by Kaylee, Katy
Then it was Aiden’s turn to pull away, and he swam a circle around me as his face grew more serious.
“What is it, Aiden? Did you find something?”
He let out a sign. “Not me. Luca found something though. In one of the photographs. Found out the GPS of one of the locations but he’s still digging into it.”
“Really?’
“Really. He said he will have more information soon. We can go over to his place tomorrow or the day after to see what he found out.”
My brows furrowed.
“Why wait? We can go today.”
I watched as he swam away, but not before I caught the shadow flickering in his eyes.
“Sorry, tesoro. I…uh…have some family business.”
“Oh.” I said softly, my thoughts racing, “Okay then. Tomorrow it is.” I opened my mouth to ask him for more info on what Luca had told him but Aiden stopped me with a kiss. For a perfect moment, his kiss was all that mattered.
But then the crackle of the intercom echoed across the room.
“Uh…sorry to interrupt but you’ve got a call, Aiden. It’s important.”
He growled deep in his throat, and I loved the sound, and the look in his eyes.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He kissed me again and then glared up at the corner of the room. “And turn off the damned cameras!”
I flushed bright and hot, sinking below the water thinking of Aiden’s men seeing us in the pool but Aiden seemed not the least bit insecure as he climbed out of the pool. He grabbed a towel, drying himself and watching her with eyes heavy lidded with promise before getting dressed and leaving with one last look of regret.
I swam for a while longer after Aiden left, using the time to clear my head but every moment that passed made me more and more certain. I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to do something.
I climbed out of the pool and quickly dried off before rushing to a pile of my things at the side of the room. I pulled out my cell phone and called one of the numbers that Aiden had programmed into my phone. It rang a few times before the other end answered.
“Luca? Hey, it’s Beth.”
“I know.” His droll voice said, “There is this modern marvel called caller Id.”
“You are such a smart ass, you know that right?”
“That’s why you love me. But I’m sure that’s not why you called.”
“As much as I appreciate it, no, it’s not. Listen, Aiden said you had something. About one of the photographs? He said to call you about it.”
“He did?” Luca said, sounding surprised for a moment and then I heard the sound of rustling papers, “Well, I got a hit on one of the locations on the photograph.”
“Can you text me the address?”
“Sure thing.” There was a pause, “Okay, just sent you the GPS coordinates. Maybe I could just talk to Aiden for a second before you guys–.”
“I’m a big girl, Luca, I can take care of myself.”
“Wait a minute.” Luca asked, and then cursed under his breath, “At least take Matteo with you if you’re going to do something stupid.”
“I won’t.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“See? You really are smarter than you look.”
“Beth, I…”
“Bye, Luca. Thanks!”
I hung up the phone before he could say anything else, my heart pounding hard with excitement in my chest. Finally, I could do something.
Aiden was busy. I would just have to investigate this one by myself.
Chapter 19
Beth
I took a shower after getting out of the pool and let the hot water sluice over my, washing away the chlorine and doubts that kept swirling up in my mind. But even the calming warm shower wasn’t enough to keep them totally at bay.
What am I doing? What am I thinking, going off on my own? What if it’s dangerous? What if I get hurt?
I tried to shake off that last one. It wasn’t me thinking that. It was Aiden. He was in my head, making me worry, making me paranoid.
But I couldn’t just hide away in his mansion forever, as much as I did love to swim in the pool and could easily get used to the luxury. I knew the longer I stayed there, stuck and unmoving, willing to let others do the dirty work, the more my fear and doubts would grow.
I was already hesitating when I wouldn’t have even blinked before. Even two weeks ago I would have been racing straight towards that address without a second thought, my only concern in finding out the truth about what had happened to Leah.
What had happened to me in that short amount of time? What had changed me so much?
Aiden.
It was an easy answer, and it was also the truth. He had become so ingrained in me, so ingrained in my life again in such a short time.
I thought you trusted him completely? A soft, insidious voice whispered in the back of my mind.
I did. I do. But I couldn’t let that stop me from doing what I needed too. Besides, I knew Aiden was perfectly capable of stifling me just to keep me safe. To keep me protected. But that wasn’t really living. And it sure as hell wasn’t getting me any closer to finding out the truth that I so desperately needed.
With my mind made up, I turned the water off and stepped out of the shower, hurrying to get dressed and throw my hair up into a quick bun before I could lose my nerve.
I closed my eyes and pictured Leah. So brave, so courageous. She hadn’t given a damn what anyone else thought of her. She just dove forward, doing whatever she needed to do to get to the truth.
I rushed down the hallway, keeping that thought tight in my mind as I headed for the front door but I’d barely made it a step into the spring sunlight before an annoyingly familiar voice stopped her.
“Going somewhere?”
I turned around, crossing my arms over my chest as I faced down Matteo who was staring at me with a cocky grin on his face. And I thought I’d like him.
“Luca called you, didn’t he?”
“He might have tipped me off that you would try and leave on your own and that it would behoove me not to let you do that.”
“Dirty bastard.”
“No, because he’s a friend. And he cares about you,” Matteo said, and then grimaced, “And he knows Aiden would kill all of us if anything happened to you.” Suddenly, his grin was back, “Just consider me your driver for the day.”
“I don’t need a babysitter.”
Matteo just arched a brow at me, obviously not caring. Nothing I said would make a difference. I gave in with a sigh.
“Alright, fine! I have the address. Let’s go.”
He didn’t say another word, not even to gloat even though I could see it there in is dark eyes, as I followed him over around the side of the house to the garage.
He unlocked a nice, but sedate black four door before opening my door. After I got in, giving him a scowl for good measure, he walked around to the driver’s side, starting the engine.
As the car warmed up, he turned to me with a questioning look.
“You going to tell me what this is about?”
“What do you think it’s about, Matteo?” I asked softly. They didn’t talk about it, but all of Aiden’s close family knew about the search for my sister. The research we were doing.
Matteo nodded, his expression growing sober. The only time I think I’ve ever seen him serious.
“You know, I’m sorry about your sister, Beth. But maybe it’s time…”
“Thank you, Matteo, I appreciate it, but I’m not giving up on her.” I turned, looking at him eye to eye, “Would you?”
“Damn it. Is this what you do? You turn those big puppy dog eyes of yours on Aiden and he just give you anything you want?”
I grinned at his words
“See? You’re catching on.” I teased, trying to break the sudden tension in the car as I programmed the address into the cars GPS navigator. “Let’s go.”
We drove in silence, Matteo’s countenan
ce darkening with every mile we drove farther away from the exclusive neighborhood that Aiden lived in and deeper into a seedier part of the city.
“Aiden is so going to kill me.” He muttered under his breath as he turned down the street the navigator had directed him too and looked around at the boarded up apartment buildings.
“Stop being so melodramatic. We’re not going to talk to anyone. I’m just going to take a peak around.”
He gave me a horrified look.
“There is no way you’re getting out of this car. Then Aiden really will kill me.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t let him. Just tell him that I coerced you.”
Matteo gave me a dubious look.
“Yeah. Like that will go over real well. He’ll never believe that.”
“Just tell him I started crying and you didn’t know what else to do.”
Matteo grew contemplative, “Alright. That might have a chance. But still, you can’t get out of the car, Beth. This whole thing gives me a bad feeling.”
I didn’t say anything else as we drove slowly down the street. I didn’t want to tip Matteo off, but I had no intention of just sitting there and observing from the car. I had to see what it was. Find what Leah had been searching for when she’d taken the photo.
I held it clenched in my hand, the copy that clearly showed the street that we were on, and there, at the end of the corner. The same building.
“There it is, Matteo.” I said, pointing at the corner apartment building, swallowing hard against the nerves that swam inside me.
Matteo cautiously braked to a stop by the curb, looking around as nervously as I felt but I pushed it all aside, forcing myself to remain objective.
“It looks abandoned. It’s all boarded up.”
“This entire block looks abandoned.” Matteo muttered, still looking around, “The perfect place for a mass murdering psychopathic hit man to hide out in.”
I rolled my eyes at him, looking from Leah’s photo to the building. It was definitely the same. What had brought her here? What had she been looking for? What had she seen?
“Let’s go, Beth.” Matteo said suddenly, “I’ve got a really bad feeling.”
I waited until he turned to look out of his window again to make my move, opening the door and slipping out of the car before he could stop me.
I ignored the curse he yelled after me, following the photograph until I could find the exact angle that she’d taken the photo from. It seemed to be focused on one window and I hurried forward, feeling anticipation rush through me. Leah had been here. Right here. Looking. Investigating.
I had to blink back tears, thinking about my sister as I snuck to the side of the building and tried to peer into the window. It was barred and boarded up from the inside, the glass shattered and littering the ground at my feet. There wasn’t much to see, but I still tried to see through the small crack between the board and the window frame.
“This is such a bad idea, Beth.” Matteo said in a hushed whisper as he appeared beside me.
“Hush. I just want to see. What was she trying to find?”
“Come on. We have to go. We have to go right now.”
“You really should have listened to your man here.” A new voice said from behind them. It was low and gruff and said in no uncertain terms that they were trespassing.
My breath hitched in my chest.
“He’s not my man.” I forced the words out, fighting panic. Slowly, I turned around, the panic spiking like lightning in my bloodstream as my gaze fell on the barrel end of the gun that pointed at me.
“I think we can have some fun with her, what do you think, Ollie? “
My eyes flicked to the man standing behind the one with the gun. Ollie the other one had called him. But he shook his head.
“Naw. She’ll put Cooper in a good mood. We’ll save her for him.”
“Aw, come on, Ollie. I just want a little fun.”
“Shut up, Crow.” Ollie said, threatening the shorter man with the gun before swinging it back towards my direction. “Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Didn’t anybody ever tell you it wasn’t polite to snoop around other people’s property.”
“I…I thought it was abandoned,” I stuttered, trying not to move, not to make any sudden movements. I didn’t want to startle them. The shorter one looked far too trigger happy.
“What about the asshole?” the one called Crow asked.
“Hey, I resent that.” Matteo answered glibly, but his eyes on hers told her to stay calm. Don’t panic. They also told her that they were in deep shit. “I’m actually a very nice guy when you get to meet me. If you want I can give you a very personal introduction.” He raised his fists, already moving forward to fight them off despite the weapons pointed at him.
Before Matteo had even taken a step, Ollie hit him in the back of the head with the butt of his gun and the larger man crumpled bonelessly to the ground.
“Now, you’re coming with me sweetheart.” He said, barely skipping a beat as he directed the others to grab Matteo and drag his limp form inside the building I’d thought was abandoned.
I closed my eyes.
Oh Aiden. I’m so sorry.
It was my last thought as Ollie tied my wrists tight and pushed me inside behind the others. I was going to be in so much trouble. If I ever got out of this alive, Aiden was going kill me.
Chapter 20
Aiden
“…we received the goods, Diorno. You overdelivered again.”
“What can I say. I hate being average.” I said with as much politeness as I could manage, which wasn’t much at the moment.
“Keep it up, and I just might start to think you’re playing on the wrong side.”
“I am who I am, Detective.” I told him simply. The contact for the reclamation program was a gruff detective that should have retired years earlier, but he’d dedicated his whole life the job.
“I know. I’ll let you know when we’ll schedule the next drop off.”
“That’s fine, Detective. Till then.”
The gruff detective hung up without another word, but I didn’t take it personally, he’d treated me that way since the very first. Hell, he treated every one that way.
I glanced down at the figured scrawled on the page in front of me, but I couldn’t focus. Over and over again, my thoughts slid back to Beth.
To the way she had everyone already wrapped around her little finger and didn’t even know it. She had no idea how beautiful she was, inside and out. How she’d fit so seamlessly into my own life the past few weeks.
How incredible it had been, knowing she was here waiting for me. To have someone to lean on. To bounce ideas off of.
Someone to tell me all about their day. Just needing me to listen.
Beth had told me all about her lab, her assistant Will who claimed he was wilting like a flower because she hadn’t been at work as often as she’d like.
It had been all too easy for us to fall into a routine, almost as if they’d been living together for years instead of just weeks. It hadn’t even been that hard to convince Beth to stay. She really did love that damned pool.
I grinned at the thought, but then a shadow fell over me, and my smile faded.
I hated lying to her. I hadn’t told her an outright lie, but I certainly had held back some of the truth and to me that was just as bad. I had promised her that I would always tell her the truth.
I also promised to always keep her safe. I swallowed the reminder, trying to make myself feel better. That was more important, wasn’t it? That she was safe and whole and not in Redman’s path?
I knew she’d kept digging into him. Making calls. Reaching out to contacts. She’d even gone so far as to post Leah’s picture on message boards online, searching for him.
As long as it was from the safety of the house, I knew nothing and no one could get to her. But it terrified me, what would happen if she ever went after him.
My thoughts were interrupted as my cell phone buzzed
on the top of my desk and I picked it up, answering with a quick hello after I saw who it was.
“Hey man,” Luca said nervously, “You at home?”
“Yes.” I said slowly, picking up on the nervousness in my friend’s voice.
“Oh, thank god.” Luca said with a sigh of relief that had my own panic spiking, “I wanted to tell you before you head off to that address I gave Beth. I did a little more digging. It’s a known hidey hole for Cooper and his gang of shitheads.”
“Wait, what?”
“The address? Beth said you told her I had info. She called to see what it was and I told her what I had.” Luca rushed to explain, spurred on by the sudden sharpness in my tone, “It’s fine though, Aiden. Just don’t go there. We’ll find another lead. I thought it would be safe enough but obviously it’s not. After you guys cracked down on their weapons for the last shipment Cooper’s got a death wish for you.”
Cooper was a small time drug dealer who thought he was tougher than he really was. He ran a small gang of misfits and drop outs but he’d never have the balls to come at me in the open.
But if Beth walked straight into his den, it would be like getting a present on Christmas morning.
“Aiden? Aiden are you still there?” Luca’s voice sounded distant, muffled, as the panic truly started to sink in.
“Aiden? Answer me.”
I didn’t.
I leaned forward, ringing the intercom for Matteo but there was no answer.
“Matteo, you there?”
“Aiden! Shit, I forgot. I tried to call you first but you didn’t answer.”
“I was on a call.”
“Well, I called Matteo and tipped him off that I’d given Beth the info. And she had seemed…determined. I told him not to let her do anything stupid.” Luca paused, dread in his tone when he spoke again, “She’s there with you right? Aiden? Tell me Beth is there.”
I searched the security camera’s. Every angle I could. And none of them showed her.
I rushed to the bedrooms, but she wasn’t there either. She was gone.