Protective Love By P.J. Belden blog tour

Kayla, your brothers are watching you while your dad and I attend this banquet dinner. Your sisters are at Aunt Lucy‟s for the weekend. Keep an eye on things, please. All the boys are together, you know how messy that can get. Jake and Carson should be calling to let us know when they will be home. Can you please write the message down and leave it on the fridge?” my mom said to me.

Jane Williams was a beautiful woman. Many say she could pass for a model even now. I could remember hearing several of my brothers‟ friends saying those words when they met our mom for the first time.

“Yes, ma‟am.” I said rolling my eyes. Nothing I hated more than being told how to do the obvious things. I knew how to answer the phone and take a message, as well as where to put it.

“You‟re sure you don‟t want to go to Aunt Lucy‟s? We could drop you off on our way.”

“Yes, mom. I would rather stay here. I have a project to work on anyway.”

I didn‟t like going to Aunt Lucy‟s. She was a little out there in an odd way, and I much preferred to stay at home when my sisters went over there. They did all the girlie things; I was happier just getting muddy and climbing trees.

“Okay, love you guys! Behave yourselves, boys, and keep an eye on your siste,r please,” Jane yelled as she headed out the door on my father‟s arm.

“Eli, do you have some time to help me with a school project?”

I loved all my siblings, but I had bonded most with Elijah and Jake. They were overprotective but I still loved them.

“Can we work on it tomorrow, Kay? We‟re going to have some friends over and play some pool.”

I forced a smile, trying hard to hide my disappointment at not being able to spend time with my brothers, who were home on break

“Sure,” I said. “I will stay in my room and out of the way.” He hugged me and I headed to my room.

My room was simple. I had a daybed up against one wall. Across from the bed was a built-in entertainment center with shelves for all my favorite books and movies. There was a built-in desk at the far end of my room, and a walk in closet that had more than enough room for all my clothes and shoes. I even had my own bathroom. It wasn‟t huge, but it was big enough for a bathtub/shower, a sink with vanity, and a toilet. I didn‟t have to share it with my brothers or sisters, and that was all I cared about. There was nothing about my room that screamed „girlie;‟ the walls were beige and the carpet was white. The linens were lilac, as were the curtains. I loved my room; it was peaceful, relaxing, and easy to stay focused on my studies. I sat down at my desk and started working on my homework assignment.

Music started playing loudly from downstairs. I slowly made my way to the top of the grand staircase. When I got to the banister, I saw a room full of people. My brothers were hamming it up big time for the girls there. I sighed heavily and shook my head at my brothers‟ actions. Judging by the amount of people and their laughter and music, I knew it was going to be loud for a while. So I made my way back to my room, turned on the radio, put my headphones on and went back to work on the project.

A few hours later, it was late and I was tired, so I decided to call it a night. The music was still going downstairs, so I knew the only way I was going to get any sleep was if I switched to my wireless headphones and wore them to bed. After changing for bed and brushing my teeth, I crawled in bed and fell asleep in no time.

Unsure of how long I was sleeping when my bedroom light came on. I sat up and tried to get my eyes to adjust to the light. Through the blur I thought I saw my brother in the doorway.

“Jeez, Nick! I was sleeping, you know?”

I rubbed my eyes, and when I looked back the door was being locked. It was not my brother after all. Instead it was a man about the height of my brother, with a buzzed head and average frame, though it was apparent that he worked out. He wore a tank top with a vest over it, revealing several tattoos lining his arms and neck. His jeans were baggy and sagged from his waist. He had three piercings – two silver hoops in his ears that that caught the light from my room when he walked, and the other in his lip. He moved closer to me, and I noticed that his eyes were dark – almost black. He walked with the confidence that he owned the world and had a smile on his face that sent chills down my spine.

“Umm, you need to leave my room,” I said, trying to keep the fear from my voice.

“My name is Alex. I am a friend of your brother, Carson. I take it he is not coming home tonight?” His voice was low and had a menacing tone as he spoke…..