Passing His Guard

Rya

“I think we should leave.” Aiden reached across the table and rested his hand over hers, giving it a sympathetic squeeze. She nodded, struggling to disguise her disappointment. This was her last hope, her last co

“I’m sorry he didn’t show,” Aiden offered.

“Yeah, so am I. Thanks for coming down here with me.” Just as they stepped into the parking lot, Rya

“No!” she screamed, impulsively lunging toward the downed man. But Aiden was faster. In seconds, he was on top of her, shielding her with his body before she could put one foot in front of the other. God, he was heavy. She could hardly breathe, trapped between him and the blacktop.

“Get down!” Nikko yelled at the same time she hit the ground. His gun was drawn and amid the screams and chaos of people scattering for cover, Nikko returned fire. He snarled a nasty curse and then took off after who she could only presume was Henry’s shooter.

“Let me up!” Rya

“Henry?” Oh, God, there was so much blood. Rya

He tried to speak, but the effort sent him into a coughing fit. Blood splattered onto his cheek, pooling in the corner of his mouth. Each labored breath brought the undeniable wheeze of death. “Just hang on,” she pleaded, gripping his hand tightly in hers. “Help is coming!”

“Rya

His words were wet and raspy, but she could still make out her name. “I’m here . . .” She squeezed his hand as proof.

“Don’t. Trust. Anyone.” The warning died on his lips as he released his last breath. His tightly fisted hand went limp in hers and something dropped into her palm. She curled her fingers around the slender rectangle and held it tight as her shoulders wracked with mournful sobs. “I’m so sorry . . .” she repeated the apology over and over as she cried for Henry, cried for her dad—so much senseless death.

As she knelt over the man’s lifeless body, the solid weight of Aiden’s hand came to rest on her shoulder. Sliding down, he gently rubbed her back as she mourned another life taken by the hand of Vincent Moralli.

It was the middle of the night before they got home, having spent several hours at the police station giving their statements. Nikko had gone back to the penthouse after losing the shooter in the crowd. Neither she nor Aiden had given the police Nikko’s name when questioned about the identity of the man who’d chased after the gunman.

She could add that to her list of lies, because she told no one about the flash drive she’d gotten from Henry, either—not even Aiden. A man had been killed for this tonight, and his dying words had been a warning to trust no one. She needed to see what was on this stick before she shared it with anyone.

The moment Aiden opened the front door they were greeted by the sound of a gun being cocked. Aiden tensed and yanked Rya

She could see Nikko past Aiden’s shoulder. He was sitting at the dining room table, facing the front door, wearing nothing but a badass scowl and a pair of sweats. He muttered something she couldn’t understand and took the gun off them. With the weapon pointed at the ceiling, he released the hammer and set it on the table beside the half-empty bottle of vodka.

“Didn’t anybody ever tell you that guns and booze don’t mix?” Aiden grouched, walking Rya

Nikko chuckled, or at least that’s what she thought it was intended to be, but it came out sounding more like a dark, angry snarl that sent a shiver of goose bumps prickling up her arms. This was the side of Nikko she’d sensed when she’d first met him, the side that put her on guard and made her wary. As they got closer, she noticed the smattering of scars down the side of his chest. Wow, he wasn’t kidding when he’d told her he was damaged. This man who watched her with the silvery eyes of a predator made her feel like prey caught in the hunter’s snare. Had she really just today been joking with him?—teasing him about avocados? Well, she’d been wrong about one thing: those demons that tormented Nikko were a lot closer to the surface than she ever realized.

She stopped when they entered the living room, and she placed her hand on Aiden’s arm. “Why don’t you talk to him? Something is obviously wrong. It’s late and I’ve had a horrible night. I think I’m going to take a shower and go to bed.”

Aiden frowned, possibly sensing her dismissal for what it truly was. She wanted to be alone. She needed some time to herself to process everything that had happened. He cradled her face in his hands and tipped it up to search her eyes. What was he looking for? The strain of the day was etched in the fine lines of his handsome face. The draw of his brows seemed to be in a perpetual state of tension these past few days. Not that she blamed him. The man was under an incredible amount of stress. Under the circumstances, he was holding up remarkably well.

“Are you sure you’re going to be all right?”

She nodded. “I’ll be fine. Please tell Nikko I said thank you—for everything.”

He bent down and kissed her before letting her go. She headed down the hallway and ducked into his office to retrieve her laptop before going into their bedroom. After a quick shower, she changed into one of Aiden’s superhero T-shirts. Tonight it was Green Lantern. A small smile touched her lips at the sight of her reflection. She brushed her fingers over the lantern symbol printed in the center of the bright green shirt and thought of the fallen heroes in her life—first her father and now Henry. When would it end?

All these years her dad had been her Superman, and that kind of worship didn’t just go away. Gambling had been his kryptonite and ultimately it had destroyed him. It didn’t matter what mistakes he’d made, she would never love him any less. She just wished she knew the truth so she could finally find closure and claim justice for her father—and now for Henry, too.