“Yer all plugged in,” Airen called out as she came down the stairs with another vacuum, one that didn’t look like it came out of a Victorian Renaissance catalog. “You take that side and I’ll get this side, aye?”
A COUPLE OF HOURS LATER, the car was clean, but it was still missing the passenger side window. “Is there a body shop close by?”
Her head snapped up, looking at me in an odd way. “Oh, aye. There’s a place no far from here.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the look on her face. “What did you think I meant?”
She rolled her eyes. “Grab that and I’ll lock up.”
Avoiding my question, she turned around and went in the house, leaving me to carry both vacuums back inside.
“That’s all right; I’ll get both of them,” I muttered at her back.
I had no idea where to put them, so I left them against the wall in the living room and walked back outside, wishing I was on the hunt for Robert de Fleur instead of on my way to get Brenda’s shattered window replaced.
It grated against me that I was being used as a babysitter for Brenda and Airen, but there wasn’t anyone else they could depend on.
There was one thought that niggled at the back of my mind though, and that was the fact that Robert de Fleur was set on contacting his family. If he had no idea I was sticking close, I might be able to catch him when he tried contacting them again.
Wouldn’t he get the shock of his life when I put my 9MM in his face and threatened to pull the trigger? Sadly, I wouldn’t be able to do that either. I’d have to settle on getting him under custody and back to Grant and Nadia.
I slid in behind the wheel as Airen closed the front door and wiggled the handle, double checking that it was firmly closed and locked before she made her way to the car and got in.
Before we could even leave the driveway, the sky turned from bright and clear to a dismal gray as the clouds rolled in, threatening to rain down on us.
Airen leaned forward to look out the windshield and made a huffed sort of noise. “We better get going before the rain starts.”
Cold air with the sharp tang of rain howled through the open window as Airen directed me between squeaks of warning, followed by clutching at everything, including my leg at one point, throughout the entire ride. The half-moon marks she’d surely left behind throbbed, but not from pain.
After the second time she fired off a warning, making me swerve and almost taking out the car next to me, I got mad. “Sit back and stop freaking out, damn it, before you get us in an accident!”
Her eyes narrowed when she looked over at me. “I’m no the one driving. And ye’ve taken years off my life with the way yer doing it!”
“Me?” I snapped out at her. “You’re the one over there carrying on.”
“Make a right at the next street.” She stopped giving me a hard time only to direct me. “Ye have no business driving, Aiden. Yer terrible at it!”
I clutched the wheel in my hand, making the turn, and felt the need to shove my foot on the accelerator and show her how ‘terrible’ I was at driving. I kept myself from doing it. Barely.
I couldn’t let her goad me into forgetting what I should be doing, and that was keeping eyes on everything from the rearview mirror to everything else in front of and beside me.
Thankfully, the garage wasn’t too far away. Getting the window fixed would be the next problem. The shop owner wanted to ask a million questions, starting with what had happened to the old window and ending with asking Airen if she needed a ride somewhere as he cut a menacing look my way.
I cut one right back at him, handed over my credit card, wrapped my arm around Airen, and told him to fuck off with my eyes, while politely asking if there was any place we could rent a car until Brenda’s was fixed.
With the receipt in hand for the window, I led Airen out of the parking lot and we set out on foot to a used car dealership.
I WASN'T SURE HOW HE did it, but within an hour, Aiden had keys in hand and we were on our way to The Grounded Bean.
The car, much bigger than Aunt Brenda’s, seemed to fit Aiden. It also put a little more space between us, so that our shoulders didn’t bump the entire drive.
Closing my eyes, I leaned my head back and blew out a long sigh. I could already hear Aunt Brenda when we told her about what had transpired that morning. Not to mention what she’d say about the call from Mum. That had been a very weird conversation to say the least.
My stomach knotted, and I swallowed hard against the tightness in my throat. I knew deep down that it had to have been Uncle Robert that had shown up on Aunt Brenda’s doorstep, and then at Mum’s not long after that.
She hadn’t said it, but the tremor in her voice did. When I’d asked her what was wrong, she’d claimed she had some errands to run, and that she hoped I wouldn’t be too upset if she put off our visit until later. When I pushed her, she seemed to get angry, but she tried keeping her tone neutral as she told me she’d be round to Aunt Brenda’s later to see me.
Her excuse didn’t sit well with me, and I couldn’t shake the feeling deep in my bones that he’d shown up at her house too.
The question remained—what did he want? And why was he coming round after all the years he’d been gone?
“Penny for your thoughts?” Aiden’s syrupy voice asked.
I rolled my head along the seat back and cracked one eye open, looking at him. “A what…? Oh, just trying to figure out how to tell Aunt Brenda about what happened without over-worrying her.”
He looked relaxed behind the wheel of his own car, damn him, with one arm draped along the window ledge and the other arm stretched out along his leg as he held the steering wheel at the bottom. He flicked a glance at me and then back at the road as we rolled to a stop at the traffic light two blocks from The Grounded Bean.
“It’ll be all right, Airen. I told you that Agent Jackson assured me that they’d have patrols set up in case whoever it was tried to come back.”
He’d told me before at the car dealership too as we waited for whatever forms he’d filled out to be processed. It didn’t help how I felt though. It didn’t stop Robert Anderson from being family. And it damn sure wouldn’t stop him from trying to find ways to get at us. Aiden might have a gun, but that didn’t mean he was in any way ready to take on someone like Uncle Robert.
Something else that bothered me was that Aiden had danced around the fact that he carried a gun, never really coming right out and saying why.
What if Aiden was somehow connected to Uncle Robert? Did I dare ask that question while sitting beside him in a moving car? He could just keep on driving. And if he was linked with Uncle Robert, he could drive me right to him and drop me off. No one would be the wiser.
By the time Aiden pulled to a stop behind The Grounded Bean, I was shaking so hard that I could barely get out of the car.
Aiden opened his door and moved to get out. When he noticed I hadn’t budged, he turned in his seat, putting his hand on my shoulder. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay. I promise. I won’t let anything happen to you, your mom, or your aunt. You’re safe, Airen.”
I jerked away from his touch, scrambling out of the seat.
Aiden’s door closed with a soft thud, but he made no move to come around it, leaning instead on the cab as he watched me.
Indecision locked me in place, and I squared off with him. “How do I know that? How do I know I’m safe, that any of us are safe, with you? Why was there a gunman at Aunt Brenda’s house? He wasn’t the only one with a gun either. What about you? How do you fit in with all of this?” I couldn’t stop the questions from tumbling out of my mouth. Each one hissed past my teeth like venom, striking at him the only way I knew how.
Aiden didn’t try to stem off the words as he waited for me to run out of questions, or maybe he was just waiting for me to run out of air.
I could feel my chest heaving and knew I was on the verge of rage, or tears. Either could have erupted at that point. And still h
e waited, looking deep into my eyes with questions of his own. I could see them floating there.
The back door of the coffee shop opened as Aunt Brenda poked her head out. “I’ve just had the most disturbing phone call come from Annie Kirkpatrick across the way,” she said, waving her hand at us to come inside, wavering when she noticed the car.
Busybody Annie Kirkpatrick was what she should have called her. Aunt Brenda’s nosy neighbor and friend—when they weren’t fighting.
“I’m sure you did,” I mumbled, closing the car door and flicking a glance at Aiden that told him we’d continue our conversation later.
Aunt Brenda stopped me just as I passed by her, tugging me by the shoulder and running her hands over my back as she made grumbling noises with a spattering of words.
I stepped away from her wandering hands, asking, “What are ye doing?”
Aiden’s shadow crossed the doorway as Aunt Brenda answered, “Looking for holes, I dare say. Annie said—”
“Ye shouldn’t believe everything that woman says, Auntie,” I huffed.
Her eyebrow kicked up. Her lips pulled into a thin line as she turned away from me and grabbed Aiden’s arm, making him turn in a full circle in front of her. “Well, at least the only holes in the two of ye are betwixt yer ears.”
Aiden’s hand came up as if to touch his chest, but thought better of it, least he gave away what was under his shirt.
Clearing his throat, he said, “Yeah well, about that…”
AUNT BRENDA LEANED FORWARD IN the chair behind the desk with her head in her hands, rubbing tight circles at her temples. “I don’t understand. Why would someone come to my house and fire a gun at ye?”
“We’re not sure. Agent Jackson did assure me they have people looking into it though. As far as your car, I’ve taken it in to have the window replaced, but it won’t be ready for a couple of days,” Aiden told her, stretching as he stood. “Agent Jackson did ask something of me. He wants me to stay at your house tonight. I’ll need to get a change of clothes though. Will you excuse me for a little bit while I go get my things?”
He didn’t wait for either of us to answer as he walked out at a brisk clip, closing the back door with a hard tug.
I blew out a deep breath, making my lips pop like a baby blowing raspberries, minus the humor of it.
Aunt Brenda rose from her desk and pulled me to my feet, hugging me against her chest with a shudder. “I’m that sorry, Airen. Yer mum called just before Annie did and told me something. Something you need to know.” She released me, looking more worried than I’d ever seen her.
She went to speak, stopped, walked over to the door, peeking down the hallway in both directions before closing the door, and then came back over to stand in front of me. Her hands trembled when she clasped mine and held them tightly.
“It was Uncle Robert. He showed up at Mum’s when he was chased away from yer house, didn’t he?” I asked, watching her face pale as her mouth moved, but no words came out until I made her sit in the chair Aiden had recently vacated.
“I… I never thought. Oh, lass, ye should go. Get away before his filth can harm ye. He’s no a good man, Airen,” she said, hands clutching at the arm of her chair. Her fingers turned a mottled shade of red and white.
“Aye, Auntie, I ken who and what he is. But I’ll no leave ye here and run away,” I said, reaching over to pry her hand from the chair and clutched it in my own as I continued, “I’d do anything ye asked, but not that. Never that.”
“Airen, whatever reason he’s come back, canna be a good one. Yer mum’s right scared and looking at leaving herself for a while,” Aunt Brenda said, steadying herself enough to look at me with pleading eyes.
“Where would she go?” I asked, curious as to why Mum would pick up and flee instead of helping to put her brother away. Maybe she didn’t know that Agent Jackson was heading up the case. It was possible she’d change her mind if she did know.
“Family on yer Da’s side has a house in Edinburgh. It’s been in the family for generations, and she thinks Robert doesn’t know about it,” Aunt Brenda answered.
“Okay, well, that’s great for her, but what about you? Will ye go with her then?” I asked, silently praying she’d say yes.
“Nay, I willna run from the likes of that man. Besides, I have a business to run!” Her voice rose as the color returned to her face.
Aunt Brenda’s office door flew open, banging against the wall with a thud as Mum barreled in like a hurricane bent on destruction.
She was slightly out of breath and clutching the hat on her head to keep it from flying off. “Och, and can ye believe the likes o’ that man a’thinkin’ he’s going to show up on my doorstep demanding such…” Her words stalled out when she realized I was there, hanging on to every one of them. “Airen! Oh, lass, it’s good to see ye. I’ve missed ye so. How was yer trip?”
It took everything in me not to roll my eyes, forcing myself to bite my tongue instead.
Aunt Brenda squeezed my fingers until the bones crunched together, reminding me to behave and say a proper hello.
I rose from my seat and walked over to my mother, giving her a peck on the cheek and a quick hug. “Hello, Mum. It’s good to see you too.”
I refused to enlighten her on my ‘trip,’ since it had been somewhat of a sore spot between the two of us.
Moving over, I gestured to the chair I’d sat in beside Aunt Brenda. “Please, sit. I’ll just go get some tea, shall I?”
Aunt Brenda gave me a brief smile and I left her office as fast as my feet could carry me, for surely I’d miss something important being hissed between the two of them before I could return.
I should have stayed instead of finding a reason to flee, but it was a common thing for me when it came to dealing with Mum. Too common… and it shouldn’t be that way.
I really needed to find a way to deal with my resentment and put it behind me before it was too late.
I pulled a serving tray from its rack, hurrying as quickly as I could in order to get back to them and find out why Uncle Robert had decided to pay a call to both of his sisters. I knew Mum wouldn’t come right out and say it, not with me standing there, but she’d spill her guts to Aunt Brenda, and Aunt Brenda wouldn’t keep it from me. At least, I hoped she wouldn’t.
Kirsten, manning the front counter, offered me a warm smile when she saw me.
“How’s the bairn?” I asked, pulling down three cups from the cabinet.
“He’s well. Teething and biting everything in sight, that one,” she replied, handing me over three diffusers, tea already inside ready to be used.
“Thanks,” I said, noticing the dark circles under her eyes and the worn-down look about her. “How are you doing?”
She blinked rapidly at my question, as if not understanding my meaning, then snorted with a roll of her eyes. “Aye, I’m that tired though. He has his days and nights mixed up right now, and the constant fever doesn’t help. Most nights, I get snatches of sleep here and there. I’ll be glad when this part is over.”
I gave her an understanding smile, even though I knew nothing of what she meant. Babies were a mystery to me from never having any around as I grew up.
Kirsten’s eyes looked past me as I filled each cup with hot water. From the corner of my eye, I could see Aunt Brenda making her way over to where I stood.
“Tea’s almost ready,” Kirsten told her.
“Aye. Ye looked tired, lass. Go ahead and start breaking everything down. We’ll be closing up early today to celebrate Airen’s return home,” Aunt Brenda told her as she picked up two of the cups in front of me and headed back to her office.
“That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day,” Kirsten replied as she mechanically flipped the switches, powering off the appliances and pulled baskets, dumping old coffee grounds in the trash.
I left her to it, picking up my steaming mug off the counter, following along behind Aunt Brenda.
When we returned to her office,
I set the cup down on her desk, not really in the mood for tea, and settled back into my seat. Mum sipped hers cautiously, dragging out the inevitable when I was ready to hear exactly what had transpired at her house that morning.
With the silence between the three of us, my thoughts skipped from Uncle Robert to Aiden, wondering how long it would be before he returned.
Needing to force my mind away from the American intruding on my thoughts, I cleared my throat and spoke. “What happened this morning, Mum?”
My direct question startled her, and she jerked. Hot tea rose up to the lip of her cup, threatening to spill over. She used that as an excuse, stalling to answer me until her teacup was just so on the desk in front of her.
“Oh, do leave it, Mina. It’s no like it has legs and will be walking off the desk when ye let it go,” Aunt Brenda snapped at Mum.
Minerva Campbell, my mum, or as Aunt Brenda and the rest of the family called her, Mina, let go of the cup with a huff and sat ramrod straight in the chair. “I’ll no say a word until I know all the details of what’s happened to my daughter this morning.” She huffed again for good measure, adding, “And ye ken it, aye?”
Aunt Brenda’s eyes shifted over to me and she dipped her head, acknowledging the fact that Mina had put her foot down and there would be no swaying her until she’d got her fill on what had happened to me.
I slid forward in my chair, turning to face her, and told her what happened. The same as Aiden and I had told Aunt Brenda.
When I moved back in my seat, Mum reached for her tea. “Weel, that explains the blood on his clothes then.”
Aunt Brenda gasped, and my hands that had been loosely resting in my lap sought purchase against my flesh as my fingers dug into my legs.
I flicked a nervous look at Aunt Brenda, who was scowling at me. How the devil was I to get myself out of this one? I thought.
Aunt Brenda’s eyes squinted at me briefly, settling on waiting to ask me when it was just the two of us. My heart gave a hard bump against my chest, and I ducked my head in silent reply.
If Ever I Fall: Book 3 of The Six Series Page 7
