Aidan

 

 

“Good job, Aidan.”

Eli half steps into the doorway as though he’s afraid to come all the way in. He crosses his burly arms over his chest, giving a tiny, congratulatory nod of his head.

“I couldn’t have done it without Ari.” I shrug, stifling a yawn.

My whole body was exhausted with relief, like I’d been running nothing but fumes for weeks. Now that this was all behind me, I could finally relax a bit and focus on more important matters, like my mom and Miki.

He nods again absently, shifting his feet a bit.

“You know, our father really isn’t that bad once you understand him.”

I resist the urge to roll my eyes, folding my hands over the desk.

“Oh yeah?”

“He’s so much like you, Aidan. I didn’t realize it before-”

“Because you never bothered to get to know me?”

He winces, but nods regretfully, “Yes.”

I pick up the papers off my desk, lightly tapping against the wood before filing them quietly into one of the drawers of my desk.

He jams his hands in his pockets, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth, “I was trying to say… I was never interested in business. Not really. I was more into having fun until Grant and Reagan put me in line. Dad, on the other hand, is all business all the time. Like you.”

“Being a hard worker is not genetic, Eli.”

He rolls his eyes, finally breaching the doorway of my office to walk inside. He doesn’t take a seat, preferring instead to stand stiffly to the side of my desk.

“No. I mean, you both throw yourselves into the work. Whatever needs to be done gets done, no matter what. Like you’ve spent the last few weeks getting zero sleep, bouncing back from a horrible accident, and working your ass off. I respect that, Aidan. I respect it a lot. I think Dad does too, that’s why he wants you to work with him.”

“That may also be our problem, boys.” Ariana interrupts grimly from the doorway. She sizes up Eli intently, as though she was deciding whether or not to trust him, “So, you’re the big bother, are you? I’ve heard lots of things about you.”

“All… lovely, I’m sure.” He grunts.

“I think you know the answer to that.” Ari smirks back, brushing past him to toss the USB stick from earlier on my desk.

 “What’s that?” Eli asks, reaching to grab it.

She slaps his hand away, pushing it towards me instead, “Open it up, let’s find out what your dear old daddy is up to.”

“I don’t know who you think you are…” Eli hisses through gritted teeth as I grab the tiny flash drive shaped like a Kit Kat package and jam it into my computer.

A file box pops up instantly filled with several folders and word documents.

“I scavenged it from the virus’s code.” Ariana murmurs, “it took a little while to decrypt but-”

“How do we know she hasn’t made any of this up?” Eli interrupts, slamming a hand on the desk, “I won’t believe anything that you’ve got in there.”

Ariana stares at him levelly, her jaw set, “What do you think is on the line here, Eli? Just money? A reputation?”

Only half listening to the two of them bicker, my fingers glide easily over the keyboard, extracting the files to my desktop and inspecting them silently.

“What is this?” I ask, pulling up an image of what appeared to be local streets.

“That’s where he’s staying while he’s in town.” Ariana responds coolly, locking eyes with Eli, “Did you know he was here?”

Silently, Eli shakes his head, his brow furrowing.

“Me neither.” She responds, shifting her eyes towards me, “Which makes this an issue.”

“Why…?” I ask, rubbing my temples.

What the hell was going on? Just when I thought I understood it all, everything seemed to be collapsing.

“Open up the folder on the bottom.” She responds, tapping the screen of the computer with an impatient finger, “This one here.”

Eli leans over the desk, his objections falling to the floor.

“What the fuck?” I whisper aloud, shoulders going slack as I fall back into the chair, “Is this real, Ari?”

“I swear to you it is.”

My older brother’s face scrunches up as he leans closer, as though just being nearer to the computer would aid in him understanding the words and numbers scrawled across the document, “What? What is it? I don’t get it.”

“Dominic was the one who infected the computers.”

“There’s no way-”

“He installed it six years ago. About when would you say you started working with Grant here at the company, Eli?” Ariana glances towards Eli with innocent eyes, head cocking to the side.

Eli doesn’t respond, a vein pulsing in the side of his neck, “If he installed it six years ago then why hasn’t anyone noticed until now?”

“For whatever reason he didn’t activate it until after the wedding.”

“Until I started.” I murmur, “But he’s been collecting information this entire time. He’s had complete and total access to Grant’s system. All the financial info, all the client’s info, all of it.”

“Why would he need that?”

Ariana claps a hand on my brother’s shoulder, the softness in her eyes almost real this time.

“Looks like Daddy wants to take someone down.” She responds simply.

“He wants us to work for him, it’s obvious.” I heave a long sigh that draws from my soul, “Even if he has to completely destroy Grant so that we don’t have any other choice.”

“There’s something else you should know, Aidan.” Ari adds with a slight shift of her feet. Her heels click as she tucks a hasty lock of hair behind her ear.

“Is it a file?” I click through the rest of the folders but there doesn’t seem to be anything of particular interest.

When I turn back to Ariana her caramel colored cheeks are flushed.

“No.” She whispers, glancing up at Eli then back to me, “No. Unfortunately not.”

“Just spit it out, woman.” Eli snaps, frustration blooming red on his neck.

“Ah. He’s been asking me to, uh, collect information while I’m here.” She finally mumbles clumsily, “I didn’t know that he was so close-”

“What kind of information, Ari?”

She shifts again, glancing back towards the door like she wants to run, “Just about what you’re doing… who you’re spending time with.”

Her green eyes meet mine and suddenly my blood runs ice cold with dread, like time has ground to a shrieking, painful halt.

“You’re talking about Miki.” I whisper, throat going dry.

Eli slams his hand down on the desk once more with a sharpness that makes both of us jump, “Just what kind of accusations are you hurling around now?”

“He’s not innocent.” Ariana whispers, her eyes not leaving my own, “I can’t go into it but he’s been blackmailing me, Aidan. He’s dangerous. If I had known that he was in the city I would never have… I wouldn’t have told him anything at all.”

I’m on my feet before I know what’s happening, like I’ve been launched forward.

 “Do you think Miki is in danger?”

Ariana just swallows, fingers balling into fists.

The room goes so quiet that you could hear a pin drop down the hall. Eli’s chest swells with anger and disbelief, his nostrils flaring.

“Yes.” She finally whispers.

 

~~

 

Not two seconds later, Reagan strides out of the elevator with Grant’s two daughters in careful tow, luring them along with promises to play on an iPad.

Grant steps out of his office, bending down to scoop up his girls.

“What are you doing here, Reags?” Eli asks in confusion, “I thought you were spending the day with Poppy.”

Reagan laughs, tilting her head curiously, “Um. You okay, honey? You texted me. You said to come to the office. That Grant wanted to see the girls.”

“No…” He begins, suddenly going rigid, his shoulders tensing like rocks.

Eli glances towards me, his face draining of color, “Dad.”

I barely even hear his words when I whirl on Reagan, “Miki was there too, wasn’t she?”

Reagan gives an uncomfortable nod, stroking the top of Hope’s little head, “What’s going on, guys?”

“Let me see your phone.” Ariana sighs, outstretching a hand.

Reagan falters but Eli nods, “Let her have it.”

“I think you all need to tell me what’s going on right now.” Grant murmurs grimly, his jaw set in a taut line.

“My father might be behind our system’s malfunction-”

“No might about it.” Ariana interrupts, clicking through Reagan’s messages, “Here’s the one.”

 

Come to the office, babe! Grant wants to see his girls!

 

“You didn’t send this?” I ask, tilting the phone towards Eli who shakes his head.

The truth hits the three of us like strikes of lightning, but it’s my brother who says it aloud.

“He was trying to get Miki alone. He was trying to get Reagan to take Poppy and the girls…”

“I don’t understand.” Reagan frowns as Grant nods in agreement.

“Dominic is trying to get Miki alone. Where is she?” I twist towards Reagan, grabbing at her wrist as she lurches sideways in surprise.

 “Hey now.” Grant interrupts, “Let’s all calm down-”

“We don’t have time to calm down.” Ariana hisses, “Where is the girl?”

“She and Poppy were still together when I left.” Reagan cries out, “What’s the deal?”

“They could be in trouble.” Eli locks eyes with Grant who just gives a grave nod, “Call the police. Get them to the house.”

Reagan is already dialing Poppy’s phone number, setting her own to speaker.

Hello, this is Poppy Price! Leave your name and number-”

Reagan hangs up and tries again and again, but Poppy never answers. With each ring, Grant goes more and more pale.

Ariana shakes her head, pointing towards my computer, “They won’t be at the house. Not anymore. Give the police the address on that map. That’s where he’ll take them.”

“I can’t wait around for them to come. I need to get to Miki.” I growl, turning to leave.

“But Poppy!” Grant shouts, “If she’s in danger-”

Eli grabs his shoulders, squeezing his arms, “Get the police there now. That’s what you need to do.”

Grant nods, grabbing his cell and dialing with shaking fingers.

“I’ve got my bike, I’m going.” Grant steps after me but I shake my head, mashing the elevator button repeatedly, “You wait for the police. If Poppy’s in trouble I’m going to get her, Grant.”

He just nods, turning as someone answers the phone.

Ariana steps to my side, stepping into the elevator as the doors swing open.

“What are you doing?” I mutter, adrenaline pulsing too fast through my body for me to care.

“I’ve memorized the map. I’ll get you there. We’re going to get your girl, Aidan.”

 

~~

 

Unfortunately my mother’s claim about the perfect weather turned out to be flawed.

 “Are we really going to ride your bike?” Ari yelps over the howling bluster of the strong winds blowing pitch black clouds overhead. A long roll of thunder booms nearby, loud as a freight train.

“You don’t have to go. I’ll figure it out.” I throw my helmet over my head, slinging a leg over the back of the bike as Ariana purses her lips and climbs on behind me.

As she does I remove the helmet and hold it back to her.

“Don’t you need it…?” She asks, grasping the helmet between uncertain hands and biting her lip.

“I’m a cat, nine lives and shit.” I mutter roughly.

“Eight now.” She corrects pointedly, yanking the helmet down over her head as she wraps her arms around my waist and holds on tight.

When we were dating she’d never been brave enough to ride on the bike. What had spurred her on now?

Shaking my head, I rev the engine of the bike just as the first drops begin to fall.

Every raindrop feels like a razor on my skin, striking at my eyes and lips and exposed flesh, but I ride faster and faster down the road while Ariana occasionally shouts directions into my ear. Claps of lightning and thunder boom as the rain falls thick as white sheets blowing on a laundry line.

Every turn we take threatens to make the bike flip, but I don’t slow. I can’t. Not when Miki and her sister are in danger.

No matter what I have to do, I’m going to get them back. I’m going to get them to safety.

I may not now my father personally, but I’d seen what he was willing to do. I wouldn’t let the woman I loved be caught in the crossfire.

Especially not when I hadn’t even gotten the chance to tell her that yet.

“I’m coming, Miki,” I whisper into the rain, letting the words get washed away, “Hold on a little longer.”

“Left!” Ariana shrieks, clinging to me, “We’re closing in on it!”

I make a sharp left, tires screaming disgruntledly under the pressure of the rain soaked roads and the sharpness of the turn. Ariana screams with it, her face buried in my shoulder.

We zoom straight down a road lined by nothing but billowing trees and empty pastures. Dominic had certainly selected a place where no one would come investigating, but that only made my stomach sink further.

Finally, ahead of us in the distance a small brick building emerges from the dense shield of rain.

“That’s it!” Ariana announces, “That’s where he’s keeping them. It has to be.”

Another huge crack of lightning sends stars dancing before my eyes as I furiously try to blink and focus my vision on the winding road before us. As I jerk the handlebars around the next wide bend, the handle comes loose in my hand.

“Shit!” I yell, jerking the bars back and forth though the bike doesn’t respond, careening off the road while Ariana screams again and clutches me. The bike twists and turns, blazing forward, I jam both the front and back brakes only to find that neither of them are working.

Ari screams loudly as the bike vaults over the side of the curb, hurling the both of us into the air.

I land in a flurry of scraped knees and ripped clothing, my ankle throbbing as I heft back up onto my knees. Ariana has thankfully landed in the grass but is lying still as I crawl towards her.

“Ari?” I grab her shoulders, shaking her until she gives a tiny moan. I grab the helmet, pulling it off of her head as her long hair floats back into the grass.

She grins at me, covering a grimace.

“I’m okay!” She announces, grunting as I grab her hand and help her upwards, “I’m okay.” She repeats, trying to convince herself more than me.

“Are you hurt?” I ask, ignoring the burning pulse in my own leg. She shakes her head violently, pointing at the building, “They’re in there, Aidan. I can feel it.”

“Why are you doing this?” I ask abruptly, staring at the woman in disbelief, “I don’t understand your angle here, Ari. What do you want?”

“I’m not that girl anymore, Aidan. I’m not like I used to be.” She purses her lips, distressed, “I’m sorry I cheated on you. That person… I’m not her anymore. I’ll explain later, right now I want to help you.”

I nod slowly, forcing myself up onto my feet. I reach down to help Ariana but she stands herself, brushing off her maroon pantsuit and kicking off her heels.

“Won’t be needing those.” She shrugs, shoving soaking wet hair from her face. Her mascara runs down her cheeks with the rain.

We hobble together down the road towards the small building, the remains of what looks like it was once a restaurant or a tiny motel. By the time we reach the front doors, Ariana has gone slightly pale.

“What’s the plan?” She asks quietly as I give her one glance before grabbing the brass handle of the front door and shoving it open.

“Good enough.” She mutters with a roll of her eyes, following me as we finally step out of the rain and into the dimly lit building.

It’s only once we’re inside and the door has swung shut behind us that we hear the tortured screams from down the hall.