Aine wanted to slap the condescension seeping from her sister right off of her face. If the situations were reversed, Ava wouldn’t have even agreed to come to California. It was easy for her to lecture, now that she was happily married.
“Whatever,” Aine said under her breath.
“Don’t leave in a huff,” said Ava, following Aine to the front door.
“I’ll come back later,” she said, closing the door behind her.
Aine looked up when she heard the sound of the electric front gate opening, wishing she could get down the steps and into the other front door before Striker saw her, but knowing she couldn’t. Instead, she took a deep breath and waited while he parked. The least she could do was say hello, like an adult, as her sister had suggested.
“Hi,” she said when he got out of the car and walked toward her.
“Hi,” he answered, smiling and shaking his head.
Aine’s shoulders tightened. Was he laughing at her? She turned away.
“Wait,” she heard him say before he touched her arm. “Someone told me I was going to see you sooner than I thought I would, and they were right. That’s why I smiled.”
Aine folded her arms, not knowing how to respond.
“This isn’t easy for either of us, Aine, but I’d really like it if we could be friends.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
“I’m sorry about the way our last conversation ended.”
What could she say? Her only regret was that they’d talked at all.
“Aine?”
“What, Striker?”
He raised his eyebrows. She’d only ever called him Griffin. “I mean it. I want to be your friend.”
“I can’t do this.”
When he reached out to touch her arm a second time, she shrugged away and punched the code into the keypad on the door. It clicked and she went inside, forcing herself not to look back. If she did, she’d say something she’d regret, or worse, throw her arms around him and beg him to take her back.
When the door closed behind her, she leaned against it and took a deep breath. Could she do this, or should she get on the next plane back to Oregon?
After thirty minutes, she decided her sister was right; she was behaving like an adolescent.
“Hey,” she said, walking back into the kitchen where Ava was feeding Sam.
“Uh, hi,” Ava answered, doing a lousy job of hiding the surprise in her voice.
“You were right. Striker and I dated, and now we’re not, and I need to get over it.”
Her sister raised an eyebrow.
“Don’t. Just accept that I intend to fake it until I make it, and I could use your support.”
“You’ve got it.” Ava set the spoon down on the counter out of Sam’s reach and hugged her. “Sorry about the tough love.”
“I needed to hear it.”
“Want to take Sam into town and do some shopping?”
“Absolutely.” Aine loved the many mom-and-pop shops and restaurants in the seaside village. “Maybe we could have lunch too.”
“I’ll go tell Tabon.” Ava took Sam out of the highchair and handed him to her.
“Hey, big boy,” Aine said, kissing his cheek. Sam rested his head on her shoulder, and serenity ran the length of her body. She never dreamed she could love someone as much as she loved her nephew.
“Striker is downstairs,” Ava told her when she came back up.
“I saw him.”
“Oh.”
“It was fine, Ava. Like you said, no big deal.” It actually had been a big deal, but she had no intention of admitting it.
Ava touched the tip of Sam’s nose with her finger. “Ready to go shopping?”
Sam smiled and reached for his mother.
As Aine followed them out to the car, she wondered if Striker would still be at the house when they got back.
The village of Cambria was separated into two parts by a long block of open space. Ava suggested they spend the morning on the north side, have lunch, and then spend the afternoon in the southern part of town.
“We should stop by Stave and pick up a bottle of wine before we go back to the house later,” suggested Ava.
“Good idea,” answered Aine, hoping that when they did, they’d see Alex and Peyton.
Alex was married to Doc’s younger brother Maddox, and Peyton was married to another of his brothers, Brodie. Since they both had little ones, they weren’t there very often. The tasting room served wine from Doc’s family’s winery, Butler Ranch, as well as from Alex’s family’s Los Caballeros. From what Aine understood, they also featured wine from several other regional wineries.
“Don’t forget Christmas is a little over a month away,” Ava reminded her when Aine took full advantage of lavishing presents on her nephew at both the bookshop and toy store. “You could save some of these gifts and give them to Sam then.”
“Or I could come back and buy more.”
Ava smiled and shook her head. “You’re going to spoil him.”
“That’s the idea.”
By the time they came out of the kitchen-gadget store, Aine was starving. “Can we eat at the place next door to the garden shop?”
Ava nodded and answered, “It isn’t Tabon’s favorite, because it’s strictly vegetarian, so I’m all in.”
They sat on the outdoor patio since there were heat lamps, so they could enjoy the restaurant’s lush gardens.
“I want to plant a vegetable garden this year,” Ava told her.
“Where?”
“Good question. I’m not sure how long we’ll be in California.”
“Do you think you’ll be here for Christmas?”
“You say that as though you won’t be.”
“I didn’t plan to be gone that long.”
“But…never mind.”
“Say it, Ava.”
“No offense, but it isn’t like you have anything to get back to.”
“How nice. I guess you’ve forgotten that I have a boyfriend.”
“Is that the only reason you’d go back?”
“Ava, I do have a life of my own.”
The look on Ava’s face mirrored Aine’s insecurities. Outside of dating Stuart, she didn’t do much other than spend time with Ava and Sam.
“I’m going back to school.”
“Why?”
Aine shook her head. “Because I want to.”
“But you hated school.”
“Actually, I didn’t. You did.”
“Yeah, that sounds right. Where would you go?”
“The University of Oregon has a Neuroscience and Behavior graduate program. If I wanted to, I could get my Ph.D. there too.”
“Isn’t the university over two hours from Yachats?”
“Ava, as you said, I don’t have anything ‘to get back to.’” Aine used air quotes to make her point. “It’s time I had a life of my own.”
“You couldn’t commute that far every day.”
Aine sighed. “No, but I could come home on the weekends.”
Ava looked over at Sam, sound asleep in his stroller.
“Your nephew will miss you.”
“He’s four months old, Ava. He doesn’t know whether I’m around every day or not.”
“I do.”
“There will come a time that I don’t live next door to you. Maybe you should start preparing yourself now.” Aine smiled, but Ava didn’t.
“Why did Striker break up with you?”
“Whoa. How did me saying I won’t live next to you all our lives segue into my ex-boyfriend breaking up with me?”
“You never said why.”
“I was too immature and inexperienced for him. Part of it was that I didn’t have a life of my own.”
“He said that?”
“Not those exact words, but he said his life was ‘established’ and mine wasn’t.”
“That’s a pretty shitty thing to say. Your life has been in turmoil since we graduated from Barnard
. Both of our lives have been.”
“It hasn’t stopped you.”
Ava rested her elbows on the table. “I married my bodyguard, Aine. Let that roll around in your head for a couple of minutes.”
Aine laughed when Ava did. That much was true. Her sister’s relationship with her husband had started out with him protecting her.
“Quinn did too,” Ava added, still laughing.
“I hadn’t thought of it that way. Well, see, I never had a bodyguard, so I guess I’ll be single forever.”
“What about Stuart?”
“You mean what about marrying him?”
Ava nodded and Aine shrugged. “It’s awfully early in the relationship for me to think about that.”
“You wouldn’t marry him, though, would you?”
“I just said it’s too soon for me to think about it.”
“But you would’ve married Striker.”
“What’s this about, Ava?”
“All I’m saying is that you were willing to marry Striker—”
“No, I wasn’t.”
“Let me finish. It didn’t work out with Striker, but you could marry Stuart.”
Aine stood and threw her napkin on the table. “Thanks, Ava. I’m twenty-three years old, and my own sister is suggesting that I better latch onto the guy who might be willing to marry me. Way to make me feel even worse about myself.”
“That wasn’t my intention.”
“Whether it was or not, you succeeded.” Aine reached into her purse and pulled out enough money to cover the entire check.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m paying for lunch, and I’m leaving.”
“You’re overreacting.”
“Just because I let you get away with saying something like that once today, doesn’t mean I’m going to allow you to keep doing it. I’m entitled to my feelings, Ava.”
“Are you seriously leaving?”
“Yep. As a matter of fact, it’s time for me to go back to Oregon.”
Aine stormed out of the restaurant and through the parking lot, to the trail she knew led back to Moonstone Beach. The two-mile walk would give her time to blow off steam, although she doubted she’d change her mind about leaving.
Her sister needed to learn that it wasn’t okay for her to tell Aine everything she disapproved of. She was sick of hearing how perfect Ava’s life was compared to hers. Little Miss Judgey could keep her condescending comments to herself since Aine wouldn’t be around to listen.
—:—
“Before we get started, there’s something I need to say.”
“Yeah?”
Striker took a deep breath. “I want to talk about Aine.”
Razor’s eyes were hooded, and by the look on his face, it wasn’t a topic he wanted to broach.
“All I ask is that you hear me out.”
When Razor nodded, Striker proceeded to tell him everything he’d told the woman on the plane.
“I told you a year ago that if you hurt Aine, I’d kill you,” Razor said when he finished talking.
Striker nodded.
“You’re still alive, which means I knew you must’ve had a damn good reason for ending things with her.” Razor scratched his chin. “I don’t think you’re giving her enough credit, though.”
“I’m sure if Aine knew the truth, she would tell me it doesn’t matter, but Razor, it matters to me.”
“How much of what you told her is true?”
Striker hadn’t expected the question. “I don’t know.”
“The part about not wanting to be in a long-term relationship—was that the truth?”
“It doesn’t matter. There are other reasons—”
Razor held up his hand. “I understand that, Striker. What I’m asking is if those other reasons didn’t exist, would you have stayed with Aine? Made a life with her?”
“I don’t know,” he said for the second time.
7
She wasn’t surprised to see Ava’s car in the open garage when she walked up to the duplex, but she was that her sister wasn’t outside, waiting for her.
Aine punched the code into the keypad and opened the front door when the lock clicked. She was almost done packing her stuff when she heard someone knock.
She stalked toward the door and flung it open, ready to tell Ava everything on her mind, but it wasn’t her sister standing on the other side of the threshold; it was Striker.
“Can I come in?”
“I’m in the middle of something.”
“I know.”
“What do you mean you know?”
“Ava told me you two had an argument.”
“Interesting. First my sister doesn’t have enough respect for me to let me live my life the way I want to, now she doesn’t have respect for my privacy either.”
“In her defense—”
“Spare me,” said Aine, attempting to shut the door in his face, but he put his arm out too quickly and came inside.
“She was crying, and when Razor pushed her to tell him why, I overheard.”
“I get it. The bad twin hurt the good twin’s feelings.” She rolled her eyes and folded her arms. “I need to pack. I’m going home.”
“I wish you wouldn’t.”
“You don’t get a say in this.”
He ran his hand through his hair. “I know I don’t have any right to even be talking to you, but I’m going to say what I came over here to tell you anyway.”
“Don’t bother.”
When Aine stalked toward the bedroom, Striker followed.
“Once you get back to Yachats, you’re going to wish you hadn’t left so abruptly. You’re going to feel sorry about your argument with Ava, but your pride won’t let you get on a plane and come back.”
There were countless things Aine wanted to say in response, but he was right. That is exactly how she’d feel. Instead of being vindicated, she’d be lonely and filled with regret, but unable to force herself to say she was sorry and come back.
“Give it some time. If you’re still angry tomorrow, leave.”
She didn’t know why Striker was here, why she was listening to him, or why, when he touched her cheek with his finger, she didn’t pull away.
“I hate to think your anger is because of me.”
“It isn’t. I’m mad at my sister.”
“My guess is because she said something about me.”
“You may think you know everything, but you don’t.”
He grabbed her hand and looked at her wrist. “I know you’re still wearing the bracelet I gave you for Christmas.”
“Only to remind me to return it to you.”
“I don’t believe you.” Striker put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a sheer blue bag. “I got these for you.”
Aine shook her head. “Why?”
“I knew how nice they’d look with your bracelet.”
“Griffin, you can’t—”
“I like hearing you call me that far more than Striker. I want us to be friends, Aine. I want that so much.”
“I don’t,” she said, refusing to take the bag from his hand.
“You’re angry. I get that. But I hope one day you won’t be anymore, and you’ll see that I only want the best for you.” He held the bag out closer to her. “Please accept these. Consider them a peace offering.”
She wanted to take them, but she couldn’t bring herself to. It was as wrong for her to accept gifts from him as it was for him to buy them.
“You should give them to someone else.”
Striker tilted his head and smiled. “If you refuse to take them now, I’ll hang on to them until you’re ready to.”
“You broke up with me. People don’t buy gifts for people they broke up with.”
“Lots of people buy gifts for their friends.”
“You shouldn’t be one of them.”
He looked at his watch. “I’m sorry, but I need to get back. Are you going to stick around?”
&
nbsp; “I haven’t decided yet.”
“Again, I hope you do.”
Her phone buzzed, and she looked at the screen. “I need to take this.”
“Is it the plumber?”
“That’s none of your business.”
—:—
Striker went back downstairs, but Razor wasn’t in the office. He studied the monitor that he had been most of the morning, waiting to see what Ghafor would do next.
It appeared the shipments of arms had slowed, but Striker doubted they’d stop entirely. The amount of ammunition Abdul was stockpiling was alarming. If forced to, he would make arrangements for the CIA to take him out along with the weapons stored on his compound.
Striker would much rather that happened after they found out where Ghafor’s stream of money flowed from, along with what he planned to do with all his newly acquired weapons of mass destruction.
“Is Aine really leaving?” Razor asked, walking back into the office.
“I think I talked her into staying.”
Razor shook his head.
“What?”
“I may not have always been your biggest fan—”
“Thanks.”
“Hear me out. You’re good for Aine. I just wish things had gone differently.”
Striker scowled. “Well, they didn’t. Do you want to get back to work, or should we call it a day?”
Razor laughed. “I don’t miss Gunner as much when you’re around. Wanna know why not?”
“Not particularly.”
“I’ll tell you anyway. You’re just ornery enough that you remind me of him.”
Striker flipped him off and went back to tracking Ghafor’s movement. It looked as though he was leaving the compound. Depending on where he went, this might be the break they needed in order to gain a better understanding of what he was up to.
8
“Hi, Tara,” said Aine, accepting the call. “Did you get my message?”
“I did. Pen and I are so excited to visit. It seems like we haven’t seen you and Ava in forever. I can’t even remember what Quinn looks like. Have you seen her yet?”
“No, but she and Mercer are coming for dinner tonight.”
“They aren’t leaving on another world adventure soon, are they?”
Striker (K19 Security Solutions Book 6) Page 5