but it did take him a little more convincing. He explained to us that he was a bank manager, and his wife was a nurse at the same hospital we’ve been to a million times.
“Did they see,” Ian pointed to his own face, “that happen?”
Kieran shook his head. “Thankfully, they were at the store, but Bianca, my wife, freaked out when she saw me.”
