Shift (The Neturu Chronicles) (61 page)

               
“No, move your hand.
”
Kayla tries to smack his hand away from her leg. 
“
That is closer than I want you to be.”

               
“Mmhmm,” Jackson hums.  “No, I think I found it.”

               
Bending over, Kayla tries to see what’s he’s talking about.  “What does it
look like?”

               
“Uh, a diamond-shaped birthmark.  What else would it look like?”

               
“Shut up.” Kayla laughs.  “I better call Damien.”  She moves away
from Jackson and grabs her phone, quickly dialing Damien.

               
He answers on the first ring. “Did you find it?”

               
“I think so,” Kayla replies.  “I can’t see it, though.  Jackson found
it.”

               
“Where is it?” Damien asks.

               
Kayla pauses for a second and then mumbles, “The inside of my thigh.  It’s
tiny.”

               
“Wonderful,” Damien sighs.  “You’re really close to being naked right now,
aren’t you?”

               
“Yeah, kind of,” Kayla replies.  “Jackson can’t see anything, I promise.”

               
Damien’s next words sound forced. “Yes, well, let me connect us to the
ship.  Hold on.”  Kayla waits patiently while Jackson stares at
her.  She can see the heat in his eyes.  Kayla quickly diverts her
gaze.  Bending down, she grabs her shirt and slides it back on. 
Damien finally comes back on the phone.  “Kayla, Jacob is on the phone.”

               
“Hello, Kayla,” Jacob says.  “I need to start the transmission. 
Please press down on the chip until I say stop.”

               
“Jackson, today is your lucky day.  Come over here and press down on it,”
Kayla tells him.

               
“He doesn’t have to do it!” Damien snaps.

               
Kayla rolls her eyes, even though he can’t see. “It just makes more sense.”

               
“What sense does it make?  You can reach your thigh.  Don’t let him
do it!” Damien exclaims.  Kayla hears a chuckle on the other end of the
phone.  “Jacob,” Damien snarls.  “You do not want to laugh at me
right now.”

               
 “Sorry, sir,” Jacob says.

               
“Damien,” Kayla sighs.  “It’s my body, and I say it’s all right.  His
hand won’t go anywhere it shouldn’t be.”

               
“Mmm,” Damien hotly hums.  “Let’s just get this over with.”

               
Kayla waves at Jackson.  He shakes his head and moves over to her. 
His fingers find the birthmark and press down.  Being so close makes Kayla
gulp.  “Okay,” she says. “It’s being pressed.”

               
“Got the signal,” Jacob responds.  “Keep pressing on it until I say stop.”

               
“Don’t let go,” Kayla whispers to Jackson.

               
He snorts and looks up at her.  “You’re making it really difficult for me
right now.”

               
“You think it’s not…awkward…for me?” Kayla replies.

               
“It’s not awkwardness that I feel right now,” Jackson mumbles.

               
“What’s awkward?” Damien asks.

               
“Nothing,” Kayla replies.  “Does this work all around the world then?”

               
“It will work for the entire solar system,” Jacob murmurs.

               
Kayla’s jaw drops.  “Of course it does.”

               
“Actually, a ways beyond that too,” Jacob states.  “Though if you’re out
there, we have a problem.”

               
“You think?” Kayla snaps.

               
Damien tries to reassure her.  “None of the ships can move without my
father’s permission.”

               
“Aren’t we sharing all sorts of secrets right now?” Kayla asks.  “I mean,
shouldn’t we be worried someone is listening?”

               
“There isn’t anyone in this world right now that can crack this signal,” Jacob
says. “You can’t give humans that much credit.”

               
“Superiority complex much.”

               
Jacob says, “It’s not a complex, it’s a fact.  If you rated me on the IQ
levels of humans, I would be off the known chart.  Probably like a 200 or
something.”

               
“Jacob is one of our engineers,” Damien declares.  “Very intelligent man.”

               
Kayla says, “I can tell.  What’s your IQ Damien?”

               
“A hundred and forty-five, not that it’s important.”

               
Her eyebrows arch. “Wow, I feel dumb.”

               
“With the proper coaching, you would be surprised at where you would fall on
the charts,” Jacob replies.  “It’s stupid.  We aren’t human.”

               
With a snort, Kayla says, “That’s still new to me.  You have to give me a
little credit.”

               
“Okay.” Jacob chuckles.  “Just a little.”

               
“Thanks,” Kayla sarcastically replies.

               
Kayla looks down at Jackson, and he smiles at her.  “This is such a hard
job.”

               
“Shut up.” Kayla laughs.

               
“Excuse me?” Jacob replies.

               
“Sorry, I was talking to Jackson.  How much longer is this going to take?”

               
Jacob answers, “Only a few more seconds.  Five, four, three, two, one,
okay, you can release it.”

               
“You can let go,” Kayla tells Jackson.

               
He does, but he starts to slide his hand up her leg.  Kayla twists and
buckles, falling to the ground.  Jackson starts to laugh
hysterically.  Crawling over on top of her, he asks, “Are you okay?”

               
“What is going on over there?” Damien demands.

               
“He tickled me and I fell,” Kayla answers, glaring at Jackson.

               
 “Tell him to keep his hands off of you,” Damien says.

               
She looks at Jackson.  “Damien says to keep your hands to yourself.”

               
“He isn’t here,” Jackson murmurs, ever so quietly.

               
“Damien, can I call you back?  I want to get dressed,” Kayla declares,
pushing Jackson off of her.

               
“I will let you be,” Jacob interjects. “We are now able to track you, Miss
Hendrickson.”

               
Kayla sighs. “I guess that’s a good thing.  You can’t see me, right? 
It’s not like you can see me through a satellite and watch what I do, right?”

               
“No, it just sends a signal,” Jacob replies.  “No need to worry.”

               
“All right, have a good day.  Thank you, Jacob,” Damien says.

               
“Good day to you both.”

               
Jackson stands up, holding Kayla’s pants for her.  She gets up, gives him
a look, and then slides one leg in.  “Can I please call you back?” Kayla
asks Damien.

               
“Call me when you get on the road,” Damien says.  “I’m going to instruct
the guards to meet up with you.  Now that they have your signal, it will
be easier for them to find you.”

               
“Sounds good, maybe I’m overreacting.”

               
“No, this guy has gone too far.  We don’t know what he wants.  I’ll
meet you in Vegas tonight.  Once I’m with you, you’ll be safe.”

               
Kayla laughs. “You’re a one man army?”

               
“No, I always have a protective detail.”

               
“Like…you have people follow you around?  You mean this whole time...” She
lets him fill in the blanks, knowing he understands what she is implying.

               
Damien hesitates and then says, “Maybe.”

               
“Seriously?” Kayla exclaims.  “You never told me that!  Please tell
me they weren’t watching us when we were kissing each other.”

               
“No.” Damien snorts.  “They never entered the house.”

               
“Oh good, I don’t want people watching us make out.”  Turning abruptly,
Jackson unzips the door of the tent and leaves.  Kayla stares after him.
“Let me call you when we’re on the road.”

               
“Okay, dear,
”
Damien says.
“
Talk to you soon.”

               
“Bye,” Kayla says.  She follows Jackson out of the tent.  She watches
him change his shirt by the car.  “Hey, are you all right?”

               
“Yeah,” Jackson murmurs.  “We should get going.”

               
Kayla puts her hand on his arm.  “Was it the making out comment?”

               
He shakes his head.  “No, obviously you guys do.  I’m not stupid.”

               
“Well, it’s not like making out, making out,” Kayla replies.  “We never
feel each other up or anything.”

               
“Yeah, okay,” Jackson mumbles, turning away from her.  “I really don’t
need to hear about this, and you don’t have to explain anything to me. 
What happens between you and Damien is between you two.”

               
Grabbing his arm, Kayla turns him around to face her.  “Jackson, what are
we doing?”

               
“Packing up to go,” he mumbles, stepping away from her.  “Get dressed in
the tent.  I’ll take it down when you
’
re done.”

               
“I’m going to get dressed in the bathrooms, so I can brush my teeth and stuff.”

               
Jackson shakes his head.  “Go ahead.  I’ll start taking everything apart.”

               
Kayla pulls on Jackson’s arm again. “Come on, talk to me.”

               
“About what?” Jackson snaps.  “About how when I think of you kissing
Damien it makes me want to punch something!”

               
“Then tell me to stop!  Tell me
you
want to be the one kissing me,”
Kayla yells.

               
Jackson growls and turns away.  “I can’t do that, Kayla.”

               
“Are you telling me you don’t want me?  Tell me that and I won’t ever
bring it up again,” Kayla shouts.

               
He turns around. “Didn’t you say that last night?”

               
“I did, didn’t I?” Kayla retorts harshly.  “Thanks for reminding
me.”  She turns to the trunk, grabs some clothes, and slams it shut.

               
“Be nice to your car,” Jackson groans.  “It didn’t do anything.”

               
“No, you did,” Kayla growls and turns and walks away.

               
When she returns, they are both silent.  Kayla helps pick everything up
and they load it into the car.  She grabs one of the chilled shakes and
some brownies.  Fuming, Kayla sits in the front seat and eats them. 
She curls up into a ball and turns her back to Jackson as he gets in, so that
he can’t see the hurt in her eyes.

               
“Is that everything?” Jackson asks, closing his door.

               
“Yes,” Kayla answers sharply.

               
He starts the car but doesn’t go anywhere.  “Please don’t be angry with
me.  I’m not trying to hurt you.”

               
“Could’ve fooled me.”

               
“Kayla,” Jackson starts. “What do you want me to say?”

               
“Nothing, I don’t want you to say anything,” Kayla mumbles, putting her feet up
on the dashboard.  “Just drive.”

               
Jackson looks at her.  “I’m going to say something because I don’t want
you mad.  I like you happy.”

               
She opens her mouth and then closes it.  “Get me to Vegas,” Kayla
says.  “Get me there so I can see Damien.”

               
“All right.” Jackson sighs as he backs the car out of their campsite.

               
When they get back on the highway, Kayla reaches over and turns the radio on
full blast.  She leans toward her door and stares out the window so she
doesn’t have to look at Jackson.  A little while later her cell phone
rings. “Yeah,” she says.

               
“Yeah?  That’s what I get?” Damien chirps.

               
“Sorry.” Kayla sighs.  “How are you?”

               
“How am I, how are you?  You sound horrible, did something happen? 
Are you guys even on the road yet?”

               
Kayla turns farther away from Jackson. “I’m fine.  Just in a bad
mood.  We’re back on the highway.  Aren’t you tracking me?”

               
“The ship is, not me.  I’m not going to intrude on your life like
that.  Why?  Do you want me to follow you on my phone?  I can.”
Damien chuckles.  “But I think that would be a little overbearing.”

               
“I miss you,” Kayla whispers, staring out the window.