Chapter Twenty-Three

Maggie

Nothing like waking up to a gangster staring at me while I slept. Sure, I was okay with Aidan keeping an eye on me, even if it had been through supposedly secret video cameras. But Amon was something else entirely. The man gave me the creeps right down to my bones. When Aidan watched me sleep, I thought it was kinda hot. When some random stranger, especially one as creepy as Amon, broke in and did it? Yeah, not so much.

As I sat on the edge of his bed, I knew there was no chance I’d get a lick of sleep for the rest of the night. I was too rattled and freaked out. Aidan was outside checking with his security detail, presumably, including video surveillance, but had told me to get some sleep.

I laid down and closed my eyes, trying to drift off despite the fact that I already knew it was a futile gesture. Even in Aidan’s bedroom, with him down the hall along with a bunch of armed guards nearby, I couldn’t shut my brain off enough to rest.

So many questions spun through my mind as I tossed and turned—questions for Aidan, questioning myself as well. Who was Amon? He said he was Aiden’s brother. Was he? And if he was, what did his appearance mean for me—if anything? Because the truth of the matter was, I cared for Aidan a lot. What I felt for him was more than just thigh-clenching lust, and the more intimate we became, the more it felt like love.

Too soon? Maybe. But I had been crushing on him for years. I knew damn near everything about him and none of this, outside the last couple of weeks, came as a surprise to me. I didn’t want his so-called half-brother to screw things up between us. I’d waited too long for Aidan.

Voices of Aidan and his men drifted down the hall. I strained my ears to listen. I’d learned at work how to eavesdrop as quietly as possible. Even to slow my breathing. I hated feeling like I was out of the loop, especially with something as freaky and dangerous as this. I was involved in this mess and had a right to know what the hell was going on.

“It’s confirmed then?” Aidan asked.

A strange man with a deep voice answered him. “Yes. Gerard is dead.”

There was a silence that followed that simple three-word declaration.

Gerard is dead.

I hardly knew the man on a personal level, but it still broke my heart to hear of his death. He didn’t deserve to die. No one did. I felt terrible for him and his family—if he had any. And Aiden? What was he going to do? Kill his brother?

“What happened?” I heard Aidan ask. “How the hell did he manage to sneak up on Gerard? He was the best guard we have on staff. How did this happen?”

“Beats me,” the other man said. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t see much from the security footage. Most of what happened, happened off screen. About the only thing I can tell you is that this man is good. Very good. Professional. Any idea who it might be?”

More silence, then Aidan answered, “No. No idea.”

I sat up and looked at the door. Aidan was lying through his teeth, and I had no idea why he’d lie about who it was that killed his man. And I sure as hell didn’t know why it bothered me so much, but it did. To keep a secret from the very men hired to protect him—who put their lives on the line every day for him—seemed a bit callous to me. But at the same time, I had to admit, I knew very little about what was going on.

I was still trying to process everything I’d heard when I heard the two men exchange a few parting words—a promise for an extra security detail was among them, and I listened as the door closed.

I wasn’t sure if Aidan was still in the house or not, but then I heard him walking down the hallway toward the bedroom. Quickly, I laid back and covered myself up as if I’d been sleeping all along. When he opened the door, he did so quietly—as if he expected me to be asleep. I wasn’t sure how the hell anyone could sleep after everything that had happened, but I faked it at first, pretending to wake up as he joined me in bed.

He just sat there beside me, not saying a word. His body was stiff, rigid, and the air around us was saturated with tension and an anticipation of violence—it was like a black cloud hovering overhead, threatening dark rain and thunder. So, I spoke up first.

“Aidan?” I was so on edge that the sound of my voice caught me off guard and almost made me jump.

“Yes, Maggie?” He looked down at me, and there was a serious, grim expression on his face.

“Mind if we talk about what happened?”

Aidan sighed, rubbing his temples. “Now?”

Preferably, yes, but I could understand if he didn’t want to. After all, he’d lost Gerard—someone who was not only his security guard but a friend as well.

“Doesn’t have to be now, I guess.”

Aidan was silent for a moment, and I thought he’d somehow fallen asleep. But his breathing wasn’t regular just yet, and when I looked over at him, I saw his eyes were wide open. He was simply staring straight ahead.

He sighed. “I just found out I have a brother. A brother who tried to kill me. I’m not sure what to do with that. Not sure what else needs to be said, Maggie, but I’ll do the best I can.”