by J. J. Sorel
James jumped out and opened the doors for us.
“Thanks, man,” said Aidan, stretching his long legs out. “Where’s Linus, I wonder?” He looked at James, who shook his head.
Aidan put his arm around me. I was shivering from the cool air. “Come on. Let’s get you in.” He turned to James. “We’ll see you in the morning. I’ve got an early flight.”
“Sure thing, Aidan.” James turned to me and smiled. “Sleep well.”
“Thanks for everything, James,” I replied.
It felt so wonderful to be on my favorite sofa, wearing a cozy sweater and comfy leggings, watching TV.
Aidan sat at his desk, getting his itinerary together for the morning. Every now and then, he’d glance up at me with his large blue eyes glistening with tenderness. His delectably sculptured lips curved up at one end, the promise of which set off an electrical charge through me.
Rocket was at his feet, snoozing.
I stretched out like a lazy cat. Could life get any better?
“I’ll be there in a minute, baby,” said Aidan, combing back his unruly hair, which that morning I’d tangled in my fingers while he devoured me for breakfast.
“It’s okay, Aidan. Take your time. I’m really happy to be home.”
“You look good enough to eat, baby. I love seeing you without make-up and your hair down. And what’s underneath that sweater, I wonder?”
“Not much,” I said with a giggle.
He stood up and came toward me, his stride elegant but purposeful.
“I thought you were busy,” I said, looking up at him.
“It can wait.” He lowered down to his knee, and his hands went exploring beneath my sweater. He groaned as he caressed my heavy breasts. “Are you cold? Let’s put the heat on so that I can take this off.”
“I’m not cold now,” I murmured.
Just as Aidan lifted my sweater, Rocket barked and began to growl while his fur stood up. My breath hitched. I’d never seen him behave like that before.
Aidan’s eyebrows knitted. He sprang up. “What is it, buddy?”
Rocket ran to the door, continuing to growl. He made such a loud commotion, and there was no way to calm him. Aidan stepped out onto the balcony in order to survey the grounds.
“Maybe there’s a cat out there,” I called out.
Aidan’s furrowed brow told me there was nothing like that. I bit my lip with fear.
“It’s not a cat. Rocket never does this unless…” Aidan went to his bureau and took out a gun.
My mouth opened. “Unless?” quivered out of my throat.
Aidan grabbed my phone and handed it to me. “Go into the bathroom and lock the door.”
“Aidan, what is it?”
“Just do it, Clarissa, now.” His voice resonated in commando style.
Rocket was barking so loudly, it was hard to think, let alone ask questions.
Aidan slid a magazine into his gun. I started to shake with fear. I’d never seen a gun, let alone watch someone preparing one for use. Aidan led me by the arm to the bathroom.
He looked at me, his mouth tight. Aidan’s steely focus softened a little when he noticed how shivery I’d become. “It’s probably nothing, my love. Just go in there and lock the door. If I haven’t come back in five minutes, call 911. Okay?”
“Aidan…”
After he shut the door, I locked it, just as instructed.
I hugged my body as my teeth chattered. I told myself that it was probably a false alarm and that Rocket was barking at a rat in the house or something. It was the “or something” that made my legs turn into jelly.
I slid against the wall and sat on the bathroom floor. I held my head in fear. After a pep talk from a cool, calm, and collected part of my brain, telling me to get a grip, I stood up and placed my ear to the door.
Rocket’s bark was now in the distance. The fact he was still causing a ruckus didn’t help. My jaw remained tight.
I stared at my phone, wondering if it had been five minutes yet.
CHAPTER TWENTY
AIDAN
I’d never seen Rocket that agitated before. He charged on ahead, as I descended the stairs. Once I got to the ground floor, I stood tight to the wall. I’d been trained to do this. But in the dark of night, amidst billionaire’s comfort, it was somewhat different to what I had experienced out in the fields during combat.
Rocket turned the corner into the main salon. He let out an almighty growl. He’d come across the felon. Of that, I was certain.
Just as I was about to move into the dark room, gunfire rang through the air. Within a second, Rocket let out a blood curdling squeal and fell to the ground.
A noxious cocktail of rage, pain, fear and desperation thundered through me, a fury of emotion as blood rumbled through me. My muscles were tight and battle ready as I charged forward with arms extended and my finger, steadier than the rest of me, positioned on the trigger.
I turned the corner and immediately aimed at the shadow before me. Seconds became valuable. Just as my crooked finger pulled the trigger, a bullet flew past me. My reflexes heightened in response as I let off a round from my semi-automatic gun. I hit the target, and he thudded to the ground.
Another bullet pierced the dark air. Even though it felt as if a blade had sliced along my bicep, I didn’t feel much. Adrenaline had robbed me of sensation.
When I noticed him moving, I fired another shot, and he fell back.
I turned on the light.
There in a pool of blood lay John Howard. In shock, I remained frozen before quickly snapping out of it.
I bent down to Rocket. When I felt his little heart beating against my hand, I sighed loudly. But he was in pain. The poor creature’s whimpering made my eyes cloud with tears.
I then went to Howard’s inert body and felt his carotid artery. It was lifeless. The corpse’s ugly eyes reflected the evil sonofabitch as I’d always remembered him.
Clarissa came running down the stairs. “Aidan!”
“Have you called 911?”
“Yes, but they can’t get in.”
“Ah… shit. Where the fuck’s Linus?”
I quickly turned the light off. I didn’t want Clarissa to see the body. “Don’t come any closer,” I said.
She stared down at my arm, which was bleeding. “But you’re wounded, Aidan.” She looked down and saw Rocket whimpering. She held her mouth and fell to her knees. “Rocket.”
“He’s been shot in the leg,” I said, my voice thick with a threatening sob. “I’ll run out and let them in. Just stay here, and comfort Rocket. Don’t turn the light on. Promise me.”
I left her and raced out.
When I arrived at the control room, there was still no sign of Linus. On the security screen I saw the police waiting at the gate, and the ambulance had just arrived behind them. I hoped I could convince them to look at Rocket. That was my main concern at that moment, getting my dog to a vet.
I hit the switch to open the iron gates.
I stood waiting for them as they drove toward me.
When the police stepped out of their vehicle, they saw me holding my wound. My shirtsleeve was soaked in blood.
“You’ve been shot,” said the officer.
“I have. He’s in there. Dead, I think. I knew him. My dog’s been shot. I need to get him to a vet.”
The young cop said, “You look like you need a hospital too.”
“Don’t worry about me. It’s only a flesh wound. You need to go inside and deal with the body. My fiancée’s still in there with my dog. She’ll be frightened. Don’t let her see the body.”
“Sure,” he said. “You can wait here and get your wound seen to.”
“No, I want to come with you,” I said.
The ambulance pulled up, and while one policeman went up the path to the house, the other insisted I remain there to have my wound looked at.
The paramedic jumped out with a bag and approached me. He tried to get a close look, but I mo
ved away.
“My dog, please,” I said, and before he could do anything I’d turned toward the house. He could do little but follow me. “Bring your bag of tricks. My dog needs seeing to, now.”
Clarissa ran to me. “Aidan.”
I ripped my sleeve and tied it around my wound. “Clarissa, please go upstairs and wait.”
But she remained stubbornly put.
The policeman approached me. “I believe you knew the victim?”
“Yeah, John Howard, recently let out of jail. He killed his wife, who I knew.”
He nodded.
I was too focused on Rocket. After the paramedic injected him, I asked, “Is he going to be all right?”
“I’ve given him some morphine. It’s not my area of expertise, you realize, but at least I can bandage him up until the vet arrives.”
I squeezed Clarissa’s hand and let out a tight breath.
“Rocket has been seen to. Now you have to, Aidan,” she said.
The paramedic looked at me and nodded in agreement. I could do little but agree, and the policeman and Clarissa accompanied me back to the ambulance.
“I’ll take a statement from you in the morning,” said the policeman. “I can see it was self-defense. But we will still have to go through due process. We’ve sent for the forensic team. Nothing must be moved or touched. You haven’t tampered with anything, I trust?”
I shook my head. “Whatever you have to do, Officer. Only try to clear it away as soon as possible.”
“You’re lucky there’s no bullet. It scraped past you,” said the paramedic.
“Then bandage me up here. I need to find my security guard.”
The police officer looked at me. “Has he gone missing?”
“Yes,” I said, grimacing after the paramedic sprayed something on my wound.
“It may hurt,” he said.
“I’ve felt worse,” I said, looking at Clarissa, who was watching. Her big brown eyes were glassy with fear. I just wanted to take her and hold her. “Come here, sweetheart.”
She came by my side. I held her hand as the paramedic bandaged my wound.
“You’re not in pain, Aidan?”
“It’s not that bad. I’m just worried about Rocket.”
I heard a vehicle entering the estate and saw that it was the emergency home vet service. “They’re here. Thank God.”
When the vehicle pulled up, Clarissa said, “Don’t worry, Aidan. Leave it to me. I’ll take him to Rocket.”
I kissed her. “I love you, Clarissa.”
She looked deep into my eyes. Her wide eyes glistened with tears. “I love you too, Aidan.”
She was about to step away and I pulled her back. “I’m sorry to do this to you, baby.”
Her lips twitched into a faint smile.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
To describe my reaction as dramatic upon discovering Linus had had his head buried between Susana’s legs during the home invasion would have been an understatement. The rage that pumped through my blood made every vein in my body pop out.
After the police left and Rocket had been taken away to the animal hospital, I went back upstairs. My arm was bandaged, and I was as restless as a tiger. In fact, I was jumping out of my skin. I paced about as if a monster had taken possession of me.
Poor Clarissa sat there silently, watching.
“I’m going to look for Linus. He’s got to be here somewhere. His car’s there.”
“But what if something happened to him?” asked Clarissa in her little tremulous voice.
“Then that will explain it,” I replied.
Driven by the need for answers, fury impelled me along. All I could think of was Rocket. I prayed he would survive. The vet had given me cause for hope when he said that the creature’s vital organs were safe and that Rocket’s heart was still beating.
A tear dropped on my cheek. I loved my dog. He was the hero of the moment. He’d saved us. If he hadn’t alerted us, something more sinister could have happened, considering the door to our private quarters had been unlocked. There was no doubt in my mind that Howard had been on his way up.
I entered the kitchen. There was nobody around, so I stepped outside into the courtyard. I could see Susana’s room was lit. That seemed to be the only sign of life. Will was out for the night, and Roland spent his weekends away.
The thought of knocking on Susana’s door made me cringe. She was such a flirt, and I wasn’t in the mood for her sleazy advances.
A weird feeling suddenly hit me. What if Linus was there?
I stood by the door and was about to knock when I heard loud moans and groans. Noticing that the curtain was slightly open, I peeked in. My veins froze. I’d found Linus. His big, bulky frame was on his knees with his head buried between Susana’s legs. She was moaning with her head tossed back. Fuck.
Just as she was screaming through an orgasm, I knocked. There was a pause, then I heard some shuffling.
“Who is it?” she asked.
I leaned against the door. “Aidan,” I said with authority in my voice.
Holding a skimpy towel that barely did the job, Susana poked her head out. Her face had that rosy complexion a woman got after coming. “Hi. I’d invite you in, but…”
“I’m here for Linus.”
“Oh?” she said. “I’m not sure…”
I interjected, “I know he’s in there, Susana.” I pushed the door open, and she stumbled back.
As I barged in, bare-chested Linus sprang to his feet while doing up the zipper of his pants.
He looked at my arm. “Shit. What happened to you?”
“I’ll tell you what happened to me. I was shot. And so was Rocket. And I tell you what. If he dies…” I pointed my finger in his face.
His face crumpled in dismay. “Shit.”
“Where the fuck, were you?” I shouted. Seeing this strong, powerful man cowering before me made my knuckles whiten with fury.
“I didn’t think you were going to be back until late, and I…”
“You have to be at your fucking post regardless of whether I’m in or out. You know the score. That’s why I pay you a truckload of money. To keep us safe. And to keep the estate watched over.”
I wanted to punch his lights out. I bit my lip, using every ounce of willpower I could muster.
While Linus whimpered some lame excuse, I directed my focus on Susana, who stood there half-naked. I noted a gleam in her eye that nearly made me convulse. She was enjoying herself.
Clarissa had been right about her all along. She was gutter material. I only kept her there because of Will.
“Go and put some fucking clothes on, will you? In the morning, you’re out. I don’t want to see your loose ass around here ever again.”
As she crept off, I yelled out behind her, “I thought you were fucking Will.”
Linus stared down at his feet. “Aidan, I’m sorry, man. She, you know…”
“She seduced you. Yes. I get it. We could have been killed. Instead, I’ve got blood on my hands. I had to kill a man because you couldn’t keep your cock inside your pants.”
“You shot the intruder?” Linus asked.
“Yeah, the fucker’s dead. It was either him, or those I loved.” I combed my hair back with my wet palm. A realization had just hit me. This was the second man I’d killed in my life, and despite hating the sonofabitch, it left me gasping for air.
A bitter taste landed at the back of my throat, a remnant of the churning bile being whipped up in my belly.
Susana stepped out and looked at me, her face pale and drawn. “He’s dead?”
I frowned and cast a quick glance at Linus, who was equally puzzled by her reaction. My eyes narrowed. “Why should that concern you?”
A tear dropped on her cheek.
I charged toward her and grabbed her arm. “You fucking knew him, didn’t you? This was all your doing?” I shouted so loudly she winced. Her expression switched from sad to haughty in one beat.
; She spat in my face. I pushed her, and she fell to the ground on her ass.
Linus stood between us. “Aidan.”
“I’m not going to hit her. That would feed her scheme to bring me down.
Linus helped her up. His face was cold. “You lured me, you bitch.” Now it was his turn to vent rage. He pushed her onto the sofa. “Stay still.”
Susana leaned over to the drawer. Linus grabbed her arm. “Don’t you even think about it.”
He looked in the drawer and brought out a pistol. “Now what have we here?” Linus passed it to me.
“Are you related to John Howard?” I asked, standing over her.
“He’s my father.”
My eyes stretched wide. “You’re Susie, Jacqui’s daughter?”
“Yes. She was my mother. You murdered her.”
“I did no such fucking thing. Your father murdered her.”
“Only because you made her unfaithful,” she shot back.
“She seduced me, Susie. And in any case, your father was beating her to a pulp every night.”
“It was none of your business. My father loved my mother!” she cried.
I looked at Linus. “Call the cops. She’s an accomplice.”
“If you get me arrested, I will sell this story to the papers. It will be a feeding frenzy for social media.”
“Call the cops, Linus.”
He took out his phone. She touched my arm. “No. Please. Don’t. I’ll go. I won’t say anything. I promise.”
I shook her off. “I don’t believe you. You turned yourself into a honey-trap so that those I love…” My voice strained, it was so thick with emotion. “You’re lucky nothing happened to Clarissa.”
“I would’ve popped a champagne cork if that had happened,” she said, reverting to nasty defiance.
My fists clenched, pumped and ready. I had to fight every little sinew in my body. I would never hit a woman. But that was torture. Her dark, evil expression sent cold sweat dripping down my back. Like father, like daughter.