Veils of Storm

18. Peace of Mind

"No. Definitely not."

Kat jerked awake. Her entire body hurt and felt heavy and sore. Salty air seemed to be stuck to her face. A small hand fit into hers as a soft body pressed into her side. There was too much light for some reason.

"Come on, Jazz. She's just a kid."

Just a kid... Kat turned to her left and stared at the tiny woman pressing against her, her wide eyes filled with fear. Of course they would be since both Cage and Jazz towered over them, blocking some of the scorching sunlight. Cage looked amused, but the scowl on Jazz's face could cripple a lesser man. It sent Kat's stomach into her throat. She'd seen him angry too much lately and she didn't like it.

"Good morning," she squeaked.

"For the record, Trix," Jazz said, completely ignoring her. "This is something you should wake me up over."

"I didn't see it as that big of a deal," Trix mumbled from somewhere behind her. "After all, she stayed outside and I was right here."

"With Kat," Cage supplied, no longer sounding amused.

"She insisted to have the girl over."

"Either way..."

They kept bickering and Kat wondered how long they'd be at it before realizing the matter was not about them, but about the poor girl who was whimpering at their feet. Rage bubbled inside her, but she fought to beat it down and be rational about all this. Calm and collected, able to express key ideas in an appropriate manner that could be easily understood.

She stood, her knees a little shaky from her precarious sleeping position. Leila stood with her, holding her upper arm in a hug and pressing her forehead to it as if it would spare her from what was coming. It only made Kat want to protect her more.

"She's coming with us," she stated.

She expected her words to be ignored, for the men to continue arguing as if she'd said nothing. Instead, they all stopped and stared at her with various levels of surprise, disbelief and annoyance.

"You don't get to decide that," Jazz pointed out.

"We can pay for her."

"It's not about money. I don't traffic humans."

"Oh, so it's fine to leave her alone in a dodgy town after she escaped being trafficked by someone else? Come on, Jazz!"

"How do you know she was trafficked?" Cage asked, a frown on his face.

"I mean look at her." Kat waved her hand along the length of Leila's frail body. "The poor thing is terrified. Those men I rescued her from were most definitely intending to force themselves on her because they thought she doesn't matter." The anger she'd been doing her best to keep in check bubbled again.

Instead of seeing reason, Jazz just rolled his eyes. "Life in these parts is harsh, Kat, but that doesn't mean you can just bring everyone on board. You don't know her."

She hadn't known them either, and yet, here they were. "Do you think she's dangerous? She's a little girl!"

"She's a young woman," Trix interjected, not being helpful at all.

They weren't budging and a slither of fear broke through the anger. She wasn't even sure why she wanted this so much, but leaving Leila in Yarik sounded like a death sentence to Kat. Or one to a much darker fate. She turned to Cage with pleading eyes and was shocked by the his calculated gaze, the lack of mercy and empathy.

"Cage?" she asked.

"You can't just turn to him for everything," Jazz said, sounding exasperated again.