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Chapter One
Kenna had barely walked into her apartment after a hard day teaching math to a bunch of rowdy teens when someone pounded on her door. She jumped, startled by the aggressive banging. They didn’t stop until she yelled, “Who’s there?”
“It’s me. Open up.”
The hummingbird beat of her heart slowed as relief swept through her.
She lived alone. Her brother ought to know better than to scare the crap out of her.
She unlocked and opened the door, but stood her ground. “I thought you were some maniac trying to murder me.”
Kyle rolled his eyes. “So I knocked first?”
“Okay, so it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Neither does your urgency to see me.”
Kyle pushed past her. “Close the door. Lock it again.” Paranoia filled his voice.
That didn’t ease her mind, so she locked up, thenturned to him, one brow raised as high as her suspicions that something wasn’t right. “What’s going on?”
Kyle raked his fingers over his head, sending his blond waves into even more disarray. “I have to go away for a while.” Kyle went to her slider and peeked through the long hanging blinds. “I don’t think they followed me, but...”
That jacked her heart rate back up. “Why would someone follow you?”
“It’s a long story.”
Kenna leaned back against the door and crossed her arms over her chest. “Start at the beginning.Whoarethey? And what dotheywant?”
He looked away. “The less you know, the better.”
“Kyle.” She said it with all the exasperation she used to get her students to participate when they didn’t want to.
“No time.” He blew her off. “I just came by to see you in person and say goodbye. And I didn’t have anything at my place, so maybe you can give me some snacks for the road. It’s a long drive.”
She rolled her eyes. Her brother was always waiting to the last minute to hit the grocery store and then running out of food. “Where are you going?”
He peeked between the blinds again. His body vibrating with energy. “Better if you don’t know.”
She sighed. “Kyle, this isn’t like you. Just tell me what’s going on. Maybe I can help.” She feared some sort of mental breakdown. Too many video games, or long hours coding, coupled with no sleep maybe. Stress.A breakup she didn’t know about. Something had turned her mild-mannered brother paranoid.
Drugs?
He didn’t seem high.
“You can’t help.” He pressed his lips tight. “As soon as I’m settled, I’ll call and tell you what I can.”
She released her arms, went to her pantry, pulled out a plastic shopping bag and filled it with a bag of chips, peanut butter cracker packs, a couple granola bars and three bottles of water. What little she had, she’d gladly give to Kyle, if for no other reason than to reassure him he could count on her. Maybe then he’d open up and tell her what was going on.
“Do Mom and Dad know you’re leaving?”
“No. They’re out of town. One of Dad’s veterinary conferences in Arizona.”
Kenna hadn’t heard they were going, but whatever. She didn’t tell her parents everything she did. Not that she ever went anywhere. Not on her teacher’s salary.
“What about your job?” she asked, turning back to him with the bag in her hand.
Kyle stood by her bookcase, hands behind his back, his face a mask of feigned, nothing-to-see-here.
She held back a grin and looked at the menagerie of cat figurines on the shelf, noting the new black-and-white addition.
