Jaxton weaved around his sister, grabbed Kiarra’s hand, and pulled her toward the stairs. “If you could defend yourself, I wouldn’t have a problem with you going out. But you can’t, and I won’t risk it.”
Kiarra reached to her back waistband and started to pull out her gun, but Millie stepped between them. Millie looked at her brother and said, “Jax, I can take care of her. You know I can. I would think after what happened with Tasanee, you’d believe me.”
Kiarra had no idea who or what was Tasanee, but after scrutinizing Millie’s face, Jaxton let go of her hand.
“If you screw this up, Millie, I don’t care what mum or even Neena says, I will not work with you again in the future. Ever.”
Millie shrugged. “Like I said, I can handle it.” She pushed Kiarra toward the door. “Oh, and did I forget to mention the recon is in code? It may take you all afternoon to break it.”
“Millie…”
“Meet us at The Last Drop at 8 p.m.!”
Millie whisked them out the door before Jaxton could say another word and Kiarra couldn’t help but smile. She and Mille were going to get along famously.
Chapter Nineteen
Millie Ward sat in the waiting area of the hair salon and stared at her mobile phone, wishing it would vibrate with a response. While Kiarra was in the other room, getting her hair cut, Millie was trying to get some work done. She liked that she was pissing off her brother by simply sitting here and waiting for Kiarra, but Jaxton and Kiarra’s arrival couldn’t have come at a worse time.
Everyone in DEFEND knew that Millie did private security and intelligence work on the side. Most of the time she worked with DEFEND, but every now and then, she’d take on a job of her own. Not only did the side jobs help to keep her skills fresh and improve them, she constantly worked to expand her network of contacts.
But people would stop seeking her out, or maybe even stop talking to her full stop, if Millie didn’t meet and exceed her clients’ expectations. The most basic of those, finishing a job, was now in jeopardy.
So even though she honest to goodness wanted to take Kiarra out for a night on the town, Millie was instead using Kiarra as an excuse to go and scope out The Last Drop, a pub in Edinburgh’s Grassmarket.
The Last Drop was a popular pub with tourists. The constant stream of new faces made it an excellent location to meet her target, especially as it wasn’t the kind of place Millie usually frequented. With any luck, no one would recognize her.
The balance of protecting Kiarra while getting what she needed from her target was going to be tricky. But Millie was stubborn and refused to delay her assignment. It’d taken her a week to plan and prepare; she didn’t know when this chance would come up again.
Kiarra walked out from the back section of the salon, her cheeks flushed, sporting a new pixie cut that framed her face. Unable to resist, Millie whistled twice and said, “Someone’s looking sexy.”
Kiarra’s cheeks turned pinker. “I don’t know when I’ll get the chance to pay you back.”
Millie stood up and gave Kiarra a walk around, checking the cut from all angles. “Do you like it?”
Kiarra nodded. “More than anything.”
Millie grinned. “Then that’s good enough for me.”
“But—”
Millie placed a finger over Kiarra’s lips, noting how Kiarra froze at the first few seconds of contact. “If it bothers you that much, think of it as a loan. Pay me back once you start drawing a paycheck for your work. Does that work?” Kiarra nodded and Millie removed her finger. “Good—now that’s settled, we have a few more stops to make before the fun really begins.”
Kiarra looked off to the side, pointedly avoiding eye contact. “Maybe we should just go back to the apartment.”
Millie had been afraid of this. Kiarra was a recently rescued first-born, and after being locked up for so long, the outside world could overwhelm her.
Yet Millie had seen how Kiarra had interacted with her brother, which meant that unlike some former AMT inmates, Kiarra was on the road to recovery. Millie would just have to convince Kiarra she was stronger than she realized.
Millie said, “How about this. We go shopping for a little while, you pick out something you want to buy, and if you still want to go back to the flat after that, we’ll go. Does that work for you?”
Kiarra finally met Millie’s eyes. “I’ve never shopped for myself before.”
Millie grabbed Kiarra’s hand, determined to condition Kiarra to her touch through repetition. “Well, that changes everything.” Millie opened the door and pulled Kiarra through. Once Kiarra was following of her own accord, Millie tucked Kiarra’s hand into the crook of her arm and started talking.
Millie pointed out some of the best shops and told Kiarra what she could find inside each one, but Kiarra remained silent the entire time. From the occasional glances Kiarra threw her way, Millie sensed there was something she wanted to ask. The contrast of how Kiarra was behaving now compared to how she’d behaved with Jaxton back in the flat only reinforced Millie’s suspicions that something was going on between her brother and this woman. Jaxton, her levelheaded brother, had all but thrown Kiarra over his shoulder and slapped her arse while shouting, “Mine!”
When Millie finished telling Kiarra about the latest shop, she stopped and pulled Kiarra off to the side. “Ask me anything.”
Kiarra blinked. “What?”
Millie gave Kiarra her most encouraging smile. “You’ve been glancing toward me, then away, and back again for the last five minutes. I’m sure you’ve learned from my brother that Ward children don’t often beat around the bush. And at the risk of Jax corrupting my image with blatantly unflattering tales, ask me anything you like. I’d rather you hear it from me than from Mr. Grumpy.”
“He’s not that grumpy.”
Millie fought a smile at Kiarra’s defense. “With all the scowling and glares he throws, he’s not exactly Mr. Charming. I love him, but he and I are two very different people.”
Kiarra looked at Millie from the corner of her eye and smiled. “You two have more in common than you think.”
Millie raised an eyebrow. “You care to back up that statement? I am neither male nor grumpy, which already puts quite a gulf between us.”
Kiarra laughed and Millie knew she was making progress. “I’m not saying you two don’t have your differences. Most of what I think you share is personality-wise. Both of you are rather…”
Kiarra trailed off, most likely afraid she’d offend Millie, but Millie was having none of that. “Say whatever you like, as long as it doesn’t involve the word ‘prude.’”
“Well, you both can be a bit bossy.” Kiarra gave her a sideways glance. “And stubborn.”
Millie’s mouth raised in a half-smile. “Anything else?” Kiarra hesitated and Millie patted her on the arm. “Now, now, you can’t stop there if you’re to convince me that Jax and I have quite a bit in common.”
Kiarra’s voice was so low, she almost didn’t hear it. “You’re both kind, and care a lot about your family.”
From Taka’s reports, Millie knew a little of Kiarra’s background, and her heart reached out to her. Jaxton was annoying most of the time, but he would lay down his life for her, without hesitation. He’d proven as much with his single-mindedness about rescuing Garrett.
Millie once again linked her arm with Kiarra’s and started walking. “Hm, maybe you’re on to something. But if you ever tell Jaxton I said that, I will deny it till my dying breath.”
Kiarra smiled again. “He would probably just ignore the comment anyway, so I don’t see the point.”
“Yes, he does have selective hearing, but that’s a universal male thing.” Millie stopped in front of a shop window. “This is the place I was talking about. See anything you like? And be honest.”
Kiarra looked at the dresses in the window, and finally she nodded and pointed to an ankle-length dress in dark red. A bit modest for Millie’s tastes, but it would do the
job. As she herded Kiarra inside the store, she grinned to herself. Jaxton wouldn’t know what hit him.
Kiarra was lucky that her new dress went to mid-ankle. Despite the handwritten advice Neena had left inside the duffel bag, Kiarra was unskilled at shaving and had more little cuts than she’d like to admit. The AMT had, for good reason, never handed out razors to its inhabitants.
The dark red dress had a high neckline that showed off her collarbones and hugged her upper body, but flared out from the waist into a swaying skirt. The looseness made her feel a little less exposed and naked. When Millie had walked out in a form-fitting, short dark-blue dress, Kiarra had wondered if she could ever be so bold; she still felt self-conscious about wearing tight-fitting jeans.
She walked out of the dressing room and Millie gave her an infectious grin and a thumbs-up. Despite barely knowing Millie a day, Kiarra already felt like they were becoming friends. She should be more cautious, but if Jaxton trusted Millie, Kiarra did too.
Millie paid for the dresses and handed Kiarra the shopping bags—filled with their old clothes and some new things for Kiarra—to carry. Millie winked and gestured toward the bags. “You can start paying off your tab with some manual labor.”
Kiarra smiled, wondering how much trouble this charming young lady had been as a teenager.
They eventually arrived at The Last Drop and Kiarra eyed the sign hanging overhead. “Why does it have a noose on it?”
Millie waved across the street. “This is Grassmarket, and they used to hold executions over there. A bit creepy, but at least it’s better than another boring pub named after an animal or two.” She took Kiarra’s hand. “Now, let’s see if we can find a table.”
Hanging lights and lanterns of yellow glass dotted the pub’s mostly brick and wooden beam interior, giving it a relaxed and calm atmosphere. Benches with tables and chairs lined the walls, with a few tables near the bar. Despite the number of people in the pub, a small table was open near the bar.
Millie guided her over to the open table and motioned for Kiarra to sit. “I’m going to get us some drinks. You stay and guard the table.”
She was gone before Kiarra could say anything, so she sat down and looked around some more until a picture on the far wall caught her attention.
The buildings in the painting looked like the ones she’d just passed on the street, with Edinburgh Castle looming large above, albeit with an old-timey feel. But it was the wooden gallows, complete with a black bird perched inside the noose, that made her uneasy. As a child she’d learned enough Feiru history to know that most of their ancestors who’d been caught using their elemental abilities by humans in Europe had died at the gallows. Only after the industrial revolution and the advancement of science had some Feiru migrated to big cities and successfully blended in.
Out of habit, Kiarra again tried reaching to the south, but she still felt nothing.
Millie came back with the drinks—one amber colored and one pink and yellowish-orange. Millie sat down and placed the pink and yellowish-orange drink in front of Kiarra. “Since you probably have never had a drink before, I decided it was best to start with something that doesn’t really taste like alcohol.” Mille waggled her eyebrows. “That drink is called Sex on the Beach.”
Kiarra blinked and Millie laughed. “If you can hold your alcohol, and I flirt with the bartender, I might be able to convince him to make a Slippery Nipple later.” She raised her glass and clinked it with Kiarra’s. “Welcome to Scotland. Cheers!”
A few more days in Millie’s company and Kiarra would definitely be able to control her reactions to embarrassing comments.
She sniffed her drink, decided it smelled nice and took a sip. And then another. Millie placed a hand on her free arm. “Whoa, partner, slow down or you’ll be flat on the floor before Jax gets here, and I will never hear the end of it.”
Kiarra took one last sip and put the glass down. The cozy atmosphere of the pub, combined with the warm and tingly feeling spreading through her body, made her feel relaxed. She’d put off asking Millie personal questions, but if she was going to find out anything, now would be the time to do it, before Jaxton arrived.
Kiarra scooted her chair in and asked, “So, who or what was Tasanee?”
Millie raised an eyebrow, but Kiarra forced herself to maintain eye contact. When Millie smiled, she let out a breath.
“You caught that, huh? Clever girl.” Millie took a drink from her glass. “She’s the daughter of a politician.” Millie looked around and leaned in close. Kiarra did the same. “I saved her from a very bad situation.”
Kiarra took another sip and said, “Does anyone in your family not go around rescuing people in distress?”
Millie laughed. “That would be brilliant, having a family of superheroes, but it’s just Jax and I. We’ve been doing it a long time, though, so we make up for the rest of the family.”
Millie waved to someone over her shoulder and Kiarra wanted to curse her luck. She’d barely asked Millie anything. Leave it to Jaxton to interrupt her plans.
Anxious to see how Jaxton would react to her new look, Kiarra smoothed her dress and turned around, but it wasn’t Jaxton. Two men, one dark haired and the other red haired, were walking toward them.
Kiarra whispered, “Why are they heading this way?”
“Because they’re interested in us, ducky.”
Kiarra froze. “I really don’t want to talk with them. Besides, isn’t Jaxton supposed to be here soon?”
Millie patted her hand. “You’ll do fine. If they try to harm you, they’ll have to deal with me. I always carry a few knives, just to be safe.”
Kiarra didn’t want to think of where Millie had stashed them in such a skimpy dress.
The men reached their table, introduced themselves, and sat down. Millie leaned on the table, giving Kiarra, and by extension the men, an eyeful of her breasts. Millie waved a hand toward Kiarra. “Forgive my friend, she’s a little shy.”
The red-haired man looked at Kiarra and gave a sly smile. “Shy ones are often the most interesting when alone.”
Was he trying to flirt with her? She wasn’t interested in him, and the look in his eyes alone gave her a bad feeling.
But if she could keep her cool back in Seattle and help Jaxton capture those two people, she should be able to handle talking with two strangers. She gave a weak smile, hoping she wouldn’t have to put up with the man for long. Jaxton should be along any minute, and his growl would probably scare them away in two seconds flat.
As the red-haired man starting talking, she looked down at her drink and traced shapes in the condensation on the glass. Maybe he would take the hint and leave her alone.
But then the red-haired man put a hand on her arm and everything went downhill.
Jaxton had tried deciphering the recon Millie had left for him, but his mind had kept wandering. Unable to concentrate, he would get up, pace, look out the window, pace some more, and sit back down. The cycle repeated itself for hours, until it was time to leave and meet Millie and Kiarra at the pub.
He was worried about Kiarra. Millie could take care of herself, but she was unused to working with another person. There was a big difference between only looking out for yourself and ensuring the safety of two or more people.
This was the first time Jaxton had truly been parted from Kiarra since breaking into the AMT, and he didn’t like it.
If only Kiarra had her fire. Neena had said it’d be easy to bring it back, but for the first time since he’d met her five years ago, he doubted her words.
Jaxton arrived at the pub, opened the door, and scowled at the crowd. There were too many people here, especially for a newly freed first-born. He finally spotted Kiarra and Millie sitting in the middle of the room, at a table near the bar.
As he walked toward the women, he noticed that they weren’t alone; two men were sitting with them.
He was going to kill Millie. Kiarra was definitely not ready for men on a pull.
&
nbsp; He could only see Kiarra from the back, but she was looking down at the table, uninterested. The realization pumped his ego up a notch, but was quickly followed by concern. He didn’t want the experience to send her back into a relapse.
But before he could reach their table, one of the men touched her arm and Kiarra visibly tensed. She tried to tug her arm away, but the man didn’t remove his grip. Jaxton wanted to punch the man in the face.
He took the last few steps toward the table, placed a hand on Kiarra’s shoulder, and squeezed. She looked up, and for a split second, relief filled her face.
He barely had time to register her new haircut and clothes before he said, “Is this man bothering you?” Jaxton then glared at the man.
The red-haired man put his hands up and said, “Calm down, mate. I was just about to leave anyway.”
Once the men left, Jaxton occupied the vacant seat next to Kiarra and gave Millie one of his best glares. “I trusted you, and you brought her here dressed like that? She needs rest, food, and training, not men drooling all over her and trying to get into her knickers.”
Millie waved a hand in the air. “Not everyone is like you, with a detailed plan for every second of every day. Most of us just like to relax and see what happens. It’s life, not a battlefield.”
Jaxton motioned around the pub. “She isn’t ready for this, and it’s made all the worse by you going soft in the head and sitting right in the middle of the room. You should know by now to sit off to the side.”
Millie picked up her pint. “Instead of assuming everything Kiarra can or can’t handle, maybe you should talk to her. She’s sitting right beside you, in case you’ve forgotten.”
Jaxton was more than aware of Kiarra sitting next to him, but he’d been jealous of the man touching Kiarra and he was taking it out on his sister. Otherwise, he might do something daft, like tuck Kiarra against his body and growl at any man who came near her.
For the first time in his adult life, he was close to losing his cool over a woman in public.
Blaze of Secrets (Asylums for Magical Threats) Page 14