Chapter Two

"I-I..." Kiera trailed off, looking into his eyes.

He patiently waited for her to finish her sentence. She couldn't find her words. She felt embarrassed for stammering and she couldn't help but wonder what he thought about her.

She had to get a grip and fast.

"I'm—"

"Shaken up," he finished for her. She nodded gratefully. Yes, that was one way of putting it. Behind him, the employees were returning to the store. She looked at the mess the guys and caused and she groaned helplessly.

"I could call the police," he suggested. She turned to him again. "They can't have gone far. And who knows? They might have a record."

She thought quickly. Did she really want to spend the rest of her evening in a police station? She was exhausted as it is and she had a fair amount to drink. If they tested her and she exceeded the permissible limit by even a little, she'd be arrested for misconduct. They might even blame her for the whole incident. So she shook her head. "No, I think I'll go home. I'll figure out what to do in the morning."

"Are you sure?" he asked. "I could accompany you. It'd be easier if you had a witness."

"You don't have something to do?" she asked, then figured that she was being rude because he only made a suggestion. She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

"I know," he said. "You're wondering if I have time to spare. I was on my way to a meeting but I could make the time to help you. It's the least I could do."

"No," she said. "I'll be alright. I don't want to delay you. Thank you for everything you've done for me tonight. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't intervened."

"You're welcome," he answered, then stared intently at her. Slowly, without breaking eye contact, he reached into his coat and retrieved a small business card. He handed it to her. It was warm and smelled like him. Like his cologne. "If you ever decide to open a case against them, you can give me a call and I'll be your witness."

"You're too kind," she said and smiled. "Thank you."

"Again, you're welcome." His gaze lingered on her face. She didn't imagine it. He even looked at her lips when she spoke. He left her side and returned to his car. She couldn't help but watch him, mesmerized, even though there was a risk of those guys returning for more once they realized that her rescuer was gone. He hooted once and she raised her hand. Her heart was thumping in her chest. She was breathless with exhilaration.

She looked at the card once he vanished around the corner and brought it up to her nose. It smelled wonderful. The name on the card was Mikael Samson. It suited him perfectly, she thought. It was a powerful name. Reading it out loud made her shiver uncontrollably.

God, who was he? Where did he come from? There was something foreign about him but she didn't hear an accent when he spoke. Perhaps he was the son of expatriates? But his surname was English.

She'd have to search him up on F******k to find out more. Maybe I*******m. She wanted to know more. She felt a little embarrassed as she settled into her seat and sped away. She was going to look up a man she had only met for a fleeting moment because she was infatuated with him. On the bright side, though, it was a good distraction. She hadn't thought about Jared in two minutes, which was a record for her. She gripped the steering wheel and focused on getting home safely. She wasn't going to stop anywhere. She'd park her car in her garage, take a long shower, and then look up Mikael Samson.

The broken window was letting in chilly air that made goosebumps spread all over her exposed skin. But maybe the cold weather wasn't the only thing that was making her skin crawl.

Where did those guys come from?

Kiera refuses that she did anything wrong. She only looked at them. It made no sense for them to attack her with a baseball bat. They broke her window. If Mikael hadn't shown, what else would they have done? It was a terrifying thought but she was glad that it was over. Perhaps in the morning, the encounter would make more sense to her. She'd even discuss it with Simone and ask her what she thought since she knew everything.

She wasn't exaggerating; Simone was someone who was rarely surprised. She would have an explanation for her that would make some sense. Kiera counted on her for just about anything. She was the closest person she had to a parent since her father died a month after she left for college.

Actually, Simone was always a parent to her. Her mother died when she was very young and Simone, who was their housekeeper at the time, took care of her while her father worked and spent countless hours in his study. Sometimes she'd only see him for a few minutes in a day because he was an incredibly busy man and she wasn't allowed to be in the study. It was a rule she never questioned, even now. She rarely went in there. Simone cleaned it once a week so his things didn't collect dust but nothing in there interested her. She wasn't a collector and she had no interest in old paraphernalia.

She reached home. She pressed a button on her key and the gate opened automatically. The house was dark so she assumed that Simone was asleep. Before she left, she told her not to wait up for her. Simone had that habit. She didn't know how long she would take and she had hoped that she would meet someone worthy of her time but she had no such luck.

However, if she had met someone at the bar, she wouldn't have met Mikael because the attack would never have happened. It was a sick and twisted way of thinking but she couldn't deny the facts. She looked at his card one more time before keeping it in her wallet. She didn't plan on reporting the incident because she couldn't remember anyone's face all that well and she genuinely didn't think there was a point in it, but if it was an opportunity to see him again, she'd go to the police first thing tomorrow.

Not the first thing, but she'd go.

Kiera unlocked the front door and made her way inside. The familiar scent of her home assaulted her nostrils. The smell of the old books on the shelf in the corridor that led to her father's study, the cleaning wax Simone always used, the dinner she prepared before she left, and the unmistakable smell of old furniture all hung in the air. It was comforting yet disheartening. She was once again reminded of her loneliness and it wasn't a thought she liked to entertain. It made her think of Jared and she felt that familiar sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She reminded herself of Mikael and her spirits lifted a little.

She locked the door behind her and sighed. She turned around and saw a figure at the foot of the stairs. She pressed herself against the door and her hand searched the wall beside her for the switch. She was panicking badly even though her logical mind assured her that it was probably just Simone. She found the switch and the glare of the lights above stung her eyes.

"Kane?" she said when her eyes had adjusted to the glare.

"Oh, hey Kiera," he said, rubbing his eyes. "I thought you'd come in a lot later. I heard a noise and decided to come downstairs to check. I didn't mean to scare you."

"No, I probably scared you," she said and tucked her hair behind her ear for no particular reason. "What are you doing here? Simone didn't tell me you were coming today."

Kane was Simone's only son and he rarely spent the night. She didn't mind; they had a good relationship. He was someone she could talk to. They practically grew up together. "No, I wanted to surprise her. I got here an hour ago. I thought it'd be great to spend the week with you guys since it's mom's birthday on Saturday."

"Oh, yeah," she said, embarrassed that she forgot. "Yeah, that's a great idea. How long are you staying?"

He shrugged and folded his arms. His hair was disheveled and he was in his pajamas. He really was sleeping. "I don't know yet. Just the week, probably. I need to be going back."

She nodded and sealed her lips. Kane worked out of town but she had no clue what he did. It wasn't something he was verbal about. Simone told her he worked at a farm and that was the only explanation she ever forgot. She couldn't understand why they were so secretive about it but it wasn't her place to judge.

"Is she asleep?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Alright," she said after a beat. "I'm going upstairs. I'm sorry I woke you."

"Don't worry about it," he said. "I'll double-check the locks."

She ascended the stairs. She was exhausted suddenly but she needed to shower. She stripped out of her clothes and turned the hot water on. Her scratches burned at the mere contact and a hiss left her lips. She soaped the area and it stung badly. They weren't as light as she initially thought. They wouldn't need bandages but they'd be uncomfortable for a few days.

She hoped they wouldn't scar.

The shower revived her but she knew she had to sleep. Her anxiety couldn't be suppressed, though. She had to find out at least something. She logged into her laptop and typed his name. She had planned on doing some research for ten minutes tops but she came up with nothing. It troubled her. How could a man like that be practically invisible? He didn't have a social media account and she didn't find a photo anywhere.

She fished the card out of her wallet and stared at it.

Who are you? she wondered.