Aim: A Society X Novel

by L. P. Dover

  I chuckled. “Just doing what my father would.”

  He kissed my forehead and set me down. “Yeah, but it’s reckless. Don’t ever do this again.”

  I put my arms up in a surrender position. “Hey, I don’t plan on it.”

  Grinning from ear to ear, he shook Ian’s hand. “Good work, son.”

  “Thanks,” Ian replied. “Connor’s still out there somewhere, he should be in touch soon.”

  “Good deal. I have my men patrolling the area. We won’t let Bradfield get far.”

  “What?” I shrieked, glancing at them both. “Daniel’s still out there?”

  Ian nodded. “Reed couldn’t take the shot, and by the time I was out of my restraints, he was gone.”

  “So, it’s not over yet,” I whispered, hating the feeling in my gut. I leaned into him and breathed him in. “What happens now?”

  Ian and my father looked at each other and my father said, “You’ll have to stay protected until we find him. I don’t want you alone. The authorities in Montana are on their way to pick up Daniel’s business partner, Marcus Brody, for the murders out that way.” He kissed me again. Hurrying to his car, he called over his shoulder, “Go home and get some rest. You officially come out of hiding tomorrow.”

  “And it’s going to be a madhouse,” Ian added. “You’ll have no choice but to stay with me. Not that I’m complaining.”

  “Me either.” The ambulance rushed out of the driveway and my father followed behind it. There were deputies everywhere, taking evidence. “I’m just glad it’s over, for the most part. Don’t be pissed at me for stealing your car either. I don’t know why you don’t drive it.” He preferred his old truck.

  He winked. “It goes too fast. I might get in trouble.”

  “Something tells me you don’t need a car to do that.”

  Holding my hand, he pulled me away from Daniel’s house. “Come on, let’s go home.”

  Grace

  “How long is this media circus going to last?” I asked. We pulled into the hospital parking lot and there were cameras stationed out front.

  Ian squeezed my hand. “Once you speak at the press conference this afternoon, it should die down a bit.”

  The past two days, Ian and I stayed hidden from the press. Connor had made it back safely to Blake and Hadley’s, as if nothing ever happened. My father had announced I was alive, but I was still under protective custody. I knew there were going to be a ton of questions thrown my way. However, the only answer we didn’t have was why Daniel wanted to kill Ian in the first place. I had a feeling we’d never know.

  “Are you sure you want to go in there?” he asked, nodding toward the hospital.

  “Yes. It’s time I talked to Jared.” He’d called and texted me non-stop ever since the night at Daniel’s.

  Ian shut off his truck and sighed. “All right, let’s go. If they get too close, I’ll barrel through them,” he said, referring to the camera crews.

  Before we could get out, my phone rang. I pulled it out of my purse. “Dad?”

  “Hey, sweetheart. I take it you’re on the way to see Jared?”

  “Yep. I figured it was okay to go out in public and talk to him now.”

  “You should be fine. However, there’s something I wanted to tell you.” He sounded happy and I couldn’t help but smile.

  “What is it?”

  “I think we found him.”

  I grabbed Ian’s arm, eyes wide. “You think you found Daniel? Where?” I switched the phone to speaker so Ian could hear.

  “In the woods, a few miles from his house. The body’s a little mangled, but we’re going to run some DNA tests to make sure.”

  “Oh my God, that’s awesome,” I squealed.

  “Let us know as soon as you find out the results,” Ian said.

  “Will do, Chandler. In the meantime, be safe. I’ll see you both at the press conference.”

  “Thanks, Daddy. I love you.”

  “Love you too, baby.”

  We got out of the truck and it was as if I had a neon sign over my head saying who I was.

  “That’s her,” some of them shouted.

  Ian grabbed my hand and pulled me in close. “Keep walking.”

  I did as he said, and the reporters followed alongside us, hollering questions. Once we got inside, we went straight to the elevators. Breathing a sigh of relief, I leaned against the elevator wall. “I’m so sorry. You’re totally going to lose your anonymity through all this. I mean, the media’s seen you with me. They’ll ask questions. Plus, Jared knows you’re an FBI agent. The secret’s out. There’s no telling who he’s told.”

  He waved it off. “Don’t worry about me. My job will be fine.” The elevator doors opened and we walked down the hall to Jared’s room. Some of the nurses froze and stared at us, but nothing was said. We stopped at Jared’s room and Ian nodded toward the waiting room. “I’ll be over there.”

  The door to Jared’s room opened and Emily walked out. Looking up, she saw me and gasped. “Oh my God, it’s you!” she cried, throwing her arms around me. “Zoe, come here.”

  Zoe shrieked and raced over to us, hugging me from behind. They both sobbed and I cried with them. “I’m okay.” They squeezed me even harder and I laughed. “Can’t breathe, girls.”

  They let me go and stepped back. Zoe glanced down at the floor, choked up. “I had to go in for questioning yesterday. Your father told me I was a suspect at one time.” Tears fell down her cheeks. “What would ever make you think I’d want you dead?”

  Emily agreed with a nod. “Same here. I was told the same thing. Then again, I guess it did look suspicious sneaking around with Brad.”

  “It did,” I said sadly. “I’m sorry you had to be involved. We only wanted to find who was responsible, and nobody was considered off the list. I never wanted to believe either one of you wanted me dead.”

  Zoe hugged me again. “We’re friends, Grace. Yes, I might have gotten a little full of myself after I was offered your job, but it was a huge boost for me. I needed the pay raise.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “Oh, and another thing,” she said, letting me go. “Tell your boyfriend no hard feelings for all the work I had to put into his company party, but I am mad at him for making me look like an idiot.”

  I giggled. “Yeah, you were pretty bad with your flirting. I could hear everything.”

  She smacked a hand to her forehead. “To be fair, I had no idea he was your boyfriend! I’m so embarrassed. It won’t happen again.”

  “Grace,” Jared called out.

  Emily and Zoe looked over at him, then back to me. “We’ll give you two some privacy,” Emily said, opening the door. Once they were gone, I slowly walked into the room. Jared’s foot was all bandaged up and in a cast, but he looked good.

  I sat down in the chair beside him and smiled. “You should wear your hair like that more often.” He ran a hand through his messy brown hair and tried to smile, but failed. “How are you feeling? I heard you get to go home tomorrow.”

  He shrugged. “Physically, I’m fine, other than missing two of my toes. Mentally, I could be better. My father’s dead, my sister betrayed me, and my best friends turned out to be monsters. What makes it worse was that my father was a part of it all.” Tears fell down his cheeks and he angrily wiped them away. “I’m so sorry about what happened. My sister’s going to pay for what she did. They all are.”

  Taking his hand, I held it between mine. “I know this might not make a difference, but my father told me Andrew didn’t know about Daniel’s plans for you or me. He didn’t betray you.”

  Jared shrugged. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. He’s not who I thought he was.”

  “I know,” I murmured. “Now your friend, Marcus, on the other hand, knew. He tried to flee but the cops caught him.”

  A look of disgust passed across his face. “I just don’t know how I couldn’t see it. Makes me sick. What hurts me the most is knowing you though
t I had something to do with what happened to you. You know I care about you.”

  The pain was clear on his face and it made my chest ache. I grabbed his hand and squeezed. “It was hard not to think you might be involved, when one of your best friends was the one who abducted me. Not to mention, your father knew what was going on.”

  He nodded. “I understand. In fact, I wasn’t sure if you were going to come see me or not. You haven’t returned any of my calls.”

  “Things have been a little hectic outside of here. Ian and my father thought it’d be best if I laid low until the press conference. After I leave here, that’s where I’m going.”

  “I’ll be watching,” he replied sadly. “I don’t even know what all Daniel did to you.”

  I shook my head. “Nothing I couldn’t handle. I got away from him before they could touch me or hunt me.”

  “Thank fucking God. I don’t know what I’d do if you were dead. What are you going to do now that you’re free?”

  Swallowing hard, I looked right into his bright blue eyes. “I’m going to find another job. I hope you understand.”

  “Of course, I do. And just so you know, I’m selling the hotel. I don’t want any part in it.”

  “What?” I gasped. “Where are you going to go?”

  “Somewhere far away from here, so I can start over. I mean, how could I build my legacy off blood money?” He shook his head. “No. I don’t want any part of it.”

  “When are you going to leave?” I asked, eyes burning from unshed tears.

  He squeezed my hand and let go. “As soon as I can. I need to get away from here.”

  “What about Daniel? He’s still out there.”

  “I’m not afraid of him. If he comes after me, so be it. I’m just glad you have someone who can protect you.”

  A light knock sounded on the door and Ian stuck his head in. “It’s time to go.”

  I stood and tried to smile. “Take care of yourself, Jared.”

  “You too. I’ll stay in touch.”

  “You better.” Ian opened the door and I waved to Jared, before he shut the door behind me. “When this press conference is over, I’m going to need help to relax.”

  He smiled mischievously. “Don’t worry, buttercup, I think that can be arranged.”

  Grace

  Two weeks had come and gone, and it was time to fly all the way across the states to North Carolina. Ian had bought us tickets because he wanted me to meet his family. The plan was to stay out there for almost a month.

  “Have you ever been to North Carolina?” Ian asked, as we were pulling into the long-term parking lot at the airport. When I shook my head, he patted my leg. “You’ll love it. I’ll take you for a tour.”

  I started to open the car door when my phone rang. Holding up a finger to Ian, I stayed in my seat. “Hey, Dad.”

  “Hey, sweetheart. I guess you’re about to head out to Charlotte soon, huh?” His voice was off, like something was wrong.

  “Yep. We just pulled up at the airport. Are you okay?”

  He sighed. “Not really. I have bad news.” I switched over to speaker so Ian could hear.

  “What is it?” My chest tightened and a nagging feeling of panic settled in my gut.

  “The body in the woods wasn’t Daniel’s. It looks like the man was murdered and mutilated to make it look like it could be Daniel. The victim is Steven Sharp, a banker from Iowa who came out this way for a weekend hiking trip. Unfortunately, he was in the wrong place.”

  I felt sick. “What do we do now?”

  “We keep searching, sweetheart. Until then, be on your guard. I didn’t want to tell you while you’re headed on vacation, but I felt you needed to know.”

  “Thanks, Colton,” Ian said. “She’ll be safe with me and my family.”

  “I know, son. Thank you once again. Be safe out there, you two. I’ll see you when you get back.”

  “Bye, Dad.” I hung up and blew out a frustrated breath. “I seriously thought we were going to be able to put this behind us.”

  Ian rubbed my shoulder. “We will soon, I promise. Daniel can’t hide forever.”

  I sure as hell hoped not.

  A month had passed by quickly, as we’d decided to take a vacation to visit his family in North Carolina. Taking our time, we traveled from the mountains, to the east coast. Feeling the sand on my feet and smelling the salty, sea air had been my favorite. I’d ended up meeting his entire family on our first day in Charlotte, including his famous sister-in-law. Talk about being nervous.

  Jared had given all his employees severance packages for closing the hotel, which gave them enough money to search for new jobs for a few months. My package was larger than the others. I hadn’t wanted to take the money, but he’d assured me it was money that came in after I became marketing manager. Even though I had enough money to last a couple of years, finding a job was still pertinent.

  “What are you thinking about?” Ian asked. He squeezed my hand and pulled me closer. The moon shone across the ocean, making the sea look magical. I was going to miss our nightly walks on the beach.

  I looked up at him, loving the way the moon highlighted his face. “Finding a job,” I admitted truthfully. “I’ve loved our vacation time, but eventually, we’ll have to get back to the real world.”

  “I know,” he agreed. “What did Jared say when you talked to him today?”

  I shrugged. “He’s moving to Florida at the end of the month. His mother’s moving too. He said she’s too scared to walk out of the house, for fear of people shaming her. I guess I can’t blame her.”

  Ian put his arm around me. “It’s for the best they leave. I would too if I was in their position.”

  “It sucks that I spent so much time and effort at that hotel, just to see it go down.”

  Squeezing me tight, he leaned over and kissed the side of my head. “I know, buttercup. But I have no doubt you’ll find another job and kick ass at it.”

  “I hope so.” We walked back to the beach house we’d rented, and washed the sand off our feet under the outdoor shower. “Want to drive down to see the wild horses tomorrow?” I asked. We’d gone so far as to rent a four-wheel drive Jeep Wrangler so we could drive on the sand.

  “Sure. And this time, we’ll take pictures.”

  I smacked my head. “Don’t even bring that up. I feel like an idiot for not bringing the camera last time.” Chuckling, he opened the back door and the cool blast of the air conditioner made me shiver. “I think I might take a quick, hot shower. I’m freezing and need to warm up.”

  He locked the door. “I can help you with that.”

  “Oh yeah, what’d you have in mind?”

  Grabbing my hand, he led me toward the bedroom. “Come and see.”

  When we got into the bedroom, he pulled me into his arms, his tongue pushing past my lips as he kissed me. “This is a good start,” I giggled, pulling him onto the bed with me.

  He gripped the hem of my skirt. “Your clothes need to come off, now.”

  His piercing gaze had me frozen on the bed, but I kept my eyes on his as he slowly slid my skirt down to the floor. Gently, he glided his hands up and down my arms, skimming my breasts as he took off my shirt and bra.

  “You are so beautiful, Grace,” he whispered before locking his lips around one of my sensitive nipples.

  I gasped as he sucked it into his mouth, swirling his tongue around my heated flesh. Instantly growing wet at his torture, I arched my back off the bed to move closer to his lips. He moaned and cupped my other breast, massaging it feverishly with his rough hands. Ever so slowly, he moved down my body, trailing kisses over my bare stomach as he removed my underwear.

  He spread my legs apart and rubbed my inner thighs, making me jump in response. His warm breath caressed my opening as he spread me further. A deep growl rumbled in his chest as he pushed a finger inside me. Tilting my head back, I hissed and bit my lip as I savored what his fingers were doing to my body.

  �
��I’m going to make you come this way,” he growled huskily. His tongue flicked across my swollen clit and desire shot like flames through my body. “That’s right, baby. I want to taste what my touch does to you, and watch your face as I do it.”

  As soon as he said that, he pushed another finger inside me and lowered his tongue to my clit, swirling it around and making me groan in pleasure. His fingers pumped inside as his mouth licked and sucked. I was so close to losing control. My orgasm rapidly approached, and when I tried to pull back, he held me down.

  “Oh my God . . .” I breathed, moaning out the words. My hands fisted in his hair and I tugged him closer as the orgasm rocked through my body. He did as he’d said and watched me the entire time I rode the waves of ecstasy; his heated gaze pinned on mine while he tasted my desire.

  Breathing heavily, he slid off the bed and smirked at me while licking his lips. He put his fingers in his mouth and sucked them slowly, never taking his eyes off me. “I will never get enough of this.”

  My eyes traveled down to where his cock pressed against his jeans. He followed my gaze and smirked.

  “You want more, baby?” When I nodded, he unbuttoned his jeans and bent over to slide them off.

  A thumping sound came from outside and I looked past him to the balcony. For a split second, I couldn’t comprehend what I was seeing. But then it came into focus. Staring at us through the glass was Daniel. “Oh my God,” I screamed, rolling off the bed and taking the sheets with me. Hands shaking, I pointed to the glass doors. “Daniel’s out there. I saw him. He’s here!”

  Fire blazed in Ian’s eyes. He yanked up his jeans and rushed over to the nightstand and pulled out his gun, handing mine to me. “If he comes in here. Don’t hesitate.” I nodded, my teeth chattering as ice ran through my veins, chilling me to the bone. “Lock the door behind me.” He took off outside and I locked the door. I fetched my clothes off the floor and put them on, not even caring that my shirt was on backwards.

  There was a lamp lit in the living room, so I turned it off to see outside better. I watched Ian check around the house, but that was when I saw Daniel, running up the street toward a small, black car. I bolted onto the balcony.