Nyla watched Andrew talking to his brother, her phone glued to her ear.

“Oh shit, Nyla. I can’t believe that happened. And they said everything is gone?”

Nyla nodded her head as if Dee Dee could actually see her and said, “Yes, everything is gone. All of my clothes, Se’Nya’s clothes, her toys, and her crib—everything.

“Dang. That is crazy. Do you want me to come up there and hang with you until the cops sort you out?”

“No, that’s okay. Andrew is here and—”

“Really?” Dee Dee drew out the word exasperatedly, mischievousness laced throughout her voice. “And, is he taking care of things for you?”

Nyla fought back a smirk. “Well, he’s trying, but I can’t let him, you know. That’s why I’m calling. I need a favor.”

“Anything for you.”

“Can Se’Nya and I stay with you for a few days or at least until I can figure something out?”

“Oh, of course, you can. You guys can stay as long as you need to. You don’t have to ask.”

Nyla breathed out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Dee Dee. I really appreciate it.”

“No problem, but ummm…”

“What?”

“Will tall, dark, and brooding let you out of his sight?”

“Why wouldn’t he? I can’t stay at my apartment. And I can’t afford to stay at a hotel. He’ll understand.”

Dee Dee laughed. “If you say so. Listen, call me when you’re on your way. I’ll need to do some cleaning and change some sheets.”

Nyla smiled. “Okay. Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

Nyla hung up the phone and smiled. She gripped her phone between her hands and rested it against her chin. Dee Dee was a life saver. Knowing she had a place to crash for a few days felt like a weight had been lifted. Now that she had that squared away, she could now focus on filing the insurance claim and maybe she could get some type of estimate sooner rather than later. She had decided one day to pick up a policy after someone in her complex had a fire. They didn’t have insurance and had to pay for the damages out of their pockets. Seeing the struggles that person went through gave her the incentive to never get caught out there like that.

Through her research, she found that renter's insurance was surprisingly affordable; it was only ten bucks a month. That was a small price to pay for peace of mind. She didn’t have much in terms of assets, but damn it, whatever she had was meaningful to her.

Nyla took a deep breath and headed for Andrew who was now joined by more good-looking men. Nyla could barely keep it together when she met Cedric and his unbelievable sexy ass, now she had to contain herself surrounded by more sex gods? Every last one of Andrew’s brothers, and she assumed that they were his brothers, were panty-dropping hot. They differed in skin color, hairstyle, and varied slightly in height, but that was about it. Each man had a body that seemed to have been crafted by God himself. Their physiques were perfectly chiseled and muscular. The way they carried themselves told of their strength and dangerous demeanor. To Nyla, they looked mean and menacing and most of all deadly as hell. Lord forbid if someone challenged one of them. It would be suicide.

Nyla thought back to the night when Andrew was surrounded by Leonard’s crew. His brothers had come out of the shadows looking every bit as ruthless as Andrew. And to find out they were cops too had her shaking her head.

As she got close to the group, she heard Andrew talking to Se’Nya as if she was grown and not an eleven-month-old. She shook her head, stunned at his behavior. He always spoke to Se’Nya that way and what was puzzling and astonishing was her daughter looked at him as if she understood every word he said to her.

“These are my brothers, princess. This one is Cedric and this is Brody, Winston, Edgar, and Deacon. They’re going to make sure that you and your mommy are safe. You can trust them, okay? Only them and no one else, unless I say so, okay, princess? Yes?” Andrew nodded his head in affirmation and Se’Nya mocked and smiled.

Nyla couldn’t help but smile and that need to jump his bones resurfaced. She swallowed her desires, making a note to jump him the second they were alone, and approached the sea of hot men with guns.

Andrew, feeling Nyla approach turned toward her and smiled. “You good?”

Nyla nodded and returned his smile. “Considering everything, yes.”

“Nyla, let me introduce you to my brothers. You may recognize these three.” Andrew regarded his brothers. “The one with dreads is Winston,” Winston stretched his hand out to her and Nyla took it and shook it. “This wanna-be pretty boy is Brody.” Brody stuck his middle finger at Andrew before he also shook Nyla’s hand. “And the big guy over there is Deacon.” Deacon smiled, took Nyla’s hand in both of his, and squeezed lightly.

“And the Rico Suave-looking idiot right there is Edgar.”

Edgar mumbled something in Spanish under his breath directed at Andrew before he smiled at Nyla. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, bonita.”

“You as well,” Nyla replied, blushing as Edgar gave Nyla's hand a gentle squeeze.

Andrew narrowed his eyes and placed a protective arm around Nyla's shoulders.

“Yes, it’s nice to officially meet you,” Deacon said, bringing the attention back to him and away from the murderous glances Andrew was giving Edgar. “Unfortunately, it was under these circumstances.”

“Yeah, it’s crazy,” Nyla replied, oblivious to what was happening around her. “The last time you guys were appearing out of the shadows to come to his rescue. Now, you’re here again.

“In no way did I need saving,” Andrew interjected.

Nyla stepped out of his arms and regarded him. “Andrew, it was like seven against one,” she said to him, putting her hands on her hips.

“Please, it wasn’t seven against one. And I had everything under control until these idiots came on the scene.

Brody laughed. “Yeah okay, whatever you say. Next time we’ll just let them jump you.”

Andrew put his middle finger up at Brody and looked down at Nyla. “Are you ready to go?”

Smiling, Nyla nodded. “Yeah, I was just about to ask Cedric if he needed me for anything else.”

“He doesn’t,” Andrew answered for Cedric.

Nyla rolled her eyes. “How do you deal with him on a regular?” she asked Cedric.

Cedric smiled. “We ignore him. You’re okay to go. We don’t need anything else from you tonight. I’m sure we can get your number from AP when we need you. We’ll let you know when we’re through here and you can come back to your apartment. And don’t worry. We’ll find out who did this and make sure justice is served.”

Nyla sighed her relief and smiled. “Okay. Thanks for everything. I appreciate it.” Nyla turned to reach for her daughter and brought her to her chest. “We are going to head to Dee Dee’s and—”

“What?!” Andrew replied, his nostrils flaring ever so slightly.

“We’re going to Dee Dee’s,” Nyla repeated a little bit slower the second time around.

“For what?” he asked her.

“What do you mean for what? She’s going to let us stay with her,” Nyla informed him, but Andrew started shaking his head way before she finished her sentence.

“Oh, no, you two are not staying with her.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s not safe.”

“So, are you saying that I’m not safe now? I thought there wasn’t anything to be alarmed about. Was that a lie? Is that it?”

Andrew, realizing what he’d just said, tried to backpedal. “No, I’m not—”

“Okay, then, there’s no reason why I can’t stay with Dee Dee.”

“You can’t stay with her because I won’t allow it.”

Andrew heard Brody groan, but he ignored him.

“Are we here again, Andrew?”

“Nyla, I will not—”

Nyla’s face hardened. She put her hand up to stop Andrew from speaking. “Let me stop you right there before you say something crazy. You can’t tell me what I can or cannot do. We will be perfectly fine at Dee Dee’s place. If my life is in danger, I’m sure the police will protect me.” Nyla looked at Cedric.

“We sure will, ma’am,” Cedric confirmed and received a deadly look from Andrew that made him smile.

“See? You don’t have to worry. The police—”

“I don’t give two fucks about what my brother just said. There’s no one else that’s gonna protect you but me.”

“AP-” Brody began but was sharply cut off.

“No one will protect her but me! Do you understand that?” Andrew then looked at Nyla. He was so pissed off that he felt his entire soul-shaking, despite his hard, unmovable stance. “You want to stay with Dee Dee, then fine. I hope she has enough room for me too because I’m not leaving you.”

Nyla’s eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped. “You can’t!”

“Oh, yes, the hell I can!”

“Andrew, she doesn’t have room for you too and I can’t ask her to—”

“Then, baby, you have one of two choices. I can book us a room somewhere downtown; a suite if it’ll make you feel comfortable. Or you can stay with me. Either way, I’m not letting you go anywhere without me.” Andrew moved closer to her and gripped her by the back of the head. He tilted her head up so her eyes met his. “Sweetheart, I don’t know what the hell is going on here, but you could have easily been home when these bastards broke into your apartment. That shit doesn’t sit well with me. I believe my brothers will get to the bottom of what happened here. But until then, you’re with me. Now, the question is where will that be? A hotel or my place?”

Nyla fell silent, her eyes still wide and her jaw slack. However, her heart was going a mile a minute. Her chest rising and falling. The way he had grabbed her, the intensity and dominance she felt rolling off of him in waves, was a complete and utter turn on. She was putty in his hands and no matter how hard she tried to fight this feeling of contentment and acceptance, she knew she was going to cave.

But Nyla tried to save face. She took a deep breath and stepped out of his grip. She stepped a few more paces back from him and hefted Se’Nya securely at her hip. She regarded Andrew with cold, flinty eyes.

“Fine, if you are insisting on being my jailer then let’s go. I’m tired and I need to put Se’Nya down.” Nyla turned on her heels and marched back to her car, saying over her shoulders, “I’ll follow you.”

Andrew definitely wasn’t going to let that happen. “Ah, no, Miss Montgomery. You and Se’Nya will ride with me. One of my brothers will bring your car to my apartment.” Andrew clicked his car keys as Nyla turned to face him again. “Don’t worry, I’ll get the car seat and her bag.”

Nyla huffed and rolled her eyes, but she headed to Andrew’s car. He started his car using his car’s key fob and waited until Nyla slammed his car door before he faced his brothers.

“Don’t fucking look at me like that. I know what the fuck I’m doing.”

Cedric was the first to respond, his tone clipped and low. “I hope you do for all our sakes.”

* * *

On the ride to Andrew's place, no one said a word unless absolutely necessary. If one did speak, they did it coolly and the preferred method of abbreviated phrases and one-word answers.

Andrew had turned into a Walmart on their way to his apartment at Nyla’s request. There she was able to get everything she needed such as clothes for both her and Se’Nya, diapers, wipes and food for the both of them. She wasn’t sure what Andrew had inside his refrigerator, but he was a bachelor. He probably had year-old molded cheese or something in his fridge.

Andrew followed behind her, stewing silently to himself and only giving her limited-syllable answers to her questions she asked him about food and such that he already had in his apartment. To Nyla’s credit, when it came to checkout, she didn’t fight him when he presented his credit card to the cashier. She did mumble, without looking at him, “I’ll pay you back for my purchases.”

Andrew merely grunted his reply.

During the drive, Nyla stared out of the passenger’s window as the scenery passed by her. The cool air from the air conditioner felt good, but it also added to the chill in the car. How can he be so infuriating and thoughtful at the same time? She asked herself. And he had the audacity to be pissed at me? I wasn’t being a controlling asshole.

The idea to stay with Dee Dee was a very logical one or at least she’d thought so. She just didn’t want to burden him with her mess. She had no clue why her apartment was broken into or why they would trash everything she owned. She didn’t own anything expensive, but it was hers. It took a lot of paying off layaways and lines of credit to get those things, but she finally had belongings that she had worked hard to earn. And just like that, it was all gone.

Nyla looked over at her driver and sighed. She couldn’t believe that he was still pissed. His cheeks were still flushed and his jaw had been clenched from the moment he pulled away from her apartment building. She wanted to calm him. She wanted to talk to him, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. His control issues were too much. She wondered if he would be like this all the time; if he didn’t get his way he’d stew.

But he did have his way because we’re here with him.

She heard him sigh perceptively and she met his eyes. His eyes…they were so bright and expressive and overwhelming. She stared at him in a daze for a few minutes before she blinked and turned away from him.

What in the hell was that?

Andrew finally pulled up to a black iron gate in front of a complex filled with white, newly constructed buildings and manicured lawns. He entered a code for the gate and as it opened, he drummed his fingers along the steering wheel. He was fighting the urge to barge through the gates and park, just so he could get away from her and her agonizing thoughts. He was losing his mind listening to her go on and on. What he had really wanted to do was pull the car over, grab her by the back of her head and kiss her into submission. Christ, she was driving him crazy. All he wanted to do was protect her. Couldn’t she understand that if she was anywhere else without him it would drive him out of his mind?

The gate finally gave him room enough to shoot through the gap and he took advantage of the opportunity. The four buildings facing him were positioned in a pyramid formation surrounding a huge parking lot for visitors. Tenants had assigned parking conveniently in a parking garage underneath each building. In the back of the complex housed a huge pool, a tennis court, a basketball court, and a small playground. Andrew turned right and drove toward the building farthest from the entrance. He headed for the side of the building and took the entrance to his underground parking spot.

He parked in his assigned parking space close to the elevator, turned off the car, and as the engine settled, he continued to grip the steering wheel. He took a few deep breaths and then looked over at his passenger. She was watching him with wary eyes that didn’t make him feel any better.

“You can leave everything in the car. Let me get you settled and I’ll come down for them.”

Andrew opened his car door and climbed out. He walked around to open Nyla’s door and helped her out. He then opened Se’Nya’s door, released the restraints, and picked her up. He also grabbed her baby bag before closing the door and led Nyla toward the elevators.

They rode the elevator in silence to the fifth floor. Andrew guided her to his condo door and once he opened it, he stepped aside to let her enter first.

Nyla gasped slightly as she took in his large space. There wasn’t much to his apartment, but it fit him just the same. It was simple, clean lines, white walls, with dark hardwood floors. He had a few paintings on his wall, one being a face of a very menacing black wolf. The wolf's eyes were mysteriously red, but they were the highlight of the painting. It looked so real. The power behind the eyes and the look of pure deadliness they possessed caused Nyla to stare into the picture a little longer than she wanted.

“Is everything all right?” Andrew asked once he realized she hadn’t moved from her spot.

Nyla blinked a few times and looked up at him. “Yes, everything’s fine. You have a nice home. It fits you.”

Andrew grunted then said softly, “Thanks. Follow me to the back rooms where you will be sleeping.”

Andrew came to a closed door on his left. He opened it and stepped aside so she could look inside. “This is bathroom number one. You are more than welcome to anything here. There are towels and washcloths here in the linen closet next to the bathroom.” He pointed to a door to the left of the bathroom. He then turned and walked a few steps past the bathroom to a closed door. He opened it and stepped inside. He turned on the light and illuminated his bedroom.

There was a large California king size bed with a black wrought iron headboard and footboard, with dark wood accented on the top of both boards sitting up against the center of the wall to the right. There was a bay window with a comfortable-looking bench and pillows decorating the space directly across from the door to the room. The room was decorated with maroon sheer curtains, maroon linens and a grey blanket at the foot of the bed. White wooden chair rails and crown molding adorned dark gray walls.

“You can sleep in here,” Andrew told her. “The bed is comfortable and the sheets are clean. Also, there’s another bathroom right there,” He pointed to a door straight in front of him. “You have your choice. You can have Se’Nya sleep with you in here or…”

Andrew led her out of that bedroom down the hall to a door on the left-hand side, diagonally from his bedroom. Andrew paused in front of the door and took a few deep breaths before he opened it. He turned on the light and moved out of the way for Nyla to walk inside. When he heard her gasp softly, he finally exhaled.

The room was decorated pink and brown, with soft pink paint on the walls and pink and brown curtains hanging in front of a small window. There was a dark wooden bassinette sitting diagonally in the corner of the room to their left. To the right was a huge crib, dressed up in pink and brown bed linens, comforter, hanging crib toy and crib guard. There was a changing table next to the crib with a dresser across from the bed, all matching the bassinette’s dark wood.

Andrew walked further into the room and placed the diaper bag on the changing table. He looked into Nyla’s questioning eyes, really not ready to answer any of the questions he saw there.

Instead, he took another deep breath and said to her, “You can use anything in this room. There are towels and washcloths in the closet there. I also think there is baby lotion and shampoo in there too that has never been opened. Don’t worry about anything being dirty in here. My cleaning lady cleans in here every two weeks. She washes the sheets and comforter too, although I’m not sure why.” Andrew paused and looked around the room before looking at Nyla. “There is a baby monitor here somewhere. I’ll find it if you decide to let her sleep in here.”

Nyla started shaking her head. “No, Andrew,” she said softly. “She can sleep with me. I don’t want to…” Nyla didn’t finish. She couldn’t. A huge lump formed in her throat and she fought back the tears that she wanted to shed for Andrew, for his wife, and even the baby that this room had belonged to.

Andrew, however, moved closer to Nyla. He tilted her head up when her eyes fell to her feet. He held her there for a few seconds before he said to her, “Nyla, if I didn’t want Se’Nya to be in this room, I never would have shown it to you.” He looked around the room. “This room was my daughter’s room, as I’m sure you could surmise. Unfortunately, she never got a chance to sleep in here and I never had the heart to change this room to an office or a spare bedroom. I did give away all of the clothes, diapers, wipes, stuff like that. But that was it. For some reason, I wanted to keep the rest.” He shrugged and then gave her a small smile; the first she had seen from him in hours. “Maybe I was holding on to this room for this very moment. Look, let her sleep in her own space. It will make me feel better and I’m sure it would be more comfortable for Se’Nya. She’s used to sleeping in a crib.”

Nyla, not able to say no to him, reluctantly nodded. “Okay, if you’re sure you don’t mind.”

“Trust me, it would mean a great deal that she’s here.” Andrew handed Nyla her daughter and stepped back from them. “Make yourself at home. I’ll go and get the bags. I’ll be back in a few.”

Andrew took long strides out of the room, and a few seconds later, Nyla heard the front door close. She sighed and looked around the space. The room was decorated very nicely. There were stuffed animals everywhere. Little framed cartoon pictures of animals like giraffes, and elephants, and lions hung on the walls. The carpet under her feet was thick and seemed very soft under her padded feet, and the rocking chair in the corner looked so inviting.

Nyla rummaged through her diaper bag and took out a few diapers and wipes. She found the baby soap and a towel in the room's closet and went into the hallway bathroom to give Se’Nya a bath.

By the time she bathed her daughter, changed her into a T-shirt, and gave her a bottle, the girl was fast asleep. Nyla had found the wireless baby monitor, complete with a video screen. She set up the camera and angled it just right so she could see Se’Nya with ease.

Once she was confirmed that her baby was good and comfortable, she walked into Andrew’s bedroom and found her bags on the bed. She appraised the room again and wondered where he was going to sleep after learning that he only had a two-bedroom apartment, equipped with a laundry room in the front of his apartment. From the silent treatment they had given each other, she figured she’d be sleeping alone. Nyla sighed audibly and grabbed a pair of underwear and bra from one of the Walmart bags. She washed them out in the bathroom sink before she hung them up to dry. She’d wash the rest of them in the morning.

Once Nyla was done washing out her underclothes she took a nice long bath. The water felt good against her skin and the tub’s jet streams surrounding her, eased her aching muscles nicely. The bath was soothing. It allowed her to think about everything that had happened today. The main thing being someone trashing her apartment.

She had hoped that she would be able to put in the claim for everything she had lost. She had heard horror stories of companies not honoring claims, due to some underlying clause in the fine print of a signed contract.

What would happen if she couldn’t get her claim submitted? What would she do then? She’d have to start all over again, buying more furniture and clothes. She couldn’t afford to do that. And she had to think about maybe moving someplace else. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to return to the scene of the crime. Hell, they may not want her to return. And, she couldn’t stay here with Andrew. It was too much. But she couldn’t stay anywhere else either. She didn’t have anything saved up for another apartment, unless they didn’t take first and last month’s rent and she didn’t want any parts of those types of places.

What would she and Se’Nya do?

Nyla cleared her mind and closed her eyes. She couldn’t think about that now. She would have to deal with that tomorrow. Tonight, she decided to focus on the man in the other room. He had told her all about his wife, how she’d died and everything. What he failed to mention was the fact that he had a daughter. She had so many questions she wanted to ask him, but she couldn’t just yet. She’d give him more time. Maybe in the morning she’d ask him about his daughter.

Nyla stayed in the bath for at least forty-five minutes before she got out of the bathtub and cleaned it before exiting the bathroom. With her body wrapped in a very soft towel, she searched through Andrew’s drawers until she found what she was looking for—his T-shirt drawer. What didn’t surprise her was how neatly his clothes were folded and placed in their respective drawers. She smirked to herself and thought about changing his dresser drawers around just to mess with him. It would probably drive him up the wall, which would be vindication for how he had behaved earlier. But she resisted. Instead, she climbed into one of the softest beds she had ever felt in her life and drifted off to sleep.