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"Once he's in, it's just a matter of seconds before he pulls out a PPK with a suppressor," Aiden murmured, imagining Lavender striding into the room and pulling the gun from the holster under his coat. Even if Flanigan heard the door open and reacted, he'd be too slow to outdraw Lavender.
"Pop! Pop! Poof! So long, Eddie Flanigan!" Keira sang with a whimsical twirl. She gasped and waved her hands, ready to share the next part of the tale. "Flanigan's still in bed so allhehas to do is lay him out flat, then start siphoning all the blood into the ice bucket and wastebaskets! It wouldn't take more than half an hour if he brings a syringe and runs lines from the femoral and median cubitals," she mused. Aiden nodded in agreement.
"He proved that he could do that neatly and efficiently in Bisbee. And he'd want neat bundles if he's taking the body with him."
"I'd wrap him up like a mummy in cling wrap before I started cutting, then wrap the pieces afterward. Helps to keep everything nice and tight, like sushi!" She explained. Aiden's face twisted because he found both dismemberment and sushi disgusting.
"Glad I had no plans of ever eatingthatin this lifetime," he muttered.
"I like sushi," she said. Her shoulder bounced casually. "But I don't have the same issues with food textures as you do and I'm not as rigid with my diet," she observed.
"I do not like cold, squishy foods," he said, shivering at the thought. "Could we go back to discussing dead bodies?"
"Happily!" Keira clapped her hands. "We're gonna wrap that body up tight! Not at all like a burrito or a crepe," she said with a wink. Aiden knew that was intended as a joke and rolled his eyes at her.
"I don't eat those things either, butgo on," he said.
"I'd get him wrapped really tight," she continued. "Then, I'd cut him into manageable sections and get those wrapped up well. There're plenty of handheld saws on the market that aren't that much louder than a hotel hairdryer. I bet he's got the sexiest little saw in that suitcase!" She whispered, her eyes wide with delight.
"What?" Aiden asked in confusion, but she just shook her head.
"After that, it's just a matter of how good you are at packing for that trip to the sewage treatment plant. Get all those pieces neatly stowed and you're off!"
Aiden huffed in disgust. "Hecan stroll right into an elevator and past the lobby with Flanigan in a suitcase, leaving nothing behind but a bloody ice bucket and wastebaskets and some spatter on the bedding."
"And not a drop onhimor a hair out of place. Why would anyone take a second glance?" She asked.
"He knows where the cameras are, and he'd be completely invisible if he wears a hat," Aiden added. She sighed dreamily and her gaze was distant.
"Why doesheget to be free, but I have to live in a box and be monitored at all times?"
"Because Flanigan's been almost as much of a headache for the FBI as Winterstone and Frank Leary were. The bureau doesn't want Declan to be collateral damage either because he's an innocent man.AndLavender kills people for money. You killed people to get back at me and then you kidnapped an FBI agent in an attempt to end my life," he reminded her.
"Right," she said, squinting as if she was just recalling the whole episode. "It's probably a good thing I'm in here, then!"
"Probably."
"He doesn't just kill people for money," she said quietly, stepping up to the glass. She rested her temple against it and sighed, sounding forlorn.
Aiden bowed his head in agreement and stepped closer. He leaned, once again almost shoulder-to-shoulder with his sister. "He doesn't, but he's careful and chooses men like Flanigan because he knows the police and the FBI will look the other way."
"I chose victims to get back at you and to scarehim," she said and bit her lip sheepishly. "I can be such a pest."
"You were traumatized and neglected by our father and all the adults in your life abandoned you. Including me," he added. He was sad as he rubbed the glass close to her cheek. She looked so much like him, it still surprised Aiden when he studied Keira's profile or stared into her eyes. Sometimes, it was enough like looking at his reflection that it was disorienting. But she was only twenty-six and the top of her head barely reached his nose. "I wish there was some way I could go back and protect you. I wish I could have taken care of you and made sure you weren't alone."
"I know," she said, smiling softly. "Now."
"I love you." She was part of Aiden now, and he would hurt if they were separated again. He became soangryat his father for keeping them apart and for all the love they'd missed out on. Aiden knew he could have changed the trajectory of Keira's life and that she would have done somethinggood. She wasn't just smarter than her brother, she wasclever,and she was a gifted artist.
"I love you too. And I'm not mad at you anymore. I know you would have been the best big brother in the world."
"Probably not," he said with a dubious shake of his head.
"Of course, you would have been! You're just like I always dreamed and that'safterall the awful things I've done. Only a really, really good big brother would have forgiven me and you visit all the time now."
"I miss you when we're apart," he said simply, hoping she believed him.
Aiden knew that Keira was only in that cell because she wanted to be. He suspected that it wouldn't be any trouble at all for her to escape, but she stayed because she didn't want to be lost and lonely. She stayed for him and to please Lavender. Like Aiden and Paul, Lavender visited Chester regularly. But only once or twice a month, and he was extremely careful. He understood that she needed a nurturing and supportive father figure. But her obsession with him was still intense and could easily be inflamed if he was too indulgent and affectionate.
