There’s no way he doesn’t notice the tremor in my hand as I take it.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jax
Ibarely get the door shut before Kira runs to the kitchen sink.
“Well, that was a pleasant surprise,” I say, leaning against the wall and crossing my arms.
I had completely forgotten about the chance that the police could show up for Marshal. Normally, I don’t have to worry about such things, as I never leave any traceables. But this wasn’t my kill, and of course they would track his movements to the Noland house.
“Pleasant?!” Kira scoffs, bracing herself against the sink.
“I think so.” For one, it proves Kira’s smart enough not to run her mouth about what happened the other night. And two, Ireallyliked the way she clung to me—tight and desperate—like I could be her anchor. She probably didn’t even realize she was doing it, but her body knew before her mind could fight it. And Kira Noland reaching for me… that does something to me. Something I’m trying really hard not to let consume me.
Shaking her head, I take a step forward, my brows knitting together. Her knuckles are turning white where they clutch the porcelain.
“You okay?” I ask.
Her hair is doing that damp thing where it clings to her forehead, and my fingers itch to push it away. The kiss we sharedthe other night did the opposite of what I was hoping it would. Instead of smothering the spark, it lit the fuse.
“He knows,” she chokes out, voice rough. “He fucking knows.” She leans over the sink as if she’s about to empty her stomach. “I screwed everything up.”
I still at her words. She thinks she screwed up? She handled that better than anyone else would’ve. Hell, better than Caleb would have. And I didn’t even prep her. She kept her answers vague, didn’t cry, and shestayed behind me.
I take another step closer, my voice low. “No, you didn’t.”
“I practically—” she doesn’t finish, a dry heave cutting her off.
Without thinking, I step behind her, unable to stop myself as my hand goes to her hair. I gather it gently at the nape of her neck, my fingertips brushing against her clammy skin as she shudders. God, I shouldn’t be this close to her, but I can feel the fear in her body, and something in me needs to quell it.
“You did good,” I tell her, my voice taking on a foreign, soft tone. I wrap her hair around one fist and use my other hand to slide down her arm. “You did, so, so good, buttercup.”
Another heave wracks her body, but I step in closer, closing the space between us until her back is flush with my chest. “You did better than good. You did great.”
And she did. She could have cracked. Most people do. That’s one of the reasons lawyers even exist—to tell people to keep their mouths shut. But she didn’t need that. She held it together all on her own.
“I’m going to jail,” she whispers as she catches her breath and, all finished, she sags against me in what feels like defeat.
“No, you aren’t.” I let go of her hair and wrap my hand around the front of her throat, tilting her head back so I can meet her eyes. She has unshed tears pooling in the rims, and she doesn’t even fight my touch like I’ve come to expect. Lookingdown at her like this, something shifts—something protective and vicious. “You aren’t going to jail because I will killanyonewho tries to take you from me.”
The admission startles me, but I also haven’t seen Kira fall apart before.
Her breath hitches, but she doesn’t pull away. The tears that were welling in her eyes fall over as she blinks in disbelief, but the well has dried up as she studies my face for falsity. But I don’t joke about killing, and I trace my thumb along the underside of her jaw.
“I will, Kira,” I murmur, dipping my head until my mouth brushes her temple. “Let them come. I’ll make an example out of every single one.”
Her eyes flutter closed for a breath, and I feel it—surrender. For a second, I think I see her believe me, feel her relax at my promise of violence, but then she squeezes her eyes shut.
“You can’t—you can’t kill a whole police department.”
I smirk, amused at her doubt. “Watch me.”
“No,” she whispers, trying to shake her head.
“Yes,” I tell her, tightening my grip.
“No! No more murder.” She pushes her palms into her eye sockets around my hold. “That’s what’s caused all this in the first place.”
