Page 8

Chapter Eight

Elena

I decide to take a bath. Even though the tub is a little grody, it’s not too bad. I’m desperate for something to comfort me and warm water sounds nice.

But the moment I’m in the water, I don’t feel comfort at all. I only feel a deep sadness. Tears spill down my eyes.

This was not how I thought my life would go. My father dead. My mother hates me. On the run to avoid getting killed by a psychopath.

I have never felt this deep kind of loneliness before. It’s soul-crushing.

The front door opens. Aiden has returned.

What is happening between us? It shouldn’t matter that I saw him shirtless and had a response to it. It shouldn’t matter that I painted his face without meaning to. It shouldn’t matter that my stomach flutters right now at the thought of him in the same apartment as me.

He is the brother to the man who killed my father. I’m part of the Bratva whereas he’s an Irishman who works for the Italians. We are not destined to be together.

Viktor is the man I’m supposed to be with. I was supposed to marry him but now…

Now I have no idea what will happen.

The bathroom door quickly opens, startling me so much, I stand up.

Aiden stops in the doorway, his eyes widening for just a moment, before his usual stoic expression takes over. But he doesn’t turn away.

It’s then that I realize I’m standing fully naked before him, dripping water. He’s seen me naked once before but it was under completely different circumstances.

My arms don’t move to cover my breasts or my pubic mound. It’s like I’m frozen under his gaze.

“I couldn’t find you,” he says. “I thought something had gone wrong.”

“I just wanted to feel clean.”

“Right.” His eyes sweep over the bathroom. “I don’t know how you could feel clean in a place like this.”

I swallow hard. “I needed to try.” Still, I don’t cover my body even though Aiden is gazing right at me. His eyes darken the longer he looks.

“I didn’t mean to bother you.” Even though he says those words, it doesn’t sound like he’s that sorry.

No man has ever seen me like this before.

Not even Viktor, my future husband, has seen me this way. I don’t feel any guilt though. I never wanted to marry Viktor. I never wanted to leave my sheltered life behind. I just wanted to be kept safe.

I just wanted the love of my parents. Now I have neither.

“You’re not covering yourself.” His voice is gruff.

“Should I?” I whisper. Why am I not moving? What is wrong with me? The last thing I should want is for this hitman to look at my naked body. I should be cowering in disgust.

But Aiden is looking at me like I’m desirable. Like I’m worthy of his attention.

As someone who was always forgotten, it feels sort of nice to have his eyes on me.

“Maybe you should,” he finally says.

“I don’t understand.”

“I don’t want to do something I’ll regret.”

I inhale sharply. What does he mean by that? I’m too afraid to ask. “You won’t hurt me.”

“No, I won’t hurt you, Elena. But…” His eyes rake over my body. “Fuck. You have a beautiful body.”

“So do you,” I blurt out.

His lips twitch. It’s the most I’ve ever seen him smile. “Then I guess we’re even.”

“I never saw you naked. We’re not even.” Why am I even saying this? I had crippling shyness around men all my life and now I’m standing before Aiden, fully naked, not feeling afraid at all.

I think I’m past shyness. After everything that has happened, how can I be shy anymore?

“You want to see me naked?” he asks.

My stomach flutters. “I don’t know.” Yes. No. The urge to see Aiden shirtless again is strong but am I ready to see him fully naked? He’s still a stranger to me.

He’s still the bad guy. I can’t trust him.

“I think we should call this a day.” His voice sounds strained.

“Then leave the bathroom.”

He doesn’t move.

“Aiden…” I don’t know why I say his name like that. Soft and breathy. He’s just so handsome that it’s distracting.

He takes one step into the bathroom. “Yes?”

I have to know. “Do you like what you see?” I don’t ask in a flirtatious way. My voice comes out sad and pathetic because I’m sad and pathetic.

His eyes soften. “I don’t think I should answer that. Unless you want me to touch you right now.”

That breaks my spell. I take one step away from him. Aiden’s eyes zero in on my movement. With one nod, he leaves the bathroom.

I sink back into the now lukewarm water and ponder what in the world just happened. Who cares if Aiden likes what he sees or not. We’re never going to be together.

I’m just lonely and grieving over the death of my father. It’s messing with my head.

That’s what I tell myself.

Aiden

I dream of Elena standing naked before me all night. But unlike real life, in my dream, I touch her. She trembles under my hands. I have a feeling she would do it in real life too.

Things don’t go too far in my dream before I wake up. Not going to lie: I’m disappointed. Touching Elena in my dream is the only way I’ll ever actually get to touch her. She’s not mine. I can’t have her.

If I did take her, it would only end in more trouble. Viktor would sign my death warrant. Fuck, I’m sure he already has but at least I can return Elena to her home as a virgin when all of this is done. Because I know she’s untouched. All those Bratva daughters are. It’s well-known they all wait for their wedding nights.

Sure, some probably don’t but I can tell Elena has never had sex. She just screams innocence. It’s not my place to take that.

I’ve fucked my fair share of women but they were all one-night stands. Women I met on the road when I was working a job. It was all just easier that way. I don’t have a moral code but I do have a brain and I know that fucking Elena is only going to end me in deeper shit than I am now.

So, for right now, hands off.

I just have to remember that when I wake up and look over at her on her own air mattress and take in her sleeping face. For once, she looks so calm, like none of the bad things me or my brother have done to her ever happened.

My eyes flick around the apartment. We can’t stay here for long. I need to find a new safehouse to buy but that could take a couple of weeks to close on a house. I rented his apartment for a month but I’m worried, after my visit with Dante, that someone will show up soon.

We have to keep moving.

I wake Elena up after I’ve packed up some of the supplies – food and blankets and anything else we might need. I’ve had to sleep in my car before and it’s never been fun but it’s always best to be prepared.

“What’s going on?” she asks.

“We’re leaving.”

“Leaving? But-,”

“I know. I just want to make sure my brother doesn’t find us.” Or anyone else like your fiancé .

“I thought we were going to stay here a while.”

I slip the backpack I bought over my shoulder. “You want to stay in this place?”

She looks around before blushing. “Not really.”

“So, let’s go.”

“Do you know where we’re going?”

I don’t give her an answer because honestly, I’m making this up as I go along.

Once we’re on the road, it dawns on me where I can take her. “I have a friend in Massachusetts we could stay with for a couple of days.”

“Do we want to involve other people in this?”

“He’s a good friend. Name is Liam. We’ve known each other since we were kids. If I ask him to keep quiet on this, he’ll do it.”

“But if he’s friends with you, does he also know Finn?”

“He does,” I admit. “But once I tell him what’s going on, he won’t say anything. Besides, we’ll just stay a couple of days before moving again. I just need to find a permanent place which is hard to do when we’re on the run.”

She wrings her hands together, staring at her lap. “It’s strange to think of you and Finn as kids.”

“Well, we’ve all been there.”

“I know. What were you and your brother like? When you were younger? Surely you didn’t always plan on being hitmen together.”

“No, we did not.” Memories of a cold, dank room fill my mind. I quickly push it away. “Our dad was a deadbeat. We just did what we could to survive.”

“And your mom?”

“Still around. We visit her every week but we never talk. Not really talk. It’s just pleasantries. She’s like a stranger to me sometimes.”

Elena nods like she can understand. “My own mom hates me so…”

“Surely she doesn’t hate you.”

“She blames me for my father’s death. She said so right before Finn kidnapped me. She hates me. I know it. I’ve always known it. She’s been so critical of me my entire life. I shouldn’t have been so surprised when she blamed me for my dad’s death but I still managed to be. How sad is that?”

“I think it’s normal to want a parent’s approval.” I aways wanted my father’s but I’m not going to tell Elena that. The less she knows about me, the better. We’re not on a road trip to bond and have fun. I’m doing this to save her life and try to save my brother’s life in the process.

“Aiden… About last night. The bathtub…”

“We don’t have to talk about that.”

She lets out a grateful breath of air. “Thank you.”

“I think it’s better we never let anything like that happen again.”

I can feel her sink away from me. “Oh. You’re right,” she says in her soft voice. Fuck. She sounds so sad and innocent. I want to take away her pain for some reason.

But I am not the man to do that.

We don’t speak much the rest of the drive. No one finds us on the road. I make sure to switch cars every so often. Some of them I steal and some of them I pay for in cash. It’s the best way to avoid detection.

We make it to Liam’s house by midday. His house is a typical Boston place. Colonial in nature but a little rundown. This isn’t one of the wealthier neighborhoods but it’s not the worst either. Liam is typical middle class.

“You should know,” I say as we get out of the car. “Liam doesn’t know exactly what I do for a living so just leave the talking to me.”

“What if he asks me anything about myself?”

“Then lie.”

Elena

Aiden knocks on the door and a moment later, a young man opens it. He looks around Aiden’s age, which makes sense, and has almost white blonde hair and a small scar over his eyebrow.

“Aiden.”

“Liam.”

They share a hug.

“What are you doing here?” Liam asks as his eyes flit over to me. “Who’s this?”

“Liam, I need somewhere to stay for the night. Maybe even a couple of days. Can we stay with you?”

“I mean… sure. Yeah, man. I have a spare bedroom. But who’s this?” He nods at me again.

“This is Elena, my girlfriend.” The lie slips from Aiden’s lips naturally. It’s almost shocking how easy he makes it sound. Almost as if it could be true.

“I didn’t know you had a girlfriend.”

“Well, we haven’t spoken in a few years. Sorry about that.”

Liam nods. “It’s ok. I get it. Where’s Finn? What’s he been up to?”

“You know Finn. Getting into chaos. Actually, I want to ask you to not tell him we’re here.”

The air changes. Becomes tenser. “Why not?” Liam asks.

“Because he’s been getting into some trouble lately. I just want some distance from him. You understand.”

“Yeah, man. I understand. I won’t call him. Ok. So, come on in.”

Aiden grabs my hand and tugs me into the house. The sensation of his hand on mine almost makes me stumble. It’s intense.

I look at him with curiosity.

“We have to sell it,” he whispers into my ear.

Right. Liam needs to believe we’re boyfriend and girlfriend.

Liam’s house is quite nice with a cozy feel. Used furniture. Nothing fancy. This is a home someone lives in. It’s so different from my own, where my mom made sure everything looked like it was out of Architectural Digest magazine.

There’s another man seated at the kitchen table.

Aiden tenses. “Who’s this?”

“That’s Jack. He came over to hang out.”

Jack doesn’t nod at us. He doesn’t smile. He only stares at me in a way that makes me shift behind Aiden.

“Nice to meet you,” Aiden says.

“Who are you?” Jack asks in a gravelly voice. “And who’s the girl?”

“I’m Aiden. A friend of Liam’s. As for the girl, she’s no importance to you.”

So, Aiden noticed Jack looking at me too. I can’t believe that I’m seeking safety next to a hitman but here I am.

“That’s Elena,” Liam explains. “Aiden’s girlfriend.”

Jack huffs and leans back in his seat, still not taking his eyes off me.

“Liam, can I have a word?” Aiden asks in a clipped tone.

“Sure.” He motions us down a hallway and away from Jack, for which I’m grateful. There’s something just so unsettling about him even though I can’t put my finger on it.

“What’s up?” Liam asks.

“How long is Jack staying?”

“Uh, he was gonna spend the night. I have multiple guest bedrooms so you won’t be put out. I figure you and your girl will share a room.”

“We will,” Aiden says like there’s no debate. Sharing a bed with Aiden makes me feel flushed.

“Right. So… is there a problem?”

“I don’t like the way he’s looking at Elena.”

Liam turns to me. “Does Jack make you uncomfortable?”

How can I say yes? Liam is graciously letting us stay with him, no questions asked.

“I don’t like it,” Aiden answers for me.

“What does your girl feel?” Again, Liam looks at me and I can’t answer.

“Can you make him go?” Aiden asks.

Liam sighs and crosses his arms. “Listen. I already told Jack he could stay here tonight. I can’t go back on that. But you can find somewhere else to stay if you don’t want to be here.”

The sun is getting lower in the sky. By the time we find a place, it will be late. I know Aiden is trying to use cash to prevent anyone tracking us, which means any good hotel is out of the question.

“It’s fine,” I whisper. “It’s fine.”

Aiden gives me a long look before he nods. “Just keep him away from us. We’ll be in the guest room.”

“Fine. But I was about to make dinner. It would be rude of you guys not to join us. So eat and then you can retreat to your room.” Liam pats Aiden on the back before heading into the kitchen.

“Are you sure you want to stay?” he asks me.

“You don’t seem to want to stay.”

“Because I don’t like how that guy was looking at you.” The possessiveness in Aiden’s voice makes me shiver. We don’t have a future, I remind myself. This means nothing.

“I’ll be fine. I have you protecting me.”

That seems to appease Aiden because he nods. “Let’s just get this fucking dinner over with.”

Aiden and I take our seats across from Jack as Liam works on dinner.

“Do you need help?” I ask him, trying to be a good guest but he waves me off.

“I got this. You guys just relax.”

“So, you’re staying the night,” Aiden says to Jack, who stiffly nods.

“Got a problem with that?” he snaps back.

“No.” Except, Aiden clearly has a problem with it.

Jack turns his eyes back onto me and doesn’t take them off. I shift around in my seat and look everywhere but at him.

“Eyes to yourself,” Aiden growls.

Jack doesn’t listen to him. Every time I take a peek up, I see that Jack is still looking at me. Just get through this dinner , I remind myself. Aiden is beside me. I’ll be fine.

Liam finally serves us dinner – steak and potatoes.

It’s only when we start eating that Jack finally looks away from me but not for long. As he cuts his meat, his eyes find my face again. And as he takes a bite, he doesn’t blink as he meets my eyes.

“Stop it,” Aiden says.

“Jack isn’t hurting anybody,” Liam says. “Now, Aiden. How have you been? Still at your job? What was it again? Security?”

“Yes. It’s all going well.”

Security. How ironic.

“And you, Elena, what do you do?”

I freeze. Aiden told me not to talk.

“She’s a student at NYU. Studying…”

“Painting,” I blurt out. “Art. I want to be an artist who could make a living someday from it. I also love art history. Maybe work in a museum.”

Aiden looks at me with curiosity. I give him a small smile in return.

“Interesting,” Liam says. “You paint?”

“I love to do it. It calms my mind.” I purposefully don’t look at Aiden as I say this. My cheeks are flushed. The painting I did of him comes to mind. That’s the last thing he needs to know.

“I never would have guessed Aiden would be with an artsy girl but then again we haven’t spoken in a while.”

“Times change,” Aiden agrees. “I never would have thought it either.” Seeing as we’re not really together…

Jack doesn’t offer anything to the conversation. The only thing he does is just look at me.

Once dinner is done, Aiden and I head to our bedroom for the night. I’m just glad to be away from Jack.

“So, you like to paint?” Aiden asks as he pulls down the covers. It’s all so domestic. It’s all so normal. But we’re anything but normal.

“I do.”

“I used to like to write,” he admits, not looking at me. “Fiction. Thrillers. Shit like that.”

“Really? I never would have guessed.”

“You don’t think a hitman can have hobbies?”

“Not really, no. You said you used to do it. You don’t anymore?”

“No. Just haven’t had the time,” he says.

Slowly, I sit down onto the bed. “Well, maybe you should pick it back up again when all of this is over. Do something for yourself for a change.”

“Yeah. Maybe.” His voice sounds weird, like there’s an emotion in it that I can’t place.

We slip under the covers and lie there, neither one speaking, and neither one looking at the other one.

“I’ve never been in a bed with a man before,” I admit. When we slept on the air mattresses, we each had our own. But this is a shared mattress. I can feel the heat radiating off him.

“You shouldn’t say things like that to me.”

“Why not?”

“Because it only makes me want you and I can’t have you.” He turns the light on the nightstand off, plunging us into darkness. “Goodnight, Elena.”

All I can do is whisper ‘goodnight’ because my mind is reeling.

I wake up in the night with an urge to pee. A part of me wants to wake Aiden up so he’ll go with me but I tell myself I’m being crazy. I’ll just use the bathroom and come right back.

I tiptoe into the hallway. It takes me a moment to find the bathroom. I do my business, wash my hands, and tell myself that it was nothing. I don’t have to be afraid over every little thing.

Then I open the door and find Jack standing in the hallway across from me.

Before I can gasp, he lunges at me and grabs my face, pressing his hand into my mouth, stifling my scream.

He backs us into the bathroom and shuts the door behind us. “I’ve been watching you all night. You’re so pretty. I just had to take an opportunity.”

This can’t be happening. Not after escaping Finn. Not after surviving my father’s death.

“I just want to touch you real quick and then I’ll let you go. Sound good?” He reaches for the waistband of my pants and I use that to my advantage.

I bite down hard onto his hand. He lets out a yelp right before he backhands me across the face. I stumble into the counter.

With a growl, Jack turns me around and presses his hips to my backside. I can feel his erection through his pants. It’s disgusting. It’s something I’ve never felt before but I know exactly what it is.

“Help me!” I scream right before Jack covers my mouth again. My struggles are pointless. He’s so much stronger than I am.

I escaped Finn only to walk into more danger.

I feel his fingers dig into my pants and drag them down. No, no, no.

The bathroom door bursts open and Aiden’s there. I never knew the sight of him could bring me so much happiness.

It only takes him a moment to take stock of the situation before he grabs Jack and hauls him off me. Before Jack can react, Aiden begins to rain down punches onto his face. Every sound is like the crack of a bell.

“What is going on here?” Liam demands, running down the hallway. He stops short when he sees the commotion. “Aiden. That’s my friend! Stop beating him!”

“He was trying to rape Elena.”

It’s then that Liam notices my pants around my ankles. I quickly pull them back up.

“I don’t even know what to say. Elena, I…”

I can’t hear Liam’s half-hearted apology. Watching Aiden punch Jack is too scary for me. It only brings back memories of watching Finn beat up my father.

I’m not safe here. I’m not safe anywhere.

So, I do the only thing my body knows how to do: I run.

And I don’t stop running even as I leave the house. Even as I run down the street. Even as I turn the corner and can’t see the house anymore.

I only stop when I hear Aiden calling out for me.

He kept me safe, I remind myself. He’s not the enemy here.

But when I turn around and face him as he approaches, all I see is anger on his face. Oh my god. He’s going to hurt me.

It’s then that I notice he has something red on his shirt.

Blood.

“What happened?” I whisper.

“I killed him. I killed both of them.”

All I feel is fear.