With Matt safely in the car a few blocks away, Abram nodded, giving them the go-ahead to enter the museum. Abram removed an instrument from his pocket and slid it into the lock. With a click, the door opened.
He placed his hand on Janie's arm, holding her back. "We don't know what we're going to find, if they're here at all. You need to be prepared for anything."
Janie swallowed and nodded. She couldn't remember the last time she had actually felt scared. She could and would take on anything. But when it involved Kai, she was completely terrified.
Janie stepped into the old row home adorned with brick walls and smelling slightly of moth balls. The sight before her filled her with both horror and relief. She fell to her knees, the impact of the wood shooting through her thighs.
With her mother’s help, Janie steadied herself and stood. Everything suddenly seemed to move in slow motion as she crossed the room, falling again to the floor in front of Kai's lifeless body. Metal shackles chained him to the brick wall. His beautiful blonde hair spilled over his face, covering his perfectly sculpted features. She placed her hands on both sides of his face and lifted his head, wanting desperately to see his bright green eyes stare back at her. His lush blonde lashes blanketed the dip of his eye sockets. If he weren't shackled to the wall, Janie would have just thought he was sleeping.
She guided his head forward to check for a pulse. He wasn't breathing, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. He didn't need to breathe to live.
Suddenly she couldn't move. No. She didn't want to know if he was alive. She couldn't survive the loss of someone else she loved. Her father's death had nearly killed her. Her heart wasn't strong enough to go through it again.
"Janie." Isabelle stood above her.
"I can't do it, Mom." She dipped her head into Kai's, taking in his clean scent.
Isabelle wrapped her arms around her daughter. Janie feared if she let go, she might shatter into pieces. Her heart already felt like it was about to explode. This was why she ran from love. Losing it was too hard for the human body to bear, even if she was tougher than the average human. Her heart was still fragile; it wasn't a muscle she could work out at the gym.