If Ever I Fall: Book 3 of The Six Series (15 page)

I felt like a complete asshole. Like a user. She deserved more than someone worming their way into her life and using her for their own purposes. I’d done that under Grant’s orders.

When she learned the entire truth, she’d hate me. Maybe that was a good thing. Her anger would make it easier to walk away and force me to forget her.

I mentally shook my head to clear it. It wasn’t the time to think about Airen, not when I needed my head clear for the mission.

Robert de Fleur had a sizable list of transgressions, starting with the fact that he was the one responsible for Jared’s kidnapping. Not to mention his disreputable child trafficking history. He was the lowest form of evil, and I needed to remember that.

Shifting my thoughts, I recalled the map Grant had spread out earlier. There weren’t any noticeable places where he might have set up his operation.

That didn’t mean he hadn’t done something underground or even somewhere on the cliffside. Although, if there were something on the cliffside, it would make things more difficult, especially with the change of tides. Getting to him might not be easy at all.

I broke the silence over our headsets, asking Grant, “What are the chances we could get our hands on a boat?”

“What are you thinking, Aiden?” Oliver asked as Grant looked at me like he was lining up my request.

“Well, for starters, the map… it’s an aerial map that shows us everything laid out from above. What it doesn’t show us is the cliffs. What if there’s a cave or something in the cliffside? It’s a perfect hiding spot. The only downfall would be where it might be located and then we’d be at the mercy of the tide, but…” I said, shrugging as they listened to my idea.

“It’s definitely a possibility. I hope that’s not the case though, because if he’s hiding in the cliff’s face and we can only get to it by water, he’d know we were coming,” Grant answered, digging the map back out. “And it would put us at a severe disadvantage with sniper rifles.”

“Yeah, too bad tech hasn’t come up with corner-rounding bullets yet,” Ace said, grinning at his joke.

“I don’t like this, but the only thing we can do is scout the location. Once we know what we’re up against, we’ll make the call. Oliver, pull up the tide report,” Grant said, grabbing his phone out of his pocket. “And I’ll see if there’s a halfway decent 3D map of the coast.”

Grant’s fingers moved over his phone, pulling up the first map he came across as Oliver rattled off, “Low tide right now, but high tide will start in about forty-five minutes. Does anyone know how fast the tide comes in here or how drastic it is?”

“How drastic? It’s water and Ireland is an island. How damn drastic can it be?” Ace asked.

Oliver shot him a dirty look. “Have you ever seen the tides change in New England?”

Ace rolled his eyes at him, pointing at his chest. “Alabama.” he said as if that explained everything.

Oliver snorted. “Well, let me put it to you this way, the wharfs in Maine are built to pivot like this…” His held his hand at a forty-five degree angle. “When the tide comes in, they’re like this…” He held his hand flat, fingers extended straight out.

“No way, if the tide was that drastic, it would cover the whole damn island,” Ace answered, shaking his head as if Oliver were pulling his leg.

“I don’t think the tide here is as drastic, but I haven’t ever really had to look into it. Let’s just remember what Oliver said and be ready for anything. If there is a cave and it’s set up high on the cliffside, we’d have to wait for the tide to get to its highest before we could investigate it.”

“Makes sense though, doesn’t it, Grant? If he’s got something going on there, and knowing his reputation, he wouldn’t want something easily accessible. Something like that would detour anyone nosy enough to go poking around. Less chances of him, and his activities, to be discovered. Unless, of course, someone else had possession over the land. They’d start noticing a boat coming in only at high tide, especially if whoever bought the land was using the same point of entry,” Oliver said, sliding his finger over the map.

Grant’s teeth raked over his lip as his eyes roamed over the map again. “That has to be it. There’s nothing else here, no place for him to set up an operation. No abandoned buildings. Nothing but open land…”

“So who’s ready to go rock climbing?” Oliver asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

“With those rocks? We might as well just toss ourselves into the ocean and call it a damn day,” Grant said, groaning.

Our headsets crackled to life, the pilot’s voice coming over. “Five minutes to drop point,” he said.

Those last five minutes dragged out forever, but seemed to be over in the blink of an eye.

Once the pilot set the helicopter down, we disembarked, jogging out from underneath the rotating blades. The pilot gave us a short wave and lifted back into the air.

“Well, there goes our ride,” Oliver said, slapping Ace on the back.

“Good riddance,” Ace replied, turning his back on the helicopter.

“Let’s get moving before we draw attention,” Grant said, moving ahead of us.

The walk wasn’t a long one, and it wasn’t exactly flat either. The ground underneath my feet seemed to change with every step. One second my boots would sink into the soft grass, and then I’d end up catching my toe on a small cluster of rocks. If I had to run, I’d probably break my damn neck. But I kept myself upright and moved along with everyone at a rapid pace until we made it to the land originally owned by Brenda’s family.

Grant came to a stop and pulled out the map again, taking a knee. We followed suit, putting us behind a crumbling stone wall, keeping us hidden. “We’ll split here. Oliver, you and Ace head over to the positions we talked about earlier. Get set up and then hit us up on the coms.”

Ace nodded, pulling a dangling wire out from under his shirt and slipping it into his ear. I slipped mine in place, and then we did a quick com check to make sure we were able to hear one another.

“If, for whatever reason, com communication goes down, find the closest shelter and wait for one of us to come to you,” Grant said.

Oliver lowered the bag he carried over his shoulder to the ground, placing it by his feet. It amazed me, knowing inside that bag was a weapon that could pick someone off at well over a thousand-yard distance.

“I think we need to rethink this a little,” he said, looking at Grant.

Grant folded the map back up, stuffing it inside his back pocket. “What are your thoughts?”

“I think you should take my position. Before you say no, hear me out,” Oliver said, holding up a hand to keep from being interrupted. “I’ve done a bit of rock climbing, and I know how the cliff face will be. I know you have to, Grant, but if something were to happen on the cliffside, at least you’d be able to work your magic and make whatever calls necessary to keep the situation under control. None of us have your contacts. If something happened to you, we’d be flying blind.”

“I agree,” Ace added. “If something happens, you’re the only one who has the resources available to get us what we need. ‘Cause if that bastard takes off in a boat, I’m damn sure not jumping into the ocean to swim after him. I’m good, but I’m not that good.”

Grant nodded sharply, and Oliver slid the bag over in front of him.

“Once Ace and I are set up, make your way down the hill over there,” Grant said, pointing at what looked like a cutaway just down the hillside on our left. “That will take you down to the beach. From there, you might be able to use binoculars to see if there’s anything worth checking out on the cliffside. I know I don’t have to remind you how dangerous those rocks can be. If it doesn’t look like you can scale the rocks, we’ll just have to come back with the right gear.”

“And take the chance he gets away again?” Oliver asked, shaking his head as Grant opened his mouth to say something. “Don’t worry about us, Grant. We got this. If there’s something in the cliffside, and it’s too dangerous to free climb, I’ll let you know.”

Satisfied with Oliver’s response, Grant lifted the bag and slung it over his shoulder. “We’ll both check in once we’re set up.” He looked over at Ace with a nod, and then back at us. He didn’t have to say the words ‘be careful,’ they were etched along the lines of his face and dancing in his eyes.

As Grant and Ace moved off to take up their positions, I pulled my binoculars out of my bag and found a spot along the stacked rocks that offered a good spot to lean, but still kept me, for the most part, out of sight. There was no telling where Robert de Fleur could be hidden, and the last thing I wanted was for Ace and Grant to be spotted.

Oliver moved over to the far side of the wall, binoculars in hand as he took a minute to look out over the landscape below us. “I’ll keep an eye on this side for Ace.”

It wouldn’t take Ace long to get to his position on the hillside. Once he was set up there, we’d have three sets of eyes scanning the property as Grant trekked his way to his set-up point.

At our vantage point, binoculars weren’t exactly necessary since everything besides where the construction trailer was set was visible. But there were areas where rocks jutted up from the ground, making excellent hiding spots, like the one I hid behind.

To the naked eye, someone crouched behind them would be hard to see, but not with the binocular’s ability to zoom in and get a closer look for any telltale sign of movement.

From my peripheral, I saw a truck making its way towards the construction trailer. “Grant, you got an inbound truck at two o’clock. Stand by for the all clear.”

“Copy that,” he replied.

I brought the binoculars up, watching as he slipped down to the ground, using a small swell in the hill for cover.

The truck was moving at a fast clip, the driver’s course never wavering from the direction of the construction trailer.

Ace’s voice came over the com. “I’m in position, setting up now.”

“Copy that,” Oliver answered.

“Report your visual on the driver as soon as you can,” Grant’s muffled voice said.

“Copy that,” Ace replied.

“What’s the plan if it’s him?” Oliver asked.

“Let’s see what the bastard is up to before we drop him,” Grant answered.

“Do you really want to give him the chance to escape?” Ace questioned.

“Four to one says he doesn’t,” Oliver said.

“I still think we should drop him. Once he’s down, we can comb over every damn inch of this property. If he’s hiding something, we’d find it,” Ace said.

I could hear the weariness in his voice. He didn’t want Robert de Fleur to do what he did best. Disappear. The guy was like a greased pig. A slippery bastard, even in tight situations. I couldn’t help but agree with Ace’s logic.

It didn’t matter what any of us thought though. The decision was ultimately up to Grant, and we were to follow his direct orders.

“He’s not getting away this time, Ace. Taking him out would take care of the situation, but even if we did and then spent time going over this property, we could still miss something. I don’t want to take that chance. I need to know what the hell is driving him so hard about this property,” Grant answered.

“Ace, how’s the set up coming along?” Oliver asked.

“Getting my sights lined up now. Stand by,” Ace replied.

My stomach clenched as I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“It’s him, Grant, and I have a clear shot,” Ace said. His tone was calm—deadly—and it sent a rush of adrenaline through me.

“Hold. Let’s see what he does,” Grant answered firmly.

EVEN
AFTER I ASKED HIM
not to go, Aiden just walked away, leaving me in a wake of confusion.

I didn’t even know what to think of that. I had no hold on him. No reason to think he’d stay only because I asked him to.

Even understanding my own reasoning, it hurt.

How the hell had I allowed him to become such an integral part of my life? And with me unknowingly allowing it.

Where were all my walls… my barriers that had been in place for so long? Had I really had any there to begin with? Had I only been playing myself for a fool all my life, thinking I kept myself guarded and untouched?

I’d made it as far as the hallway after he’d left, so overwhelmed by my feelings that I couldn’t put one foot in front of the other even if I tried.

That was where Nadia found me, beating myself up over things I couldn’t change. Selfish thoughts too, considering my aunt and mother were down the hall from me, fighting for their lives.

“Airen? Do you need some help getting to your room?” Nadia asked, putting her hand on my arm and watching me with eyes that missed nothing.

I knew Nadia wasn’t one to be fooled, let alone cowed into telling me what I wanted to know. She wasn’t by any means a weak-willed woman, but knowing that didn’t help me figure out how to get the truth out of her.

She reminded me a lot of Aunt Brenda. Canny at times, secretive at others. To get anything out of Nadia, I’d have to be politely blunt.

“Thank you. I’d appreciate it,” I answered, allowing her to put her arm around me. Truth was that I really did need her to help me get back to my room.

“It’s refreshing to hear someone admit they aren’t invincible,” she said, a hint of laughter to her words.

“Oh, aye, I’m no ashamed to admit my faults. Not that I have many of them,” I joked.

“Well, I’m impressed regardless. Not many people can take what you’ve been dished out today and still remain upright,” she answered.

I staggered a bit, cutting a look of confusion at her. “Meaning?”

“Physically, you’ve been through hell today. Mentally as well,” she said, giving me a sad smile that spoke of compassion. “Maybe after you rest a bit, I can take you back to visit your mom and aunt. If you’re up for it, that is.”

I nodded. “I’d like that.” As we neared my room, I swayed, legs threatening to buckle underneath me.

Nadia pulled me a little firmer against her side and kept us moving. “He’ll be back before you know it.”

I jerked in response. “Who, Aiden?”

She didn’t answer me until we passed the threshold to my room and she’d helped me into bed.

Fluffing the pillow and pulling the covers up to my chin, she reached out, tucking my hair behind my ear. “I can see how this situation has pulled the two of you together. I just want you to know that Aiden will be fine, and he’ll be back as soon as he can.”

Hearing her say that flooded me with more questions than I could ask at once, so I settled for the one that confused me the most. “Who is Aiden? The real Aiden, I mean.”

Her eyes fluttered closed for a brief second, and then she sat down on the bed beside me. “He’s the same Aiden you know.”

I made a feeble attempt at a huff and said, “That’s no true. The Aiden I ken worked for my aunt at her coffee shop. It’s clear as day that it’s way more than that. It’s also clear to me now that he’s somehow associated with you and Agent Jackson. What I want to know is, how?”

She watched me for a moment, staring at me in thought as if weighing her decision on what she would say, or maybe how much she would say. “There are things I can’t tell you. Things for Aiden’s sake, and those he’s connected to, have to remain unknown for their safety. What I can tell you is that the Aiden you’ve come to know, character wise, is who he is and will always be.”

Nadia squeezed my hand and stood in one move, retreating from further questions. She said, “I’ll be back later to check on you. Try to get some rest.”

Nodding, I closed my eyes so she couldn’t see the disappointment raging there. I waited until she closed the door behind her before I opened them again.

I didn’t know which feeling to allow myself to fall into. Grief or anger? Both emotions pulled at me. Hard.

There was a soft knock on my door before it opened slowly, revealing Father McKinnon. “May I come in?” he asked.

“Please,” I answered, gesturing to the chair beside my bed as I pushed myself to sit up.

“I thought maybe ye could use something to eat,” he said, setting a small, insulated lunch bag down on the bed beside me.

My stomach rumbled in response as the realization hit me that I hadn’t eaten a thing all day. “Thanks.”

He smiled, turning his eyes up at the corners as they twinkled. “Is there any word on Brenda and Mina?”

My fingers stilled on the zipper of the lunch box as my stomach formed into one solid ball of ice.

Seeing me turn statue like, Father McKinnon took the bag from me and opened it up, pulling out a bottle of water and handing it over. “One must keep the body strong in order to continue on. No matter the outcome.”

Curling my hand around the cold, plastic bottle, I made no move to open it.

“I’ve been doing a lot of praying since they brought ye in, Airen. Words lifted to His ears for Brenda, Mina, and yerself. And I’ve come to an understanding,” he said, giving me a half smile.

“We appreciate it, Father. But you and I both know that faith can only get ye so far sometimes.” After the words left my mouth, I wanted to recall them all back. It was right awful of me to throw his beliefs in his face when he’d gone out of his way to seek me out and bring me food.

“Oh, aye. That’s the understanding I came to as well,” he said, watching me intently with his wizened, blue-grey eyes set under twin peaks of salt-and-pepper eyebrows.

My mouth worked open and closed a few times before I could come up with some sort of response. “Are ye losing yer faith… yer belief?”

“In him? Never. What I am saying is that sometimes ye need more than just faith… ye need medicine and doctors. For some, that’s the case. For you… food,” he said, pulling out a sandwich and a small container with apple slices.

“Even those two things can be faulty, Father,” I answered past the lump in my throat.

“Faith and medicine? I suppose yer right. Nothing is one hundred percent, but still we have to keep believing in something. Otherwise…” he said, leaving the rest of his thoughts unspoken.

“Aye, but how are ye supposed to feel when both fail ye?” I asked, gripping the water bottle until the plastic creaked from the pressure.

Father McKinnon took the bottle from my hand, opened the top, and handed it back to me. “Drink some of that, aye?”

He waited until I put the water to my lips and took a small sip before continuing. “Things fail us all the time, Airen. Whether it be people, medicine or…” He tipped his head, smiling as his face lit up before launching into a story. I’d seen it many a time and knew what was coming. “When I was a boy, I wanted a dog more than anything in the world. I begged and begged for one. Even went as far as building a doghouse out of scraps of wood from an old barn my neighbors tore down. Mum would always tell me each time I asked her that she’d love to get me one, we just couldn’t afford it. See, it was just her and I for the longest time.

“I prayed, Airen. Night and day for two solid years, but the answer was still the same. We couldn’t afford it. So, I stopped praying for a dog and instead, I started praying that things would be easier for us. Easier for Mum. And ye know what? Not six months later, my mother met a man, who married her and became my father one year later.

“The next Christmas, that same man took my mother and me to meet the rest of his family in Ayr. We stayed with his brother for three magical days. And guess what? It just so happened that his brother’s dog had recently had puppies. A litter of five, he’d said, but there was only the one left.

“Well, my stepfather saw the instant connection between me and that puppy, so we brought it home. Ye see, things happen in the way they’re supposed to. Not from wants, but from needs. My mother could have never given me that dog, without making huge sacrifices for both of us.”

I understood what he meant with his story, but it didn’t help that my faith wavered over the fact that the only thing keeping both Aunt Brenda and Mum alive were machines and medicine.

The damage done to them was so extensive that something like praying had no chance of fixing it. Maybe he understood that too, and he was trying his best to justify the situation in the best way possible.

“Sometimes, Airen, we have to let it all go. Give it up to Him and wait it out. Miracles are called just that for a reason.

“That same dog? He was a right terror in the beginning. Chewing everything he could sink his teeth into. It took a long time to break him of that habit, but with a little time and a whole lot of patience, I worked with him and he ended up being more than a dog. He was family. That’s not to say he didn't have his moments though.

“The point is, and this is in my case, I selfishly wanted a dog, prayed for it, not knowing the cost it would have been to my mother. But when I turned my prayers to her and asked something not of myself, things—good things—happened.”

It was a heartwarming story, but unfortunately, it didn’t quite strike the right meaning for me. My aunt and mother were clinging to life by the help of machines. My crazy uncle was running amok somewhere in Scotland, and Aiden had me twisted in knots.

“Yer still troubled, lass. What can I do te help ye find a bit of peace?” he asked, sliding forward in his seat.

My chin dropped to my chest as I answered, “I don’t know. I’m angry and hurt. Scared, even. There’s so much in here,” I said, tapping my fingers against my chest, “that I don’t know how to sort it out. What to think of it.”

“Would ye like to talk about it? It might make you feel better,” he asked, plucking up an apple slice and crunching it between his teeth. “Have one; you’ll need the energy, aye?”

I picked one and brought it to my lips, taking a small bite. An explosion of flavor hit my tongue as I chewed. My stomach rumbled in response as I finished off the slice.

Father McKinnon gestured for me to take another as he said, “Aye, anger. It’s understandable yer angry at the situation, but what fuels that anger?”

I swallowed the bite of apple as I thought about what he asked. “Well, for starters, I guess ye could say I’m angry with Uncle Robert.”

“And well, ye should be. I’m angry at him too,” he said.

I looked over at him, noticing the flush of color that rose to his cheeks. It drove me to ask him, “What makes people think it’s okay to hurt others? What would make a man shoot his own flesh and blood?”

“Are ye asking me as a man? Or as a man of the cloth? Because, I’ve thought of this on both levels and they’re warring with each other, even now,” he said, sighing.

It hit me then. Father McKinnon, man of God, wasn’t anywhere near the perfect person I’d thought he was. It made it so much easier to talk to him and not worry he’d judge me harshly for it. I didn’t say anything back as I studied his face, waiting for him to say more.

“It’s hard to find compassion for someone after they’ve done such a thing as Robert has. The man in me would like nothing more than to take a swing or two at him for it. The other side of that, of me, is seeking answers for his actions and praying for God to do his will. It’s a double-edged sword, Airen, because I want nothing more than seeing him get what he deserves.”

I blinked, wide-eyed at his admission. “How do you move past it and let go of the anger?”

He looked past me, over my shoulder, as if the answer were just out of his reach. With a shrug, he said, “Ye just do. Eventually. The thing that matters most right now is that you’re safe. Brenda and Mina are getting the best care possible. We need to focus on being here for them and holding out hope that things work out for the best. Expect the worst and pray for the best, as my mum used to say.”

“Sounds like something Aunt Brenda would say,” I replied.

He found my eyes again and smiled. “What else is bothering you?”

I looked around the room, settling in on my next question. “Who are these people? Do you know them?”