Keeping Secrets (An Anonymous Novella)

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

An hour after the shooting, Jackson came down and personally gave them the all clear.

"Did you catch him?" Chloe asked him, the rock still in her throat.

Jackson only shook his head.

"Was...was anyone hurt?" She gripped his arm with a shaking hand.

Her brother placed a comforting hand on hers. "Not too bad. We've got two people injured, but it looks like they'll be okay."

"Oh thank God." She breathed. All the tension in her chest released, letting her breathe right again.

The guards had been quick to get Ethan, Chloe, Ian, and Eli into a secure car and back to the palace. Josh had assured Chloe that he and Danika would find a safe ride home.

"Text me when you get home, or to a hotel, wherever you're going." She'd told him.

"I will," He placed a kiss on her cheek. "Take care, Chichi."

And then they'd been ushered into a car. Jackson had hopped into the passenger seat at the last second. Ethan's personal guard, Darius, had been assigned to the driver's seat.

No one spoke on the ride back.

She wasn't sure if anyone could feel the tension between Jackson and Chloe, but she sure did. No doubt he was mad at her. Who wouldn't be? He knew that she was aware that Ethan was in trouble. Right?

"Jackson?" Chloe held her breath.

The commander didn't turn around all the way. Instead, he gave her his ear, his profile, to show he listened.

"I'm sorry."

At that, he did turn around, unbuckling his seatbelt to do so. "What for?" His eyebrows came together and he placed a hand on the dash to steady himself.

"For not telling you earlier." She confessed.

Jackson stared at her. "What are you talking about?"

She opened her mouth to blurt it out and tell him everything, but Jackson stopped her. "Whatever it is, can it wait until we get somewhere safer?"

She nodded with a grimace. Did he not know?

As if he could sense her anxiousness, Ethan rubbed her arm in a soothing rhythm.

Ethan, beautiful Ethan. Her prince. Her mate. He'd been in trouble this whole time and she'd done nothing to keep him safe. Hell, he still wasn't safe.

What was she going to do?

Once at the palace, Jackson pulled Chloe and Ethan into his office. Though it was late, almost passed midnight, Jackson's assistant Avery still tapped away in her own section of the room.

Jackson seemed as surprised to see her as Chloe was. "Avery? I thought I told you to go home."

Avery, a sweet black haired girl too nice for her own good, glanced up and over a pair of black rimmed reading glasses. "Sir?" She frowned at Jackson. "You weren't supposed to come back to the office. Today's your day off. With all due respect, I told you this morning that it is not good to overwork-"