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A guard announces that our time is up and to say our good-byes, and I feel like I’m drowning. Walls are crumbling down around me and there’s nothing I can do about it. Everything’s imploding.
“I’m telling you, finding that man will be the worst mistake you’ve ever made.” Aiden tries to convince Luke in a last-ditch effort.
But Luke’s mind is made up; he’s set on finding Anthony. “I get that you guys are her found family, but I’m blood, and so is he. Our mom’s dead, and if I get the chance to reunite Anna with another blood relative, then I think she deserves the opportunity to get to know him. If I get out, all my time will be devoted to finding him. For Anna.”
A guard comes over to our table and hauls Luke up. “I’d appreciate it if you guys didn’t tell Anna anything. I don’t want to give her any false hope before I can actually find him.”
I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell Anna,I scream at him in my head, but he’s already gone, pulled back through the door and handcuffed, leaving Aiden and me sitting on the metal bench, too stunned to realize just how royally screwed I am.
The ride home is tense to say the least.
If Luke gets out, he’s going to hand deliver me to the guy devoting himself to hunting me down. All of this will have been for nothing. I’ll be served up on a platter for Tony to devour at his leisure.
Aiden’s jaw is clenched and his knuckles are white from gripping the steering wheel.
I can’t believe everything I’ve been working to protect is all about to be torn away from me. I don’t want to leave, but at this point, it won’t even matter if I do. I’m leaving to keep my friends safe from Tony, but if we set Luke free, he’s going to personally invite Tony into their lives.
“What are you thinking about?” I ask Aiden once I can’t take the silence anymore.
He takes a moment before he answers. “A lot of stuff.”
“Me too.” My mind is all over the place.
“Don’t you think,” he starts, choosing his words carefully, “that it’s odd you ended up here?”
I don’t follow his question. “In the car?”
“No. Here. In King City. With Anna.”
It is a huge coincidence.
He continues. “Out of all places you could’ve been relocated to, they put you here, in King, where the man you’re running from’s daughter happens to be? Everything started because he was obsessed with the death of his daughter, and here you are, best friends with his other daughter? It’s all just a little convenient if you ask me.”
I connect the dots he’s laying out. “You think they put me here on purpose?”
Aiden’s jaw ticks. “It’s just way too coincidental.”
After everything I’ve gone through, would Agent Dylan actually do that to me? Put me somewhere Tony has a vested interest in? The wheels in my mind spin.
“You know,” I start, “when I called Agent Dylan yesterday morning, something felt off. He was being really vague. I couldn’t figure out why I felt so weird about that whole phone call, but if what you’re saying is true . . .” My thoughts drift off. Are they actually planning on relocating me? He didn’t seem all that worried by the video, and relocating me didn’t seem like it was too urgent. “It felt like he was stalling.”
Aiden’s grip tightens on the steering wheel before he moves a hand to shift gears.
“Maybe they’re stalling because they want him to find you.” He scowls. “I did some searching on Tony, you know, and there’s public outcry for him to be found. He shot at the cops. He killed a security guard at the mall. People are mad he hasn’t been found yet, and every time something new about his past comes to light, it puts more pressure on them to catch him. Maybe they can’t offer you up to him as bait legally, but why not plant you somewhere in case he happens to find out about Anna and comes to check her out?”
My stomach sinks and I slump back in the seat. The trees blurring by my window become even more unfocused. Would they really do that to me? Dangle me in shark-infested water as bait? Sure, they didn’t handcuff me to a giant neon sign with arrows that says “Hey! Remember me, Tony? I’m right here!” but they left a trail of bread crumbs to that sign.
“You sound like a conspiracy theorist,” I say without much conviction.
Aiden glances at me. “Our government’s done worse things.”
If that’s true, is there really anyone I can trust? If they want Tony to find me here, isn’t my presence here even more risky? I’m putting everyone in danger. No matter what I do, I keep grasping for a lifeline that’s just out of reach. How can I take control of this situation? Should I tell Luke the truth? Or leave before Luke gets a chance to contact Tony? At least if I’m not here, Tony won’t know I’m friends with everyone and won’t hurt anyone? Is that grasping at straws? I need to do something.
“I know what you’re thinking, and I don’t like it,” Aiden says, his muscles rigid.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I reply innocently, unable to look at him.
Aiden takes his eyes off the road for a few seconds to scan my face. “You’re thinking that you’re putting us all in danger and we’d be better off if you left.”
Is he reading my mind? How does he always do that?
He answers my thoughts again. “I know you, Thea, and it’s written all over your face.”
“Can you blame me, Aiden? Luke might as well just kill me himself if he invites Tony here. Plus you guys will be in the cross fire and I couldn’t stand it if—”
My body jerks as Aiden suddenly pulls over on the deserted road and hits the brakes, then shifts the car into Park. He turns in his seat to face me, the emotion and intensity in his eyes hitting me at full force and stealing the air from my lungs.
“You are not going anywhere before you need to. I literally just talked you off the ledge the other day. Let’s talk this through and not do anything rash.”
“But him seeing me in a video is way less risky than him actually coming here! And now that risk is double because of Anna! Why are you so adamant about putting yourself in danger? Just associating with me is a huge risk.”
Aiden’s voice is determined when he says, “Listen to me, Thea. You almost died because of me. My father basically ordered a hit on you.” He looks away from me for a second, as if collecting his thoughts. Tenderness and vulnerability are in his voice and written all over his face when he speaks next.
“Thinking that I almost lost you, that you were in danger because of me, is probably the worst I’ve ever felt in my whole life.”
My heart is breaking. Aiden is always so strong and confident and larger than life that it’s easy to forget that he can be vulnerable too. I want to hug him and kiss him and reassure him, but I need to stay strong to get my point across.
“So you know exactly what I’m going through!”
Aiden doesn’t hesitate. “I’d rather be in your life knowing there’s a risk of danger than lose you completely.”
I’ve died and gone to heaven and have been reborn as someone lucky enough to have Aiden Parker look at me the way he is right now.
“Aiden . . .”
“You could’ve left me,” he continues. “You could’ve left me right then and there and no one would’ve blamed you. You know all the death threats I get every single day. You know my father’s still out there, smiling for the cameras. You know he still hates me, and you know he could still hurt you to get to me. Hell, he even sent me a threat on my birthday saying exactly that. But you still stuck around. Not only do you have Tony to worry about, but now Andrew too. And you never even considered leaving because of me.”
“The thought never even crossed my mind,” I confess softly.
“I could tell you to leave to get away from Andrew, but honestly, when do you ever listen to me anyway?”
He chuckles at the last part and a small smile tugs at my lips. He brushes my hair behind my ear and rests his hand on my cheek.
“You’re putting yourself at risk to be here for me. Let me do the same for you. I can’t lose you, Thea.”
It’s the break in his voice that gets to me, almost tears me in two. I kiss him, wishing I was able to scramble over the center console, desperate to be near him, to get closer.
“You’re not going anywhere,” he says against my lips, his grip tightening on my waist. “And nothing is going to happen to you. If you’re really in danger and need to leave, I’ll be the first damn person packing your bags and shipping you off, but Luke can’t do anything from where he is, and Agent Dylan knows about the video. Let’s just slow down. We’ll figure it out. Together.”
I don’t know how, but the conviction in his voice is sure and strong and reassuring. This is Aiden. He can do anything. I nod, words escaping me as my mind is consumed with all things Aiden.
“I love you,” I tell him between kisses, feeling it with all of my soul.
My universe is whole when he whispers against my lips, “I love you, too, Thea.”
