by S. J. Maylee
“And begged like a baby too.” creepy man said.
“Yeah, you should have heard him. ‘You can’t kill me. I’m too important. Wait, please. Please, I’ll do anything.’ Pathetic. I brought him with us, shoved him in your closet while we had a look around your building.”
The closet. Aidan had one closet. She shifted to the left and covered her eyes. It was like a bucket of ants had just been poured down her back. She couldn’t keep still. Blowing her cover wasn’t an option. What if it was a lie? She rolled her shoulders a few times.
“Lugging around fresh kills is an interesting practice.” Aidan took a step back, closer to the closet and leaned on his open shelving.
“You don’t mind though, right?” The ugly man walked to the window and opened the blinds.
The light shifted and spread through the closet at a different angle, lighting the bundle in the corner. It was no bundle. It was her husband with what looked like a bullet hole in his forehead. His eyes were partly open and the slack expression on his face made her want to vomit.
She squeaked and slapped her hand over her mouth.
“Have you hidden something in your closet?”
“No, that was your bright idea.” Aidan stood his ground.
“We have no problem taking you out and claiming both payments for ourselves.”
“I dare you to try.” Aidan squared himself off to face both men.
Her heartbeat pounded everywhere and especially loud in her head. She squeezed her eyes shut and wished the whole world would float away. The floor shifted under her and the air filled with grunts. There was no escaping what was happening. Her Aidan was out there with those thugs and she was sitting next to a corpse.
She opened her eyes enough to catch the bigger of the two men getting up off the floor. Aidan took a hit to the chin. The thick sound of the punch had her flinching and struggling to swallow the bile filling her mouth. Thankfully, Aidan didn’t even stumble.
She didn’t like just sitting here while he fought both of them. But he’d asked her to stay put. She scraped her teeth over her lip. She couldn’t sit here while he got hurt or worse. Going out there and facing those monsters didn’t seem like a good idea either. She covered her face and rocked back and forth.
Thunderous loud popping rang out. She swiped at her eyes and the tears blurring her vision and spotted the ugly guy with a gun pointed at Aidan.
“No!” She screamed.
Gun shots thundered again as Aidan shifted and the bigger creepy man positioned behind Aidan fell to the ground. The floor shook. Aidan kicked the other man off balance before he could line up another shot. The gun skidded across the floor and hit the closet door.
She stared at the thick dark thing. “Pick it up, Elizabeth,” she said. She didn’t move. “Pick it up and go out there.” She blinked a few times and dared a look at Aidan.
Ugly man was checking his pockets.
Aidan flicked out a knife and waved it at the man. “Looking for this? You already tried that move on me, remember?”
“Fine.” Ugly man held up his hands. “Let’s call this a truce.”
“How do you figure?” Aidan walked around him, inching his way closer.
“We can still split this thing two ways. Hey, I’ll even hold the bitch down for you if you wanted to have your way with her first.”
In a flash, Aidan yanked on the man’s left hand, pivoted around him to push on the inside of his left shoulder with his other hand, which somehow kept the man facing the same direction while Aidan continued shifting behind him. She blinked again and Aidan had the knife to the man’s throat. Aidan whispered something in his ear before he pushed him forward. The knife sliced away and down and the man dropped to the floor.
Aidan walked toward the closet and her gaze stayed on the man. The pool of blood grew impossibly large, almost like it was chasing after Aidan.
Her ragged breathing grew impossible. She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed for everything to go away. The scene around her was impossible to process. Death was everywhere. They were all dead.
The closet door opened, giving her a clearer view of the still growing pool of bright red blood.
“Elizabeth, we’ve got to go.” He brushed her hair from her face. The action shook her from her trance.
“Aidan?” She pressed her hand to his chest. The even beating of his heart confirmed his strength. He’d taken care of everything. “Reese.”
“I know.” He didn’t look. He didn’t see. “We need to get out of here.”
“Okay.” She took his hand and he pulled her.
Moments later they were inside a black car that was waiting for them in the alley. She blinked again and she was sitting on Nadia’s couch. The young woman she’d just met.
“I have lemonade. Do you want some?” Nadia asked her.
“No. Ah, do you have something stronger?”
“I have wine. White or red?”
“White,” Liz and Aidan said at the same time.
“I’ll be right back.” Nadia left the room.
Aidan paced back and forth.
“Come sit with me, please,” Liz said.
His phone buzzed. “Gavin is here.” He pressed his lips together into a fine line and his gaze was everywhere but on her.
She held out her hand. “Aidan, please.”
He shook his head a couple of times. “I’ll go let him in.” He reached the door and turned back to her, but his gaze never landed. “He’ll take care of everything. You’ll be fine.” And then he was gone.
****
He closed the door behind him and kept moving, taking the stairs several at a time. The failsafe plan he and Sam put together would get its true test today. He’d need to pack his things quickly if he wanted to be out before Gavin had Elizabeth settled in her new place. Before then, countless decisions would need to be made. He may be prepared for his own disappearance but he had no practice in creating a simultaneous plan for someone else.
Luckily, neither of them needed to disappear altogether. The recording of Reece’s confession should be in Clair’s hands and her team could execute their plans for Viktor and the villa in Italy. With any luck, Elizabeth would get her piece of paradise back, but she’d have it without him. He’d make sure she never had to see him again. She never had to be reminded what he was capable of.
When he’d opened the closet, her recoil and inability to look at him tore him apart. She hadn’t needed to see how easy it was for him to take a life but better now than they both continue to delude themselves. He and Elizabeth didn’t have a future. How could a woman like her ever welcome his touch again after seeing the things he did? His life was poison to a woman like her.
She didn’t need his horrors and he couldn’t live with himself if he didn’t continue to try to fix the things set in his path. He solved problems and that’s all she’d been, a problem to be fixed. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and coughed through the crud choking him.
The men after her were both dead. The man who hired him was dead too. That part of the case couldn’t have gone any better, except he would have preferred to murder Reese himself. The sole consolation was in knowing the rat bastard had gotten what he deserved. Plus, Viktor would soon be dead or in custody. His hands twitched at the idea of wringing his neck.
As great as Sam’s tracker gel had been, it clearly could be improved. Hell, if he’d just set the security on his damn apartment. Sam had scoffed at his lack of security protocols on his apartment, but he’d never had a reason to protect his place before. Everything had changed in one day. He couldn’t put his on Sam. Aidan had put her life at risk and it he’d never forgive himself.
Regardless, his part in the problem had been fixed and it was time to move on. It was time to get back to work and make sure he was ready for the next problem. He’d start the way he always did, by thinking through his actions from the last job, looking for lessons learned.
His brother came through the front door,
shaking him from his pathetic attempt to regulate his thoughts.
“Gavin, thanks for coming so quickly.” He rubbed his mouth.
“Absolutely. You were right about her.”
“Yes, she never met Viktor.” Aidan crossed his arms. “Tell me Clair believes it now.”
“Oh yes, she changed Elizabeth’s status to victim.”
“Victim. That makes sense.” He clenched his jaw and swiped at the sweat pooling on the back of his neck.
“Talk me through it all while we head up.”
“I’m not going with you.” Aidan stepped to the exit.
“Isn’t Liz upstairs?”
“She is. I need you to transition her to her new situation.”
“You’re leaving?” Gavin tilted his head.
“It’s what she needs.” Aidan clenched his fists and then stretched out his fingers. “I have my own situation to take over.”
“Aidan, come on.”
“Just promise me you’ll take care of her.” He opened the door.
“I’ll do anything for you, but I don’t like to see you running like this. Not after what just happened.” Gavin tugged on Aidan’s sleeve. “You were right about her. Don’t run from that.”
“Not completely.” He tapped the door. “Take care of her.” He walked out of Nadia’s building and ran to his place.
With each jarring slam of his feet on the concrete he stripped away the emotions Gavin dredged back up. With each mile he pushed out his doubts and his second guessing. It was time to prepare for his next client, the next problem to solve.
By the time he got back to his loft, the cleaning crew was removing the last of the three dead bodies. The large pool of blood remained. He’d been successful in minimizing the blood spatter. Forcing the head down to get the wind pipe out of the way and exposing the carotid worked every time but he hadn’t thought it through. Elizabeth had been in position to see it all. He should have taken more care. Clients didn’t need to see the ugliness of his work and he should have protected her from it. He should have protected his client from it.
Hearing that piece of shit talk about touching her, hurting her, had him shoving aside the last of his control. He couldn’t have taken the risk, couldn’t think about him getting away or getting closer to the closet. The thought of his sick hands on her made Aidan want to rip through his throat all over again.
Turning to the wall behind him, he slammed his fist through the drywall. Pain reverberated through his arm and across his body. He turned and pressed his back against the wall and slid to the floor.
There were at least a half dozen different ways he could have chosen to position the mark away from the closet. If he’d chosen any of those, Elizabeth wouldn’t have seen. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths.
The plain facts of the situation were simple. He couldn’t keep it together long enough to remain a solid foundation for his client and that’s why he wasn’t there with her right now. That’s why he wasn’t with his client. From now on, he’d have to do a better job of protecting his clients from the beginning to the end of the assignment.
He hung his head and prayed Elizabeth was doing better than he was.
Chapter Twelve
The next day, Liz woke in her new apartment. A quick peek at her phone told her it was already midday. Gavin hadn’t left her alone last night until she’d practiced all the security measures several times. Her mind drifted across each, from the keypad on the inside and out of her front door, the silent alarm buttons hidden in each room, and the app on her phone she needed to make sure remained updated. He’d also assured her, her life was no longer in danger. With all the security, she had a hard time believing him.
“It’s our standard protocol,” Gavin had assured her.
It wasn’t stated, but she got the feeling she’d never see Aidan again. If she were to activate any of her alarms, some unknown man would come to her aide. No longer would Aidan rescue her from any of the horrors out there and the fact made her want to stay in bed. She rolled over and buried herself under the covers. Emptiness filled her veins with ice water.
Hours later, she got up, dressed, and walked out of her new building. Not until she was ten blocks away did she realize she was walking to Aidan’s place. She quickened her pace. All the safety in the world couldn’t calm her now. She needed to be in his arms again. She needed him to hold her and tell her he wasn’t leaving her.
The door at the back of his building bounced off the back wall as she swung it open. She ran up the stairs and down the hall. His front door had been removed. She took a step inside the empty space. Nothing, not even cabinets remained behind. Her life had fallen into a sink hole. A burning sensation seized her chest.
It was like he’d never even been there.
She ran to the window and forced it wide open. The cool breeze chilled the tears streaming down her face. She turned around and spotted the massive blood stain in the wood floor.
She gasped and her legs crumpled under her.
The stain brought back all the memories, the horridness of what Aidan had to do. One moment she’d feared they’d all be dead and before her brain could finish processing the thought, it was all over. Aidan had taken care of it.
Never in her life had she imagined a man capable and willing to take the actions he had. He’d been brave enough to face it all. He didn’t hesitate and, because of that, they were both still alive. Even now, the next day, she still couldn’t process it. No wonder he’d left her behind. He probably believed she wasn’t strong enough to handle his world.
She stared at the stain. What would it take to prove her strength? What would it take to get him back? Her common sense told her there was nothing to be done but it hurt too much to let go.
She pulled her legs up and rocked. Getting him back was the only way to make it right. Helplessness like she’d never experienced consumed her.
****
“Come on in.” Aidan held the door open for his brother. “How’s Max doing?”
“He’s still following the leads. Clair confirmed the second contract you had was bought by Viktor. It was for some manager at Berk and Warner.”
“This damn rabbit hole keeps going, doesn’t it?” Aidan rubbed his forehead. “Well, thanks for coming over today.” He clasped Gavin’s shoulder. “It’s good to see you. Isn’t it, Sam?”
“Yes, it’s nice to see anyone besides you.” Sam fiddled with his phone.
“Please tell me you’re letting Sam get out of here now and then?” Gavin shook his head. “Ethan won’t say anything but I know he doesn’t like all the hours Nadia’s been working.”
“She’s like a mother hen. I keep telling her I’m fine.” Aidan pushed up his sleeves.
“You’re wrong. There’s something about Liz you were wrong about too. She’s not a victim. She’s a survivor.”
Aidan pulled Gavin over to the other end of the room. “Then why does she keep going to my old place?”
“I knew it.” Gavin shoved Aidan’s shoulder. “You have been watching her.”
An all too familiar lump formed in his throat and he looked everywhere but at Gavin.
“Shit, Aidan, why are you doing this?”
Aidan stared out the window. “Can’t you tell her she needs to stop this?”
“Why would I lie to her? It might sit well with you but I won’t do it. Besides, she’s looking for you. Sound familiar?”
“I haven’t approached her once.” Aidan held up his hands. “More contact would be confusing. The clean cut is best.”
“You’re stubborn. Don’t you see? She’s a survivor who’s having a hard time letting go.”
“It happens.”
“Agreed, but she’s not the only one.”
“Don’t.” Aidan pointed at Gavin. “Not now. Let this go.” Aidan walked to the window and checked his watch.
“People come into our lives when they’re supposed to.”
“Gavin.” Aidan hung his hea
d. “Her life is better without me. Hell.” He looked out the window and shook his head. “She’ll have a life.” He rubbed his chest, the stiffness around his heart making it hard for him to breathe.
“What if she hadn’t met you that night at the bar?” Gavin stepped in next to him.
“Why are we talking about this?”
“Just answer the question. What would have happened if you hadn’t met her?”
“I would have done my surveillance and gone home.”
“And those fucks would have found her in the safe room. She’s alive and better off because she met you.”
“It may have been true then but it’s not now. You didn’t see the look of horror on her face when I pulled her from the closet.” He rubbed his hand back and forth over his mouth.
“Maybe not, but you didn’t see the sadness devour her when she realized you weren’t coming back.”
He imagined it resembled what he saw the past couple weeks as she sat in his empty apartment. Every day, he spotted her in his old place. At first, he thought about moving from his new space across the street, but then he began looking forward to her visits. Each night he resembled a junky looking for a fix as he waited for her. He was fucking pathetic.
“Do you know where she is right now?”
“No, I silenced her tracker after I made sure it was working.” It wasn’t completely true. He had it set to go off when she was in his old apartment. Catching her visits was the highlight of his days. He’d watch her as she sat on the floor. Her visits were shorter now. Maybe in a few weeks they’d stop all together. He rubbed his chest.
“The same place she is every day at this time—our restaurant in Evanston.”
He checked his phone, opened the app, and turned all her trackers back on.
“She’s there the same time every day. It’s the same time now as the time you took her there. She’s hoping to run into you.”
“But this isn’t when we usually meet.” He stared at the circle on the map in the tracker app.
“She doesn’t know that.”
He couldn’t help but smile. His Elizabeth was stubborn, quite possibly more stubborn than he was. Regardless of their struggle, they needed to get past this.