Saving Beth

by Kaylee, Katy

  “What is it Aiden. Just tell me the truth. I can handle it.” Beth said softly and I knew then that I was going to have to tell her. All of it. Well, more than I had planned on sharing anyway. I had hoped to spare her this, but I knew now that I couldn’t.

  “It’s about last night.”

  “What about it? I know it’s awful but…”

  “No, Beth, listen.” I said, shaking my head and looking back at her so that she could see the seriousness in my eyes, so that she could see my fear, “The woman who was murdered…she was blonde, Beth, and she looked a lot like you.”

  Beth fell silent for a long moment, her brows drawing down in a furious frown.

  “What are you saying?”

  “I don’t know anything for certain but it felt like a…a threat. A threat to you.”

  She sucked in a deep breath, her eyes peering into mine.

  “What else aren’t you not telling me about the murder, Aiden?”

  “Nothing. I told you everything you need to know. Everything important, I swear.” I prayed that she would leave it at that, “It’s enough to know that that psychopath is still in the city, and that he’s hunting again.”

  “Hunting?”

  “That’s what my dad used to call it. Hunting.” I said with a shrug and then felt Beth shiver in the bed next to me.

  “Shit, baby. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told you this.” I apologized, wrapping my arms around her but she just shook her head fiercely.

  “No, Aiden. I need to know. It’s scary but…I need to know the truth.”

  I understood exactly what she meant, but it still didn’t take away the guilt at the fine tremors that still shook her body.

  “Come on, tesoro. Get dressed,” I said softly, kissing her tenderly on the cheek to drive away the fear, “I want to show you something.”

  A few minutes later, they were both dressed, Beth had a steaming mug of fresh coffee in her hand courtesy of Matteo and I was leading her through the kitchen door that let out into the back of the property.

  I linked Beth’s hand in mine, pulling her close to my side as we walked down a slight hill to the ivy covered fence. The gate was covered with such thick vines that it took me an extra moment to find the latch and unlock it but a moment later we were walking into the garden.

  Beth looked around, her eyes wide with delight.

  “See, I told you, it really is beautiful.”

  I glanced around, trying to see it through her eyes but all I could see were mountains of weeds that had taken over everything but the stubbornest of rose bushes.

  “If you say so.”

  “Well, I do.” She shot me a lopsided grin and my heart flipped uncomfortably in my chest. Jesus, she could undo me with a smile.

  I found an old stone bench and pulled off the vines that had entombed in, sweeping off the last few specks of dirt and dust so that Beth could sit and I took a seat next to her, drawing in the fresh spring air.

  “This used to be my mother’s garden,” I said softly, filling the silence, “But after she died, no one had much time for it out here.”

  “That’s a shame.” Beth took a deep breath, just like mine and sent me a sympathetic look, “My parent’s never had much of a green thumb but I always thought it was a little bit like magic.”

  “Magic, huh?”

  “All it takes is a little seed, a little water, a little sunlight. And poof!” She waved her hands in front of her face as if trying to catch the ray of golden sun, “You have life. Just as simple as that.”

  She fell silent again, the morning light turning her pale hair into spun gold, her gray eyes luminous as her smile faded and a worried frown took its place.

  “When is this going to end, Aiden?” She asked, her voice so soft that I had to strain to hear it, “I am so tired of being afraid all the time.”

  I reached over and took her hands in mind, holding her tight.

  “I swear to you, Beth. I will figure this out.”

  “We.”

  “What?”

  “We will figure this out, Aiden. Together, okay?” Her expression was so serious I couldn’t’ deny her. I couldn’t deny her anything.

  “Together. I swear, bella. Together.”

  I bent my head to kiss her again, to tease away the frown with my lips but the sudden ring of my phone cut through the air.

  “Damn it.” I said glancing down at the screen as I pulled it out of my back pocket. It was a message that said it was from Luca even though I didn’t recognize the number. Call me asap. 911. Emergency. Call me back at this number. -Luca.

  I swore again, the urgency of the message lurching me to my feet.

  “I have…I have to call him back, Beth.”

  “I understand. Go on. I’ll be fine. I think I’m going to stay out here for a while.”

  I kissed her then, fast and hard, before turning and heading back towards the house.

  Chapter 34

  Aiden

  I glanced over my shoulder before I walked back inside, trying to catch one last glimpse of Beth sitting in the garden. She was like one of those statues. So beautiful she almost doesn’t look real, so peaceful, almost otherworldly framed by the backdrop of wild rose bushes and overgrown ivy.

  I hated to leave her, hated to leave that perfect, sun-soaked moment behind, but I knew that there was too much at stake. Way too much if Beth’s life was still in danger. And judging from the text message that Luca had sent me, the apocalypse was about to hit.

  Feeling a wave of trepidation, I shut the kitchen door behind me so that there was no way that Beth could overhear. I pulled my cell phone back out and dialed the unfamiliar number. It rang three times before a gruff voice answered on the other line.

  “Hello? Luca? It’s Aiden.” I said, trying to keep my voice from trembling. The worst sort of fears were tumbling through my head and my heart beat was so loud I could barely make out Luca’s reply.

  “Aiden. We found…” The voice cut out for a minute.

  “Luca? Luca, where are you? You keep cutting out and it sounds funny. The line keeps crackling.” I moved closer to the door, trying to get better reception and then Luca’s voice came through once more.

  “Aiden, we found him.”

  Those three words shot through me like bullets, knocking me back an entire step.

  “You found him? You found Redman?”

  Excitement and anticipation filled me, overwhelming me, driving out any other thought. “Where is he? Where is the address? Get everyone together and we’ll meet there. I’m not waiting another moment to nail the asshole that has been ruining my life for so long.”

  There was a terse silence on the other line before Luca spoke again.

  “I’ll send you the address. Meet me there. I’ll explain everything.”

  “Okay, great. Where are you at now, Luca? Luca?” I waited for an answer, but the other end of the line had already gone silent.

  I hung up the phone and let my hand drop and a second later it buzzed with another message. It was an address on the other side of the city. I grinned then, and it was a good thing Beth wasn’t there to see it. The expression would have terrified her. Hell, the fierce joy I felt at the idea of ending Ian Redman should have scared me too, but the only thing I could focus on was keeping Beth safe. That was the only thing I was worried about.

  I rushed down the hallway, stopping when I ran into Matteo.

  “Everything okay, Aiden?” Matteo asked, obviously catching something from the serious set of my expression. “I, uh, I heard about the murder last night. Is Beth okay?”

  “She’s about to be.” I said in a low voice, hardly daring to believe it was true but every instinct in my body was telling me to hurry, to go after him, to take him down so I could end this once and for all, “Luca found Redman. He’s holed up in some shithole abandoned tenement building in River West.”

  “On the other side of the city? You’re sure?” Matteo asked, looking as surprised as I felt by
the information but I trusted Luca with my life.

  “I’m sure. I’m going to end this, once and for all.”

  Matteo nodded somberly before clapping me on the back.

  “Good luck, Aiden. I hope you catch the bastard.”

  “You can count on it,” I growled, thinking about the note with Beth’s name on it, the threat obviously directed at her, “I’m not going to let him get away again.”

  I nodded one last time towards Matteo and hurried down the hall, stopping in my office only long enough to grab a gun, load it, and race towards the garage.

  I flung myself into the fastest gar, started the engine, and gunned the gas as I sped out of the long driveway and on to the highway that would take me to the other side of the city and address that Luca had sent me.

  My hands were shaking on the wheel in trepidation of the coming confrontation but there was also a fierce joy at the prospect of this all finally being over. It was all too easy for me to imagine Beth’s face lighting up with happiness and relief when I was finally able to tell her that Ian Redman wouldn’t hurt either of us ever again.

  I spun fantasies in my mind of all the things we could do together, after this was finished. All the different lives that Beth and I could live together, all the ways I could love her. We could travel, I could take her to Italy and introduce her to my family there.

  I was still lost in my thoughts as I braked the car to a stop in front of the address so fast that the tires squealed but my attention was all on the building rising up like a singed brick headstone from the street.

  There were a few other businesses, a butcher, a factory, but most of the buildings on this block were abandoned and darkened on the inside.

  I looked up, examining the brick building that Luca had lead me to. There were only two floors, some of the windows had been boarded up but it looked in relatively good condition compared to some of the other crumbling buildings surrounding it.

  This was it. Redman was in there. The man who had slaughter my father. Who had threatened Beth’s life.

  My hands were shaking even harder then as I got out of the car and looked around. I couldn’t wait for Luca and the rest to get there. I couldn’t risk him getting away and I knew they would be there soon.

  With a curse, I crept forward, toeing the large steel door that barred the entrance and it opened a few inches. There was a few cinder blocks on the opposite keeping it closed but I could see that the lock had long since been busted off.

  He was in there. The killer. I looked up and down the street, hoping to see cars flying towards the building but the street remained empty. I couldn’t wait. I couldn’t risk Beth. I wanted this over with, once and for all.

  Before I could second guess myself, I rushed inside, letting the door shut behind me with a metallic clink. The large, dilapidated warehouse fell into shadow and it took me a long moment for my eyes to adjust to the change of light.

  I held the gun out in front of me, my eyes open wide as I searched for any sign of movement, any sign of life, any sign of Ian Redman but as my eye sight adjusted a terrible certainty started to sink in.

  It was an open space, no walls or partitions to block anything. Nowhere for anyone to hide. I raced to the stairwell that led to the second floor but it was caved it. There was no one up there. I looked around, cursing under my breath. There was no one there at all.

  I kept my gun pulled out and held ready in front of me but with every second that passed I grew more and more sure that I was there completely alone. And that I had walked right into a trap.

  With another curse I pulled my phone out and dialed the unknown number but it went straight to a dial tone, a robotic voice telling me that no such number exists.

  “Fuck!” With trembling fingers, I hit the number to call Luca’s number, his real number, and a moment later the other man answered.

  “Aiden? What the hell is going on.”

  “Luca! Tell me that you called me earlier and told me you found Redman. Tell me that you texted me an address.”

  “Aiden, what are you talking about?” Luca said and the certainty that had been growing inside me hit home, knocking the air from my lungs. “Where the hell are you, man?

  “I’m in River West, at an abandoned old warehouse it looks like,” I rattled off the address as I walked into the center of the empty room. Well, almost empty. For the first time I noticed a single, old olive green chair perched on the scratched linoleum floor.

  With trembling fingers I picked up the scrap of paper that had been left behind for me and silently read the words, dread filling me.

  You should have left me alone when you had the chance. Now it’s too late.

  I read the note over and over again as Luca voice grew distant and fear pushed me into action. Beth!

  I raced to the door but it wouldn’t budge.

  “Fuck, Luca. I’m locked in.” I said through clenched teeth, trying not to give in to my panic. “It was a trap. Redman set me up.”

  “I’m on my way.” Luca said, no other question’s asked and I was grateful. I could hardly think straight, let alone speak.

  I had to find a way out. I had to get to Beth. I had to keep her safe.

  “Hurry, Luca. Jesus, hurry.”

  * * *

  Beth

  I watched Aiden leave the garden and head back towards the house, but I didn’t move from seat on the stone bench. I just sat there, my thoughts swirling back and forth, coming in and going on without rhyme or reason like a tide sweeping onto a beach before eddying back out again, taking bits of sand and debris with it.

  It all still seemed so surreal, even more so as I sat and stared, looking around the overgrown hidden garden as if I was suddenly sitting in a scene from one of the stories I had read as a child.

  I could see what Aiden had meant, but the garden itself truly was stunning, even with being overrun with weeds and the flowers and blooms choked with Ivy. Everywhere I looked, though, there was life. Trying to find its way to the sunlight, trying to poke its head out of the darkness and strive to continue. To thrive despite the obstacles in its way.

  My thoughts continued to drift as the warm sunlight bathed my eyelids, warming my skin and a strange lethargy stole over me. I was so tired. Tired of running. Tired of hiding. Tired of always looking over my shoulder.

  “I’m so sorry Leah.” I whispered, suddenly blinking back tears. I had promised her, even if she didn’t know it. I had promised her that I would find out the truth. That I would find out what had happened to her. That I would save her if I could.

  I knew that Aiden didn’t want to tell me, but I knew. In my heart and soul, I knew. My sister was dead. But I still didn’t know where she was, or what had happened to her. The only thing I knew was who had done it. I knew who killed her. Ian Redman.

  And now he was after me too.

  I shivered, suddenly icy cold even in the bright golden sunlight. Aiden’s words came back to me about the murder the night before. The woman they had found. Blonde, just like me. There was more I was sure, and in typical Aiden fashion, he thought he was protecting me by hiding me from the truth. But he wasn’t. Not really.

  Aiden. My mind skipped on his name, repeating it again, each time like a caress. Aiden. I never thought I would see him again, but here I was, closer to him now than I was ten years before.

  And there was another truth that I had to face. I was in love with him. Maybe I had loved him from the moment I saw him at the docks, or maybe I had never stopped loving him. Either way, I knew it with a certainty that rocked all the way through me to my core. I was in love with Aiden Diorno.

  I let out a shuddery breath, wrapping my arms around a suddenly nauseous stomach.

  I rushed inside, glad that I didn’t run into Aiden as I sprinted towards the bathroom. Several minutes later I sat back on my heels, drawing in a deep steadying breath before brushing my teeth, and then again for good measure.

  With my arms wrapped around myself, I sat on the ed
ge of the gleaming bathtub as my thoughts started to drift again but this time they drifted in a direction that had the rest of my mind scrambling in denial.

  This wasn’t the first time I had been nauseous in the morning. I had just chalked it up to nerves, anxiety over Redman and everything that had happened by my all too logical, rational brain refused to be dissuaded.

  No, I thought to myself, it’s impossible. But now that the thought was in my head, I couldn’t get it out. Ridiculous. There is absolutely no way. But as I thought over the last few weeks, I realized that it had been over a month since my last period.

  So what. That doesn’t mean anything. Anxiety and stress can do terrible things to a body.

  I tried to be calm, throwing up negative arguments but my mind refused to yield.

  If you’re so sure, why not just take a test and prove it?

  My hands were shaking as I dug underneath the bathroom sink until I found what I was looking for but I had come that far and I couldn’t back down now. Not until I knew for sure and could put this ridiculous idea behind me.

  My fingers were so numb I could hardly open up the small pink box or get the plastic stick out of the packaging. It took me several more minutes to thoroughly read through the instructions, twice, and then all that was left was for me to take the damned thing.

  I’ve always been good at tests, I thought with a high pitched laugh. A few minutes later, the only thing left now, was to wait.

  By the time the recommended five minutes were up, I was a nervous wreck. I could barely make myself look at the tiny, innocent looking plastic stick but after a few more minutes of deep breathing I forced myself to step towards the bathroom vanity where it was laying horizontally, exactly as instructed.

  “Come on, Beth. Stop being ridiculous. You know that there is no way…”

  I froze, the words choking in my throat as I looked down at the window. And the word there that spelled it out as plain as day.