A looked passed between the siblings and Jaxton gave a slight nod. Millie touched her shoulder and said, “Maybe you should go home with him, Kiarra.”
Kiarra started, confused by Millie actions. Just a minute ago, Millie had been on her side. “What?”
Millie placed a hand on Kiarra’s back and whispered into her ear, “You need to leave. Now.”
The urgency in Millie’s voice piqued her curiosity. Something was going on, and she wanted to know what. She looked up at Jaxton. “Will you explain everything and answer all of my questions after we get home?”
Jaxton hesitated, and Millie stepped between them, forcing Jaxton to let go of Kiarra before she said, “Of course he will.”
That wasn’t good enough. “Jaxton?”
“Fine. Will you come with me now?”
Kiarra studied his face. He’d actually made a request. Something was definitely going on.
She nodded and Jaxton put out his hand. She put hers in his and decided that if Jaxton broke his word this time, about telling her what was happening, Kiarra would try to contact Neena and ask to work with anyone else. She was done being jerked around.
Chapter Twenty
The flat was within walking distance of the pub, but Jaxton had opted to take the bus since he could use all of the human witnesses he could get, and the bus had at least five of them.
Millie’s rapid nose twitching had signaled that there had been trouble inside the pub. Their code wasn’t sophisticated enough to say exactly what kind of troublemakers she’d spotted, but with the shadow-shifter’s earlier warning about others coming to retrieve Kiarra, Jaxton wasn’t taking any chances.
Besides, it’d given him the perfect excuse to get Kiarra out of the pub.
Even he was ashamed of the way he’d acted, and Millie’s words about Jaxton needing to be the commander he should be still echoed inside his head. It was his duty to protect Kiarra, but not in such a way as to draw attention. If he had approached the situation with a calm head and had treated Kiarra like a normal recruit, respecting her intelligence, he wouldn’t be as worried about their safety right now.
Kiarra shifted her leg and accidentally brushed it against his. He looked at her reflection in the window and decided to stop fighting the attraction between them. The longer he did so, the greater the chance he’d compromise everyone’s safety in the future. He wanted her, and once both of their tempers had cooled, he’d find a way to let her know.
Kiarra caught his eye in the reflection and raised an eyebrow in question. Luckily, he was a master of keeping secrets. “We’ll get off at the next stop.”
Neither one of them said a word as they disembarked, and Jaxton guided Kiarra down a maze of streets and alleys; he wasn’t going to risk a tail.
Ten minutes later, satisfied that no one was following them, he turned up the alley to his flat and went up the stairs. Jaxton quickly checked the security, found it untouched, and proceeded to do a quick sweep of the house with Kiarra in tow. For once she understood the necessity to stay quiet and not ask questions.
Flat secured, Jaxton switched on the light in the living room and turned to face Kiarra. She was waiting with her arms crossed over her chest. He couldn’t read her expression, but knew she wanted the promised explanation, so he gave it to her. “Millie spotted some troublemakers inside the pub. We don’t know if they were after you or not, but it was best to play it safe and get you out of there.” Until he settled things between them, he was still her trainer, and he needed to reprimand her as one. “It would’ve been a lot easier to slip away if you hadn’t made such a scene.”
Kiarra re-crossed her arms under her breasts. Jaxton forced his gaze to stay on her face as she said, “I made a scene? First you bark off the men, then you start dragging me out the door. All you had needed to do was tell me that there was danger and I would’ve gone quietly, but no, instead you decided to keep me in the dark. If we’re to work together, you need to treat me as a member of your team, not a child to be looked after.”
“All I recall doing is protecting you. If that’s treating you like a child, then so be it.”
Kiarra let out a sound of frustration and crossed the small space between them to stand in front of Jaxton. “There is protecting and then there is belittling. Would you ever forcefully pull one of your men out of the pub? Or take away his drink? Of course not, you would let them make their own decisions, or at least consult with them.” Kiarra narrowed her eyes and raised her face closer to his. “I am not twelve years old, Jaxton Ward. I was imprisoned for fifteen years, but I assure you I can make decisions on my own and face the consequences.”
“Can you really, Kiarra? Any more alcohol and that randy ginger bloke could’ve coaxed you to do anything. What if he’d raped you? Or murdered you?” Jaxton grabbed Kiarra’s chin and tilted i
t upwards, forcing her gaze. “The world is different now, and until you learn how it works, I won’t stand by and watch you put yourself in harm’s way.”
Kiarra jerked her chin free of his hand. “Sure, until you get what you want, then you’ll just pass me along to someone else and forget I even exist. I may be naïve about the world outside, but I won’t be your tool. I’m tired of people only using me for their own personal gain and tossing me aside when it’s convenient. You’re little different than the AMT staff in that respect.”
She turned, and Jaxton growled as he grabbed her wrist. “Don’t compare me to them.” He tugged and turned her to face him again so he could take hold of her shoulders.
Kiarra didn’t struggle, but gave him a cool look. “Let go of me, Jaxton.”
“Not until you acknowledge that I’m different.”
As they stared at each other, Jaxton knew he was being irrational. Kiarra was saying things in anger, and deep down, he knew she probably didn’t mean them. But for some reason, he needed to hear her acknowledge that he was different than the AMT guards and researchers.
He didn’t want to use and dispose of her; he wanted Kiarra’s help, as well as all of the things she could offer in the future.