Crimson Desert

by Melissa Jane

  While I had already dug my grave, I would now happily lie in it if it meant I could be with Laila.

  No matter what the cost.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Laila

  For the first time in over a month I could feel a part of me beginning to heal. My head lay on Aiden’s chest as it rose rhythmically and fell softly. He had been absently running his fingers through my short hair and stroking my shoulder while we reveled in the peace around us. My naked body was wrapped tightly around his after a delicious moment of lovemaking that left us both exhausted and me somewhat emotionally fragile. A lot of shit had to be washed under the bridge if we were to move forward. I was slowly coming to terms with the fact that what had transpired in the house could have been dramatically worse if Aiden had not done what he did. I had this man next to me, the one at this moment I couldn’t possibly think of letting go, to thank for getting me out alive.

  “Stop thinking,” Aiden’s voice was gravelly from semi-sleep.

  “I’m not.” I lied.

  “You’re blinking fifty times a minute and tickling my nipple with your lashes… you are thinking.” I could tell that he was smiling and something fluttered in my heart. “You should stop, it’s bad for your health.”

  “Anything you say, boss.”

  A low chuckle reverberated through Aiden’s chest causing my head to bounce slightly.

  “Boss? Ah, I see how it is. You think I’m bossy, don’t you?” He continued stroking my shoulder.

  “No… well, yes… maybe a little. But in a good way,” I couldn’t hide my own laugh as I thought back over our tumultuous time together, both of us fighting to be the one in charge.

  “You’re quite the boss lady yourself, muñequita. Certainly not one to listen to any man.”

  We fell into a comfortable silence, both of us doing what was apparently bad for our health… thinking.

  After a few moments, I couldn’t hold onto my thoughts any longer. “Do you regret it all, Aiden?”

  There was a sigh, his chest rising and falling heavily beneath my head. “Not in the way you may think, my love.”

  Remaining silent, I knew he would be gathering his thoughts so I didn’t press further. Aiden pushed me gently off him and rolled onto me, propping himself up on his elbows to alleviate the weight. His hands cradled the sides of my head, holding me in place as he gazed down at me.

  “I regret not having left sooner. I regret allowing my moral judgment to dissolve over the years just because they were family. I regret the day I got Ethan involved. But what I regret the most is the day I saw you.” Aiden noticed my breath catching in my throat and tapped my temples twice with each index finger. “Don’t think, just listen.”

  “I regret the day I saw you because that moment you walked in, my world changed. You took what I thought was a stable way of life and turned it ass up, making me realize there are more important people in the world and not just the ones you consider family. Not only that, but I saw an innocent girl before me, pulled into a situation she stood no chance of surviving. I saw a light die in her eyes that night. That, muñequita, is why I regret that day.”

  Using his thumb, Aiden swiped a tear that ran down my temple. “But… I wouldn’t have found you otherwise. And that is not a regret.” He lowered his mouth to mine, planting sweet kisses on my lips, his length between my legs growing thicker with need.

  A pounding on the door startled us both, Aiden cursing under his breath as he shot to his feet. Clutching the sheet around my naked body, I watched Aiden move swiftly around the room first to grab his Glock on the dresser then reach for a towel to wrap around his waist.

  “Aiden, what’s happening?”

  He turned toward me, holding a finger against his lips as he moved to the side of the door. The pounding sounded yet again, causing me to jump.

  “Aiden, are you in there?” came a muffled voice from the other side. “Open the fucking door, man.” To my surprise Aiden’s shoulders relaxed, his hand reaching for the door handle.

  “Jorge?”

  “Who the fuck else!”

  Aiden pulled the door open and Jorge’s eyes immediately caught mine. A look of ill-disguised resentment tarnished his features as his gaze flicked between mine and Aiden’s.

  “What the fuck do you want? I’m busy.” Aiden spat, seemingly pissed off at Jorge’s silent judgment.

  “Yeah, I can see how you occupy your time.”

  “What is it?”

  “It’s Danny. He’s trailing those tailing us. They know where we are. The car has its tires slashed and windows broken.” Jorge handed a piece of paper to Aiden who read it in silence before balling it into his fist.

  “Where’s Ethan?”

  “I’m here.” Ethan’s tone was arctic as he rounded the door, his expression that of pure fury upon seeing the state of Aiden and I. When he had his mind set on something it was often difficult to get him to see the bigger and better picture.

  “We need to move.” Jorge’s voice still hadn’t lost any of its obvious contempt.

  “You two go ahead of us. Take the stairs and go out through the kitchen door. It will lead you onto the back alley. Take the left and meet at the next point. Go now and secure the path, we’re not far behind.”

  Aiden closed the door on Jorge and Ethan before facing me, his knuckles turning white on his still fisted hand. There was an absent look in his eyes, a shift in emotion compared to what I had witnessed earlier.

  “Pack what you can, we need to go now.”

  “Is he here?” I asked, almost too afraid to know the answer.

  “Yes.”

  “For me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Aiden…”

  His eyes softened at my visible distress. “Get dressed, babe.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Aiden

  The stairs weren’t the most ideal passage out from the seventh floor, but what choice did we have? Jorge had sent a text to say the coast was clear and they were safe awaiting our arrival before the next leg of our journey.

  “Run, puto. Your bitch is mine and you are dead, brother”. Fuck Juan and his sick note. From the second I read it at the door, I knew what my next course of action had to be.

  He wasn’t going to stop the pursuit.

  He wasn’t going to quit this game until he fulfilled his self-proclaimed prophecy.

  Well, he wasn’t getting Laila and I sure as hell wouldn’t be the first of us to die. Brother or not, I held no allegiance to him.

  Just hearing Laila’s gentle panting behind me as we navigated the stairs made the urge to protect her about as natural as the blood flowing through my veins. Reaching the fire exit on the ground floor, I scanned the foyer and counted five people including the reception staff.

  “Don’t leave my side, Laila. Stay close and do as I do.”

  “Ok,” she whispered.

  Grabbing her hand in mine, we darted across the foyer and in through the kitchen door. We dodged the two startled chefs and maneuvered around the cluttered benches. Our exit was only a few meters away, yet what lay beyond that door was a world of unknown. Jorge had scoured the area looking for suspicious activity, but anyone and everyone was a threat when Juan was near.

  The coast was clear, but, just as I was about to make a bolt up the alleyway, Laila pulled me back to her, a look of panic crossing her face.

  “Aiden,” she whispered with a sense of urgency.

  “What is it?”

  “I can’t go out there.”

  “Why not? Of course you can, just follow –”

  “He’s out there, and I just can’t… I’m scared he will find us and kill– ”

  “Shh.” I held my finger to her soft lips, hating the fear that glinted in her eyes.

  “Laila, I am not so easy to beat. Trust in me.” I cupped her beautiful face in my hands and kissed the tears from her now salty lips. She gave a small nod and I wasted no time in pulling her through the door where we made a
run down the narrow path. She kept pace with me, our breathing in sync as we navigated through the maze, mentally running through the directions Jorge had given me.

  The alleyway we were in was coming to an end and was preparing to spew us onto a busy street.

  “Where are we going?” Laila’s voice sounded the nervousness I was feeling. Something wasn’t right. The hairs on my neck stood on end and told me so. I stopped just yards from the entrance to the street, pulled Laila closer to my side and scanned the path we had just come from, the buildings and windows around us, and back again. We were being watched, but from where?

  “We have to keep moving and fast.”

  Making a dash into the street, we came to a grinding halt as a black van with dodgy paneling and tinted windows slammed on its brakes in front of us, the sliding door flying open.

  “Fuck! Go left, Laila.” We took off sprinting down the street when a familiar voice sounded from behind.

  “Get in the fucking van!” Jorge yelled. We came to an immediate halt and turned to see his typical snarl morph into an awkward smirk. “Should’ve seen your face!” he laughed.

  “Fuck you,” I spat back, trying to suppress the smile from spreading across my face. “What took you morons so long? And what the fuck happened to the arranged blue car?”

  We climbed in and took a seat, relieved the hardest part was over.

  “Dodging your fucked-up family is no easy feat.” Jorge grabbed the bag from Laila’s hand, then took my duffle bag of guns. “We were compromised and couldn’t access the side street. This was our next best option.”

  “Well, it looks like a fucking getaway vehicle. Hurry up and clear the area so we can do a changeover,” I instructed.

  Laila sat wide-eyed across from me and I knew I had to be careful with what and how I said things.

  She wasn’t a criminal and she definitely didn’t belong in this type of world.

  She was overwhelmed and scared and she had every reason to be.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Laila

  Ethan sat rigid in the driver’s seat as we weaved through the streets of San Jose. He made no effort to disguise his obvious contempt, his jaw set strong, knuckles blanched white on the steering wheel. In the scheme of things I really couldn’t comprehend what his problem was. He had made no secret of disliking Aiden’s association with me, but after all we had been through, was there really room for grudges?

  I could feel Aiden watching, his eyes flickering between me and Ethan, attempting to intercept my thoughts. He sat opposite on the side seat, his brows furrowed in concern.

  “Give it time,” he said in a low voice, placing a reassuring hand over mine.

  “He shouldn’t need time, not after everything.”

  “He holds a lot of guilt, Laila, and it worsens every time we have to run.”

  “I’m exhausted from running. I just want this to be over. To have my normal, everyday life back.” Instantly, I regretted my selfish words when hurt briefly flash across his eyes. If I were leading my normal life, Aiden wouldn’t be a part of it and that thought was simply inconceivable. “You know what I mean.” I said weakly, wishing we were alone to discuss things in private.

  “I do.” he said, the intensity of his gaze breaking my heart into tiny pieces. The usual electricity that passed through us was laced with a sense of regret that was now chipping away at my resolve.

  Aiden turned his attention to Jorge and immediately I felt a wall between us. “Head straight to the next safe house,” he instructed.

  “It’s being cleared as we speak. Changing vehicles is our next move.” All joking now aside, Jorge was back to being a man of business.

  Sighing quietly, I relaxed against the seat, my mind flashing back to only an hour ago with Aiden lying next to me, both of us naked, caught in our moment of bliss. A time when we no longer needed to speak, our bodies doing all the necessary talking. Now it seemed the water we washed under the bridge only a few hours ago had returned, bursting the river banks, mercilessly sweeping us up in its current. I could sense the change in Aiden. He was barely holding on to the bond that had grown between us. A niggling thought crossed my mind that perhaps he didn’t want to hold on, maybe he was deliberately pushing me away.

  He couldn’t give me ‘normal’.

  He knew it, I knew it, so why we were pursuing something that was cursed from the very beginning was beyond me.

  My eyes met Ethan’s in the rear view mirror. Giving a small smile to him, he gave a grim one in return, offering zero reassurance of how he felt or about what was to come.

  ***

  We drove for forty-five minutes in silence, the gentle motion of the ride causing me to fall in and out of sleep. Aiden worked on his tablet, neither making eye contact nor talking, a permanent frown marring his smooth brow. It was only when he lowered the device by a fraction, I noticed a skinny slip of paper resting on the screen.

  “What is it?” I asked quietly. Screwing up the paper into a tiny ball, Aiden’s eyes flew to meet mine. A look of something I didn’t recognise flashed across his face before returning to a sense of calm.

  “Nothing for you to worry about, muñequita.” And just like that I melted, my heart skipping a beat with his smooth endearing words. As I was drifting into another micro sleep, the van come to a sudden halt, causing my bum to slide along the seat while Aiden clutched desperately to his device.

  “What is it?” Aiden asked Jorge.

  “Change over,” came his flat voice from the front.

  Aiden slid open the van door and I followed him out, instantly blinded by the glaring sun. We stood, taking in our new surroundings – our dodgy getaway van now parked at the rear of a diner. Other than twenty or so randomly placed cars, the place was deserted. Jorge and Ethan made tracks over to a dark blue Chevy and I watched with a mix of horror and some interest at what happened next. Jorge wrapped a towel around his bent elbow and, without a second thought, smashed the passenger side window. Unlocking the door, he used the same towel to brush the shattered glass on the seat to the ground.

  “Laila, you are in the back with me.” Aiden instructed and I didn’t argue.

  “I need to go to the bathroom.” My bladder was growing more pained and determined.

  “You can’t go here, the next stop, yes. We need to move in case the owner of the car comes out.”

  That made perfect sense. I don’t know why I didn’t think of the minor issue myself.

  Jorge threw our meager belongings plus a full arsenal of weapons in the trunk and we packed into the car, driving for what felt like an eternity. Of course, with each second that went by, the need to pee consumed every thought.

  “Can we stop soon? I don’t know how much longer I can last before I embarrass myself.”

  “There is a gas station ahead, you can use the bathroom there,” Aiden assured.

  Distracting myself, I slipped into a daydream thinking of nothing in particular as I rolled the pendant around my neck between my fingers. My head lolled against the headrest until I once again caught Aiden’s watchful eyes.

  I had seen that look before.

  An internal battle was taking place and I hated knowing that I was most likely the cause of it. He wore the same expression the first few nights I was with him for training. Now he was doing it again and it churned my stomach.

  The car slowed and Aiden’s turned away from me without a hint of reassurance. As much as I wanted to tackle the source of his troubles, we were at the gas station and I needed to find a toilet as desperately as I needed to breathe. I took off at a sprint into the main building, almost knocking Ethan over as he stretched his limbs.

  After doing my business and feeling like the world was now a happier place, I made my way back out to the gas pumps where Jorge was filling the tank and discussing something with Aiden. They had their backs to me, but Aiden’s body language spoke volumes. He was irritated and not hiding it well.

  “Perhaps if you hadn’t been fuck
ing around you wouldn’t have dropped your guard.” Jorge accused Aiden. The hairs on my neck immediately pricked.

  “I never drop my guard,” Aiden replied evenly. For some reason I found this funny. After all, I was standing behind them still completely undetected. “She is mine to look after, it’s my job to keep her close, you take care of the rest.”

  That stung.

  I didn’t want to be anyone’s job. Aiden had made it perfectly clear earlier I wasn’t a burden, now I guess it wasn’t entirely the truth.

  “You fucking her placed us all at risk and you know it. Taking over security detail from you doesn’t mean I pick up your slack and hope I don’t get shot in the process.”

  “My slack? You are alive this far down the line because of me. Don’t forget who you work for, asshole.”

  “So what now? You think your fucked-up family is just going to call it quits looking for you? They’re out for blood – yours, mine, hers, all of us.”

  “When the time comes I won’t hesitate to take them all out. They are not my family and I certainly don’t owe them my loyalty.”

  “I share your enthusiasm, amigo, but they may just well get to us first if you are not careful.”

  “As long as we are a step ahead, we are doing well.” Aiden said, as if trying to convince himself. “We just need to position ourselves right. So far the opportunity hasn’t arisen to do a clean sweep. If we had killed Juan on the road in Mexico we would never have gotten across the border. I need him face to face, away from the public eye.”

  “I hope for your sake it works. All I know at the moment is they won’t stop hunting us down. When they hunt, we run. I don’t know about you, but I plan on living a long life that doesn’t involve your messed-up family.”

  “So what do you suppose I do? Just abandon Laila and Ethan on the side of the road and say ‘here find your own way’?”

  “Yes.”

  “Fuck you.”

  “You have done enough for them, it's time they land on their own feet.”