If Ever I Fall: Book 3 of The Six Series (12 page)

The pieces sort of clicked together for me as I watched him struggling with what to say. I’d felt it the night before, but after Aunt Brenda had pulled the rug out from under me, talking about my da, I’d forgotten about it. “How long have you worked for Agent Jackson?”

His head snapped up, eyes searching mine. “I’m not working for him.”

“Pull the other one, it’s shorter, aye?” I said, nudging him with my foot.

He turned away, no longer willing to look me in the eye.

I nudged him again. “Just tell me I’m not some sort of conquest. That ye didn’t use me because you were told to.”

“You were never that,” he whispered.

“Than what am I to you… to this?” I couldn’t help the anger that crept into my voice.

Aiden pulled my hand up to his lips, pressing a kiss to my palm. “You’re something I want desperately, but can never have.”

He dropped my hand and stood, making his way over to where his bag lay on the floor.

Grabbing his discarded jeans, he changed as I sat stunned by what he’d said. He pulled his boots on, stuffed the pants he’d worn to bed inside, and pulled the strap onto his shoulder. He was leaving.

I scrambled out of bed and moved in front of him. “Why?”

“Because you deserve so much more than what I can offer you. And it fucking kills me that I can’t be enough.” His hands came up, cupping my neck as he kissed me one last time.

I let him go. I let him move his fingertips away from my neck and brush past me. Let him take the stairs one by one and head out the door without a single cry of protest.

When I heard him fire up his car and drive away, I stayed in the same spot he left me. Because if I moved, I’d crumble into a million pieces.

Feeling that way wouldn’t do. I needed to be whole. I needed to be strong. I needed to find out just what in the hell Aiden, Agent Jackson, and Uncle Robert were really up to. Then I’d figure out how to handle Aiden’s rejection.

One thing at a time, Airen. Patience is key.

It would have been so easy to let my anger take control—to curse Aiden for using me to seek release in a willing body. But he hadn’t used me.

If anything, we’d used each other, both needing the comfort one another could bring. Had he not said what he did before he left, I’d be ready to cut his balls off and feed them to him, but he’d been just as upset about his leaving as I was.

I called on every ounce of inner strength to push past the hurt his leaving caused and forced myself to keep moving.

Grabbing a change of clothes, I set out for the shower. After that, I’d have a nice chat with Mum and Aunt Brenda to get the details of last night’s conversation with Agent Jackson. Because somehow, someway, Aiden had something to do with it. And I wasn’t going to rest until I figured out what it was.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN, HE up and left?” Aunt Brenda asked, stunned by the lack of Aiden’s presence.

“Like I said, he probably figured it was all a little too much for him,” I answered, trying my best to sound truthful.

Aunt Brenda’s eyes squinted as she stared at me. “I don’t believe it for a second, Airen. He’s no one to just up and leave. Especially knowing the danger it puts you in.”

That admission startled me more than I was comfortable with. “I think you have a lot of explaining to do, Auntie.”

The doorbell rang, startling both of us.

“That’ll be Agent Jackson. He’s taking me to the bank this morning,” Aunt Brenda said, making her way to the front door.

“To the bank for what?” I asked, knowing I wouldn’t get a reply from her.

I pulled out the chair Aiden had sat in the previous night and sat, waiting for Aunt Brenda to come back to the kitchen with Agent Jackson.

“What the hell are you doing here?” The tone of Aunt Brenda’s voice made the hair on the back of my neck prickle.

I shot up from my seat and came to a screeching halt when I saw the gun pointed at Aunt Brenda’s chest.

Mum came down the stairs, stopping midway with her hand to her mouth.

Uncle Robert filled the doorway, his gun never wavering. “Move an inch and I’ll drop you where you stand.”

Neither Mum nor Aunt Brenda moved, not even to breathe. I didn’t know what to do, but I damn sure wasn’t going to stand there and let him kill my aunt.

His eyes flicked over at me, and then back to Aunt Brenda. “I’ll be taking the girl now.”

His hand came up, gesturing me to move over to where he stood. “Make one stupid move and I’ll kill the both of them.”

I knew he was talking to me. Knew he wanted me to walk over to him, but I couldn’t. I’d locked up like a frozen lake.

“Now! Or she’s dead,” he shouted, poking the gun closer to Aunt Brenda’s chest.

The action brought Aunt Brenda to life. She lunged at him like a feral cat, and the gun went off.

Mum screamed in terror as Aunt Brenda hit the floor, blood pooling underneath her unmoving body.

Before I could react, Uncle Robert lifted the gun at Mum and fired. Mum’s body curled over, shock registering on her face, and then she tumbled down the stairs until her body lay in an unnatural heap on the floor.

Screams of horror lodged in my throat as my brain scrambled to try to make sense of what happened. Blood—it was everywhere—but it didn’t belong. Not in Aunt Brenda’s house. And especially not pouring out of Aunt Brenda and Mum’s bodies.

Stepping around Aunt Brenda, Uncle Robert grabbed my arm, twisting it as he pulled me behind him.

Madness filled me as I yanked my arm free, falling to my knees beside Aunt Brenda. Warm, wet blood soaked my jeans. Hot and metallic. My tongue pressed down as saliva pooled in my mouth.

“No, no, no! Please wake up, Aunt Brenda. Ye have to wake up!” I cried as I tried to roll her limp body over. But there was so much blood. Too much. My hand slipped and slid over her arm every time I tried to get a good grip.

“Enough!” Robert shouted from behind me. Twisting his fingers into my hair, he jerked me to my feet and dragged me out the door.

The metallic smell of blood followed us out into the yard in what felt like a sickening cloud. It was all over my hands as I clawed at the air in desperation.

Bile rolled up my throat, and he shoved me to the ground as I vomited. I scrambled to my feet as a wave of dizziness threatened to topple me back over.

I could see them lying on the floor. Dead. The only family I had left was dead. Killed by their own brother.

I staggered towards the porch, but Robert was faster. He kicked my legs out from under me, and I hit the ground with a hard bounce that knocked the air from my lungs.

His foot shot out, kicking me in the ribs, the head, the legs, and all I could do was pull myself into a tight ball with each punishing blow.

“You will get in the car on your own or I’ll make you wish I’d killed you too,” he said, lifting my head by my hair and then slamming it into the ground.

Spitting a mixture of blood and saliva from my mouth, I wavered as I got my knees underneath me, refusing to be another one of his victims. “Fuck you,” I hissed, feeling something wet sliding down my chin.

He reached down and grabbed me by the throat, pulling me up, making me stand on my tiptoes to keep the pressure off my throat. Black spots danced along my vision, but I refused to pass out and leave my fate in his hands.

He snarled, getting as close as he could with the hold he had on me. “Fight me and I’ll do that and more to you before it’s all said and done.”

His gun slid between my legs to where not long ago, Aiden had brought me so much pleasure. “I can be very inventive, and you’ll beg for me to kill you by the time I’m done with you.”

I couldn’t stop the tears no matter how much I wanted to. “Yer a sick bastart.”

He walked me backwards, putting more pressure on the gun between my legs. His hand clamped a little harder against my neck. “I wonder what sound you’d make when I brought you to a release you didn’t want and then BANG!”

He laughed, shoving me against the car. “Open the door.”

“No.” My voice shook, but I wouldn’t do what he wanted me to.

I knew if I got in the car, he wouldn’t just end my life with a bullet.

Sobs rolled through me. He had me pinned while Mum and Aunt Brenda’s bodies pumped blood out all over the floor. If there was even a small chance they were alive, there was nothing I could do to save them.

“You will or I’ll kill your boyfriend after he watches me use this on you,” he said, moving the gun back and forth against the seam of my pants. “I find it very arousing that it’ll be his gun that fucks you and then kills you.”

I couldn’t help the shocked gasp that escaped me. He wasn’t just a cruel man. He was a sick and perverted one that took pleasure in hurting others. Even his own family.

Uncle Robert’s mouth twisted into an evil smile. “Exciting, isn’t it? In fact, I may do it anyway after you get me what I want.”

Something slammed into the trunk, and I jerked in response. A muffled cry broke past my clamped lips as I asked, “He’s in there?”

Insanity sparkled in Uncle Robert’s eyes.

If he had Aiden, then I had no choice but to go with him. I couldn’t handle knowing he’d kill Aiden too.

I grabbed the door handle, and Uncle Robert smiled. “Eager, are we?”

Grabbing me by the throat, he moved me further down the car, away from the door. “I think maybe you’re a little too eager, and we can’t have that, now can we?”

He stepped back, moving the gun out from between my legs and his hand from my neck. That brief moment gave me a second to collect my thoughts and try not to shake into a million pieces after witnessing his madness for the first time in my life.

No wonder Mum and Aunt Brenda were so afraid of him. I looked past him to the open doorway, no longer able to see inside from where I stood.

Rage surged through me. I wanted to snatch the gun out of his hands, shoot him where he stood, and then watch every last drop of blood in his body soak into the ground.

I was sure he knew it too, because he brought the hand holding the gun up and struck me across the face. I slid down the side of the car as pain exploded along my jaw, spreading up into my head and down my face.

“I’d give you credit for thinking about it, but we just don’t have time for that,” he said.

The trunk popped open, and Uncle Robert said, “Move an inch and I’ll do what I said I would do to her, and then I’ll make you do it too.”

I could hear a muffled reply. Uncle Robert laughed as he reached down and grabbed my shirt. Twisting it in his hands, he jerked me up.

I could hear the sound of a police car off in the distance. Hope flared to life, and I staggered to my feet.

Aiden had to have heard it too; maybe he’d have a plan. If he could get the gun from Uncle Robert, our nightmare would be over with.

There were so many overwhelming emotions threatening to break me that I had to shut it all off, focus on the next move. Focus on each second as it ticked by. Unfortunately, Uncle Robert had different plans.

“Time to go,” he said, shoving me towards the trunk and using the gun to prod me inside.

Aiden was there. That hadn’t been a lie. His hands and feet were bound with duct tape, and a pillowcase had been pulled over his head.

Before I could stagger backwards, Uncle Robert reached down and hoisted my leg up, tumbling me in on top of Aiden.

Aiden kicked out in the small confines as the trunk slammed shut. His words were nothing more than muffled shouts as I fumbled to pull the pillowcase from his head.

In his haste to get away, Uncle Robert hadn’t done a thing about making sure I was tied up. It was the only good thing Aiden and I had going for us.

I'D
DROPPED MY GUARD, AND
he'd
swooped in and dropped me like a fucking brick. There was nothing I could do about it until I could get my hands free. And when I did? I’d kill him.

The car rolled to a stop. The door opened and closed, leaving me in silence, wondering what he’d do next. Being stuck inside a trunk wasn’t a big deal. That I could get out of, but not with my arms and legs tied the way they were.

I shouldn’t have taken off from Brenda’s.

Thoughts of Airen had been my downfall. Replaying the memories of the morning we’d shared had blinded me to my surroundings.

Instead of parking close to the church, like I normally did, I parked a little further away, needing a few extra minutes to myself before seeing Grant and Nadia.

The feel of Airen’s body underneath mine, the way she gave herself over to me. I could have stripped her bare and sank inside of her had I wanted to, and I’d wanted it more than I wanted my next breath.

I’d restrained myself, barely, opting to give us both the release building up between us without the complete physical act itself.

It hadn’t been enough. It only made me want more. Made me want her, and I knew I couldn’t do that to her. Taking full pleasure of what only she could give me and then having to walk away would make me the biggest douche ever.

I cut through an alleyway, stepping around a puddle, putting me closer to a dumpster. The smell of rotted food made me wrinkle my nose as I held my breath.

The next thing I knew, Robert de Fleur stepped out in front of me, flashing an evil grin as he slammed something blunt into the side of my head.

I came to, blinded by whatever he’d pulled over my head. There wasn’t anything I could do about it once I heard the sound of the trunk closing on me, sealing me in.

Moving my legs, I wiggled into a position where I might be able to kick him if he got close enough. My ears strained, waiting for the moment he’d open the trunk. It was a suck-ass plan and would probably end up with me getting shot, but I wasn’t going to sit idle while he held me captive.

There were two gunshots, and then I heard Airen sobbing. The fucking bastard had gone back to Brenda’s.

My mind raced to figure out what had happened.
Two gunshots. Airen’s crying. Mina and Brenda. It’s too quiet. They aren’t saying anything. Say something, damn it… Please say something so I know you’re both still alive!

My stomach dropped as the only sounds were Airen’s crying and Robert’s muffled words. I prayed someone was watching the live video feed.

Grant! Grant was supposed to pick Brenda up at ten to go to the bank, but I had no idea what time it was.

You should have kept your hands to yourself this morning. If you’d have been thinking with the right head, none of this would be happening!

I heard each kick he landed against her and the gasps she made each time.

Rage rolled through me as I fought against the tape around my wrist. I had to get free. I had to save her. Only I couldn’t get the tape to budge.

Forcing myself to calm down, I worked my wrists back and forth, using the sweat coating my skin to get under the tape and loosen its hold.

Closing everything off, I shut down for a minute, forcing myself to recall my training.

I’d done mock situations. Grant and Nadia had put me through extensive training, making sure I was prepared for anything and everything that could be thrown at me while I was out in the field. But they’d never prepared me for hearing someone I cared about being kicked around by their crazy-as-fuck uncle.

He wanted her to get in the car, but she refused.

I slammed my feet into the side of the trunk, hoping he’d get angry enough to open it. And he did. Only instead of reaching in, he did the opposite.

He did the only thing I hadn’t thought he’d do. He shoved Airen inside the trunk with me as the far-off sound of a siren rolled through the air like music to my ears.

Airen landed on top of me, crying, as the trunk slammed shut.

“Oh, God, Aiden!” she said, jerking the pillowcase from my head as the car lurched forward, moving at a fast clip.

Even with the pillowcase removed, I couldn’t see a thing. She had no idea he’d tied a gag that cut into the corners of my mouth.

There was no way to communicate with her and tell her it would be all right. That I’d do whatever I could to get us away from Robert de Fleur.

Her hands fumbled as they bumped against my chest and then slid up to my neck. When she got to the gag, her fingers fumbled with the material as she tried to stifle her sobs.

She pulled and tugged, but whatever sort of knot he’d used held firm. Her impatience frustrated her; I could understand the feeling. The next thing I knew, she grabbed the knot tied at the back of my head and jerked it down, freeing my mouth.

I wanted to ask her a million questions, but they had to wait since I didn’t know how much time we had before Robert stopped the car.

Bringing my hands up to my mouth, I sought a good place to try and break through the tape with my teeth.

Airen’s fingers pushed against my wrists, and I heard the tape give way as she unwound it from my wrists.

She was obviously scared, but she was functioning better than I thought she would, considering our circumstances.

When my hands were free, I pulled her close. She folded against me, shaking with sobs, as I held her tight to my chest.

“It’ll be okay. I’ll keep you safe,” I told her, hoping to God I could keep that promise.

“He shot them, Aiden. Aunt Brenda and Mum. He shot them and left them on the fl.. floor,” she cried into my shirt, her body jerking both of us.

The gentle sway of the car rocked us both as the droning hum of the tires did nothing but infuriate me more with every second we moved further away from someone finding us.

It was up to me to make sure we survived. My hands were at least free, but that didn’t mean much since he had my gun and my feet were still bound tight.

How many bullets were left in the clip? I’d fired at him twice when he’d shown up on Brenda’s porch, and I hadn’t reloaded. He fired two shots, which meant there were still six bullets left in the gun. Six chances he could kill both of us. I couldn’t think like that though. Shoving the doomed thoughts away, I focused on the moment and tried to keep Airen from completely falling apart.

“Grant will get to them. He’ll make sure they get the help they need,” I told her, putting as much support as I could into my words.

She drew a deep breath and pushed herself back from my arms.

“What are you doing?” I asked, feeling her hands move down my chest to my hip, fumbling as she curled over me and shifted to change positions, getting behind me to reach my legs.

The small, confined space of the trunk warmed with each passing mile, making the air feel heavy and stagnant. I could taste the exhaust fumes leaking in. We didn’t have much time before carbon-monoxide poisoning set in. So while Airen worked at getting the tape from around my ankles, I made quick work of disassembling the taillight closest to me. If I could get it punched out, not only would it give us some fresh air, but I’d be able to stick my hand out and hope that someone would report a hand waving out of the back of a car.

My legs were suddenly free and Airen wormed her way up between my legs, making it partway up and collapsing on my stomach. I knew I needed to act quickly.

Ripping the last of the wires free, I punched my hand against the plastic light cover and felt the jagged shard where I’d cracked it pinch my hand. I gave it one more hard punch, and it busted free. My hand, dripping with blood, blocked most of the light coming in, but not the much-needed fresh air.

I helped Airen move the rest of the way up beside me, gulping greedily as she shuddered against my chest.

The car continued moving on for what seemed like forever before something happened. And it happened fast.

The sound of a horn blaring, and then the screech of tires came from somewhere beside us. I pulled my hand back in the car, hoping to see something, but all I saw was the empty road stretching out behind us.

The horn blared again as the car fishtailed. I felt it before it happened. I knew what was coming. I could only hope Airen and I would make it out alive.

I pulled her as close to me as I could, curling myself around her, ready to take the brunt of force that would be put on us when the car flipped.

I wasn’t sure how many times we rolled, but it felt like forever.

Airen screamed, but there was nothing I could do to stop what was happening. I could only hold her until we stopped moving.

There was nothing like the sound of an accident. The screech of tires. The crunch of metal. The explosion of noise that rattled through you. And when it was over, the deafening silence that followed, it as if the world came to a halt, holding its breath for the outcome. We lay together, legs and arms locked, not daring to move.

And then, after what seemed like an eternity, everything came back. Sound, movement. Someone yelling orders at someone else. The rush of footsteps in our direction. All of it loud.

“Aiden!” Grant hollered long before he made it to the car.

Someone moved around the side of the car; I could hear the fabric of their clothes sliding alongside the metal. Before I could draw my next breath the trunk popped open.

Hands reached in, prying at my arms, which were locked around Airen. Her frantic cries as she fought to keep hold of me broke my heart.

“Stop,” I said, cracking my eyes open against the harsh light. “Just stop; we’re fine. At least, I think we are.”

Airen shivered against me.

“She’s in shock. Just give us a second,” I said, waving Nadia off.

Nadia reluctantly moved, blocking the sunlight so I could see. “We don’t have time, Aiden. He bailed from the car. He could be anywhere…”

“Nadia, get them out of the car. We have to move. Now!” Grant shouted.

I sat up, bringing Airen with me. There wasn’t a spot on me that didn’t feel busted or bruised, but I had to get her to safety. I couldn’t leave us sitting in the open like we were.

With Nadia’s help, we got out of the trunk. Calling on every ounce of energy I had left, I carried Airen to where Grant held the door open to a blacked-out sedan.

Both Nadia and Grant had their weapons drawn, watching the only place Robert could have escaped to—the trees.

When both Airen and I were safely tucked in the car, they holstered their weapons and Grant pushed the pedal to the floor, moving us back down the road faster than I was comfortable with.

From the window, I looked out over the sheer drop that plunged to the ocean below, thanking whoever it was looking out for us that the car hadn’t gone over the side.

Grant held the steering wheel with both hands, knuckles turning white as Nadia grabbed her cell phone and gave orders to someone on the other end.

“He can’t go far. I want both deployed.” She ended the call by rattling off coordinates. Looking over at Grant, she said, “It’s not your fault, so stop brooding over it.”

Grant didn’t answer her, but he did slow down after that.

“Who’s out there?” I asked, knowing Nadia would understand what I was asking her.

“Oliver and Ace,” she answered, flicking a glance at Airen. “We’re taking her back with us to the church. It’s the only safe place now.”

I bit my lip and looked away. Brenda and Mina had not survived; I could see it in Nadia’s eyes without her having to say a word.

Airen would need us. Airen would need me. I understood why Grant felt like it was his fault. If we hadn’t used Airen’s family as a way to get intel on Robert, they might still be alive.

I itched to be in the field with Oliver and Ace. To be the one who put the bullet in Robert de Fleur and watch the life go out of him. There was no way Grant or Nadia would approve that. Not with the shape I was in, knowing they’d almost watched my death firsthand.

“What is she supposed to do once we’ve eliminated the threat?” I asked, looking down at Airen’s still form.

I knew she could hear me. That she used the silence to take it all in.