He wanted to ignore it, but it was his emergency mobile. The only people who would call him were the people from his team or family, and only if they were in danger. Jaxton cursed and cupped Kiarra’s cheek. “I’m sorry, pet, someone might be in trouble and I need to take it.”
She nodded and he reluctantly moved her back to the bed, pride welling in his chest when Kiarra struggled to remain upright. Just wait until later, pet.
He picked up the phone from the side table and saw it was an unlisted number, but that didn’t mean anything. He tapped the receive button. “Hello?”
“Jaxton?”
“Millie?” She’d better have a bloody good reason for calling him. “What’s wrong?”
“I…well…the truth is…” A scuffle came over the phone before Jaxton heard a male voice speak into the line. “Jaxton Ward, if you want your sister to stay alive, I need to talk with Kiarra Melini.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Kiarra leaned against Jaxton, afraid that if she severed physical contact, what had just happened between them would fade into oblivion. She’d been disappointed when he’d gone to answer the phone, but after hearing it was Millie, Kiarra tugged down her dress and strained to hear what was being said. Kiarra didn’t care if she’d only known her for a few short hours, she thought of Millie as her friend.
Jaxton’s pinched brow eased and was replaced by a look of surprise. She wondered what had happened. Jaxton never would have left Millie alone at the pub last night if he hadn’t been confident in his sister’s abilities.
She couldn’t hear the other person on the line, only Jaxton’s side of the conversation. Unable to take the suspense, she put a hand on his arm. “Jaxton, what’s happening?”
He shook his head, signaling her to be quiet.
A bad feeling started to gather in the pit of her stomach.
After a brief pause, Jaxton said, “She’s not here.” His grip tightened on the phone, and Kiarra squeezed his bicep. She mouthed, What? He lowered the phone, his hand covering the bottom speaker, and said, “They have Millie. If I don’t let them talk to you, they’re going to hurt her. I won’t force you, but are you up to it? I need you to learn as much as possible about the man on the phone.”
She barely digested that information before taking the phone and putting it to her ear. Of course she would help. “Hello?”
“Hello, Kiki.”
Her heart skipped a beat. Only one person had ever used that nickname. “Giovanni?”
“Yes.”
Kiarra’s heart pounded. Stay calm and focused until you know how Millie is involved. “What do you want?”
“Do you even need to ask? You, of course.”
Kiarra turned away from Jaxton, hoping to keep her remarks semi-private. No matter who Gio had become, he was still her younger brother and her best bet was to treat him as such. “Giovanni Charles Melini, stop with these games and dramatics and just tell me what you want.”
Her whispered scolding must’ve had some effect, because Gio said nothing for a few moments. However, when someone finally spoke, it wasn’t Gio, but Millie.
“Kiarra, don’t listen to him. I can take care of myself. I—”
A scream echoed on the line and Kiarra couldn’t help but yell into the phone, “Stop!”
Jaxton came to her side, and she shared a glance with him. It now made sense—Millie’s screams earlier must’ve caused him to grip the phone. Kiarra was afraid for her newfound friend, but it must be infinitely worse for Jaxton. She leaned against him and reestablished her nerve at the contact. “Gio? Millie? Anybody there?”
Gio’s voice came back on the li
ne. “Do I have your attention now? Unless you want to hear more screaming, here’s what you’re going to do…”
Kiarra listened closely, hoping later she could figure a way to free Millie without hurting anyone else, even if it meant turning herself over. The AMT would at least keep her alive, and there was a higher chance someone could rescue her later. Millie didn’t have the same guarantee.
Gio hung up and Kiarra lowered the phone, staring at it in disbelief. He’d proven that he wasn’t an imposter, but something was wrong. The most prevalent memory she had of her brother was him nursing every sick or injured animal that crossed his path, to the point where their parents had constructed a crude shed to house his animals. That version of Giovanni, the one from her childhood, would never threaten, let alone harm, a defenseless person.
What has happened to him? Maybe Gio was more indoctrinated than Cam had thought and was past the point of saving.
Jaxton touched her elbow, interrupting her thoughts, and said, “Well? What’s the bugger want?”