Arcanum Hominem (#1)

Chapter 65

"What's happening now? Did they find Killian yet?" I asked hours later after I got some rest. I felt much better than I did when I woke up the first time, though the pain was still there. That wasn't going to go away overnight. Before I went to sleep, I had Row tell me everything about my health, and the main thing I focused on was that I was lucky I didn't break any ribs for it to puncture my lung. I was happy about that part. 

"They did. They're all on their way back now and should actually almost be here." Row updated me as he opened the fridge to look for something to eat. We were standing in the kitchen, where I found him browsing for food. He still didn't find anything, but I'd blame that on his pickiness at the moment. I was about to open my mouth to comment on him not finding anything yet when I heard a noise at the warehouse door. I turned slightly to see Levi and Cleo walking through the house, eyes searching. Row closed the fridge door and waved from his spot. 

"Guys, we're in here!"

Their eyes landed on him, and they walked our way before finally spotting me. They both smiled when they saw me.

"Nice to see you on your feet, Scarlett. Your wounds were bad, and I wasn't sure when you would be able to even sit up on your own." Cleo let out a sigh of relief with a soft smile on her face. I gave her a soft one back.

"I heard you did a good job patching me up, so thank you for that. I appreciate it." I thanked her, and she nodded her head before stepping out of the kitchen. Levi stepped up to me. 

"Killian is in the warehouse. You might wanna..." he trailed off, nodding his head toward the warehouse. I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes and nodded instead, pushing off the kitchen counter and began walking toward the warehouse. When I reached the door, I paused, inhaling deeply before exhaling slowly. 

Control your anger.

I opened the door and stepped into the warehouse, eyes immediately landing on Killian. My nostrils flared when our eyes locked, and I closed the door, standing in place right in front of it. I didn't know how much control I had, so I didn't want to move. Who knew what would happen if he was directly in front of my face. His eyes widened when our eyes locked, but he quickly recovered, replacing it with a worried look.

"Don't." I hissed, not able to stop the word from slipping past my lips. How dare he have the audacity to look worried for my well-being. He should've been worried when he left me alone in the car with no backup, no communication device, nothing. He narrowed his eyes at my tone, which pissed me off even more. He walked around the computers and headed my way. I walked away from the door to the other side of the warehouse, away from him, and by the sitting area. 

"Scarlett." he began speaking, but I raised a hand, cutting him off. 

"You left me in the fucking car to go after Chase, and I was taken right after. You were nowhere to be seen." I gritted my teeth as I spoke, words coming out like hot venom.

"Did you leave the car?" he asked me, making me scrunch my brows. 

"Yes, I left the car because you were taking forever, and I wanted to see if I could hel-"

"Well, that's why you were taken. I told you to stay in the car." Killian's words hit me like a smack in the face, and all I could do was scoff. 

"Are you fucking serious right now?" I let out a dry laugh, not believing my ears. He sighed, pressing his lips together.

"Look, I'm sorry for what happened to you. You know I would never purposely put you in a position that would cause you harm." he began speaking, but I cut him off.

"You would never purposely put me in a position that would cause me harm? Really? When you literally just did that because you didn't have a fucking plan and wanted to kill Chase so badly that you forgot to use your brain!" I was yelling at this point, my anger flowing from me in waves. He opened his mouth to speak, but I didn't give him a chance. "Look at my face! Look at what they did to me! This," I circled my face with my finger. "is because of you. Don't you fucking forget it next time you want to go off and do your own thing because your emotions are clouding your judgment." I growled and stormed past him, not trusting myself to stay in front of him. My fingers were itching to hit him, but that would only escalate things. I slammed the door open and went straight to the room I was assigned when I first got here, collapsing on the bed, careful not to put any pressure on my left arm. 

The sides of my eyes tingled, and I willed them to stop. I wouldn't shed a tear over this man. He had no compassion for what happened to me and basically dismissed it because I didn't stay in the car. Even if I did stay in the care, I probably would've been taken. I was sure of it. 

I had decisions to make. The one thing I knew for sure was that I was going after Archer no matter what, starting with Chase. Now, would I still be working with Killian on this case? I wasn't so sure. How could I when I felt like I couldn't trust him? He was willing to put my life in danger just to get answers for himself. A team didn't work that way. They didn't put each other in danger for personal gain. 

I groaned, closing my eyes. There was so much to think about and so little time. The situation I was in was exactly why I wanted Killian to continue training me. So that if anything insane like getting kidnapped happened, I could defend myself. Prepare myself. Be able to withstand blows to my body without almost passing out. I didn't want to have to rely on just adrenaline. I wanted my body to know the feelings and adrenaline just be the boost. Now that I was back here, I could have Row start training me again, learn a little more from him. I don't know. 

At this point, my thoughts were so jumbled, I didn't know where to start or how to end. The thoughts kept coming, kept going, and I just let them. I let it help me drift off to sleep, and soon I could no longer feel the pain that stuck to my body like glue. 

***

"Why are you trying to get back into fighting when you just finished healing? That's not smart."

I made a face at Killian's words, hitting the punching bag even harder. I woke up early to work out and train on purpose so that I wouldn't have to bump into anyone. Especially Killian. He was the last person I wanted to see right now.  Weeks passed, and I was finally healed and no longer had to wear that ridiculous sling. It kept my arm in an awkward position that pissed me off. I didn't respond to him and instead kept punching. We haven't really been talking to each other, mainly me not speaking to him. I wasn't ready to forgive him just yet. I wasn't blaming him for what happened to me anymore, but if he was going to continue to be okay with putting me in danger, then he'd better be fine with me making my own decisions as well. 

I slammed my fists into the sides of the punching bag, thoughts about what happened to me fueling my rage, making my fists fly faster. I was in my own head, consumed with the anger, so when I felt hands on my elbows, I quickly turned around, fists already moving to slam into whoever touched me. Killian quickly grabbed my arm, stopping my fist from colliding with his face. My nostrils flared as I yanked my arm out of his grip.

"Let me show you a better form for when you're hitting the bag." He held his hands up in surrender as I glared at him, and I turned around to face the bag, my back facing him. If he was finally going to try and train me, I wasn't going to pass that up.

"Show me."