by Shea Swain
“Like you’re the poster boy for coherent actions,” Jasper grunted under his breath. He leaned on the motel door as he picked his nails with the point of a file.
Vincent ignored Jasper’s comment, knowing that it was better to disregard a maniac than to taunt one. Even though he could hold his own if it came to blows, Vincent lacked the brutality and the experience Jasper had acquired over the years. He was the brain, and Jasper was the brute force. They knew their roles well, and they usually respected each other’s contributions to their dynamic relationship. Then again…
“I see that thesaurus word-a-day app has come in handy, Jas. Now I would love to go over all the new words you’ve learned, but I have more pressing matters. If you like we can sit down with a cup of cocoa later. I’ll give you my undivided attention.”
“Promise?” Jasper grinned, throwing the nail file. The thin metal had enough force behind it that it was embedded in the wall to the hilt just inches from Vincent’s head.
Unfazed, Vincent crossed his heart. It was nice to have a friend around, especially one as dedicated and loyal as Jasper. “I promise.” If he was a laughing man, he figured their interaction would have been funny but he wasn’t.
In high school they were thrown together, two loners who were exact opposites, to partner in a class assignment. Both had been surprised that they shared some of the same interests, but more than that, they shared the same dislikes. It was friendship at first insult. They’d bonded, and from that time on, the two were as close as two hetero guys could get. But after graduating, Vincent found his calling in genetic research and engineering, and Jasper found his place in the armed forces. Neither found a friend that compared to the other.
Then one day Vincent’s brother Victor told him that Jasper was home from a tour and might need a friend. What surprised Vincent the most was that he was happy to link back up with his childhood friend. That decision had benefitted them both, but recently Vincent had grown tired of their constant pissing contests.
He and Jasper could act like fools later. Right now he was curious to know what motivated the woman in front of him. It was true that Vincent was no saint, and he’d been accused of having an ambiguous—if not lack of—moral judgment, but he valued family, friends, science, and progress, above everything. Not saying that he wouldn’t throw one of the things he valued under a speeding bus for the other because he would, had, and once his plans were in place, he was going to again. To betray something you held dear was a hard, but necessary, call. When he had to choose, Vincent made the unselfish choice—the one that he believed would affect the world for the better. Or at least he strove to.
Vincent’s attention came back to Gail, who was eyeing Jasper with fear. He cleared his throat and when she turned her head to face him, her fear seemed to melt away, replaced by lust and awe, and maybe a little greed. Little girls and their daddy/powerful alpha issues, he thought. He didn’t quite understand that whole thing, but hey, to each his own.
“I would apologize for my friend’s brutish ways, but I wouldn’t dream of critiquing him for something he excels in. So…my associate Sal aided you in setting up this innocent girl, Aria, to take your place.”
Her name isn’t Carissa. Vincent had to appreciate how well Ian had played him.
“I didn’t know what he wanted a girl for,” she said as she rubbed the bruise that was appearing on her upper arm.
Normally Vincent didn’t care for the manhandling of women, but in Gail’s case…
“You had to have known what she would be used for. You’re in the business of pleasing men. You certainly pleased Sal enough to where he tried to screw me over. Your little stunt has caused me a lot of grief.”
“Aria was a virgin.” Gail sniffed. “Men pay big for that, and I supplied her to you for a fraction of the cost. I didn’t know about you or—”
“Please don’t.” Vincent rubbed his forehead, feeling his patience draining. “I had to dispose of my favorite Madame,”—he paused because Gail let out a pained gasp—“and retire several of my long-time employees one of which I actually liked. Because of your generosity, an innocent girl was gang raped, and the only person I’ve ever truly loved unconditionally is out alone in the world. For the first time in my nephew’s life I do not know where he is. Not to mention he may think me a monster now and that I sanctioned what was done. To be honest, I have my issues, but I loathe violence unless it is absolutely necessary.” Vincent looked over to Jasper, who always read him so easily. His friend stood, making sure his leather gloves were on properly.
Gail took one look at Jasper and began to scream and kick up the length of the Aztec-patterned comforter in an attempt to get away from him. Vincent turned the volume up on the television set, looking up in the huge mirror on the wall, just in time to see Jasper break Gail’s neck. He turned the television down.
“You want me to kill Ian’s girl?” Jasper asked as he went to the washroom and wet a towel. “I’ll make it quick.”
Vincent hated to kill the innocent. Well, those who he considered innocent unless he had good reason. Aria knew too much. “No,” he sighed. Jasper was the best, but he needed him for something else. “I want Ian home, and right now you may be the only one he’ll listen to. We have to assume that the girl shared what she heard with him. I have a feeling he’s not going to resurface until Victor is stateside. His call a couple of weeks ago is our only clue. We’ve both seen the highlights of that night, so I doubt Ian and the girl are together. None of his friends—and I use that term loosely—have seen him, and he hasn’t been to his usual hangouts. I need him where I can monitor him. Plus, I have to convince him that what I do, I do for the greater good. I need to make him understand that.”
“And your inside man is running interference with Ian’s attempts to reach his father?”
“Yes, but I need to figure out my next move. My means may have changed, but the goal is still in play.”
“Yeah, but are you going to be able to do what it takes for the win?” Jasper began wiping the room down even though they wore gloves.
“The least I can do is save her from seeing your menacing mug right before she dies.”
Jasper held up his hand, pretending it was a gun that he held to his own head. “Two shots to the head, and she doesn’t even see it coming.” Jasper then threw the towel over Gail’s hollow eyes.
“How humane of you.”—Vincent rolled his eyes.
“I don’t need your shit right now, Vin.”
Vincent sighed. “Just worry about Ian. How do you plan on finding him, anyway?”
“I trained him.” Jasper lowered the brim of his baseball cap he wore. “I’ll find him.”
“If she’s with him”—Vincent stepped through the motel room door into the night—“subdue them both without injury. I don’t want him to see her die. Oh, and send Carlos and a couple others to her address tomorrow. Make it messy, unprofessional…seemingly personal.”
What on earth am I doing here? He was a sucker for punishment, that’s what. At least that was what his brother, Richard, always told him. Apparently it was true. He was a sucker for punishment. At Ian’s age he still vied for his father’s attention, even if it meant doing something his father thought was uncharacteristic of a Howl and being scolded for it. Being the exact opposite of what a Howl was, was the only way to elicit a response from a father who seemed to hate his very presence.
Ian had to laugh out loud at that thought. In truth, his father didn’t hate his presence. He was just taken off guard whenever he saw Ian. For the first few minutes anyway, then his father would regain his frosty nature. Senator Victor Howl was as cool as a cucumber ninety percent of the time. The other ten, he was lukewarm.
Ian pushed the button that moved the driver’s side seat in an upright position. It was Wednesday, a few days after the dinner from hell and one of the two days Aria left school on time. He wished he knew what she did on the days she stayed. When he first started looking after her—some wo
uld say stalking, but he labeled it as looking after—he often imagined that she was inside the school with some guy, doing the things he wanted to do to her.
He tried to extinguish the uncharacteristic jealousy since then. He just wanted her safe, even if it meant being safe from him. He wanted more than that, but she had made it clear there was going to be nothing more. Not even friendship.
Ian opened the car door and got out. He leaned against car and pushed the hood of his sweatshirt off his head so Aria could see him as she passed. I shouldn’t be here, he told himself. He hadn’t bothered her since she basically told him that she felt nothing for him. Why couldn’t he just accept that, go home, and beg his uncle to leave her alone. Whatever it was Vincent wanted, Ian would find a way to give it to him if it would ensure Aria’s safety. The problem was that every time he tried to leave this place, her, his heart seemed to slow, and the hollow ache inside it would induce rapid breathing to the point where he would need to pull the car over to regain control.
Nothing, least of all a woman, had ever affected him like this, and he both relished and hated the feeling. Caring about someone in the way he cared about Aria was foreign to Ian. He had associates, but he kept everyone, even his family, at arm’s length. That way no one could hurt him. Only Aria had, every time she looked at him with indifference, but it was wholly his fault. He should have never allowed anyone that much power over him.
The saddest thing of all was that he should want nothing from her. They didn’t have a start where they’d flirted, hooked up, then declared their love. Hell, she probably hated everything about him, with good reason. By his logic, she was within her right to kill him. If she spat on him whenever she saw him, he couldn’t and wouldn’t object.
He deserved nothing from Aria but he wanted what seemed impossible.
Ian had almost talked himself into leaving, but it was too late to leave now; Aria was coming out of the building. He pushed off the car and stood so that she would see him.
She didn’t notice him as she walked down the front stairs of the school and across the walkway that would bring her mere feet from him. Aria was dressed differently today. Instead of the sweats and loose-fitting clothing she’d been wearing of late, today she wore a snug-fitting black vest that buttoned just under her breasts. Under that was a low-neck tank top that showed off a little cleavage of her perfectly-sized breasts that he would give almost anything to see bare again. Her dark blue Capri pants showed her lovely curves and tight, shapely backside. Aria’s hair was a fall of loose curls framing her angelic face, most of it spilling behind her shoulders to the small of her back. This look was in total contrast of what she’d worn to school since he’d been in town.
What is different? Had her thinking that he was gone cheered her up enough to begin the healing process?
A blonde next to Aria noticed him first as they approached. The blonde breathed an appreciative curse then flashed a coy smile at him as the group came closer. Her appraisal caused the group of girls to take notice of him, even Aria. In each of them he saw looks of interest, but fear was reflected on Aria’s face until she buried it a second later. Her response to seeing him there burned. I shouldn’t be here. Ian pivoted and placed his hand on the car handle, ready to go, but the blonde who’d given him that welcoming smile jumped in his way.
She placed her body between him and the door, resting on the car so he wasn’t able to open it without moving her. “Hey, handsome,” she said, twisting her necklace between her fingers.
“Excuse me,” Ian said politely, “you’re impeding my exit.”
She pouted. “Don’t leave just yet. We haven’t even gotten to know each other. My name is Beth. And yours is?”
Ian pulled the door open, giving her a slight bump. He moved out of the way as she stumbled forward a bit. “Taken”—he shrugged—“sorry.”
Undeterred, Beth righted herself and faced him. “Who’s the lucky girl?”
Ian looked over to the curb to see that Aria and her group had stopped and were watching him and Beth. Aria was close enough to hear him, so he rolled the dice, again. Yup, he was a sucker for punishment.
“Aria, but I’m the lucky one,” he said, looking at Aria.
A few of the girls made that annoying cooing sound that usually signaled the presence of a baby in the vicinity. Another, the girl closest to Aria, cursed. Ian raised a brow at that, which made Aria smile.
“Figures”—Beth snorted—“little miss perfect has all of Gibbons High’s eligible eating out of her hands and now reels in you, too. Hooray for you both!” Beth whirled her finger in the air as she pushed past Aria and her group. “I wonder if Daddy knows,” she yelled out, as she blended in with the exiting students.
“Does your dad know about him?” The cute little brown-skinned girl with an adorable short haircut, the one who had cursed, asked as she grabbed Aria’s arm. She pulled Aria back just as she started toward him. The girl looked like a little pixie, so the haircut was very becoming. “Because this guy’s life is seriously in danger”—she looked at Ian—“and that would definitely be a waste.”
“Relax,” Aria said, pulling free and making her way to him again, “Ian had dinner with us Sunday.”
The pixie’s eyes widened. “And he’s still breathing.”
Aria turned to face her friends and mouthed something that he couldn’t see, but he was thankful that her friends began to disperse and that she was staying.
“So your dad is really thorough, huh,” Ian said, meeting her before she stepped off the curb. She nodded with a faint smile that was like a hallucinogen. It gave him the feeling that he made her happy. That he was the only guy on the planet that could make her happy. Aria’s smile was what made him slide his hand up her bare arm, around her shoulder to the back of her neck and ease her forward to claim her lips.
He was a fool.
Ian wanted to kiss her until she was as off-balanced as he was, but he didn’t want to push it. Getting a short, innocent kiss from her was enough to keep him satisfied for now. Reluctantly, he slowly pulled away, but kept his hand buried in her thick, soft hair.
Aria looked dazed at first, then her eyes widened with surprise. Confusion followed, then anger before she jerked her head free of his hold. Aria quickly moved around him, bent over, and placed her hand on the hood of the car to brace herself. The next thing he knew, she moaned then chucked up the contents of her stomach. He barely made it out of the way, though the car tires weren’t so lucky. He gently pulled her hair back as she continued to vomit.
Ian pushed off the hood of the car. “Feeling better?” He had waited while Aria went back into the school to clean herself up. He rinsed away the vomit with some water he had in the car but he’d still moved the car so she wouldn’t have to see what she’d done.
“Yeah”—she twisted her mouth—“sorry about your tires.”
“It’s cool.” Brandon might care that his tires had suffered but Ian shrugged it off. He would have the car detailed before he returned it to the garage. Ian tilted his head down to see her lowered eyes. “Are you really all right?”
He watched her as she sucked in her bottom lip. Her eyes were everywhere but where he wanted them—on him. Then, as if she’d come to some decision, she stood up straight and looked him directly in the eyes.
“I’m pregnant.”
“Pregnant?” Ian took a step back. He had used protection.
Faulty protection provided by Sal.
This couldn’t be happening to her. Aria’s pregnant. God, he’d fucked up so badly, but he could make this right. Ian moved forward and pulled her into a hug. “I’m… God, I’m so sorry. We can make an appointment. I can fix this before your parents find out.”
Aria had softened in his arms but suddenly pushed away from him. She looked hurt for a brief moment, then angry. “I’m about five weeks along. My parents already know. I told my dad when he was about to arrest you. It’s why he didn’t. He just assumed that we were together, seeing e
ach other behind his back and I wasn’t going to tell him different, so I just went with it. He wanted to kill you, Ian, but I told him that if he touched you I would never talk to him again. After meeting you, my mom is a little less upset about the idea.”
“What idea? You can’t possibly want this…that,” he said, pointing to her stomach.
Aria smacked his hand away. “No one’s asking you for anything, Ian. In fact, I don’t even know why you’re still here, Golden Boy. It might not even be yours,” she yelled, storming away.
Ian ran his hands through his hair, gripping the longer length on the top in his fist. He closed his eyes and cursed. She was across the parking lot and nearing her car when he caught up to her. Ian placed a hand on her shoulder to turn her around, but she smacked his hand away again.
The baby was his, and he knew it. He felt it, plus she’d told him that the others were careful not to leave DNA inside her.
“Why would you want this after what happened? Not to mention how much I disgust you. Why would you want some…thing I created?”
“I know what happened to me, Ian. I was there, remember?” Aria pulled open her car door and got inside, slamming it shut. She put her key in the ignition, sat for a few seconds with her hands gripping the steering wheel, then rolled down her window and said, “I heard their voices in my head that morning in the motel when I woke up not knowing where I was. I had passed out after the second time Sal raped me, accepting that I would never see my family again. That I was going to die. Do you know how that feels, knowing you’re going to die and that you can’t do anything about it?
“But you held me that morning while I cried and the voices stopped. The pain was still there, but the voices stopped because of you. You know what I hear now when I’m haunted by that night? Your voice, Ian. It overpowers their insults, the taunting. I hear the words you whispered to me while you were...” She looked down and sucked in a gulp of air. A tear fell from her eye. “I don’t feel their rough hands on me much anymore. It sounds crazy, but the only thing that chases the nightmare of them away, is you. When I close my eyes at night, you chase away all the demons.”