Steel Hearts

Chapter [6] Stolen Kiss

The morning couldn’t have come soon enough. I rolled away from Chase’s arm that had lain protectively around me through the night. Slipping away from the couch, I stood and walked toward the boarded windows. What light from outside slipped through the gaps of the woodwork, exposing dust particles floating effortlessly in the air.

Yawning, I stretched my arms above my head. Relief swept over me. Going back to the village was the best choice. I needed closure.

“Mila,” a raspy voice called out to me.

I love his morning voice, I thought, smiling to myself.

I turned to Chase, exposing my happiness as my grin widened. “You’re awake.”

He sat up, rustling his fingers through his tousled hair. “Have you been awake long? You should have woken me up.” Rubbing his puffy eyes, he stood and walked to the kitchen, grabbing bottled water from the counter.

“Just woke up,” I replied, watching him take a mouthful of water. “Be careful and only take sips!” I did my best to imitate Inara.

Chase lowered the bottle and looked at me, pushing his index finger to his lips. I pretended to zip my lips, locking them, and throwing away the key. But we couldn’t stay quiet and burst into laughter.

“What’s so funny?”

We nearly jumped out of our skin as Inara walked into the room. She had on black yoga pants and a white tank top. I looked over at Chase who seemed to not be affected by her tight-fitting clothing. Thank God.

I moved into the kitchen and leaned against the counter. “We were thinking about some good times we had when we first met.” Chase gave me a side-long glance, and then perked up immediately as Inara sighed out loud.

“That’s great, princess,” she said, grabbing the bottle of water from Chase’s hand, taking a drink. When done, she handed it back to him while smiling sweetly. “But I think you both have other things to worry about, like heading back to where you came from.”

“So,” Chase began, “about that…”

“You need my help again, don’t you?” Inara asked.

He nodded.

“It will cost you,” she said.

“Like what?” I asked unnerved. “I thought this was out of hospitality.”

Inara’s laugh came out a little too forced. “You really thought I did this out of the warmth of my heart?” She looked back and forth between Chase and me. “Wow, I’m really flattered, but I don’t give out freebies. So what do you have to offer?”

The palm of her hand laid exposed in the air. She tapped her foot, waiting.

Chase cleared his throat and quickly maneuvered back toward the couch, grabbing his bag from back home. I watched him dig through it, swearing under his breath each time he came up empty handed. He looked up at me with vexed blue eyes.

“Someone stole from us,” he said to me, but was looking directly at Inara. “Have your boys been looking through our stuff?”

She shrugged, pointing to the hallway. “Why don’t you ask them yourself?”

“Answer me!” He stood from his crouched position. “I’m sick of your games. First, you took us into a damn trap when we got surrounded by those bottom-feeders. Now our stuff is stolen under your damn roof!”

I held my breath. Chase only got this angry under the right circumstance. This was serious, and I was afraid he was about to wake the rest of the pack of wolves.