Page 23 of The Pakhan’s Accidental Bride

"And where exactly were you standing?" Jack's questions come rapid fire, professional. Getting information like a good little cop. "Did you see anyone? Hear anything before the shot?"

"I don't know, I…" Kiera's voice quavers. "It happened so fast."

While Jack interrogates Kiera, Kevin is pacing the small living room like a caged animal. His jaw is tight, his hands clenched into fists. "This is it. You're not staying here anymore."

"Kevin," Kiera starts, but he cuts her off.

"No. I'm not arguing about this." Kevin's voice has that older brother authority in it, the kind that probably worked when she was twelve. "Pack your things, Kiera. You're coming home with me. You can stay in the guest room until this blows over."

"What?" Kiera's attention snaps from Jack to Kevin. "No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are." Kevin stops pacing and faces her directly. "It's not safe here. You'll stay with me, where I can keep an eye on you."

"Actually," Jack interrupts, still in cop mode, "she should stay put. We can provide police protection and set up a patrol car outside. If she leaves, it makes it harder to establish a perimeter and investigate the scene properly."

"A perimeter?" Kevin rounds on his brother. "She's our sister, not a crime scene."

"She's a potential victim of an attempted homicide," Jack shoots back. "And as a police officer, I'm telling you the best course of action is to keep her here with proper protection."

"Fuck your protection." Kevin's getting louder now. "She's coming home where I can watch over her."

"Guys," Kiera's voice is barely audible over her brothers' argument.

"The police can provide better security than you can," Jack argues, his cop voice getting sharper. "No offense, but you're a marketing executive, not a bodyguard."

"And you're a beat cop, not a detective," Kevin snaps back. "What makes you think you know better than me about keeping our sister safe?"

"Because I do this for a living!"

"Guys," Kiera tries again, louder this time.

Devin jumps in, his health nut sensibilities apparently extending to conflict resolution. "Maybe we should all calm down and think about this rationally. Getting angry isn't helping anyone."

"I am calm," Kevin growls, which is clearly a lie.

"Look," Kaleb says, his teacher voice trying to mediate, "we all want the same thing. We want Kiera safe. Maybe we should ask her what she wants to do."

"She wants to stay here and pretend nothing happened," Kevin says. "Which is exactly why she can't be trusted to make this decision."

"Excuse me?" Kiera's voice cuts through the chaos, sharp and angry now. "I can't be trusted?"

"That's not what I meant," Kevin backpedals, but the damage is done.

"That's exactly what you meant." Kiera's shaking now, whether from anger or residual shock, I can't tell. "You're all standing in my apartment, arguing about me like I'm not even here, trying to decide what's best for me without even asking what I want."

"We're trying to keep you safe," Jack says, his voice softer now but still firm.

"By bossing me around? By treating me like a child?" Her voice cracks. "I'm twenty-five years old. I can make my own decisions."

"Even when those decisions put you in danger?" Kevin demands.

"It's my danger to be in!" Kiera's voice rises. "My life, my choices. I'm not going anywhere."

"Kiera, be reasonable," Kevin starts again.

"I am being reasonable. You're the ones being unreasonable."

"We're your family," Kaleb says gently. "We're supposed to protect you."