by Kaylee, Katy
“What’s so funny?” Aiden asked, his voice still husky from sleep as I made two plates of food. I curled into his warm body when he hugged me from behind. I could definitely get used to waking up like this.
“And what’s that smell?”
“I made coffee,” I said, ignoring his first question as I handed him a mug. “and food. I was starving.”
I slid one of the plates towards him, grabbing the other for myself but I didn’t miss the way his lip curled up in a grimace.
“What…is it, exactly?” Aiden asked, sounding more than dubious.
“Tacos,” I shrugged, “Except, I didn’t have any tortillas so I just used a hot dog bun.”
Aiden glanced at the plate, and then at me, raising one eye.
“So, at least that hasn’t changed. You’re still a terrible cook.”
“Hey! I try. Sort of. Sometimes. I usually just order in or I’m at the lab so I don’t have time to cook for myself.”
“I would love to cook for you.” His voice dropped low on his words, sending heat spiraling inside me all over again.
“Really? I don’t remember you being that much more talented than me in the kitchen.”
“Well, I have picked up a few things in the past ten years,” Aiden said as he moved towards my small kitchen. He dumped the plate of food in the garbage as he walked by it and I scowled, taking a bite of my own before spitting it out. Gah! He was right. It was awful.
I pushed the plate away, and then a little further away before gulping down a sip of hot, sweet coffee. I couldn’t get the taste out of my mouth.
“After my father died, my uncle Phillipe took me under his wing, showed me how to run the famiglia, how to be a good leader. We went to Italy for a year and I met my family there. And,” Aiden glanced up and he looked at me with his eyes twinkling mischievously, “I learned how to make pasta. Real pasta. None of that box stuff.”
While he cooked, pulling eggs and flour out of the fridge and cabinets, I booted up my laptop, intent on finding out more about what happened to Leah. About the man who might have killed her.
But I kept getting distracted by him.
He moved around the kitchen like a big jungle cat, his jeans slung low of his hips and with no shirt on. Forget about the food, just watching him was making me hungry. Famished. Starving for a taste of him.
I knew I had to focus. I had to keep searching for clues. I was more than done with being caught unaware. Done with being afraid. I was ready to go on the offensive. I needed to make a plan if I really wanted to find out what happened to my sister.
A haunting memory of last night’s awful dream hit me for a moment, strengthening my resolve. I owed her that much, and so much more. But I would at least find out the truth. That was what she loved to do. Investigate. Dig deep. Find out what was going on beneath the surface. That’s what I needed now.
What would Leah do? I scribbled on a notepad, thinking over the past weeks. One thing was for sure. Ian Redman was the only true lead that we had. I glanced over at Aiden as he rolled out a mixture of dough. And I also knew that Aiden was still holding something back. He knew more than he was letting on.
I lost myself in thought as the minutes ticked by and was startled when Aiden appeared behind me a short time later, holding a plate of pasta that looked and smelled amazing. I took it gratefully, twirling a forkful of the long noodles around into a little ball and eating the whole thing.
“Aiden, this is delicious,” I said with a groan, eating two more bites before realizing that he hadn’t even touched his.
“Aiden? What is it? Aren’t you going to eat?”
But he was staring at the computer screen.
“What are you doing, bella?”
I followed his gaze to the laptop, and then back with a shrug.
“Research.” I chewed another bite appreciate but it was obvious Aiden was waiting for more, “I’m making a plan. I’ve been thinking about it, and it’s the only thing that makes sense. The only solid lead we have.” I looked up at him, “We have to after Ian Redman.”
* * *
Aiden
I stared at her in shock as her words echoed around the room. I tried to tell myself that I hadn’t heard her right. I must be mistaken. But I could tell by the determined look on her face and the sick feeling of dread in my stomach that I had heard her just fine.
“You’re insane. That’s the only possibly explanation. You’re certifiably insane.”
“No, I’m not, Aiden. Just hear me out.”
“Absolutely not. Beth, the man is a killer!” I had to take a deep breath to keep the panic at bay. Couldn’t she see how impossible this idea of hers was? Couldn’t she see the risk?
“I know that, but he is the only fact that we have. Everything keeps coming back to him. That’s not a coincidence. Leah was investigating him. He’s back after twenty years. Why? What is he planning? What if he’s already killed again?”
“He certainly will kill again if you walk into his path. It would be like throwing a lamb to a hungry wolf.”
“I’m not a lamb, Aiden. I’m a scientist. And I’m trying to look at this as logically as possible.”
“Going after serial killer isn’t logical, Beth. It’s fucking suicide.” The words ground out of me, drawn over shards of glass as they tore from my throat. I could see that mutinous look on her face. I didn’t give a fuck.
If I had to drag her back to bed and keep her there until this whole thing had passed and threat was over, then that’s what I would do. I couldn’t let her get hurt. I couldn’t let her put herself into danger like that. The thought of it tore me up from the inside out. It shattered me.
I took my plate back to the counter, my mind racing quicker than it ever had as I tried to come up with some way, any way to keep her safe.
“I…have been working on something.” I said hesitantly. Beth looked at me in surprise, intrigued. Good. That was good. Get her curious.
“You have?”
“Yeah, with Luca. My right hand man. He’s a bit of a tech wiz. He’s been running facial recognition software on the photographs that your sister sent you to try and identify the men that she’d been investigating. The men that were obviously dealing with Redman in the city.”
Beth’s brows furrowed and she got to her feet, walking towards me dressed in nothing but an oversized t-shirt that fell to the middle of her thighs. My mouth watered but I forced my mind back to the task at hand. It wouldn’t be easy, trying to convince her of a ‘plan’ that I knew was fake. When I knew all the while I could keep her safe, keep my men around her.
She had to believe it was real though. I had to give her just enough to convince her that it was real, that it was risky, but conceal enough not to give it all away.
“Well, has he found anything?” She asked, leaning on her elbows next to me and I had to swallow hard.
“Yeah, he’s identified two of the men. But when he tracked them down, they were both dead. I have there files back at my house.”
“Okay. So what is your plan then? To identify the men, track them down, and find out their connection to Redman?”
“Uh…exactly.” My mind raced. This had to work. I couldn’t let her go off after Redman on her own. The monster would tear her apart, “Luca is already close to identifying the others and as soon as we have more information, we can decide how to set a trap for Redman and lure him in. We have other clues, Beth. Those photos from your sister. They’ll help us catch them. If you’re close, it’ll be easier for you to help us study the photographs, compare landmarks.”
“I’ve already done that, Aiden.”
“Not with my resources. Not with someone who knows the city in and out.” I held my breath.
She was quiet for so long that I was sure she was going to reject it, my lies, my fake plan.
“So, you’d want me to come stay with you, at your house, while we figure out everything we can from the photos and then move on Redman?”
; “That’s the plan. It might take some time to decode the photographs, some of them are dark and grainy.”
“It’s already been a month, Aiden.” She said, and I hated the sorrow in her eyes, “I’m afraid that time doesn’t really matter anymore. I just want to find out the truth about what happened to her, and bring whoever hurt her to justice.”
“So, you’ll do it? You’re in on the plan?”
Slowly, she nodded and I felt like pumping my fist in the air in celebration but I kept my face calm, not changing my expression.
“Okay. Go pack some things. Let’s get this plan moving forward, what do you say?”
“Let’s find out what happened to Leah and bring her justice.” Beth whispered, giving me the sweetest kiss before moving towards her bedroom to pack. My heart broke and I felt sick to my stomach. I hated lying to her, but I had to keep her safe. I just prayed she would understand.
Chapter 18
Aiden
“I’m losing it here, man. I need something. She’s getting suspicious.” I was careful to keep my voice to a whisper, keeping an eye out to make sure Beth wasn’t anywhere close enough to overhear as I talked to Luca.
It had been two weeks since I had enacted my ‘plan’, and I was truly starting to get desperate. It had been fine for the first few days, but now I was running out of ideas to keep her occupied while I tried to figure out what to do. Or get any closer to really finding out the truth about what happened to her sister.
“Just tell her I’m incompetent,” Luca answered, and I could practically hear the smart ass grin in his words. “No, never mind. That won’t work. Beth is too smart for that. She’d never believe it.”
I rolled my eyes, flipping off the phone even though the other man couldn’t see the gesture. It was the thought that counted. One of my biggest mistakes had been introducing the two of them. They’d hit it off immediately and now they took every opportunity they could to team up on me. That must be it. They were secretly working being my back to drive me insane and it was working.
“You are supposed to be on my side.” I said sharply, pinching the bridge of my nose, trying to stem the oncoming headache.
“Sorry, man.” Luca didn’t sound sorry at all, actually, “Beth is way more attractive than you are.”
“Don’t even think about her like that.” I growled the words, fighting off a streak of possessiveness.
“Hey, I get it. She’s yours. Don’t look, don’t touch.”
“You touch, I cut your fucking finger off.”
There was a long moment of silence from the other end of the line, and when Luca spoke, his voice was different.
“You really care about her, don’t you?”
“You don’t understand, Luca.” I sighed, not even trying to attempt to explain the tangle my emotions had become since Beth had exploded back into my life.
“Yeah, I do,” Luca answered, his tone serious for one, “Listen, I’ve known you forever Aiden. And for as long as I’ve known you, you’ve loved this girl.”
“I don’t–.”
“Can’t bullshit a bull-shitter, Aiden. Not even worth it to try. I can out bullshit anyone.”
“Which is why I need your help! Can’t you come up with something to tell Beth? Something to keep her occupied for a little longer? Maybe a year or two?” I pleaded in desperation. I heard Luca’s snicker from the other end of the line but I didn’t care. He was right, anyway.
“Look I’ll work on figuring something out, okay? I may have gotten somewhere on the facial recognition software with the photos’ maybe that’ll tide her over. I didn’t get a hit on a person, but as the software was reading I found the GPS location of one of the buildings. Maybe you guys can go check it out together. It looks abandoned. Should be safe enough for a toddler.”
“That’s perfect. I’ll let her know. Thanks Luca!”
“Wait, Aiden…”
“Got to go.” I cut him off, hurrying to end the phone call before he could lecture me, again, about coming clean with Beth. He’d been giving me the same advice for the past two weeks, but I wasn’t hearing it. He didn’t understand how it felt. Just the thought of her in danger and I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t function.
I got to my feet, leaning over the desk to press the small button and call Matteo on the intercom. I barely waited for him to answer.
“Where is she?”
I didn’t need to elaborate.
“In the pool.” Matteo’s voice crackled over the intercom, with too much admiration in it for my liking, “Damn, that woman in a bikini is enough to give anyone a heart attack. And they would die happy.”
“Don’t make me gauge your eyes out.”
“No worries, boss. She’s all yours,” Matteo said with a good natured sigh, “Who knows. Maybe one day I’ll find a bella of my own.”
All I could do was shake my head, “Am I going to be forced to kill every one of my family members?” I hadn’t meant to say it out loud but Matteo answered anyway.
“With her around? Probably?”
I walked down a long hall and down a curving flight of stairs to the get the large room that housed the indoor pool. It had quickly become Beth’s favorite place when she wasn’t at her lab, or in my bedroom.
And if I was being honest, watching her swim laps in that tight two piece swimsuit of hers on the security camera was quickly becoming a favorite past time of mine. She was distracting me. I knew that. But damn, it was just so easy, being with her. Having her there in my home. It was almost like having a family. A real family. Something that I had never known.
I’d never known my mother, and my father had been more of a stern teacher and a mentor than a loving parent. But I’d found a softness, a gentleness in my life with Beth that I had never had before her. Or in the ten years since.
I slowed as I got to the pool, expecting to see her curvy form cutting through the water, but instead she was standing on the tiles, an oversized towel wrapped around her as my cousin and uncle grinned at her in rapt admiration.
“If you ever need anything,” Antonio was saying, handing her a scrap of paper, “This is my number. You can call me anytime.”
Beth took it with a graceful nod before saying something that had my uncle’s eyes lighting up with laughter.
“Oh no,” I groaned as I walked closer, “Not you too.”
I stopped beside Beth, shooting her a pleading look, “You’re ruining all of them. First Luca and Matteo, now them. Is no one safe from you, bella?”
“With her charms? I don’t think so, Aiden.” Phillipe said with a crackling chuckle, giving me a commiserating pat on the arm, “You better just get used to it.”
But Beth just looked from my uncle, to me, and back again, a confused light in her gray eyes. Jesus. She truly had no idea, did she? How lovely she was. How brilliant. How she affected everyone she met.
I turned my scowl on my family, waving them away.
“Shoo. Get out here, both of you, before you send me into a jealous rage. I need to talk to Beth.”
My uncle laughed again, shaking his head.
“We were just leaving anyway. Beth said she’d never had authentic Ravioli and I had to bring her some of Manny’s.
I stared at him in shock, “You never bring me ravioli.”
“What can I say, she’s more attractive than you, Aiden.”
I can feel another growl forming in my throat but before I can release it, both my uncle and cousin give one last goodbye before finally leaving.
“You had something to talk to me about?” Beth asked, and I turned backed her, stopped dead in my tracks by her beauty. It wasn’t just her outer beauty that caught me, it was everything she was. She sparkled like a diamond, with an inner light that was all her own.
Suddenly, I was ravenous. And not for ravioli.
* * *
Beth
“Well, what was it? You had something to tell me?” I repeated the question, more breathless than I cared to admit. He
was staring at me with his icy blue eyes as intense as a predator’s and all I could do was watch, helplessly hypnotized by him as he stripped off his shirt and then his jeans until he was left only in his boxers.
Aiden jumped into the pool, diving beneath the surface and my gaze unwillingly traced the water droplets that slid down his body.
He grinned at me, pure sin and I responded instantly to the sudden heat in his pale blue eyes.
“Come in to the deep end with me, Beth.”
“Well,” I huffed, still staring at him, “That’s certainly not a loaded question at all, is it?” I muttered, shaking my head but after a moment I let the towel fall to the tiled floor and jumped in after him.
The water closed over my head for a moment and when I came back up, he was there, his arms wrapping around me as his mouth lowered towards mine. I met him, like that, our limbs twining together in the weightlessness of the water.
All the restlessness I’d been feeling melted away at his touch.
For the past two weeks things had been progressing at a snail’s pace. When I wasn’t with him it was all I could think about. Finding out the truth about what happened to Leah. I didn’t want to believe the worst. I knew it was foolish, but it didn’t stop me from clinging to some little bit of hope.
In the back of my mind, I had started to wonder is Aiden was intentionally slowing down the research to keep me safe. It was something he would do. All the while thinking he was right because he was protecting me. I wanted to kiss him even harder for it, or hit him over the head, I still wasn’t sure.
All I knew was that in his arms, wrapped up in him like this, the rest of the world seemed so far away and all of my worries and doubts evaporated like smoke from the heat between us.
But after a moment, still breathless from his kiss, I pulled back.
“You said you had something to tell me?” I gasped between pants. He kissed me again, touching me beneath the surface of the water and for a moment I forget all about my question, all about anything at all besides getting closer to him.