SEVEN

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Denver spent the day under the covers. It was Saturday. Officially the District Attorney's office was closed. But she knew people were working based on the information she'd reported to Jonathan. For one reason or another, her world was about to collapse. Why not spend the hours until then in comfort?  She turned off her phone and avoided the television.

Instead she ate double-chocolate ice cream for breakfast and cracked open a sci-fi paper back that had been gathering dust on the nightstand.

She didn't know when the knock on her door would come. So, in anticipation, Denver dressed in a pair of comfy jeans and a light green cotton t-shirt. But even then, she questioned if getting dressed may have been premature. It could take a day or two for the consequences of her actions to come calling.

Someone might be thorough and cross the t's and dot the i's before coming for her.

When Denver's door buzzer finally rang, she'd moved to the sofa to read. Earlier, she'd been calm, resolute with her choice. Faced with doing the right thing or delving back into her darker impulses, Denver had chosen to do the right thing.

But the second the sound erupted, her limbs went jittery as if poked with a cattle prod.

Her thoughts ran amok like angry locusts. This was stupid. She should've run hours ago and be three states away by now. From her position on the couch, she stared at the apartment's door. It took another loud eruption of the buzzer before she jerked into motion.

Denver didn't bother looking through the peephole. So when she saw Aaron standing there, her jaw went slack. She hadn't expected him. A surrogate of his perhaps, but not him. It wasn't like a Maddox to get his hands dirty.

He spoke first. “I thought we established that when I call you pick up.”

“I turned my phone off.”

He sighed and said, “Naughty kitten.” Aaron pushed his way inside the apartment and shut the door behind him. Then they were face to face.

Denver peered up into the forest green eyes and held her breath. Aaron pulled something out of his pocket and held it up. She looked down at his palm and the breath she'd been holding left in a whoosh.

Aaron said, “Here. This is the only copy now.”

She reached out slowly to retrieve the thumb drive in his hand. “I don't understand.”

“This is the remaining copy of the pawn shop video. It's yours. I'm leaving town. I didn't want this hanging over your head.”

She rubbed a finger over the black casing contemplating. During the entire time, Denver could feel his eyes on her. 

She said, “I guessed you knew something. I figured you saw the napkin Tai had slipped into my purse when I went to the bathroom last night.”  She met his eyes again. “But what I couldn't guess was why you would let me find it. You could’ve taken Tai’s note and I would’ve been none the wiser. Was this one of your tests?”

“What do you think?”

“I want you to stop playing games for once,” she snapped, “and tell me what all this was about!” 

She moved away, circling him. “Was this some big game?  You had to know about the DA’s missing informant. Did you know it was Tai?  Did you know I would feel responsible and would try to find him?”

Aaron folded his arms. “Do you mean, did I know you would use me to find your informant?”

“You have to be kidding, Maddox.” Denver stabbed the air with the thumb drive, “You were blackmailing me. Please don't insult me by feigning hurt feelings.”  She paused, “Wait, is this really the only version of the pawn shop video?”

“Yeah.”

Denver regarded him, trying to pick up on any deception in his tone. “Why are you giving it to me, really?”

“You did me a favor.”

“No, shit. Our whole relationship is about me doing you favors.”

“Denver,” Aaron held up his palms in surrender. “I'm giving it to you as a gesture of goodwill. You've been instrumental in resolving a few concerns I've been struggling with.”

Denver sneered. “What the fuck does that mean?  Wait, is this about some controlling interest in the Maddox family fortunes?  Is this about you and your brother, Nathan?”

He took a step closer to her. “Yes, but not the way you think. My brother has been leading my family in a direction I've been able to stomach less and less.”

“Able to stomach?” Denver almost shouted. “You're criminals, Maddox! What?  Are you going to tell me your brother defied some code of honor among thieves?”

Aaron's nostrils flared at the slight. Then he bowed his head while rubbing a palm over his chin. “The Hitman Logan favor was for my brother. And last night, when you were off doing who knows what, I went into the back area to find him. You and I left before the more... darker activities started. There was going to be another auction. And let's say those participants weren't there voluntarily.

I had chosen to be blissfully ignorant of my brother's extracurricular activities, but after Logan and last night—no more.”

“So you manipulate an ex-dirty cop to snitch on your brother and do the dirty work for you.” Denver’s eyes narrowed.

Aaron's shoulders lifted and dropped in a shrug. Denver wanted to slug him.

“That video,” he nodded at the thumb drive in Denver's hand, “and you working in the DA's office put you on my radar. True. But,” Aaron flashed a grin, “a lot of the things that happened weren’t planned. Things like your missing informant showing up at the club. I had hoped you'd see something that would be,” he paused searching for the right word, “provoking enough to require further investigation.”

“And you kept giving me opportunities to look around when you asked for a drink.” Denver groaned, she rubbed her forehead as she paced back and forth. “You're such a fucker, Aaron. Is your brother going to come after me now?”

He shook his head. “No, not unless someone in the office reveals Tai slipped you the names of those shell companies and account numbers Nathan's been using to launder funds.”

”You're still a fucker. All day I've been damn near sick about someone coming to arrest me or kill me because you sent that video to the DA or because I'd turned in evidence on Nathan Maddox.”  She came to a stop in front of him. Her tone sounded annoyed, but the weight that had been pressing on her chest all day started to dissipate. “And what about all that stuff about becoming family?  That was a fucked up thing to tease me about.”

“I meant every word. I'm sorry it didn't work out that way, at least for now.”

Denver stopped and for a second, she looked as if she would launch herself at him. Instead she wrapped her arms around herself.

Aaron, sensing the tirade nearly over, took a cautious step towards her. “You're okay, Denver. Even to my surprise, everything is looking like it will work out. I'm going away for a while. Perhaps a long while so the DA doesn't come after me.”

“You're running.”

He smirked. “Aaron Maddox run? No. I'm maximizing opportunities elsewhere while my brother's inevitable arrest looms. I don't know what will happen, but he needs to clean up this mess without my help, for once.” He paused, as if reflecting on what he'd said.

Aaron shook his head, sighed, then met her eyes. Then he grinned, the same one that had become very familiar to her.

He took another step closer until Denver could smell the subtle scent of spicy cologne.

She said, “So we're good then? No more favors?”

“No more favors,” Aaron responded while closing the gap between them. Slowly, as if she was a skittish animal, he hooked an arm around her waist.

“What are you doing, Aaron?” She said leaning away from him.

“Saying goodbye.”

For the past two weeks, Denver had been blackmailed, threatened, spanked,  psychologically toyed with, manipulated, fingered, and fucked delirious... all by this one man. As he stood over her, bending for what likely seemed a kiss, it was all too much. 

Denver put a hand on his chest. “If we're all good, you should go.” 

Aaron froze in place and she could feel the muscles under her hand tighten. Then he seemed to come back to life. He gave a brief nod of his head while letting go of her waist.

Without another word he turned and headed for the apartment's door. He turned the knob, but as the door cracked open, a hand slammed it shut again.

Denver twisted him around and shoved. Aaron’s back hit the metal door. That frame rattled.

Denver smiled wickedly as she pressed her body against his. “I changed my mind. Give me a proper goodbye, Maddox.”

“Is that an order?”

Instead of responding, she grabbed his shirt lapels and yanked him down to her level. She bit his lip, just enough to make him yelp.

The yip of pain satisfied her urge, and she sucked gently at the spot she'd just bitten. The kiss turned softer then, and Aaron wrapped his arms around her. In the next moment, she felt the press of his lips against hers as his spicy scent tickled her nose. He opened his mouth, and she tasted of something sweet and a little bitter. The bitterness fit him more than the sweet. Denver spent a minute more relishing the taste of him before drawing back.

“Get out of here, Maddox,” she said.

He flashed the grin once more and left.

***

An hour later, Denver tossed her cell phone aside. After Maddox left, she'd womanned up and turned the phone back on. To her surprise, it didn't take long to follow up on the few voice-mails from the office.

When the phone rang, she almost ignored it. Her body felt drained of its vital fluids. And right now, all she wanted was a glass of strong, brown liquor that would burn going down.

But she peeked at the display and jumped when she read the name.

Spanky.

“Hello?” Denver answered the call not knowing what to expect.

On the other side, there was a crackling, as if the call connected from far away. But that couldn't be, Aaron had left just over an hour ago.

“Hello, Kitten.” Aaron spoke over the noise. “Tell me, do you have a passport?”