CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CLARISSA
While Aidan was away, all I could do was pace about the room. He was taking longer than my nerves could handle.
I lost count of the number of times I peered out from the balcony and onto the grounds. To say I was spooked was a mild description of my state of mind. Every little rustle made my heart leap.
Some good news had arrived while Aidan was out. Although I was not in the habit of reading his messages, I read the message from the vet stating that Rocket was doing well. I sighed loudly. My chest, which had been tied in knots, unraveled a little.
I forgot I’d locked the door, so that when the handle turned and a knock followed, I jumped out of my skin.
“It’s me, baby.” Aidan’s voice echoed in the hallway.
I ran and opened it. “Aidan,” I uttered, falling into his arms. “Rocket’s going to be fine.”
He pulled his head back, and his face brightened. “Really? They called?”
I nodded. “Sorry for looking at your phone, but I sensed it might’ve been about Rocket. I was desperate to know.”
“It’s okay, princess. I don’t mind you looking at my phone. I have nothing to hide from you. I’ve got to go back downstairs for the police.”
“The police? Again?”
He rubbed his neck. Aidan looked exhausted. I noted the same haunted expression I’d seen earlier. “I found Linus with Susana.”
I sighed. “I had a feeling that was where he was.”
Aidan studied me with a puzzled frown.
“I’ve seen them together before, Aidan.”
“And you never thought to tell me?” His annoyance scraped my heart.
“I forgot. So much was going on, and I…” My eyes pooled with tears. I couldn’t handle all this drama. I wished my father had returned.
Aidan’s eyes softened. “I’m sorry, angel. It’s been a crazy night.” He came to me and held me. I tried to quell the maelstrom brewing but couldn’t, and tears poured down my cheeks as my body convulsed with sobs.
Aidan held me for a moment, when his phone pinged.
I pulled away. “I’m detaining you.”
“No, you’re not. You’re everything, Clarissa. You come first. Always.” Aidan’s eyes shone with sincerity.
He walked to his phone and read the message. “I’ve got to go downstairs, angel. I’ll be back soon.”
Aidan didn’t return until early morning. When he came home, he fell onto the bed. I undid his shoes and removed his clothes. He mumbled something about having to call off his trip to New York then fell into a deep sleep.
It wasn’t until the afternoon when Aidan surfaced. I busied myself in the office, dealing with the needs of the charities and paying bills. It was a full-time affair. I appreciated just how much Greta did. Nevertheless, the distraction was a godsend.
Chris had called that morning. As usual, he sounded half asleep when he asked about supplies, especially since the student numbers were growing. I told him I’d drop in the following day.
Aidan came and found me. He leaned against the door. Despite the stress of the night before etched on his beautiful face, he still mustered a sweet smile.
“Hey, angel. What are you up to?”
I went over and held him.
“Ah, that feels better,” he crooned.
“I had to pay a few bills for the refuges, and Chris needs more supplies. The program’s going really well again.”
Aidan nodded reflectively. “Good.” He sighed. “Come and have a coffee with me.”
It was weird, but this was the first time in the four months that I’d been seeing Aidan that we had not made love. Aidan put his arm around my waist and drew me so close I could feel his bulging thigh muscles against my hip.
“I’m glad you’re with me, Clarissa. Today would’ve felt bleak otherwise.”
I stopped walking and turned. “Aidan, you will tell me what happened.”
Aidan nodded, his lips tightened into an off-center curve.
I nearly spilled the coffee from my cup upon learning that Susana was John Howard’s daughter. Discovering that, along with her evil father, she had plotted to kill Aidan, sent me tumbling into a black pool of dismay.
“You warned me about her,” said Aidan, stroking my hand.
“I saw her with Linus the same night I was in the car chase.”
Aidan’s brow wrinkled. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It slipped my mind. So much was going on.” My voice tightened. “Do you think that they were involved in the car chase?”
Stroking my cheek, Aidan shook his head.
“But how do you know that?”
“Because yesterday I got word that a body had washed up.”
My eyes stretched wide. “And you didn’t think to tell me?”
“Hell, Clarissa, so much has happened in the past twenty-four hours. To be honest, I forgot.”
Aidan’s eyes, screaming for mercy, did little to quell my unrest.
I stood up. “This all too much for me. I don’t know if I can handle it. You never tell me anything, Aidan. You’re secretive to a fault.”
My legs turned to concrete. I remained there wanting to scream. I didn’t know what was making me angrier, the fact Aidan kept me in the dark, or at having discovered that I’d inadvertently killed someone.
Aidan grabbed my hand. “What do you mean? You’re not leaving me, are you?”
I fell deeply into his dark gaze, remaining frozen. It seemed like ages. Aidan’s desperation penetrated my heart, pouring deeply into my soul.
I wanted to run. I wanted to go to the cottage and bury my head in a book or anything that would enable me to forget everything. I wasn’t good at drama. Especially with the threat of revenge clinging to every fixture of our lives.
His eyes glistened with a watery film. Oh my, Aidan was about to break. He’d once admitted to me that he was unable to cry. But as I drowned in his despair, I sensed something deep within him was about to erupt.
My heart melted with pity, love and helplessness.
“Aidan, no… I couldn’t…”
He lowered his head into his hands as if he’d been injured.
“Aidan, I’m not leaving. I’m just frightened that someone will harm you. Harm us.”
His intense gaze ate me up. His eyes had gone such an impossible shade of blue they swallowed my soul. A tear slid down his cheek.
I held him as a mother would a son.
Somehow, his weakness had become my strength. Eventually, I whispered, “Aidan, the very devil could enter this house, and I’d still remain with you.”
He unraveled from my arms and stroked my cheek. His lips twitched into a faint smile.
“Come on, angel. Let’s go for a walk.”