Aiden ~ Melanie Moreland

by Moreland, Melanie

  I worked away, stopping when Dee called.

  “How’s it going?”

  I grinned into the phone. “Living the dream.”

  She chuckled. “Did you eat all your soup?”

  “No, I’ll finish it tonight. I spent the day with Emmy yesterday after work.”

  “Have fun?”

  “Yes. We watched movies, ate popcorn, just hung out.”

  “Was . . . ?” Her voice trailed off.

  “No. Just Emmy and me.”

  “Okay.”

  “How is it there?”

  She sighed. “Awful. The case starts tomorrow, and my phone will be on silent most of the time. I’ll check in when I can.” I heard a voice behind her, and she told them she would be right there.

  “I have to go. They just brought in dinner, and we’re going to eat and work.”

  “Okay.”

  “Love you.”

  “Right back at you.”

  She hung up, and I realized I hadn’t thanked her for cleaning my room. I sent off a quick text.

  My room looks awesome. The bed is like a magazine spread.

  Hours later, I woke up, blinking and confused. Once again, I had fallen asleep on the sofa. My phone lay on the floor, and I realized I must have knocked it off the arm of the sofa. Dee had returned my text, and I read it as I walked down the hall to my room.

  LOL. Did my absence inspire you to clean your room? Lord knows, I would never enter the inner sanctum and disturb your system. You’ll have to send me a picture. I can’t remember the last time you even made your bed. I need proof!

  I stared at the screen, confused.

  Dee hadn’t cleaned my room?

  Standing in the doorway, I flicked on my light, my confusion morphing into terror.

  I hadn’t slept in my bed since Dee left. I kept falling asleep on the sofa. Hours earlier, it had been pristine and smooth.

  Now, on the wrinkled duvet, was the imprint of a body where someone had sat, clearly outlined.

  Someone had been in the apartment, with me, while I slept.

  I panicked as my eyes darted frantically around the room, expecting to see an intruder, except the room was empty. Still, they had been in the apartment, moving around freely, touching my things, sitting on my bed in my room. They might still be there.

  I thought of all the strange occurrences lately. Everything I had blamed on my exhaustion and state of mind.

  Except, it wasn’t me. Someone else was doing it all to me.

  My heart rate was so loud and fast, it echoed in my head.

  I turned and ran.

  Emmy sat close, rubbing my shoulders through the blanket she had draped over me. I had run out of my apartment, grabbing only my jacket, purse, and shoes, barely stopping to put them on in my fear. Once I got to the main road, I hailed a cab and went to Bentley’s place. I called on the way, frantic and incoherent. Bentley met the cab outside, and Emmy took me inside the house while he dealt with the driver.

  They sat with me, and I told them everything. The missing items, the times I found my door open, my locker, all of it. How I had been worried that it was me—that I was becoming like my mother—and the horrible realization that someone had been in my apartment, probably more than once. When I told them about realizing that, and the fact that someone could even still be there, Bentley shook his head and Emmy grasped my hand.

  “You should have called the police,” Bentley admonished.

  “I-I didn’t think. I just panicked and had to get out of there.”

  “I understand. I’m sure they’re gone now.” He gentled his voice. “Finish your story.”

  They listened, Bentley asking me questions on occasion.

  “Have you called Dee?”

  “No, it’s the middle of the night there. I feel bad enough about showing up here. I didn’t know where else to go.”

  My first instinct had been to go to Aiden, but I wasn’t sure of my welcome there.

  “You did the right thing. We still need to call the police, though,” Bentley stated.

  “What can they do now?”

  “They’ll check for similar cases, make a list of your missing items, sweep your apartment. You’ll need the locks changed as well.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Aiden would know the best steps to take.”

  “Please, Bentley, no. Don’t involve Aiden. I can’t-I can’t . . .” I swallowed around the lump in my throat.

  He leaned forward, holding my hands. “He would want to help, Cami.”

  “I’m sure this is nothing. I mean, if they were going to hurt me, they could have, several times. In fact, maybe next time, they’ll clean the whole place,” I joked, desperate to stop him picking up his phone and calling Aiden.

  “This isn’t a laughing matter. This is a scary situation,” he reproached me. “There is no one I trust more than Aiden. No one who would know the right steps to take and make sure everything was handled properly better than he would.”

  “No,” I pleaded. “I’ll call the police, and I’ll have the locks changed. Maybe I can stay here for a couple of days and get some sleep. I don’t want him involved.” I grasped Bentley’s hand. “Promise me you won’t tell him.”

  He stood, looking down at me. “I can’t promise you that, Cami. Your safety is on the line, and you came to me for help. Changing the locks and ignoring this is not the answer. There is something disturbing going on, and I won’t allow you to let your personal pride get in the way.” He patted the top of my head as though I were a child. “You mean too much to Emmy, and to me. Let me handle this the best way I know how, and trust that I won’t let anything happen to you, or allow Aiden to upset you. However, if anyone can get to the bottom of this quickly, he can.”

  I looked at Emmy, who grasped my hand. She was pale and worried, beseeching me with her eyes to listen to Bentley.

  “Okay,” I whispered, hating the fact but knowing he was right.

  “Good girl,” he praised. “I’m going to shower and figure out the next step. You go up to your room and try to get some rest. You look as if you might fall down at any moment. Emmy, baby, you go with her. You’re both safe here. I’ll be back in a little while, and we’ll talk, okay?”

  I suddenly felt exhausted.

  “Thank you, Bentley.”

  He leaned down and brushed a kiss to my forehead. “You’re part of my family now, Cami. No thanks are needed.”

  Aiden

  I STARED AT the document in front of me, unable to focus. I didn’t even bother to try to decipher the words today. Turning in my chair, I looked outside into the city. It had been raining for days, the skies heavy and oppressive.

  Much like my mood.

  I turned back around, using my finger to push the pages around the top of my desk. Up, down, right, left. Aimless. Groaning, I shoved them hard, not caring that the pages scattered to the floor. I let my head fall back, shutting my eyes.

  I was exhausted. Night after night of restless, broken sleep. Nightmares, rampant thoughts, the burning image of Cami’s pain-filled eyes as she walked away from me in the parking lot. Her stubborn bravery in showing up for the self-defense lesson, her body rigid with tension while she attempted to act nonchalant so no one would be uncomfortable, even though she had suffered the most.

  Because of my issues. My behavior.

  I sighed, lifting my head. Bentley was in my office doorway, talking on the phone. He glanced at me, brow furrowed, as he dropped his eyes.

  “Okay, Freddy. Good idea. Yes, let her sleep.” He listened for a moment. “Aw, baby, that’s very thoughtful of you. Frank will be there when you’re ready.”

  Our eyes met again, and with another frown, he turned on his heel and went down the hall. I heard Maddox’s door shut, and with a shrug, I leaned back, shutting my eyes again. The same odd, disconnected feeling I had been experiencing lately swept over me. For the first time ever, I didn’t care what Bentley wanted or needed from me. I couldn’t give a shit about the docum
ent I was supposed to read and discuss with him or the fact that he was having a private conversation with Maddox. Normally, I would have jumped up and gone to see what was going on, but I couldn’t find it in me to care.

  I swung my chair around, staring aimlessly out the window. I didn’t seem to care about anything these days. Everything was too much—and not enough. I felt as if I had lost something, yet I had no idea what it could be.

  “Liar,” whispered the voice in my head. “You know exactly what you lost.”

  I refused to listen.

  “Aiden.”

  I turned my chair, surprised to see both Bentley and Maddox in front of me. My office door was now shut. Annoyance seeped into my lethargic brain.

  “If the two of you are here on some sort of intervention, you can show yourselves back out.”

  Bentley shook his head and leaned on my desk.

  “Stop the pity party and shut up.”

  I raised my eyebrow, but stayed silent.

  “I need to talk to you about something important. But I need you to stay calm and focused.”

  “I couldn’t be calmer if I tried,” I mocked him, reclining back in my chair.

  He slammed his hand on my desk. “I need head-of-my-security Aiden right now, not the half dead idiot you’ve been acting like the past few days. Get your head out of your fucking ass, and listen to me. I have a situation, and the only person who can help is you.”

  His voice and words caught my attention. I sat straighter. “What’s going on?”

  Maddox moved, standing beside me, not fooling me for one second with his laid-back attitude. He leaned against the wall, dropping his hand to my shoulder with a squeeze. “Calm, Aiden.”

  I met Bentley’s gaze. “Tell me.”

  “It’s Cami.”

  Instantly, it was all gone. The lethargy, the disconnect—vanished. Every nerve in my body lit up, and I stood abruptly, sending my chair flying back. “What?”

  “She’s in trouble. I think she might be in danger.”

  I leaned on the desk, my hands curled into fists. I met his serious gaze.

  “Tell me everything. Don’t leave out a single fucking detail. Not one.”

  I walked up the steps at Bentley’s, anxious and twitching. Emmy met me, looking tired and stressed.

  “Hey. Is she asleep?”

  “Finally. I spoke to Dee, and she suggested a Gravol. She said they always knocked her out. It worked.”

  “How is Dee?”

  “Upset. Concerned. She wanted to fly home right away, but I told her we’d look after Cami and call her later.”

  “Good idea.”

  “Is Frank downstairs?”

  “Yes, he’s waiting for you.” I smiled at her. “You don’t have go to Al’s to get donuts.”

  “Al’s fritters are Cami’s favorite. I thought she’d like one when she wakes up.” She wrung her hands. “I want to do something, and that’s all I can think of. He made some special for her.”

  “They’re awesome, and I’m sure she’ll like them.” I patted her shoulder. “You are doing something, Emmy. You’re here for her, and now she’s safe.”

  She stepped forward, her voice low and concerned. “You’ll make sure she stays that way, right?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Okay. I’ll be back in an hour.”

  “We’ll be here.”

  I watched her hurry away, and I climbed the steps to the bedrooms. I knew where I was headed. She was here so often, Bentley referred to it as “Cami’s room.” The door was open, and I went inside cautiously. The blinds were down, but there was a small lamp on in the corner. Cami had her body curled up on the bed, facing the door, one hand tucked under her cheek as she slumbered. I could see she had been weeping, the evidence of dried tears on her face. Her hair was a mass of dark waves spread out on the pillow.

  She wasn’t a tiny woman like Emmy, who made me feel like a giant when I stood next to her. Cami stood about 5’7”, which was more than average for a woman, though she still was a foot shorter than I was. She was lush and curvy and kept herself in great shape. She seemed to hold herself taller, refusing to back down from anything or anybody. With her forward personality, she always seemed strong and capable. Yet, at the moment, curled up and tucked under a blanket, she looked small and vulnerable. Defenseless.

  I crouched beside the bed, scrutinizing her closely. Even as she slept, I could see her fear. It was in the way her hand clutched the blanket, the slight frown on her face, and how she huddled into herself. Unable to resist, I reached out and wrapped a long strand of hair around my finger. Today, her hair was untouched, the strands a dark chestnut against my skin. Carefully, I stroked her head, needing to offer her some sort of comfort. After a few moments, her eyes blinked open, her gaze unfocused.

  “Aiden?”

  “I’m here, Sunshine.”

  Tears filled her eyes. “I’m sorry they bothered you. I didn’t want Bentley to involve you.”

  “Shh,” I crooned. “He did the right thing. I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.” Her hand reached for mine, and I entwined our fingers. “Everything is going to be okay.”

  “Emmy phoned Dee.” She sighed. “She’s really upset.”

  “I’ll call her later.”

  “She’s mad I didn’t tell her what was happening.”

  “Why didn’t you tell her? Or Emmy?”

  She sat up, wrapping her arms around herself, her fingers constantly clasping and unclasping. “I thought it was me, Aiden. I thought I was forgetting things—moving items and losing things.” She met my confused gaze. “My mom did that a lot. When she was depressed or began having one of her manic episodes, she couldn’t concentrate. I-I was afraid I was starting to show signs of being like her.”

  She was very agitated and upset; I had to do something. I sat beside her, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. Her head fell to my chest, fitting naturally in the spot below my chin.

  “And?” I prompted gently.

  “I haven’t been myself the past while, and all I could think about was my mom. It started for her in her twenties. What if I was becoming a manic-depressive like her? How would Dee handle it? What would that mean to my life?” she confessed. “Then at other times, it seemed silly. People forget. Everyone goes through bad times.” She plucked at the edge of the blanket. “I guess I didn’t want to say it out loud because it scared the hell out of me. I hoped it would blow over.”

  “I wish you had said something. Even to me.”

  “I wanted to. This week after the umbrella incident, I wanted to call you, but . . .”

  I pulled her closer. “I’m sorry you didn’t feel you could.”

  She tilted her head back. “What happens now?”

  I smoothed her hair away from her face. “I’ve already been to your place with a detective friend I know at the police department. We looked around, but we couldn’t see anything out of place. No one was there. He dusted for prints, so your place is covered in black powder. I’m going back later to meet my locksmith guy to have the locks changed. There is zero security around there, by the way. No cameras, no intercom, and how long has the front door lock been broken?”

  She shrugged with a sad smile. “Most of the time we’ve lived there. They fix it, and a few days later, it’s broken again.”

  I huffed. That was going to change if she was going to keep living there.

  “I want to look at your locker. Bent said things have gone missing from there too?”

  “Yes.”

  Rushed footsteps brought me to my feet. Emmy hurried into the room, her color high.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Louisa,” she gasped out.

  “What about her?” Cami asked.

  “I just saw her at Al’s. She was sitting in the corner and looked . . . strange, so I went over to talk to her.”

  “What did she say?”

  Emmy shook her head. “It wasn’t what she said, Cami. She seeme
d agitated, and she kept pushing her hair back. I didn’t notice at first, but then I saw it.”

  Cami leaned forward. “Saw what?”

  “She was wearing your leather cuff, Cami. The one I gave you that you thought you lost.”

  “What?” Cami asked, shocked, sitting back against the headboard.

  “Did you ask her about it?” I demanded.

  “No. I didn’t want to spook her. I told her I had to go, and as I turned, I saw something else. Your umbrella was on the chair beside her.”

  She stepped closer, her gaze fixed on Cami. “It’s her. She’s the one taking your things and doing this to you.”

  “Kershaw is the last name, Reid.” I spelled out the name. “I think she’s Cami’s age. I don’t have much other information until I talk to the school, not that I expect them to give me much.”

  Reid chuckled. “Don’t waste your time. I’ll be into their system and have all the information before you can even get there to see them.”

  “I only want info on her. Don’t be poking around in the private files.” I caught Cami’s eye and sent her a wink, desperate to make her smile. “Unless you can dig into Cami’s grades and give her A-plusses all around.”

  He laughed, and Cami lifted her lips in a half smile that didn’t reach her eyes. She was incredibly disturbed, thinking Louisa had been in her apartment, taking her things, and touching her personal items. She had confirmed Louisa had been in her apartment as a guest, but only a couple of times with her group from school. I reminded her that was all she needed to grab one of the spare keys Cami kept by the door.

  “Just her information, especially address and phone. Snag her parents’ information too, if it’s in there. Any family stuff.” I turned my back, lowering my voice. “This is your priority, you understand?”

  Reid’s voice was serious when he responded. “I know, Aiden. I’ll work on this now and get back to you as soon as I have something. I know how important this is to you.”

  “Be careful.”

  He snorted. “Not an issue.”

  I hung up and turned back to Cami. She sat at the dining room table, a blanket draped over her shoulders. Bentley and Maddox had shown up, and Bentley sat beside Emmy, his arm around her. Maddox was across from Cami, urging her to eat something. Striding over, I pulled out the chair beside her and poured a cup of coffee. I reached into the bag for a fritter, tearing it in half. I handed it to her, arching my eyebrow at her in silence.