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"A little way down," she says, pointing to an apartment a few hundred feet down the road. "I... help some of the girls who work at clubs. The ones who want out. And… the apartment… it’s one of the places I’ve set up for them to stay."
This answer was almost as surprising as the possibility of her being a sex worker. Nothing Nathan had told me had given any indication of this. I wonder if he even knows. He must. He knows everything. Especially when it comes to his little sister.
"Oh. Wow. That's incredible."
She just shrugs.
"What... do you do exactly? I mean... how do you help them?" I ask, trying not to bombard her with questions even though I wanted to know everything.
"I have ways! I'm not just some spoiled little rich girl!" She raises her hand, not to hit me, but as if she is trying to make herself bigger, more menacing, instinctive.
Whoa. I touched a nerve. I pull up in front of the building she pointed to and park, giving her a moment to calm down before I address her again.
Once her arm is lowered and her breathing settled, I turn to face her. "Hey, Kiki, I have never thought that of you." It was the truth, Kiara had always shown contempt in her position in society, seeing it as a curse rather than a blessing. "Remember that time you gathered up all your makeup and clothes and disappeared and everyone was sick with worry? And Nathan found you at the local school giving out all your things to the girls there because your driver had taken you by there and you'd noticed how they were dressed in worn and tattered clothes?"
She frowns and lifts her crooked finger to her mouth, nibbling on the knuckle of her index finger. A habit from birth. "You remember that?"
"Sure! It's one of my favorite memories of you."
"What... else do you remember?" she says, still nibbling.
I grin. "Everything. I remember that you like eating your cereal dry with a glass of milk. The only person in the world I know who does that, and makes me question your sanity."
She laughs. Really laughs. "Good night, Kylian. Thanks for the ride."
I shrug. "No problem. I’m used to being the neighborhood hero."
I catch a sign of her rolled eyes as she gets out of the car, but before she closes the door she says, "I don’t like seeing people suffer. These girls… I can’t imagine anything worse than being stuck in a place like that, if you don’t want to be there. I have a business that I train them to work for, it’s not an easy job, and they have absolutely no obligation to stay. Sometimes they stay, and sometimes they don't. It's not easy helping them, but it's the most important thing I've ever done in my life."
And there’s not a doubt in my mind that every word she just said is true.
I feel my eyes flooding with warmth and admiration for her as I say as earnestly as I can, "I believe you, Kiara."
With that she gives me a half smile and closes the car door.
I watch as she slides her card through the security device and goes inside. and I wonder if she’s forgiven me enough to accept a job.
I know I wouldn’t.
nine
Kiara
It's not until I'm back in my apartment, leaning against the closed door, eyes adjusting to the dark, do I let out the breath I feel like I've been holding since I climbed into Kylian's car.
Any lies that I've told myself over the last five years that he's out of my system have made it clear that they were just that, lies.
What was he even doing there tonight? Of all places, of all times. Why had it been when I'd been in such a vulnerable position? Why couldn't I have been running him over with my car instead of needing him to do me a favor? And if I know anything about Kylian Baxter, the ruthless businessman behind that charming smile, I know that he always calls in those favors. Intelligence, charm, money and ambition is a dangerous combination.
And I've been burned by Kylian Baxter before.
I slip into the bathroom, turning the tub faucet on to fill the tub, catching my reflection in the mirror.
Shit.
I'm still wearing his jacket.
And for just a moment, I let myself bury my face into the collar. His scent envelops me.
