Chapter Two
Brian was more than a little confused. Kara had always told him everything- well, everything within reason, and the same went for him. Why had she called Kevin instead?
Leigh. That had to be it. When the two had met, Leighanne had made it quite clear she didn't care for Kara. Kara wasn't Leigh's biggest fan either, but she'd at least been civil. Leighanne, on the other hand, had made some loud comment about gold-digging relatives.
Brian shook his head. Kara had never asked for a thing from either of them, and now all she asked was a place to stay. Something was up, and he had a feeling he really wasn't gonna like it. Who else would know what was going on...Megan! The girl had a sixth sense when it came to Kara. Now, where was that number? He had it programmed somewhere...
Kevin clicked off the phone and sat down, wondering what on Earth could be wrong. Kara was NOT one to run away. If anything, she was liable to stick her neck out too far and get into worse trouble. Trouble he'd have to pull her out of.
"Take it back!" The little girl ordered, hands on her hips, blue eyes flashing with anger. The boy in front of her smirked. What did she think she was gonna do? He was a good ten inches taller and five years older than her.
"Or what?"
"Or I'll- I'll- " She stopped trying to come up with words and jumped on him, knocking him over. She began beating him with all the force her tiny fists held.
"Take it back!" She yelled this time. Kevin heard his baby cousin's voice from the other side of the park. He'd just gotten his license, and had promised he'd take her to the park and go on the swings.
"Uh-oh. I've gotta go." He smiled apologetically at the girl he'd been chatting with. "See you around?"
"Yeah, whatever, Kevin." He barely heard her. He was already sprinting toward the sound of Kara's voice. His eyes widened in shock at the sight before him.
"Kara!" She was pummeling Matt Sanders like there was not tomorrow. He recognized him from Brian's class. The kid was bad news.
"Kara!" He yanked her back by her shirt, but not before she got in another good punch to the jaw. He couldn't help smiling. He was holding her at arm's length, over a foot off the ground, and she was still kicking and punching for all she was worth.
"Kara, calm down!" She stopped struggling at the sound of his voice, gulping air.
"But he- But he called Brian a wimp!" She protested. "He said Brian has a weak heard and that he's gonna die!" She looked up at him, eyes shining with tears.
"Oh he did, did he?" Kevin raised an eyebrow at Matt, still laying on the ground. What a jerk!"Get up." Matt scrambled to his feet, fear in his eyes.
"I didn't - I didn't say anything-"
"Are you calling her a liar? ‘Cause I'm warning you, my fists will do a lot more damage than hers." Kevin released his grip on Kara, stepping toward Matt.
"I...I-" He turned to run, but Kevin stopped him. He fisted his shirt in his hand and backed him up into the nearest tree.
"Apologize."
"But I-" He was slammed against the tree.
"Don't test my patience." Kevin warned, green eyes flashing.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Matt sputtered, "I didn't mean it!"
"Good. Now, get lost." Kevin released his grip and watched him tear off down the street before turning back to Kara.
"You okay, babe?" She nodded, blinking back tears so he wouldn't see.
"Brian's not going to die, is he?" Her chin trembled, and Kevin gathered her up in his arms, hugging her to him.
"No, babe. He's fine. He's just fine."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
Kevin shook out of his daydream at the sound of the doorbell. He chuckled at the memory of seven-year-old Kara trying to take on the world in the form of Matt Sanders. She really was something else!
Brian wasn't happy. Megan had told him very little, as she'd promised not to. She was glad to hear that Kara was close to safety, though. He frowned. Those words alone were enough to make him nervous, not to mention the worry in Megan's voice. He sighed, pounding on Kevin's door again. What was taking so long? He ran a hand through his hair, frowning. He'd get it out of her later that day. His baby cousin had never been one to keep things from him- not for long, anyway.