Consummated (Aiden & Olivia Book 4)

by Stephanie Julian

  Some of that is because I’m so fucking in lust with her. The rest is because I’m worried about her.

  The men who tried to take her are still out there.

  But I have an idea how to call off that danger.

  Chapter Two

  Olivia

  As I drive back to my apartment, I try to keep my attention focused on the road, to make sure no one is following me.

  But I can’t keep thoughts of Aiden from intruding. Every kiss, every caress… It all plays through my head on repeat, making it impossible to forget him.

  Everything about him is a contradiction. He’s blackmailing me and yet he seems to be worried about me. I can’t decide if he’s just that good of a liar or if he truly cares.

  And if he does care, should it matter?

  That question doesn’t have an answer. And by the time I reach the parking garage for the second time that night, I’m more confused than I was before.

  I do know one thing. I’m going to clear my dad’s name. Aiden’s wrong about my dad and I have no doubt of that. But I’m going to need help.

  Checking the time, I see it’s almost one a.m. I guess recruiting my brothers is going to have to wait until tomorrow morning.

  I’m super careful when I park, leaving the garage by the rarely used back door, making sure there’s no one in the area and no cars moving anywhere.

  I take the back door into my apartment building and double-check the locks and the few safety measures I have in place.

  So when I turn on the light and see someone sitting on my couch, I gasp out a short scream before I realize it’s Reese.

  “Jesus Christ! Goddammit, Reese.” I throw my keys at him, which he grabs out of the air with ease. “What the fuck is up with you? You have to knock this shit off. Don’t you have your own damn apartment to skulk around in?”

  Reese’s gaze locks on to me with laser precision. “Where have you been?”

  I don’t bother to answer. Heading for the kitchen, I grab a beer out of the fridge then sigh and grab one for Reese.

  I toss that at him, too, pissed that he easily snags it and it doesn’t hit him on the head. “I didn’t know I had to keep you up to date on all of my activities. Last time I checked I was still twenty-five.”

  “Where were you, Liv?”

  My gaze narrows at the rough tone of his voice and it takes me a second to realize he’s not angry. He’s scared.

  Shit.

  “I was at a friend’s.” I shrug but I know he’s not going to give up. He knows something.

  He remains quiet for another few seconds before he sucks in air. “Did someone try to snatch you off the street earlier tonight?”

  Well, that had gotten around fast. I should have realized someone somewhere had seen something and had reported back to my brothers. At least it was Reese sitting here and not my dad. Although if Reese had heard, my dad probably wasn’t far behind.

  “Yes.” I hold up one hand before he can continue. “But they didn’t catch me and I’m pretty sure I broke the guy’s knee. I got away, no worse for wear. Just like you taught me.”

  His gaze runs over me from top to bottom and back again. And his fear mixes with anger and makes me roll my eyes.

  “Reese, seriously, I’m fine.”

  “Then where the fuck have you been for the past three hours?”

  I refrain from pointing out that it hasn’t exactly been three hours, more like two and a half. Instead, I sit on the chair opposite Reese and meet his gaze head on.

  “At a friend’s house.”

  “I want a name, little sister, because if it’s who I think it is, we are going to have a serious problem.”

  My back stiffens and I sit up a little straighter. “Reese, you’re my brother and I love you dearly but if you think you can stick your nose in my business—”

  “Where. Were. You?”

  “None. Of. Your. Business.”

  Impasse.

  We may not share DNA but Reese and I are identically stubborn to the core. We don’t give an inch when we’re cornered.

  But he’s also my brother and I love him and the rest of my family more than anyone else in the world.

  “Shit.” I make a face at him. “You’re a pain in my ass, you know that, right?”

  He grimaces as well. “I know. I also know you’re hiding something and that scares the fucking shit out of me. We didn’t used to have secrets from each other. What the hell happened?”

  My nose wrinkles. “I became a woman with a sex life and you couldn’t handle it.”

  Reese’s grimace turns painful. “Touché.”

  Shaking my head, I sigh. “Look, I didn’t want to alarm anyone this late, okay? I got away. I’m fine. And we can talk about it tomorrow when we’ve all had some sleep.”

  “Does this have something to do with Dad’s problem?”

  Since it’s pointless to lie, I nod and decide to give him a small piece of what I know. Nothing about Aiden but maybe Reese will see holes in my logic about the other pieces of the puzzle.

  “I think there’s someone else behind the scenes pulling Vincenzo’s strings. And I think it might have something to do with the death of a woman shortly after Dad pulled that job twenty years ago.”

  Reese leans back into his chair and nods. “Tell me. All of it.”

  I lay out everything Aiden told me about his grandparents, about his grandmother’s death and his grandfather’s need for revenge.

  “So Aiden Knight’s grandfather had everyone involved in his wife’s death killed and now his grandson is finishing the job by getting Vincenzo to kill Dad?” Reese shakes his head. “Sounds like the plot to a bad movie. But I guess if you don’t want to get your hands dirty, you have someone else do the dirty work for you. I guess this asshole Aiden has a weak stomach. Or he’s just a pussy who’s too afraid to come after us himself.”

  Hearing Reese talk about Aiden like this makes me cringe. But he’s not wrong. My heart pounds a hundred miles an hour and I’m having a hard time seeing Aiden as the absolute bad guy.

  “I’m not excusing his actions, but Aiden did lose his grandmother in a car crash that could have killed him too.”

  Reese’s eyes widen. “Are you actually defending the guy?”

  “No, not at all. I’m just… I don’t know, Reese. Not everything’s so black and white.”

  “No, it’s not. But you don’t go after a man’s kids. That’s bullshit. And if Dad’s right, he’s not the one this Knight guy should be pissed off at. It’s whoever tried to run them off the road that night.”

  “And what if Aiden’s grandfather wants to tie up loose ends? What if he’s using Aiden to clean up what’s left of his mess?”

  Shaking his head, Reese leans forward. “It doesn’t matter. We need to cut Knight off at the knees before he manages to get Dad killed. We need to take him out.”

  I knew Reese would say that. And I know I can’t say anything else without alerting Reese to the fact that something is going on with me and Aiden.

  Still, I couldn’t keep my mouth shut.

  “Let me talk to Aiden again before we do anything.”

  “What do you mean, talk to Aiden again? When did you talk to him the last time? I thought you weren’t going back until we had more information. Who the fuck is this guy? And why the hell are you on a first-name basis with him?”

  When I don’t answer right away, Reese’s gaze narrows.

  “Livvie?”

  I take a deep breath. “Don’t freak.”

  Now Reese’s eyes widen and I’m pretty sure he’s gone pale under his tan. “Oh, Jesus Christ. What the hell did you get yourself into?”

  I’ve been dying to talk to someone about what’s been happening the past few days. So much has happened in such a short time that my brain is spinning and it would help to be able to hash it out with someone I trust. The problem is, Maylyn’s too young and Bryant would take the shotgun he keeps in the shop for protection and blow a hole through
Aiden, probably somewhere south of his belt buckle.

  That leaves Reese, who might actually hear me out…before taking a baseball bat to Aiden’s head.

  Damn it, this is a bad idea. A really freaking bad idea that I now have to talk my way out of. Somehow.

  “I made a deal with Aiden for the information. That first night. He knew I was coming. I don’t know how but he knew. We talked,” we fucked, but my brother doesn’t need to know that, “and we agreed that I’d return for more pieces of the file.”

  Reese’s expression promises pain for Aiden. “And what the fuck does he get in exchange?”

  My body, which I have no problem giving him. “Revenge. He wants Dad to suffer so he planned to use me to make that happen.”

  “I’m going to fucking kill—”

  “Nothing’s happened.” Reese is going to be so pissed if he ever finds out I’m lying. He will kill Aiden. “He hasn’t hurt me, he hasn’t ever threatened me.”

  “Then what the fuck is his deal?”

  “He wants someone to pay for his grandmother’s death and he thinks Dad’s responsible but…”

  “But what?”

  With Reese’s attention successfully diverted, I breathe a sigh of relief. “I’m pretty sure it’s his grandfather’s fault and he’s been using Aiden’s grief to cover his guilt. If we can find proof that Reese’s grandfather is responsible for the accident that killed his grandmother, Aiden will drop the attack on Dad.”

  “And you talked to Aiden about this?”

  I nod.

  “Without knowing who his grandfather is or what the actual fuck is going on?”

  Okay, now he’s just pissing me off. I cross my arms over my chest and stare back at Reese, reminding myself that I love him dearly and that he only wants me to be safe.

  “I want you to remind yourself that I’m twenty-five years old and have been living on my own for the past five years. I’m not a child so don’t treat me like one.”

  Reese has the good sense to look remorseful…for about two seconds.

  “You’re playing a dangerous game without knowing all the facts. Jesus, Liv, this guy could decide he’s going to punish Dad by hurting you.” Running a hand through his hair, Reese leans forward, his gaze intent on mine. “Look, Bryant and I have been going through the information you gave us and we’re pretty sure we know who this guy is. And he’s no one you want to be involved with.”

  My mouth drops open for a split second in shock. “What the hell? When were you going to tell me?”

  “Tomorrow…well, this morning. If he is who we think, you’re out of your league, little sister, and you need to get the fuck away from him. What you just told me about his grandmother lines up with information about a company called Battle Holdings. Multinational. Multibillion-dollar assets. We’re talking major power player all over the world. They’ve got their fingers in everything and some of it’s shady. If this is the same guy, then his grandfather is the one who had those other guys killed after Dad stole that file. Aiden’s using you to get to Dad. Hell, you even know that and you still went back?”

  “I told you, I think we can get Aiden to get his grandfather to back off Dad. We just need to show Aiden we’re right about what happened. That means if Dad’s right and there’s another set of books, we need them to show to Aiden. Once he has those, Dad will be safe.”

  Reese pauses and I know he’s looking over all the angles. My brother may be an occasional hothead but he can also be frustratingly thorough.

  Finally, he leans back in his chair. “So where do you think this second set of books is?”

  “I think his grandfather has it. And if you know where he lives, I can steal it.”

  Reese’s eyebrows slam down. “Are you out of your mind? There’s no way in hell you’re going anywhere near that.”

  I bite my tongue for several seconds before I say something to Reese I’ll regret. “I can get Aiden to tell me where to find the file.”

  “And have him tip off his grandfather? No fucking way. He’ll come after you again.”

  “And I told you, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I’m not stupid and I’m not careless. I want you to give me three days before you go to Dad with any of this. If I can’t find what we need in two days, I’ll come clean. I’ll tell Dad all of it and we’ll figure out how to deal with Aiden and his grandfather.” How I can do that without telling them about my relationship with Aiden is a mystery but I’ll deal with that later. “Three days, Reese. That’s all.”

  “You’re really sure you’ll be able to find something to clear Dad in that short amount of time?”

  I nod. “Yeah, I really am.” I have to. Failure is not an option.

  Reese is silent for so long I’m almost ready to prod him. “Three days, Liv. After that, I can’t guarantee Bryant and I won’t start bashing heads.”

  Chapter Three

  Aiden

  The next morning, I’m sitting at the desk in my office, forcing myself to concentrate.

  I’ve already snapped at Jeannie, who quietly placed the files I’d asked for on my desk, turned, and left the building.

  I waited five minutes, texted a sincere apology, and was told she’d return after lunch. And did she want me to pick up anything.

  I don’t deserve her and she doesn’t deserve to deal with me today. I told her to work from home the rest of the day because I’m a prick and I’d see her tomorrow.

  Least I could do to make up for ripping into her for no reason. Well, I have a reason for being an utter ass but it has nothing to do with her.

  Olivia never called last night.

  I barely got any sleep, between talking myself out of driving to her apartment to make sure she got there safely and replaying what she’d told me about the files her father stole twenty years ago.

  Realistically, I know she’s fine. Hell, she probably went straight to her brothers, who would take care of any threat against her. The problem with that is, I want to be the one she runs to.

  Which presents a whole other set of problems that I’m not ready to deal with. At least, not yet.

  With an angry sigh, I force my attention back to the spreadsheet of numbers dealing with a new acquisition my father wants to make in Mexico, and which I’m pretty sure we’re going to pass on, when my cell phone vibrates on my desk.

  I check the number before grabbing it.

  “I assume you made it home with no problems last night.”

  “Of course.”

  I’m pretty sure she just rolled her eyes, even though I can’t see her.

  “That’s not why I called.” Olivia pauses and I know she’s about to say something I’m not going to like. “Let me prove my theory to you. Introduce me to your grandfather.”

  I’m right. I hate it. I’m also not stupid enough to flat-out refuse her because if I do, I know she’ll do something I’ll like even less. “Why?”

  “Take me to his home, point me in the right direction, and I will get you the proof.”

  “By stealing it?”

  “By borrowing it. I’ll hand it over to you as soon as I find it and you can do with it what you want. But you have to promise to call off Vincenzo.”

  “And if the information doesn’t prove your father’s innocence?”

  “It will. But if it doesn’t, you can turn him over to the police.”

  “Just like that?”

  “Yes.”

  Her confidence in her father is admirable and I consider her offer in silence for several long seconds. I don’t do it to keep her in suspense. I’m genuinely trying to decide the best course of action.

  If I confront my grandfather, I don’t believe he’ll tell me the truth. He’ll give me whatever I want to hear or whatever will best serve his purpose. I know because I’m just like him.

  “Aiden? Are you still there?”

  “So you’ll be my own personal cat burglar?”

  I hear something that sounds like a laugh filter though t
he phone. “If it’s in the house, I’ll find it.”

  I have no doubt about her skill. I just don’t want her anywhere near my grandfather. I don’t want him to know what she looks like, I don’t want her to talk to him. I don’t want her in the same room with him.

  I also know if I don’t take her, she’ll go herself. And if she gets caught, my grandfather won’t hesitate to have her arrested. Or worse.

  “I’ll arrange it for tomorrow night.”

  Damn, I must have shocked her into silence. Finally, she speaks again. “What time?”

  “Be at my home around seven.”

  “Okay.”

  She’s gone before I can say anything else. I set the phone back on the desk and stare at it for a good minute. I’m still staring when my office door opens.

  “Plotting more ways to make my life miserable?”

  My father watches me with a look I’ve come to recognize. He wants something and today I’m in no mood to give him anything. I’m also in no mood to play nice.

  “What do you want?”

  Mark’s eyebrows rise, as if he’s hurt by my question. “Someone take away your favorite toy?” Sitting in the chair on the opposite side of the desk, he looks at me as if he’s learned something new and interesting. Or he’s found a chink in my armor. “Or did you finally fuck something up that you can’t fix?”

  The verbal sparring is nothing new. I usually get a perverted sense of enjoyment from it.

  Today, he’s the perfect target to work out my frustration.

  “Are you here for another handout? Do you need me to bail you out of another failed investment? What is it this time? The Russian hotel deal fall through? Or the film production company in L.A.? I forgot, those were last week. What is it this week?”

  I expect him to huff and storm out. I’m hoping he does. I’d really rather not deal with him at all today. Instead, he laughs and begins to clap. It’s so unlike my father, I stare at him like I’ve never seen him before.

  “Bravo, son. You finally found your claws.”

  Since this is probably the strangest conversation I’ve had with my father in all the years I’ve known him, I stare at him as he smiles at me.