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“The sunflower charm has a positioning system in it.”
Ohhh yes. This is déjà vu. Mind you, Tiero did not tell me about the trackers. He put them in my jewelry out of safety concerns, too…. And to always know where I was… bloody control freak. Aiden telling me up front about it makes all the difference. I actually feel cared for and cherished.
“Thank you. That is really thoughtful of you,” I say, leaning across the table to kiss his cheek.
“I also really wanted you to have something from me. So you won’t forget me when I’m gone those next few days.” Ade’s smile is blinding, and he gives my hand a loving squeeze and this time, heat ignites where our skins touch.
“Why are there two bracelets?” I ask, staring at them.
“One is for you and the other is for me.”
That makes me giggle. “So they’re like friendship bracelets?” I quip.
He nods. “Hopefully one day more than just friends… and I don’t mean friends with benefits.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I laugh. “I know, no hanky-panky.”
Aiden laughs with me and then gets up, walking to my side of the table. Taking the necklace from me, he places it around my neck, fastening it in place, and I touch the sunflower charm as it nestles between the top of my breasts. When he’s finished, his hands glide to my shoulders, squeezing them tenderly, before leaning down and placing a kiss on the side of my neck. Goose bumps immediately cover my skin and I forget to breathe.
“Beautiful,” Aiden says with a satisfied grin and then picks up the bracelet and puts it on my right wrist.
To distract myself from the heat of his touch that’s turning my brain to mush, I hold my arm out in front of me and admire the design. It’s simple but stylish, just how I like it.
I then pick up the remaining bracelet and fasten it around Aiden’s wrist. Surprisingly, it doesn’t detract from his masculinity. If anything, it makes him sexier, but that might just be me.
“Do the bracelets have trackers in them as well?” I ask when I finally tear my eyes from Aiden’s.
“Yes, they do.”
“Are you letting me track you?” I ask, a little dumbfounded.
“Of course. If I can track you, you should be able to track me. Fair is fair.”
I’m sure my mouth is hanging open. This is holy unexpected.
“Do you want to set it up?” Aiden asks.
“Hell yes, I do.”
As Aiden sets up both our phones with the tracking app, my thoughts return to Tiero and how he told me he wanted to track me. I mutter to myself, “At least you don’t want to microchip me.”
Aiden’s eyes widen. Of course, he heard. “Is that what De Marco wanted to do with you?”
I nod. “I refused. But he hid trackers in the jewelry I wore. That’s how they were always able to find me. I didn’t work it out until the day I last ran away.”
“You did so well that day. Getting several disguises was very clever,” he says proudly.
“Thank you.” Praise coming from such an experienced campaigner means even more.
“I might have gotten away with it so far, but Tiero swore to always find me, and I believe it’s only a matter of time before he does… even with the plan you guys worked out. He’s got the money and the means to make anything happen.”
“No, Ella. He will not get to you.”
“I love your optimism, I really do, but you can’t foretell the future. Tiero finding me is a real possibility. It could happen at any moment. And when he does, all hell will break loose. I don’t know what he’ll do to me, but if you and I were together, he’ll kill you for sure.And I can’t live with that on my conscience.”
“Lucida, look at me.” When I do, he smiles warmly at me, his eyes shining brightly. “Is that why you’ve been trying to keep me at arm’s length?”
I nod. Isn’t it obvious? Why would I otherwise put myself through this emotional turmoil.
