Mine: A Dark Billionaire Romance

by Brook Wilder

  Junie nodded and ran back, her crocs sinking into the ground like quicksand. She could feel her lungs inflate with the cool night air, and as she moved in closer, it became clear to her that this was no normal motorcycle accident. The murmur of her colleagues sounded in the distance; she thought she heard something about a missing driver.

  “What is that?” she asked, her eyes darting from one paramedic to the other.

  “We can’t find the guy who was on the motorcycle,” one of them said, shaking his head frantically. “We looked everywhere, there’s no sign of him.”

  “Not even on the side of the road?” Junie asked, her forehead wrinkled.

  “No,” he replied, scratching his neck. “This is a disaster, we need to take another look,” he said. “Dray, you go check by the roadside again, me and Casey will have a look by the car. His body could’ve rolled under it.”

  Julie sighed, folding both arms across her chest and shifting her weight to one leg.

  Well, looks like I’m going to have to get a little bit creative, she thought to herself. Although she preferred to ignore it, Junie couldn’t help but hate the way her colleagues acted around her. Sometimes, it was like she wasn’t even there. She turned around on her heel and marched in the opposite direction, her eyes travelling up and down the roadside fence. Beyond it, a desert land stretched out indefinitely, and Junie wondered if the driver’s body might have tumbled somewhere around here. She peered over her shoulder and the rest of the team was still huddled around the car flipped on its side. Junie ignored them, pulling out her flashlight again and beginning to inspect her surroundings. She found a dent in the fence, which must have resulted from the crash, and she shined the light through it, jerking her wrist around for maximum exposure. At first, she found nothing. The penlight resembled a laser beam in its effectiveness; it slashed through the darkness but revealed nothing. Junie reached into her pockets again and took her phone out, turning on its flashlight and giving this another try.

  “Holy fuck,” she whispered to herself. She shouldered her way through the dented fence, trotting deeper into the desert, and as soon as she caught a glimpse of something moving around in the darkness, she froze in her place, trying to figure out if that thing was human. “Hello?” she called out, cocking her head to the side. She looked down and all she saw were cacti carpeting the ground beneath her.

  “H-hi,” a groggy voice whispered back. Junie felt her skin crawl. “Over here,” the voice said again.

  Junie probed in closer. In the distance she could still hear her colleagues murmuring over the sound of traffic, but she ignored it, trying to focus on the task at hand.

  “Hello?” she said again, holding out the flashlight in front of her. Suddenly, she saw an arm stretch out in front of her. She stumbled back a few steps, but then she narrowed her eyes at what seemed to be a man in a leather jacket. She rushed to him, crouching down on the floor and tilting her head sideways. “Aiden!” she gasped. She still had some gauze left on her, so she took it out and started wrapping his head in it to stop the bleeding. “What’s going on?” she asked, confused. But deep down, she already knew what that meant. She knew Aiden was involved in all of this.

  “Hey, wait,” he said, waving. “Don’t call the rest of them, no one can know I’m here,” he hissed.

  Junie let out a sigh. “I can’t just leave you here, you’re bleeding,” she said.

  “Believe me, I’ve gone through worse,” he said, raising his eyes to her. “I’ll be okay, just go tell them you didn’t find anything,” he continued.

  Junie hesitated. “Can you lift up your shirt for me?” she asked.

  “Sure,” he said, unzipping his jacket and rolling up his sweater. Junie popped her neck forward, her eyes going up and down his abdomen, his chest and both of his sides. She paused for a moment, placed two fingers on his ribs and pressed slightly, and when Aiden didn’t jump, she rose back to her feet.

  “There are no signs of abdominal bleeding,” she said, rolling up her sleeves. “Are you sure you’re not in any pain?” she asked. Aiden shook his head. “Okay, can you stretch your arms out for me?” she asked. “Does this hurt?” Junie wrapped two of her fingers around his forearms and slowly pressed.

  “No,” he said quietly.

  “Well, you’re not clenching your eyes, so that’s good,” she smiled. “Okay, and this is the most important part… do you remember what happened to you in the past hour or so?”

  “I was riding my bike down the highway, and then this large SUV crashed into me… they thought they could run but then they hit the fence and… I’m guessing their car flipped over,” Aiden said, rising on his elbows. “Yep, it flipped over.”

  “Alright, come here,” Junie said, taking out her flashlight again. She shone it into his eyes for a moment before she stuffed it back into her pocket. “Your pupils are fine,” she said with a smile. “No signs of a concussion there.”

  “See, I’m good as new,” Aiden said.

  Junie rolled her eyes, “Alright, well, I’m going to have to check up on you tomorrow, though… you have some really bad bruises all over your face and neck.”

  “I’ll be fine,” he said, his lips curving to a smile. Junie shook her head. She looked over and the rest of the paramedics were still there, crouched down and looking for something they were never going to find. Junie figured she should join them. She averted her gaze to Aiden and nodded at him, mouthing a “Take care” before she turned around and headed back.

  “Hey!” she said from afar. “I couldn’t find anything, I think he must’ve fled the scene.”

  “Yeah, Casey was just saying… he probably ran off with the rest of his gang,” Dray said, placing his hands on his hips. “Well, I think we should report back to the hospital… this is useless.”

  The rest of them nodded, but Junie looked like she was stuck in a trance. A million thoughts were racing through her mind; what did Aiden have to do with all of this?

  “Junie, Junie?” Casey asked, rolling his eyes at her. “God, are you always somewhere else?”

  “You said we’re going to report back to the hospital,” she said, rather robotically. There was silence.

  “Alright, then, let’s go… another ambulance is on its way right now,” he said after a long pause. But Junie wasn’t paying attention. She wanted answers, but she figured the only way she was going to get them was to wait.

  ***

  There was a knock at the door. Aiden got up, clenched his eyes for a bit when a sharp pain shot up his leg and staggered down the hallway. “Hello,” he said, inching the door open. Junie stood there, a smile plastered to her face.

  “Good morning,” she said. “Can I come in?”

  “Sure,” he said, motioning for her to step inside. “How are you today?” he asked.

  “I’m good, and you?”

  “I’m fine, I swear,” he said. “I know what you saw over there was… disconcerting, to say the least.” There was a pause. Julie just eyed him as he limped back to the couch and slumped down on it. He raised his eyes to her and cocked his head to the side, motioning for her to sit down.

  “Shouldn’t I patch you up first?” she asked. “I’ve got my first aid kit with me.”

  “That’s… really nice of you,” he said, the corners of his lips curving upwards. “I really didn’t think you were that concerned,” he continued. “Honestly, I only thought you were here because you were curious.”

  “Nah,” Junie said, her eyebrows furrowed. “It’s my job, remember? And I want to be good at it.”

  “What did I say about heroes?” he said, leaning back in his seat. “This job is made for people like you.”

  Junie pulled out a roll of gauze and started to unwrap it. “Take off your jacket,” she said, sitting down next to him. Without saying a word, Aiden threw his jacket off and rolled up his sleeve, his eyes darting from the blackening bruise on his arm, to Junie, and then to the bruise again.

  “That looks pretty
bad, doesn’t it?” he asked, his nose wrinkled.

  “Not really,” Junie said, shaking her head. “If it was, you probably wouldn’t have made it through the night without having to go to the hospital,” she continued.

  “To be honest, I cringe pretty badly at the sight of blood,” he said.

  “You can look away, if you want,” Junie said, holding one end of the gauze to his arm and slowly wrapping it around his bicep. She could feel Aiden’s muscles flex against her hand, but she stayed focused on the gauze, despite a sudden urge to raise her eyes to his. “I should disinfect this cut, too,” she said, pointing to Aiden’s forearm. She got up again and came back with a small brown bottle, which she used to clean up his wound.

  “That, that definitely stings,” Aiden said, clenching his teeth. Junie pursed her lips, trying not to laugh.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, not taking her eyes off the veins bulging out of his forearm. “Does it still hurt?” she asked, covering the bloody wound with a band-aid.

  “Not anymore,” he said, his pearly teeth showing through his smile. “Thank you, you really have no idea how much I appreciate this,” he continued. “You really didn’t have to.”

  “It’s no problem,” Junie said, rising to her feet.

  “Wait, so you’re going to leave now?” he asked.

  “Um, I don’t know,” she said, pretending to look out the window. “I guess I could stay for a little while.” The truth was, she was curious about Aiden, and she was curious about what he was doing there last night. She figured that, if he wasn’t going to give her the answers she was looking for, then she would have to dig for them, herself.

  “You want some coffee?” he asked, struggling to get up again.

  “No, no, you stay,” she said. “I can go make us some.” She got up and made her way for the kitchen. “Okay, cups, cups,” Junie whispered to herself, scanning the room with her eyes. Suddenly her eyes landed on something interesting. Hung up on the coat-rack behind the door was a leather jacket with a logo embroidered on the back. Rebel Disciples, it read. Junie narrowed her eyes at the printed jacket, almost afraid to get a closer look.

  “Are you okay in there?” Aiden called from outside.

  “Yeah,” Junie said, inspecting the jacket. She jumped when Aiden barged into the kitchen, almost squeezing her behind the door.

  “What are you doing?” he asked, half amused, half creeped out. “Oh, you’re looking at my jacket,” he said, holding onto the doorknob for support.

  “Yeah, I’m sorry, that was weird. I shouldn’t be intruding on your privacy like that,” Junie said, her arms falling limp to her side.

  “No, no, that’s okay,” he said. “Why don’t you have a seat and we can chat.”

  “Listen, I’m not trying to intrude or anything, you don’t even owe me any amount of information about yourself,” she said.

  “I know, but it’s nothing I’m ashamed of,” Aiden said. “I’m a member of the Rebel Disciples, and what happened on that night was nothing short of a hit and run; a member of the Mercenaries attacked me on the road, they’re our rivals.”

  “Oh, okay,” Junie said. She didn’t really know what to say. To her, motorcycle gangs were nothing but thugs, and she didn’t want anything to have to do with them. “Anyways, I hope you’re feeling better, but I’ve got to go now,” she said, smiling weakly.

  Aiden opened his mouth to speak but decided against it. “Alright, and thanks for your help… I’ll see you around.”

  Junie made a beeline for the door, swinging it open and stepping out into the yard. Her head was buzzing with questions, but she knew it was probably none of her business.

  You’re bothering yourself with this way too much, she thought to herself, marching back to the house. She couldn’t help but think about her husband and what happened to him. They were the ones behind this, she thought. Nothing could reverse that. Her hands were balled up into fists, and deep down, all she wanted was to scream her worries away. But she told herself to get it together; she had a son waiting for her at home.

  CHAPTER 4

  “Matt, Matty! Don’t put that in your mouth, wait, give me that,” Ms. Keigel said, rushing to Matt and snatching the piece of clay out of his hands. “Wait, let me get you a cookie, instead,” she said, hurrying into the kitchen. The sun was going down, and, like most days, Junie had no choice but to keep Matt at daycare while she finished her night shift. A part of her hated the fact that she wasn’t around nearly as much as she would’ve liked to, but she reminded herself that, once she passed that nursing exam, everything would be different. She would have a more stable job, she would be able to provide for Matt, get him everything he’s ever wanted. That, to her, was the light at the end of the tunnel. But, oh, was it a long tunnel.

  “Matty, do you want chocolate chip or raisin?” Ms. Keigel asked. “Matty?” But the little boy wasn’t paying any attention. She turned to look at him, but his eyes were fixated on the window. The woman cocked her head to the side, setting her coffee mug down on the table and walking over to Matty. “Oh my God,” she jumped. Suddenly, three men in dog masks broke in through the doors, and before the fourth one could smash the window, Ms. Keigel pulled Matt back, covering him as the glass shattered around them. “Stay down, Matty!” she said. She could feel the little boy shivering under her, but she stayed put, trying to protect him. She saw nothing but feet scurrying around the room, grabbing things off the shelves and threatening the other kids with their masks. Ms. Keigel could hear the little kids’ screams, so she crawled up to her knees, her eyes darting from one small child to the other. It all happened too fast. The men in masks were making howling noises, trying to terrify the kids at daycare. They screamed at the top of their lungs, scurrying around like little rats. The men didn’t seem to have any weapons on them, but one of them grabbed Ms. Keigel’s purse off the coffee table and fled with it. The rest of the guys followed, and Keigel was left helpless, her body shuddering in fear.

  What just happened? she thought to herself. She looked down and Matt was shivering violently, so she took off her coat and gave it to him.

  “What just happened, Ms. Keigel?” he asked, staring up at her. She rose to her feet and looked around for her phone. “Fuck,” she whispered under her breath, realizing the men had stolen her purse. She reached for the landline and dialed 911.

  “911, what’s your emergency?”

  “A bunch of masked men just broke into my daycare center… they were wearing dog masks, I think they were trying to terrify the children… they took my purse!” she said, stomping her foot against the floor. “211, Melrose Street.” She hung up and looked around her. The little kids were crouched down on the floor, crying. She ran from one small child to the other, trying to make sure they were okay. “Hey, Shayla, are you hurt?” she asked, crouching down on the floor next to the girl. “This is just ridiculous,” she said to herself, rising to her feet, walking to the door and locking it. She drew the curtains and then peered out, her eyes going up and down the road. Who were those men in dog masks? Ms. Keigel was going crazy. She couldn’t believe what had just happened, but she had a pretty good idea those people were thugs. But why would they break into her daycare center? What did they have against her, or, even more confusing, what did they have against those kids? She clenched her eyes and clasped her hands behind her head, trying to process what just happened.

  I’ll leave it to the police, they’ll know how to get to the bottom of this, she thought to herself.

  ***

  There was a knock on Junie’s door, not long after the daycare incident. She had picked Matt up from the daycare center as soon as she heard about what happened, not responding to any of the officers’ questions. She just wanted to get Matt home, and she wanted to do it as soon as possible. She checked his body for any wounds, and when she didn’t find anything, she breathed a sigh of relief, deciding that she wasn’t going to leave his side for one second. Her son was the most precious thing that
had ever happened to her; she wasn’t willing to risk that. She called in sick, she decided she was going to stay home for a couple of days to make sure her son was okay.

  I really don’t feel like talking to the cops right now, she thought to herself, making her way for the door. Matty was asleep in his room, and Junie could only hope he wouldn’t be having nightmares. “Hello?” she said, popping her head out the inched open door. “Oh, Ms. Keigel!” she said, her eyes wide. “Come on in.” Deep down, Junie was glad it wasn’t the police.

  “Junie, hey,” the silver haired woman said in a soft voice. “How are you holding up?”

  “How are you holding up?” Junie asked, placing a hand over the woman’s shoulder.

  “I’m doing okay,” she said. “I just wanted to check up on Matty… see how he’s doing.”

  “He’s alright,” Junie said, her eyebrows furrowed. “He’s just really shaken by what happened, he keeps talking about those dog masks… they really freaked him out.”