Chapter 279 Learning Curve

Chapter 279: Chapter 279 Learning Curve

Eira had never imagined she could be this hopeless behind the wheel.

On her first attempt to adjust the seat, the backrest reclined until she was nearly lying flat. On the second, it shot forward instead.

Her forehead almost hit the steering wheel.

Almost.

Alpha Killian’s hand flashed out with an Alpha’s impossible reflexes, catching her just before impact.

Her forehead landed against his warm palm, and the horn gave a short, humiliating beep that echoed across the empty lot.

Eira froze.

With one hand still shielding her forehead, Alpha Killian reached across her with the other and reset the seat. He did it calmly, as if saving her from a collision with the dashboard were part of the lesson plan.

"There," he said. "Try sitting like a normal person."

Eira settled back into the seat, her golden waves slightly mussed. She gripped the wheel with both hands, blew an annoyed breath upward to clear the strands falling into her eyes, and stared straight ahead.

There was no embarrassment on her face. Only the stubborn focus of a scientist whose experiment had failed and who fully intended to run it again.

"Killian."

He glanced at her. "Yes?"

"I think you’re interfering with my results."

His gaze moved to the faint redness on her forehead. No injury. Just a little color beneath her skin.

Then his eyes drifted lower, from her brow to her blue eyes.

"Am I starting to have an effect on you?"

His voice was low and unhurried. The kind of voice that made it dangerously easy to forget what she had been saying.

Eira held his gaze for half a second too long.

"That’s not what I meant."

Alpha Killian nodded gravely. "Of course. What you meant was—"

"Killian." She cut him off. "You’re the one who said we only get an hour of practice a day because you’re buried in work the rest of the time."

A faint smile touched his mouth. "Keep going."

She narrowed her eyes. "You’re enjoying this."

"More than I expected."

Eira turned back to the windshield before he could see the heat rising into her cheeks.

After that, they managed to focus.

Eira made no more dangerous mistakes, although the lesson proved that understanding something in theory and doing it behind the wheel were two very different skills. She handled the pedals too cautiously, turned too wide, and hesitated every time Alpha Killian told her to accelerate.

Still, by the end of the hour, she could start, stop, adjust her mirrors, and guide the Maybach around the marked lanes without hitting a single cone.

Alpha Killian considered that a victory.

Eira considered it the bare minimum.

They parted outside the campus security gate, Alpha Killian heading back to the executive floor while Eira returned to the lab.

Before scrubbing in, Eira stood at the stainless-steel sink and held her hands beneath the motion sensor. Water ran over her fingers, but she barely noticed.

[Am I starting to have an effect on you?]

The line kept replaying in her head.

"Dr. Crawford?"

Someone called her name.

Eira blinked and realized she had been standing there for nearly a minute, her hands hovering beneath the sensor while water streamed uselessly down the drain.

She pulled them away. The water stopped.

But her mind didn’t.

"Dr. Crawford?" the technician called again.

"I’m coming."

Eira dried her hands, pulled on her mask, and stepped through the lab doors.

--

By the time Eira reached Number Nine, the city lights had blurred into streaks across the window.

The house looked unfamiliar.

Cardboard boxes filled the living room, the shelves stood half empty, and the Christmas wreath that had hung by the door for years was gone.

The place that had once held so many memories was slowly becoming a reminder that some Chapters were coming to an end.

Mrs. Jones was folding clothes near the fireplace when she heard the door open.

"Eira?"

She turned and smiled.

"You’re finally home, sweetheart."

The simple warmth in Mrs. Jones’s voice softened the ache in Eira’s chest.

"Go wash up," Mrs. Jones said gently. "Dinner’s almost ready."

Eira didn’t argue.

She washed her hands and sat down at the table.

For once, she planned to finish a proper meal instead of rushing through coffee and whatever she could grab between meetings.

Then her phone buzzed.

Killian: Home?

Eira: Just got in.

A second message appeared.

Killian: What did you eat?

Then another.

Killian: Send me a picture.

Eira stared at the screen before taking a quick photo of the tray and sending it.

Killian: Save me some.

Eira paused over the screen.

Eira: What time will you be done?

Killian: Not sure. Still in the meeting.

No further messages came.

--

Across town, Alpha Killian placed his phone facedown and turned his attention back to the conference table.

Kate discreetly angled her laptop toward him. She had already learned that when Alpha Killian’s attention drifted, he could scan her meeting notes in seconds and retain every word.

He glanced at the transcript, absorbed the missing discussion, and returned his attention to the executives without missing a beat.

The meeting ended at nine thirty.

Alpha Killian left the conference room and ran into Miles in the executive corridor. One look passed between them before they walked into the private office.

Miles set a file on the desk. "I copied the surveillance footage from Serena’s fall. Three cameras caught different angles. I also pulled the relevant medical records."

Alpha Killian opened the file.

"The attending physician believes Serena had taken an abortifacient before the fall," Miles continued. "But no toxicology screen was ordered at the time, so we can’t prove what she took or when."

"Show me."

Miles brought up all three clips. The footage was grainy, but the sequence was clear. Alpha Sebastian had shoved Serena. She had stumbled and fallen down the stairs.

"Without the drug, she might have survived the fall with the pregnancy intact," Miles said. "Without the fall, the drug might not have caused a complete miscarriage. Together, they likely caused the permanent damage."

Alpha Killian’s expression hardened. "Keep digging."

"Even though Eira wants nothing more to do with them?"

"She’s done with the Hales and Serena. They’re not done with her." His gaze turned cold. "Eira needs leverage before they come crawling back."

Miles nodded, then opened another file. "Margaret’s surgery went well. She had several visitors tonight, including Ryan Sullivan."

Alpha Killian’s eyes sharpened. "Ryan Sullivan?"

"Apparently. My guess is he’s trying to recruit Sebastian into Sullivan Group.Sebastian still carries weight in the tech world."

"Not if Carter Group enforces the non-compete."