by Vanessa Kier
Yeah, as he’d told Kirra, he wasn’t a white knight. Sometimes the only way to fight evil was with overwhelming violence.
He slowed the vehicle to drive over a deep crack in the pavement. He didn’t want to wake Kirra. She deserved her rest. No matter how badly he wanted to ease her pain over her past, he had more important things to take care of. The first was finding her a safe place to hide. After all she’d endured, he was more determined than ever to keep her out of the hands of the rebels. Which meant he wasn’t taking her up to her concert.
He’d checked the map after she’d fallen asleep. This road eventually connected with an east-west road that curved northwest before meeting a secondary north-south road. Although the secondary road passed by the back route to the concert, it also led to one of the UAR’s larger cities. A place that had not yet been invaded by the rebels. Kirra would be safe there.
She’d be pissed when she figured it out, but he didn’t care. He’d never forgive himself if the rebels hurt her.
They should reach his destination before noon tomorrow. That would give him a few days before he needed to show up at Bureh’s, allowing plenty of time to meet the assassin and die.
Satisfied that both Kirra and his family would be safe, he concentrated on his driving. He still had to travel through Sankoh’s territory without attracting the drug lord’s attention.
He eyed the sky. Storm clouds had been growing on the horizon for the past several hours and now blocked out the sun. Being on a paved road, he didn’t worry about the vehicle becoming trapped in mud. Although, if the storm turned out to be a fierce one, visibility might become an issue.
Movement in the rearview mirror caught his attention. He frowned as he watched Kirra climb from the cargo compartment into the back seat. “You can sleep longer,” he told her as she wriggled past him into the front passenger seat. A smear of chocolate marred her lips and he hardened as he imagined licking it off and then working his way down.
Don’t be an asshole. She just bared her soul to you. She’s not going to have any interest in baring her body to any man, let alone one like you who has more blood on his hands than her attackers.
Kirra shrugged as she fastened her seat belt. “I’m okay,” she murmured, avoiding his eyes and scooting closer to the window.
Crap. Had she somehow picked up on his arousal? “Thanks for sharing your story with me,” he said awkwardly. “I know that was painful for you.”
She gave a self-conscious jerk of her chin. “I figured you weren’t likely to freak out over the details.”
Yeah, he could imagine most civilians being uncomfortable with the level of violence she’d endured. “It took enormous courage to survive that. I’m amazed that you accepted my offer of shelter last night.”
The corner of her mouth lifted. “You seemed the less dangerous of my options.”
“Still, it was brave of you. I—”
Something cracked underneath them, then the front end of the Land Rover dropped and listed to the right. The vehicle slammed to a halt.
“What happened?” Kirra swiveled to look behind them. “Did someone shoot at us?”
“No.” There were no other cars in sight. “I think we just experienced a mechanical failure. Head into the jungle a few yards.” He nodded to the trees at the side of road. “I’ll check it out and let you know if it’s something I can fix.”
“Okay.” She shoved open her door and jogged into the jungle.
He appreciated the fact that she obeyed without question. Once she’d disappeared from sight, he palmed his pistol, grabbed his flashlight, and shimmied underneath the vehicle. Shit. The axle had broken.
He shook his head. Someone up above really hated him.
He slid out and removed everything personal from the vehicle. Then he quickly wiped the Range Rover’s interior and exterior of any fingerprints before joining Kirra in the jungle.
“We’re continuing on foot, huh?” she asked, taking her backpack from him.
“Yeah.” He explained about the axle. “Are you up to walking for a while?”
She nodded. When her stomach rumbled in protest, she gave him a sheepish look. “Sorry.”
“No. My fault. It’s been a long time since breakfast. Once I figure out where we are, I’ll find us a safe spot where we can eat.”
She perked up. “You have food?”
“Uh-huh. Now, be quiet and follow me.”
She threw him a tiny salute. “Aye, aye, sir.”
“That’s navy talk,” he muttered as he led her into the jungle. “We’re on land.”
Kirra just rolled her eyes. It was good to see her acting normally, instead of being the spooky woman who’d told her story with a mix of cold detachment and bone-chilling fear. He’d noticed the way her fingers moved while she spoke as if playing an instrument, and figured it was some sort of coping mechanism. He wanted to ask her about it, but was afraid of throwing her back into that dark space.
After ten minutes, Seth halted. “I need to determine our location before we continue.” He took out his satellite phone and pulled up the map feature.
He felt more than heard Kirra come up beside him. “Aren’t we going to follow the road?”
“Depends. Now that we’re on foot, our options have changed.”
She reached for her backpack. “Use the paper map.”
He spread the map on a series of low, exposed roots, checked their current coordinates from the compass on his watch, and drew a circle. “Right. We’re here.” He tapped the circle. “I want to get us over to this road.” He put an X on the secondary north-south road. “This is the concert.” Let her assume that they were aiming to go in via the back way.
“Hitchhiking is obviously out,” he said.
“We could play highwaymen and hijack the next car that passes.”
He shook his head in amused disbelief. “I think your confession has let your wild girl out. Weren’t you the one who disapproved of me stealing this vehicle?”
Kirra pushed a stray lock of hair back underneath the scarf wrapped around her head. “I changed my mind.”
Seth raised his brows.
She sighed. “After I woke from my coma and decided to turn my life around, I vowed to never lie or steal again. I didn’t want to be responsible for turning more people into victims.”
“Not even to save your life?”
She shrugged. “That possibility never occurred to me. I just knew that I had to avoid the temptation, because the thrill of a heist was too seductive. I could easily imagine myself being sucked back into the criminal world, and I didn’t know if I’d survive a second time.” She gestured toward the road. “I don’t think one more theft will push me back over that line.”
Maybe not, but he’d seen the glimmer of excitement in her eyes while the rebels were chasing them. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she was addicted to danger, just like him.
“You don’t have to test that conclusion, because we’re not going to turn to hijacking.” He pointed to a speck on the map. “I estimate it would take us a minimum of five hours of walking on the paved road to reach the suburbs of this town.” He glanced at the sky. “With the storm clouds, we only have a couple hours of light left. Even if we were closer to town, we’d have to stay hidden, which would mean no renting a room for the night.”
Her face fell.
“Sorry. I know you’re probably longing for a bed.”
She shrugged. “As I said, I’ve spent time on the streets. I’ll cope.”
“Yeah, you will. Because you’re a survivor.” He touched her cheek. Unable to decide if her eyes widened in pleasure or fear at his touch, he dropped his hand and returned his attention to the map. “Our best bet is to hike farther into the jungle so there’s less chance of being spotted, then turn and walk parallel to the road. Once we’re closer to town, we should be able to find another vehicle to steal.”
He hesitated, then decided Kirra deserved full honesty. “This is a particularl
y dangerous area to be on foot. The tribal chief, Albert Sankoh, is a leader in the local drug trade. I’ve done work for him, but that’s not going to help us. He offered me a full-time job a while back. I refused, and he didn’t take it well. If he’s heard that the rebels are tracking us, he’ll turn us both over in a heartbeat.” After a few more moments of studying the map, he folded it and handed it back to Kirra. “Ready to head out?”
She nodded.
It took half an hour before Seth found a small clearing that was a safe distance from the road, and also bordered with thick vegetation to further hide their presence. “Okay, break time.”
“Thank heavens.” Kirra let her pack slip off her back, then disappeared into the bushes.
“So, what about this supposed food you mentioned?” she demanded upon her return.
“Supposed nothing.” He waved to the items he’d lined up on a fallen tree. “I have bottled water and that rarest of all delicacies, MREs.”
Kirra gave him a dubious look. “Do I want to know why you have military rations?”
“No. But the better question is which military are these from?”
“Black market?”
“Something like that.” Seth picked up two of the items. “You have a choice of fu-fu and tomato stew from the Voltan army or some sort of mystery meat from Ivory Republic.”
“I’ll try the fu-fu. It sounds safer.”
“Good bet.” He turned the other package around in his hands. “I can’t tell if this is supposed to be a drawing of a guinea fowl or a goat.”
Kirra chuckled.
He opened the package, took a sniff, then poured it into his mouth.
“Wait! What are you doing?”
He chewed thoughtfully. “Still can’t tell what the meat is. But it’s not half bad.”
She glared at him. “Are you crazy? What if the meat was spoiled?”
Seth snorted. “The whole point of MRE’s is to provide a lasting food source for troops on long deployments. It’s safe.” He reached for a bottle of water. “Not always tasty, but it’s the calories that count.”
“Good to know.” She ripped open her packet and squirted the orange paste into her mouth. “Um,” she said after she’d washed it down with a large dose of water.
“That good, huh?”
She sighed. “I’ve had worse.” She settled next to him on the fallen log, then took another gulp of the MRE.
When they’d finished their meager meal, Seth reached for Kirra’s empty packets. Their hands brushed, sparking a jolt of sensual heat that ran all the way up his arm and down into more interesting places.
Not wanting to scare Kirra, he pulled back. But she caught his wrist with her hand.
“Kirra?”
Was the flare of heat in her eyes real? Or wishful thinking?
As if answering his question, she leaned forward and brought her mouth to his in a gentle kiss.
Kirra softly pressed her lips to Seth’s, her way of testing whether this was what she really wanted. Sometimes, when she spent significant time thinking about the attack and the events leading to it, she fell into a funk afterward and didn’t want to leave her flat for days. Other times she wanted to embrace the world and experience everything it had to offer, because life was both precious and precarious.
As she lazily explored Seth’s lips, heat seeped through her. Oh yes, this was one of those carpe diem moments. Kissing him felt both wondrous and new. And as comforting as receiving a hug at the end of a stressful day.
Seth’s hand rose, hovered over her hair, then settled on her head light as a butterfly. The gentleness of the motion melted her heart a little bit. He’d looked so tough and scary last night, yet she’d been wrong about him. He wasn’t someone she needed to be afraid of. Instead, he was someone as complex as she was. Someone who didn’t treat her like a five-year-old who needed guidance, or a disposable asset who could be sent out on the most dangerous thieving jobs without any concern as to whether she made it home safely or not.
Urgency built inside of her. She shifted closer, then traced the seam of his lips until he opened for her. That’s when the tender, almost reverent, exploration changed. As soon as her tongue stroked along his, Seth groaned deep in his throat. His hand fisted in her hair and he angled her head so he could take the kiss deeper. Heat erupted in her veins with volcanic force. Tenderness was incinerated and replaced by a fierce, desperate hunger.
Her hands snaked around his neck, pulling him closer as he bent her over his arm. The fingers of his other hand slid underneath her top. The touch of his callused fingers on the bare skin of her belly sent heat rushing between her legs. She moaned and arched her back.
The sound of a bird squawking triggered her internal warning system. Kirra opened her eyes. A black bird was diving toward them. She tightened her hold on Seth and rolled sideways. The bird landed on Seth’s shoulder and nearly deafened Kirra with another angry cry. It thrust its beak toward her and she barely dodged out of the way in time to avoid being pecked. Then the bird flew up to perch on a nearby branch.
“What the fuck?” Seth glared at the bird as it continued to verbally berate them.
“Um…” Kirra eyed the bird with a mix of wariness and humor. “That was…weird.” Humor won, and she chuckled.
“I think I’ve just been insulted,” Seth murmured in amusement.
“Are you hurt?” she asked. He’d be in danger of infection if the claws had drawn blood.
“I don’t think so.”
She indicated for him to turn his shoulder toward her. “I don’t see any rips or punctures,” she declared.
“Good.” Seth pushed to his feet and helped her stand. She could tell from the warring emotions in his eyes—self-recrimination, regret, guilt, and others gone too quickly for her to name—that the sensual mood had been broken.
He stepped back. “Kirra. I—”
She pointed her finger at him. “Don’t say another word.”
He opened his mouth.
“Not. Another. Word.” Hurt and fury put a waver in her voice. “That was an amazing kiss. You did not take advantage of me. I wanted it. I initiated it.” She took a deep breath. “I do not regret it, but I swear, if you say one more more word you most certainly will.”
Seth raised his brows, then held up his hands in surrender. Amusement slowly replaced the complex mix of negative emotions that had sparked her temper.
So. There’s someone else in the world who can spark my temper as fast as Dev. Figures it would be another dominant male.
When Seth remained silent, she gave an approving nod. “That’s right.” Shoving down her emotions, she reached for her backpack. Only then did she realize that the bird had gone silent. She turned and found that it had flown away. Smart move. She was angry enough that she’d have probably focused on him—or her—next.
She shouldered her pack and waited for Seth to gather his things and take lead.
Obeying her warning, Seth didn’t speak. Still, it took Kirra a long while to calm down. Finally, she admitted that her anger wasn’t directed so much at Seth, as at herself. She had a bad history of dating the wrong men. Didn’t it figure that she’d finally show interest again in a man who didn’t want to want her?
Because he wanted her physically. She’d felt the tension in his body and the press of his arousal against her hip. But the regret and self-recrimination he’d shown made it clear that he had no interest in exploring the attraction between them.
“Is it because the attack tainted me?” she demanded of his back.
Seth slammed to a halt and spun to face her. “What?”
Nerves jumped in her belly. She hadn’t meant to say that out loud. But now that she had, she needed to know. “Is the reason you don’t want me because I was the victim of violence?”
He swore viciously. “No. Kirra, how could you think that?”
“Some people believe I got what I deserved for hanging out with the wrong people.”
His fa
ced darkened and his hands clenched into fists. “Who dared to blame you for the attack?”
She glanced away. “My parents,” she admitted with a bitterness that time hadn’t softened. “My brother never came right out and said it, but it’s clear he thinks an attack had been inevitable because of the work I did.”
Seth stepped forward, grabbed her shoulders, then shook her lightly. “Kirra, look at me.”
She bit her lip and met his eyes.
“No one, no matter what choices they’ve made in life, deserves to be attacked in such a brutal way.” His eyes blazed with anger. But not at her. For her.
His unexpected support caused her throat to tighten.
“Never think that it was your fault or something you deserved,” he continued. “Jesus. How could your parents say such a thing? If anything, it’s partly their fault for ignoring you after your twin died.”
Her lips parted in surprise.
Seth held her gaze. “Surviving such an attack makes you even more attractive. There’s nothing sexier than a strong woman.”
“Then why do you regret our kiss?” She wanted desperately to kiss him again, but was too afraid of being rejected.
His hand rose and he touched her lips briefly, before dropping away. “Because, if I’m going to protect you, I have to have my head fully in the game. I can’t do that if I’m thinking about stripping you naked and sliding deep inside you.”
She gasped.
“Yeah, that’s right. I want you. But this isn’t the time. And frankly, I’m not the man for you. You deserve better.”
The expression on his face broke her heart. “What? Why?”
Seth shook his head, turned his back to her, and marched away.
Kirra narrowed her eyes and followed. He’d warned her that he was no white knight, but she thought learning about her attack would put them on more even footing. Instead, he seemed to have put her on a pedestal.
Well, that would have to change. She hadn’t felt attracted to any man since the attack.