Page 43 of Vain (Tempest #2)

Chapter Forty-One

AIDEN

I watch Tilly dancing with Zoe and Mia, who warmed up to her over the evening.

My mom, who had spent much of the evening being spun around the dance floor, stopped to talk to the girls while my dad offered his hand to Tilly. I smile when she takes it without hesitation. She laughs loudly, drawing the attention of those around her when he spins her out and pulls her back in.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Wade asks as he takes the chair beside mine.

“Just wondering how I got so fucking lucky?”

“I ask myself the same damn thing every day.”

I look over and see Olivia, sitting next to June, who looks frail but happy in her wheelchair. She’s talking a mile a minute, her hands throwing out gestures that make me wildly curious about what she’s saying.

“My wife’s nuts, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

I watch Blake and Callie dancing. He’s holding her close as she looks up at him, both lost in a world of their own making. That’s what I want. And thanks to that ring on Tilly’s finger, I’m one step closer.

“I still can’t believe he pulled this off.” I shake my head and grin.

“I learned a long time ago never to underestimate Blake.”

“Good point.”

I sigh when I see Zoe’s social worker approaching. She gives me an awkward smile. “Hey Kellen, I’m sorry. I held off as long as possible, but the doors lock at ten. It’s for the kids’ safety.”

“I know, it’s fine. Thanks for letting her come today.”

“Are you kidding? I can see from here she’s had a blast.”

“How’s she doing now?”

“Health-wise, great. Thanks in large part to Miss Carson, of course. She paid to have the best consultants come see her. She has an inhaler now, which helps significantly. As for her burns, Miss Carson managed to get her a spot in a clinical trial that’s been widely successful in the UK and France.

She has a few months before treatments start, though. ”

I shake my head and chuckle.

“You didn’t know?”

“That my woman is a saint? Oh, I knew.”

“Now don’t sit there and pretend you don’t spoil that girl rotten.”

“Guilty as charged.” I wink as I get to my feet. “I’ll go grab her. Be right back.”

I walk over to my dad and Tilly first. “Hey baby, it’s time for Zoe to go now.”

“Oh shoot. Thanks for the dance, Mark. I’ve gotta say my goodbyes.” She kisses him on the cheek before taking my hand. We walk over to Zoe, who is still dancing with Mia and my mom.

“Hey princess, time to go.”

Her shoulders slump. “Okay.” I let go of Tilly and scoop Zoe up, careful how I hold her, knowing some places are still tender.

“We’ll see you soon.”

“Do you promise?”

“I pinky promise.”

She holds up her pinky so I can shake it with mine as I carry her to the waiting social worker. I put her on her feet and Tilly hugs her, whispering things only for Zoe. When she pulls back, both of them are crying. Tilly wipes Zoe’s tears away with the pads of her thumbs.

“We’ll be back before you know it.”

“Okay,” she whispers. “Love you.”

Tilly swallows down a sob. “I love you too.”

After one final hug, Tilly stands up. I wrap my arms around her and we watch and wave as Zoe leaves.

“She really is doing so much better thanks to both of you,” Wade says softly.

“It’s still hard saying goodbye—” Tilly stops talking when her phone rings from her clutch on the table. She reaches for it, her hand slipping inside and pulling her phone free.

“It’s Marley. Sorry, give me two seconds…Hey Marley, everything okay?”

I don’t know what he says, but her smile drops and she grips my arm.

“Tilly?”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.” She hangs up and stares at nothing for a second.

I slide my finger under her jaw and turn her head toward me. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

“Greyson’s hurt.” She swallows hard, her voice cracking. “Someone set fire to my house.”

The flight home was a quiet one. Tilly spent it pressed into my side, her hand tapping her thigh in an anxiety-ridden staccato.

We’d tried to leave quietly, not wanting to dampen the mood of the wedding, but Wade had already begun rallying the troops.

Olivia and my mom bundled Tilly up and took her back to Tom’s to pack our things.

Tom, my dad, and Wade went to keep an eye on them all.

I called the pilot and told them we needed to fly home immediately.

The guys had been pissed on our behalf, and after much arguing, it was decided that Kellen would fly back with us.

Felix went with Kellen to help pack shit he might need, while Banner went off to see what he could find out online. Marcus and Arlo kept the rest of the guests distracted and entertained, so it was mostly a quiet and subdued affair when we left.

Kellen hangs up his cell and looks at Tilly, who has fallen asleep. He tugs the blanket that’s in her lap and tucks it around her shoulders.

“Thanks, man. So what did Blake say? He pissed?” We’d tried to keep him and Callie blissfully unaware of what was happening, but the guy was far too astute for that.

“Of course, he’s pissed. But not with you or Matilda. How the fuck this shit keeps happening, and yet the police—as per fucking usual—are spinning in a circle with their fingers up their asses, is dumbfounding.”

I rub my hand over my face. “She couldn’t even get one weekend of normalcy, Kellen. How many times can she get stomped on before she decides not to get back up?”

“I’m not sure Matilda knows how to quit,” he tells me quietly, his eyes moving back to her, respect shining in them. “We never know what we’re capable of, Aiden, until the worst happens.”

I look at him and nod because he knows that better than anyone.

“Anyway, Blake called ahead. He has us booked at a fancy hotel suite, which he’s paying for. I tried to argue, but he wouldn’t listen. I think he feels shitty that he can’t be here.”

“Don’t worry about it. As soon as Tilly realizes, she’ll foot the bill. She can be tenacious when she wants to be.”

“Of that, I have no doubt. Any news on Greyson?”

“Marley texted me to let me know he’s okay. They’re keeping him in for a few days due to smoke inhalation, but for the most part, he’s unhurt.”

“Oh, thank fuck. I know how much she cares about him.”

I wake her gently as the plane lands, hating the wounded look in her eyes. “We’re here. You want your hat and glasses?”

She nods and sits up, looking around. It’s like she’s here but not. Hopefully, once she visits Marley and Greyson and sees with her own eyes they’re good, she’ll be okay.

She slips on the glasses and hat I hand her before unfastening her seatbelt. We all changed before boarding the plane, so she’s dressed in jeans and an oversized hoodie. She pulls the hood up over her cap and looks up at me. “I’m ready.”

I throw on a cap and glasses of my own, just in case, and take her hand as we follow Kellen off the plane.

Once again, Tilly is a big news story. The airport is teeming with paparazzi, but we push through and into a waiting cab.

Kellen gives them the hotel name, and the driver takes off, just as people start banging on the car and shouting her name.

“Jesus, what the fuck?”

“Welcome to my world,” Tilly says sadly.

I cup her jaw and tilt her head back. “Marley texted me. Greyson’s okay. He has a little smoke inhalation so they’re keeping him in for a couple of days to monitor him.”

“He’s okay?”

“Yeah, baby, he’s okay.”

I hold her as she cries, her built-up emotion spilling over with relief. When we pull up to the hotel, Kellen pays the cab fare before checking us in.

None of us speaks as we stand in the elevator. What’s there to say? It feels like there’s no fucking end in sight to this mess.

When the elevator opens, Kellen leaves us so he can open the door and let us through. The place is nice. Really nice. But Kellen doesn’t say anything he usually would, and I know he’s worried about Tilly.

“The bellhop will be up with our bags in a minute. Why don’t you go take a shower, or better yet, have a soak in the tub? I’ll bring your things in when they get here.”

“I’ll order up some food,” Kellen adds. “Anything you fancy?”

She shakes her head. “I’m not hungry.”

“Gotta keep your strength up. You can’t listen to your body right now because it’s fucking with you, so listen to me instead. I’ll make it something light, like a sandwich or soup.”

She sighs but nods. “Soup sounds good.” She walks off, and I wait for her to be out of earshot.

I sit on one of the two sofas, throw my glasses and hat on the coffee table, and run my fingers through my hair. “I don’t know what to do, Kellen.”

“You’re already doing it. She’s in shock, that’s all.”

“Logically, I know that. I just feel so fucking helpless.”

“I get it, I do, but you’ve just gotta ride it out. Because I suspect this thing will get worse before it gets better.”

Rubbing a hand down my face, I look to the bedroom before I stand up. “I can’t just sit here. I’ve gotta do something. I’m going to catch a cab up to the house and see what I can find out.”

“You sure that’s a good move? She needs you.”

“She needs answers more. I won’t be long. Guard her for me.”

“With my life.”

I catch the elevator downstairs, and as luck would have it, there’s a cab dropping someone off. I hop in and give him Matilda’s address.

It’s fucking chaos when we pull up. I bail out after paying the driver and walk over to the guard shack.

Davey is talking to one of the firefighters. When he sees me, he waves me over. “How’s Miss Carson? She must be worried sick. Mr. Marley says Mr. Greyson is going to be okay, yes?”

“That’s what he told me too. They’re keeping him in for a couple of days due to smoke inhalation. Matilda, well, she’s wrecked, to be honest. And it’s not because her house is on fire.”

“I know. Her family got hurt. That will, of course, make her sad.”

“What the hell happened, Davey?”

“I have no idea. I was telling that guy the same thing.” He points to someone over his shoulder wearing the navy blue firefighters’ uniform, before continuing. “I didn’t see anything unusual. I didn’t let anyone in who wasn’t on the list.”

“No Daniel?”

“No, sir. None of his team, either. Her mother turned up yet again, but like always, I never let her through the gates.”

I see the fireman making notes, so I walk closer and hold my hand to him. “Aiden Church. I’m Matilda’s bodyguard and fiancé.”

“I’m James Dawson, the fire marshal. I’m trying to piece together what happened. There will be an investigation, but I’m comfortable saying this fire seems suspicious.”

“Somehow, I knew you were going to say that,” I say, running my hands through my hair. “Fuck, Matilda is going to be gutted. How bad is it?”

“I don’t know for sure yet. The kitchen, dining room, and rear office are all gone. My guys are checking the stability of the structure right now before we head in to look for more answers.”

“Will I be able to grab anything?”

“Probably not for the next few days. There will be many things the fire didn’t burn that the smoke will have ruined regardless, I’m afraid.”

“Shit. Okay, that’s tomorrow’s problem. Anyone know where Marley might be? He lives in one of the outer properties. Will he be able to go home?”

“Not until we have the area clear. I have the techs coming, and the police will want their own unit here to investigate,” James answers as Davey taps me on the shoulder.

“Mr. Marley is fine. Like you, he came to see if he could grab something for himself and Mr. Greyson.” He points to an area just beyond the gate where I can just see the top of Marley’s head. I put my fingers between my lips, like Tilly did only hours earlier, and whistle.

Marley whips his head around and hurries my way when he sees me. “Tell me she’s okay,” he yells when he reaches us.

I pat his arm. His hair is sticking up all over the place, as if he’s done nothing but run his hands through it. “She’s okay. Shaken up, worried about Greyson and you, but she’s alright.”

He blows out a ragged breath, his body slumping with relief. “I was visiting my brother. I don’t get to see him much, even though we live in the same city, because we are both so busy. I was gone most of the day, and then Greyson called me and told me what happened.”

“Do you know if he saw anything or anyone?”

Marley shakes his head. “I didn’t ask. When I got back, the house was burning, but the fire department seemed to be containing it. I went straight to the hospital to see Greyson, but he was pretty out of it.

“We have an excellent response time out here,” James adds. “Too easy for fires to spread in this area. We try to get to them and extinguish them as fast as possible. All it takes is for the wind to change, and suddenly a small fire becomes a raging inferno.”

I nod. I’ve seen wildfires on the news over the last couple of years, and I know the complete destruction and chaos they can cause.

“Marley, do you have somewhere you can stay for the next few days? The fire marshal hasn’t cleared the place yet, and there’s a lot of damage.”

“I can call my brother.”

“I’ve got a better idea. Give me a second.” I fire off a text to Kellen and wait for a reply. When my phone dings, I smile. “Looks like you’re coming with me. Tilly has just booked a suite for you, and Greyson, when he gets discharged.”

“That’s too much.”

“I’ll let you take that up with her. She wants you close, Marley.” He sighs but gives in like I knew he would. “Alright, there’s nothing else we can do here, so we might as well head back. Thanks, Davey. Keep us posted if anything changes.”

I turn to James and offer him my hand. “I trust you’ll let us know your findings.”

“Just as soon as I have them,” he agrees.

“Come on Marley, let’s go see our girl.”

He pulls his keys from his pocket and tosses them my way. “You drive. My nerves are frayed.”

“I hear ya. I just hope the police find something that will nail this motherfucker’s head to the wall.”

“You think it’s the same person who has been stalking her?”

“I think I’m not ready to acknowledge the possibility that someone else has set their sights on Tilly.”