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“And what if we cut the bullshit?” She carefully places her special doc bag on the chair and pulls out a pair of surgical gloves. “I’m gonna check quickly to see how the healing is going.” As she removes the bandage, her face remains expressionless, making it difficult to read her emotions.
“How is it? Do we need to amputate it?” I say with a playful tone.
“Did you eat a clown today?” She can’t help but smile at my humour. “Everything looks good. It’s healing well. I think you should be able to move by yourself in a few days or so.” She carefully removes her gloves, the sterile scent of antiseptic lingering in the air after changing my bandage, and speaks. “I assume Aidan is taking good care of you and regulating your movements?”
“If by taking care of me, you mean being a pain in my arse, then aye, he is.” Adjusting my position, I wince at the pain shooting through my body.
“Tss tss. The guy is making you food, helping you shower, and helping you get around. I don’t see it as being a pain in the arse. It’s actually kind of cute,” she says, sitting on the chair next to the bed.
“Since when is being a controlling arsehole cute?” I ask, annoyance creeping into my voice. Aye, he’s helped me, but he is overbearing, and it’s driving me crazy.
Aidan and I still haven’t talked about what happened in Linlithgow, and I know it’s just a matter of time now. From what Caleb told me, he has already informed him of most of it. But I know Aidan, he’ll want to hear it from my mouth.
“Blake?”
“Hm hm,” I reply, my mind bracing for the question she is about to ask.
“Caleb told me.” Caleb, huh. Interesting. I’d have thought that Scott would be the one telling her, not Caleb Preston. Surprising.
“And what did he tell you?” I can feel the moisture of sweat trickling down my back, and it is not due to the pain I am experiencing. With June just around the corner, I can already sense the warmth of the summer season approaching. With an intense gaze, her identical eyes bore into mine.
“He mentioned that you have been collaborating with him for a few years. The job mainly consists of searching for evidence rather than spending time in the field.” As I wait for her to continue, I pick up the glass of water that Aidan left on my bedside table and take a sip. “He also told me about The Twelve and what he did in the past.”
“Which is?” Before saying too much, I prefer to collect all the information she has. The Prestons’ business is not mine to share.
Feeling a mix of emotions, she takes a deep breath to centre herself. “Drugs, weaponry, money laundering. Murder.” I nod my head in understanding, recognising that it must have been difficult for her to process all of that information. If Caleb and Aidan are involved, she knows our brother is as well.
“And how do you feel about that?”
“I… I was shocked to learn that. I might have thrown one or two things at his face in a fit of anger.” A soft chuckle escapes my lips. People think that I’m the feisty one, but it has always been her. “He attempted to clarify that he has been making efforts to improve his father’s business for several years and that they are not responsible for most of the things anymore.” With a quick motion, she takes my glass of water from me and drinks it all in one swig.
“And murder? How do you feel about the fact that they have killed people and continue to do so?”
“I don’t know. I’m saving lives, Blake. That’s my job. Good or bad people, the end is still the same. Saving them requires me to set aside my personal feelings. I took an oath. Their reasons might seem valid, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s an act of murder,” she states.
I nod because there is nothing more I can say. She is right. It took me months to come to terms with the idea that I’m in love with a murderer. Was in love. Am in love? Damn it. I don’t even know what I feel for him anymore. Everything is so confusing. Throughout this entire week, he has shown nothing but kindness and sweetness, taking care of me in the most thoughtful ways. I had my old Aidan back. It’s only made it more confusing.
Despite the thought lingering in my mind, I push it aside and hear myself saying, “I get it. I really do. It took me a long time to accept the truth.”
“How? How did you accept it? I understand that you’re defending criminals, but the circumstances are entirely different here.” This wasn’t the right time for me to have this discussion. To be honest, I was hoping to avoid this discussion altogether, but she needs to understand.
“After my second year in Paris, I was attacked. I was already training with Tim, but I wasn’t as strong and as skilled as I am now.” Her eyes widen, and she quickly covers her mouth with her hand.
“Were you…?” She tries to speak, but her voice catches in her throat, revealing her inner turmoil.
Shaking my head and taking her hand in mine, I answer, “No. I wasn’t raped, but they tried to. They beat me until I was left feeling helpless and defeated. Tim had insisted I carry a knife with me at all times, and when they attacked, I retrieved it and defended myself. I stabbed one of them, and he collapsed right in front of me. Tim found me just in time and stopped the other guys. I was in a terrible condition, with ripped clothing and blood pouring from my wounds. From that day on, he never left my side.” Her face is wet with tears that slowly fall down her cheeks. “I’m okay,” I say as I press her hand in a comforting gesture. I continue to confess, “That was the first time I took someone’s life.”
Although I didn’t plan it, it still happened. I never look back with any sense of regret. At that moment, I knew it was either him or me, and I decided to fight for my life.
My peripheral vision catches sight of Aidan with a plate of food, who seems to be ready to join us in the room. Forming a tight fist, his free hand shows the tension in his body.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. He heard everything. He wasn’t supposed to.
I made Tim swear to keep this secret between us. I didn’t see any point in telling my brother or Aidan since I was okay. Aye, I was aware that he was working for him and was sent to keep an eye on me. I wouldn’t be good at my job if I didn’t recognise someone stalking me for weeks. Especially when Caleb sent the very same guy a few weeks later to train me. I waited a few more weeks before having that discussion with Tim, and he never denied it.
As I wait for Aidan to speak, he carelessly drops the plate onto the bedside table and abruptly exits the room without saying a word. Shit. I know he’s going to demand answers from Tim, and that’s not going to be pretty. It’s not his fault. I asked him to keep it to himself. His anger is directed at the wrong person. I should be the one receiving his wrath. Especially when Tim is still recovering from his gunshot wound.
Bailey follows my line of sight, and I can hear her muttering curses under her breath.
