Sight Lines by Cara Carnes

Author:Cara Carnes [Carnes, Cara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Heartscape Publishing, LLC
Published: 2018-03-12T18:30:00+00:00

13

Vi set her supplies on the coffee table and plunked down on the carpet facing the door. Jacob assured her he’d escort Jud there as soon as they returned to the compound. He’d run into Nomad to pick up some supplies. Her hands trembled, but she spread the materials out. The thin colored strips of paper fanned out before her soothed the beast within her, the one that sometimes reared its head when an op didn’t quite go as planned.

Two new Arsenal agents had suffered minor injuries. All in all, it had been a successful strike.

Except for her almost losing Fallon’s team. Oh, and the compound getting attacked because she hadn’t thought far enough ahead.

She forced back the thought. For now, she’d reboot her mind, decompress. That’s what this time was about.

The door opened. Jud prowled in. His gaze settled on her immediately. Jaw twitching, he sat beside her on the ground. “What’s all this?”

“Quillery,” she answered. “Most call it quilling today. It’s an art of paper filigree.”

“That’s where your handle came from.”

Curiosity softened his voice to a velvety sound. She spun a red strip of paper into shape and positioned it into the teardrop shaper. A squish and a couple tugs with her tool and she was ready for glue. “My mom taught me.”

Why had she offered the morsel of information? Few even knew she quilled. It was the one connection to her past she maintained.

“You enjoy it?”

She shrugged. “It soothes the beast, helps me decompress when things don’t go smoothly.” She swallowed when his hand rested on her ankle. She’d opted for loose sweats and a baggy t-shirt. Heat spread through her as his thumb raked against the exposed skin just above her ankle. She jerked her foot away, but he held on.

“Touch sooths my beast, Viviana,” he whispered. “We’ve both had a long, bad day. Everything went sideways.”

“Everyone’s okay.”

“But not what was expected,” he surmised.

“The work we do isn’t what you do. We can’t pile up bodies, that undermines us with the alphabet soup and everyone else we’re working to protect.” She smooshed a blue strip next. Another teardrop. The pattern swirled around in her head. She reached for the special pile of papers. The strips she’d made especially for this creation.

“What are you making?” he asked.

“A mandala.”

“Your mom made them?”

“No, she…” Vi shoved back the angry retort, focusing on the glide of his fingertips against her skin. Her pulse quickened. “I started mandalas when I got out of college. They soothed me more. Mom started me on this because my brain didn’t shut down. I’d have a hard time sleeping. I was always thinking, asking questions. Annoying people.”

Annoying her.

The gentle glide stopped. Contact firmed, but she craved the stroke. Like a cat seeking attention, she stretched her foot forward, just enough to get his attention.

“Kids aren’t an annoyance, Viviana. I’m sorry she saw you as one. Inquisitive children are a blessing.” He whispered the statement as he stroked again, this time further up her calf.

She swallowed and curled the first strip of special yellow paper into a ball.

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