Part 5 (1/2)

aWe need to find out why heas decided to show up on their doorstep after all these years,a Grant said, coming to a halt at his office. aDo you think you can try to stretch it out a couple of days? Staying at Brendaas, I mean.a I shrugged. aI can try.a aInvent a story if you have to. Tell them youad only rented your room until the end of the month or something. Make it seem like you donat have any place to go right now. I seriously doubt shead tell you no. Not right now anyway.a I couldnat help but laugh. aSeriously? You havenat met Brenda. That woman is a force to be reckoned with.a Grant opened his mouth, surely to give me more ideas or maybe even some advice, but I stopped him by putting my hand on his shoulder and squeezed. aDonat worry, Grant. Iall figure it out.a He dipped his head, lips pulled into a flat line. aI know you will. Just be careful, Aiden. Robert de Fleur is no one to take lightly. Granted, heas just a man, but heas a dangerous one. Okay?a I let go of his shoulder and took a step back. aIam gonna grab my stuff and head back to the coffee shop.a Iad only made it a few steps down the hall when Grant called out to me. aIall be stopping in at Brendaas tonight to talk with her. Maybe sheall tell me something to help the case along faster.a I thought about that for a second. aMaybe, but then again, youare a stranger to her so she might just clam up.a aTrue, but if that happens, the responsibility will fall to you. See ya in a little bit,a he said, disappearing back into his office.

It took me only a few minutes to pack my bag, being sure to not only pack the essentials, but extra ammunition too.

Iad just pulled the strap of my bag over my shoulder when Nadia rapped softly on my door and came in.

aAll packed?a she asked, even though she saw my bag on my shoulder.

aYeah, I was just heading out. Whatas up?a Her eyes glittered with a secret as her mouth pulled into a large grin. aI just got off the phone with Jared. He called to tell us that Mark and Paige are getting married.a aMarriedaa I repeated, letting a smile similar to hers bloom. aWell, Iall be d.a.m.ned.a aAnyway, I just wanted to tell you before you headed out,a she said, turning to leave.

aWhen?a I thought to ask before she got out the door.

aWhena? Oh, the date? Jared said that Mark and Paige refuse to get married without you guys, so theyare waiting to get in touch with everyone. Theyad like to get married at the cabin.a Her lips moved into a frown, briefly, but she schooled her features. aI guess that means we need to get this b.a.s.t.a.r.d soon.a I watched her leave without further comment. Her parting words sank down into my gut like a lead weight. As happy as I was for Mark and Paige, I was also saddened by the thought that if they were waiting on all of us, they might never get married.

I PARKED BEHIND THE COFFEE shop and shut the car off. Leaning my head back against the headrest, I briefly closed my eyes and gave myself a minute to just be me. Not the Aiden who was an operative for Cole Enterprise. And not the Aiden that Brenda and Airen thought I was. Just me. And I was shocked at the depth of my loneliness.

Whoever had said growing up and becoming an adult was the adventure of a lifetime only had it partially right. Sure Iad spread my wings and gone further than Iad ever thought Iad go, but it had also come with a pretty hefty price. Iad gained a lot, but given up so much more.

A horn blared off in the distance. Snapping my eyes open, I pushed the thoughts back and locked them away. There was nothing that could be done about it. Iad made my choices, and life would continue on no matter how I felt.

I let myself back into the coffee shop, noticing there was no sound coming from the front. That was odd, considering it was the middle of the day.

When Iad left, Kirsten had been milling around, cleaning up when she could.

There was, however, the distinct sound of Brenda and someone else Iad never heard chattering away in her office.

Slowly, I moved down the hall, hoping to catch whatever they were talking about. When I heard my name, I came to a stop, ears alert to listen.

Surely, Brenda had at least heard me close the door. But the two women talked away regardless.

aOch, and to be sure, heas a bonnie lad too!a Brendaas voice rose as the other woman t.i.ttered.

aAye? Well, Airen, it seems to me the only thing amiss to yer American is his halo,a the other lady replied.

Her American?

There was a rustle of movement as if someone were struggling, and then all h.e.l.l broke loose in the form of one very p.i.s.sed-off girl. aHeas no my anything! De ye here me? The two of ye can just keep yer thoughts te yourselves.a They laughed at her.

Brenda tried speaking through her merriment, but it came out in spits and spurts. aAye, tea te be sureaa Her voice pitched and crackled. aBut heas seen ye na naa naked!a aHe what?a the other lady hollered.

aOh, ho! And whose fault was that, Aunt Brenda? Oh, Mum, do be quiet!a Airen sounded at her witas end.

It was time to stop the madness, but Airenas next words halted me. aAnd as for you and yer matchmaking, I willna have it! Iave told ye once already what I thought about it.a She had?

aAye, I ken what ye said. But do ye remember what I said, la.s.s?a Brenda countered her.

I could hear Airenas breathing as she struggled to keep her composure.

aI ken fine what ye said, but Iall no waver. They leave. They always leave!a Enough was enough. I braced myself, eyes closed, and took the two steps that would bring me to the door of Brendaas office. When my eyes snapped open, I realized two things at once. Airen was p.i.s.sed, and she was barreling out the door at me.

I caught her up in my arms as she flailed, sending us tumbling. As I hit the ground, I turned at the last second to keep from falling on her. She shrieked in my ear, landing on my chest hard enough to bruise me. Our heads cracked together with the momentum, making both of us groan at the impact.

I locked my arms around her. One on her shoulder, the other on her hip, keeping her pressed against me in a most favorable position, only it wasnat favorable with two gawking women hovering at the doorway.

Airenas head rested against my chest as she groaned hot against the material of my s.h.i.+rt. aJesus, Mary and Joseph, my head.a I lifted my hand from her shoulder, cradling her head against me as I blinked away the starburst of white dots that exploded behind my eyelids. Iad worry about what her aunt thought when I could stand up.

Airen pushed up as far as she could and slid off me to her knees. Her hands held the sides of her face as she planted her elbows on her legs.

Coming up on one arm, I moved back far enough to lean against the wall. I hadnat been taken down like that since I played high school football. Airen, for as small as she was, would have made one h.e.l.l of a linebacker.

The other lady, standing beside Brenda, bristled as she walked over and kicked me in the thigh. aAnd who do ye think ye are, manhandling my daughter like that?a Oh G.o.d, my head throbbed against the loudness of her voice and the knowledge that the other lady was in fact Airenas mother.

Dragging my hands down my face, I sighed deeply and made myself get up from the floor. I wavered for a second with one hand braced against the wall. When the dots receded and the swaying stopped, I reached down to help Airen to her feet.

She didnat fight me. Much. But she couldnat stand on her own either, so I tucked her against my left side, wrapping my arm around her and sliding my thumb through her belt loop for added measure.

When I knew she wouldnat waver, I stuck my right hand out, introducing myself to her mother. aAiden Jacobsen, maaam. Itas nice to meet you.a Airenas mother looked at my outstretched hand and then over to Brenda, keeping her hands firmly clutched together.

Brenda gave her a stern look, and then turned to smile at the picture Airen and I must have presented. aDid I no tell ye heas a strong, bonnie lad? And more than capable of taking care of a strong-minded la.s.sie, aye?a Airen turned her head into my shoulder. Her hair covered her face as she whispered an apology to me. aIam sorry, Aiden. Theyare like two old hens, aacluckina away.a My fingers tightened briefly against her hip in response. aI think the term is hardheaded. Well, in this case anyway.a Airenas mom was having none of it. She was clearly mad, but I had no idea why until she opened her mouth and unleashed her next words. aAnd what do you mean by taking advantage of Airen like that?a aI donat understandaa I had no idea what she meant. I hadnat done anything but keep from crus.h.i.+ng Airen when we fell.

aShe means,a Airen said, straightening up, but not moving out of my hold, athat Aunt Brenda told her ye saw me naked. Well, no naked, but ye ken what I mean.a The picture of Airen in the bathtub. That was what had her so upset? I didnat have it in me to fight with Airenas mother.

aBrenda, I think you better explain,a I said, trying my hardest to give her a stern look, but failing miserably. It was hard to do with a dull thud rattling inside my head.

Brenda moved out of the way when I pulled Airen closer and stepped forward, intent on getting the both of us to the couch without falling over. Airen moved beside me, against me, as if she were a part of me.

I got Airen to the couch, helping her sit before I plopped down beside her. Brenda handed her a pillow. She tossed it on my lap, laying her head down and closing her eyes.

aPoor la.s.s. Ye finally met someone with a harder head then ye, I dare say,a Brenda said, smoothing back Airenas hair from her face. aAnd yeall have a nice wee lump for show.a I didnat have time to think about the fact that Airenas head was in my lap. Okay, I did, but it wasnat anything to get excited over with the wave of nausea rolling through me. I needed a few minutes of silence and darkness, neither of which would happen with Brenda clucking over the two of us and Airenas mother hissing and glaring at me.

I caught Brendaas hand in mine. aCan you get us both a cold cloth? I donat know about Airen, but Iam about two seconds away from puking my guts out.a As if on cue, Airen rolled over and vomited on my boots. I grimaced, but I kept hold of her so she didnat roll off the couch. That sent Brenda and Airenas mother in motion.

aIall get the cold compresses; ye get the cleaning supplies. Aiden, weall get yer shoes off in a minute. Hang in there, kiddos, weall have ye right as rain in no time.a aTurn off the light, would ye?a Airen gasped as she moved back to put her head on the pillow.

The room went dark and two sets of feet shuffled out, leaving a blissful silence in their wake.

I took slow, shallow breaths to keep the bile from rising further up my throat, but it did no good. Lucky for Airen, I was able to slide out from under her and make it to Brendaas trash can before I threw up.

I could hear Airen gagging in response, retching up what sounded like painful dry heaves. There wasnat a d.a.m.n thing I could do but empty the rest of the contents of my stomach.

The only thing that could have been worse in that moment would be Robert de Fleur showing up. If he did, I wouldnat have been able to do anything about it.

That p.i.s.sed me off. Enough so that I forced myself to ignore the fact that I probably had a minor concussion as I unlaced my boots and toed them off. Holding the trash can in one hand and my boots in the other, I made my way out of the office into the hallway, wincing against the light. There was no way in h.e.l.l Iad let anyone clean up after me.

In the bathroom, I cleaned out the garbage can, gagging the entire time, and dried it with a handful of paper towels. Setting it down on the floor, I bent over the sink and stuck my mouth under the running water, swished, and then spit to get the horrid taste out.

I felt a little better after that and bent to the task of cleaning up my boots and rinsing my socks. My pants, however, were splattered with vomit and would need to be changed.

Rolling the bottom of my jeans up, I made my way to the car and grabbed a new pair of pants, socks, and my tennis shoes.

By the time Iad made it back to Brendaas office, theyad cleaned up the floor and had Airen stretched out on the couch.