Passing His Guard

“Now, Rya

The pieces began fitting together—clicking into place—and Rya

The deep throaty chuckle echoing on the other end was pure evil. The bastard was enjoying this. He was actually taking pleasure in her heartbreak. “Not quite that high up on the food chain, but you’re getting closer.”

She didn’t want to believe it. It wasn’t possible. Aiden’s father . . . a murderer? But even as she stood there, numbed by shock, trying to convince herself she was wrong, she knew in her heart it was true. It all made too much sense, the evidence was too damning—evidence that was in front of her all this time, but she was too blinded by her love for Aiden to see it.

“And the answer to your next question is yes, Aiden knows. He met with his father just this morning, before heading to a strip club where he seems to enjoy spending most of his time these days.”

Each revelation was another dagger in her heart. “Why are you telling me this?” she demanded.

“I already told you why,” he snapped impatiently. “Which means you’re not listening, Rya

“I’m so sorry for your loss . . .” she mocked.

“You will be if I don’t get what I want. I’m only going to be nice for so long, Rya

“Patience? You call this patience? You had me abducted! You threatened to kill me if Aiden didn’t fight for you.”

“Yes, well, life is a chess game, Rya

Before she could utter a response, the line went dead. Rya

Again, the warning in her father’s letter came back to haunt her: You’re not safe here. Leave New York. Henry’s dying words—Trust no one—echoed like a symphony in her mind, ru

God help her, she was so naïve. On a whim, she’d handed over the evidence her father had been killed for and Henry had died protecting. How could she have done something as stupid as give that flash drive to the son of her father’s killer? Looking back now, it all made a horrible, twisted sense. It was no coincidence that she’d been hired by Aiden’s mother to find her son. Was this all some big elaborate scheme from the begi

What if Nikko wasn’t here just to help corner Aiden? What if he was really here to keep tabs on her—to watch her and keep her from putting the pieces together? Pieces that fit so perfectly into place, she couldn’t believe it’d taken her this long and the aid of a man she despised to figure it out.

All these weeks Aiden had been supposedly meeting with the DA and making no progress, when he’d truly been whiling away his days at a strip club. God, she was such a fool! He’d been baiting her, playing her to give up the evidence that would seal his father’s fate. If this wasn’t what it seemed, then why wouldn’t he have told her the truth from the begi

She couldn’t do this anymore. This pawn was quitting the game and taking the advice her father had given her days ago. She was leaving—leaving this place—leaving New York and going someplace no one would find her. There truly was nothing left for her here. Clinging to the blessed numbness of her anger, Rya

She zipped the suitcase closed and pulled up the handle, setting it on its wheels. The rollers clacked on the floor with a sharp rap of finality that shattered her breaking heart. If she didn’t leave now, she feared she’d lose it before she got out the door. Grabbing her cell off the bed, she shoved it into her back pocket and rushed down the hall, dragging her luggage along behind her. Every few steps the thing would twist and turn, smacking into the back of her legs. “Dammit,” she cursed, reaching up to swipe away an escaped tear. As she passed the dining room, she paused long enough to snag a pen and paper from the table and scribble a note:

I know the truth. Good-bye.

There wasn’t anything else to say. She didn’t want there to be any confusion as to why she’d left, or for Aiden to feel like he needed to continue the farce by coming to look for her. He got what he wanted. Now it was time to move on. There would be plenty of opportunity to lick her wounds and mourn her broken heart later. Right now, she just needed to go.

Rya

CHAPTER

41

Aiden’s gaze locked on Rya