Page 27 of Guarded from Corruption

I hate that I made Jade feel that way. That I contributed to the guilt she carried for years. Seeing her cry and hearing her tell me in that sad little voice that she thought everything was her fault… it was awful. And something she shouldn’t have to deal with on top of everything else.

So, distractions. And maybe sooner than later, as I’d originally been planning.

After staring at my computer screen for the last few hours, a small stress headache has taken root, throbbing dully behind my eyes. I’ve been scouring the map, searching within the radius we think Jade might have traveled after her escape, noting every building that could possibly be the one where she was held.

Jade is hunched over the laptop Matt gave her, frowning at it, her brows arched into an unhappy V. She makes a small sound of dismay that has me asking, “What’s wrong?”

“Oh.” She sets the laptop on the coffee table and turns to face me. “It’s nothing.”

“Jade.” My tone is gently commanding. “It’s not nothing. Tell me. Please.”

Eyeballing the laptop perched on my lap, she says, “I don’t want to interrupt your work. Bother you.”

What Jade still doesn’t get is she’s not interrupting me. And she’s not a bother. Anything that affects Jade is my priority.

“You’re not.” Setting my own laptop aside, I move over a couch cushion so I’m closer to Jade. “I wouldn’t mind taking a short break. Talk to me.”

“Well.” A little sigh huffs out. “I’m just worried about my bills. I know in the scheme of things, they aren’t as important. But…”

Taking her hands in mine, I urge her on. “They are important. It’s your life. What’s going on? How can I help?”

“I have everything set up to auto-pay from my checking account. But since I’m not working, it’s going to run out. I could transfer money from my savings, but I’m not sure if I’m supposed to do that if someone is watching my finances for activity. Even if I do, I’ll run out eventually and I’ll go into default. My rent, student loans, car payment…”

I could kick myself for not thinking about this earlier. But at least this is an easy fix. “I’ll take care of it.”

“How?”

“I’ll get Matt to arrange payment directly. Just give me a list of all your bills, and I’ll make sure everything is paid.”

“Niall.” Brows furrowing, she asks, “How are you going to do that? Without accessing my accounts?”

“I’ll cover it, Jade. Don’t worry.”

“Cover it? With what?”

“My money.”

“Niall.” And there’s that stubborn look again. “You can’t do that. You’re already letting me stay here, and your company is helping, and?—”

“Jade.” I squeeze her hands softly. “You know I have the money. After my parents… Shea and I are both comfortable. And I saved all my hazard pay. So I can afford to help you with this. I want to. Let me take one weight off your shoulders.”

She stares at me for several seconds before letting out a heavy sigh. “Okay. But it’s just a loan. I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.”

“Okay.” Not if I can help it. An unhappy result of my parents’ death when I was twenty-three and Shea only eighteen, we received large payments from the company whose driver hit them. A delivery driver drunk at four in the afternoon, slamming head on to an oncoming car… the company was more than eager to offer us something so Shea and I wouldn’t sue.

Not that I would have; a lawsuit wouldn’t have brought my parents back. But the money they offered covered college expenses for Shea, so we accepted it.

Jade raises her eyebrows at me. Her lips curve slightly. “You’re already planning how to avoid me paying you back, aren’t you?”

“No.” As she eyes me skeptically, I amend, “Maybe.”

Shaking her head in smiling admonishment, she sighs at me. “Niall. What if I want to pay you back?”

Rather than debating it, I change the topic. “Now that we’ve got that figured out, how about a break? Something to eat? Maybe a movie marathon? I can make grilled cheese again. Or we could get pizza. Whatever you like.”

Her expression brightens, but fades just as quickly. “What about your work? Do you need to finish it? I don’t want to keep you from getting things done.”

Suddenly I’m very aware that Jade’s hands are still in mine, soft and warm and delicate. She’s close enough to see the tiny flecks of green in her eyes and the faint spray of freckles across her nose. Her hair falls over her shoulder, a shining curtain of gold and platinum and red.

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