Aidan: The Rescue (Indie Rebels Book 5)

by Miranda P. Charles

  “There’s so much I have to make up for,” Aidan said, his eyes pleading. “I hope this proves to you how much you mean to me.”

  “Oh, Aidan.” She slung her arms around his neck, relief filling her whole body.

  “Am I forgiven?” Aidan murmured, nuzzling her cheek.

  She pulled away. “I’ll still see your place, right?”

  Aidan chuckled. “Of course.”

  “Then, you’re forgiven.”

  “Thank God.” Aidan gave her a lingering kiss before restarting the car.

  “Can we stop at a flower shop along the way? I want to get Maricar some flowers.” She certainly didn’t want to arrive there empty-handed.

  “Sure. She loves natives. I know where we can get some.”

  Felicity sat back and relaxed as Aidan started to drive.

  The ease with which she and Aidan chatted or simply listened to music during the one-and-a-half hour drive to Bowral—with a few minutes’ stop three-quarters of the way to get the flowers—reminded Felicity of how truly comfortable she was in this man’s presence. But when Aidan announced they were two minutes away from their destination, nerves started to attack her.

  Would Maricar like her? She had no idea what to expect. “Um, does Maricar know we’re in a serious relationship?”

  “Yes, since I’m taking you to meet her.” Aidan glanced at her. “I’m seriously falling so hard and fast for you, you know.”

  Her heart expanded further. “Me, too,” she whispered.

  “Really?” Aidan asked, his grin the widest she’d seen.

  “Yes.”

  “Good! Great! Fantastic!”

  She laughed. If Aidan wasn’t driving, she’d give him a big smooch.

  What would he say if she told him she was actually in love with him? Well, she wouldn’t say it here in the car. Those three words deserved to be said in a special place at a special time when they could both look into each other’s eyes. She couldn’t wait.

  “Here we are,” announced Aidan, opening the console between the front seats and grabbing a remote control. He pressed a button, and the tall gates opened inwards quietly.

  Felicity’s eyes went wide as she took in the long driveway ahead of them, a beautiful, two-storey house standing proudly at the end of it. “Wow,” she breathed, impressed and a little intimidated. “How many people live here?”

  “Four. Apart from Maricar, there’s Petra, the cook, and Natalie and Elsie, Maricar’s nurses. They’re all nice and looking forward to meeting you.”

  Aw, how sweet of Aidan to say that. “How long have they been working for Maricar?”

  “Petra’s been there the longest. She’s been with Maricar for over twenty years. Natalie and Elsie started looking after Maricar about a year ago.”

  “They don’t have families?”

  “Petra’s been a widow for around four years now. She sees her kids and grandkids often. Both Elsie and Natalie are divorced, no kids.”

  Felicity nodded, her heart beating faster as they stopped in front of the big house.

  The double doors burst open, and a petite woman with shoulder-length, silver hair came out, grinning from ear to ear.

  “Look how excited she is,” Aidan said with a chuckle as he got out of the car.

  Felicity’s nerves started to calm. She could already feel Maricar’s welcoming energy. Aidan hadn’t been lying when he’d said Maricar was chomping at the bit to meet her.

  She got out of the vehicle, carrying the bunch of native flowers.

  “Felicity,” Maricar said, approaching her with arms spread open for a hug.

  “Hello, Maricar.” She put an arm around the sweet woman, sorry that she hadn’t left the bouquet in the car so she could give Maricar a proper embrace. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “The pleasure’s all mine, my dear. Come inside. Petra’s cooked us something delicious for lunch. And aren’t those beautiful?” Maricar indicated the flowers.

  “Aidan said you love natives.” She handed them to Maricar.

  “Oh, yes. They’re my favourite. Thank you. I will put these in my study where I spend a lot of my time during the day.”

  “Hello, Mar,” Aidan called from behind. “Remember me?”

  Maricar turned around, laughing. “Sorry, darling. How was the drive?”

  “Good. Traffic was light.”

  “You okay?” Maricar pressed her palm on Aidan’s cheek.

  “Yes,” Aidan said with a grin.

  Felicity smiled, her heart warming at the loving interaction between Aidan and the woman who was his mother in all but name.

  “Come on,” Maricar said, herding them inside and introducing Felicity to Petra, Natalie, and Elsie.

  All of them sat around the outdoor dining setting on the deck for lunch, with a view of the beautiful garden and shimmering swimming pool.

  Felicity thoroughly enjoyed herself, and a couple of hours passed by quickly. Soon, Aidan was leading her to the guest house so she could check out the place they’d be sleeping in that night.

  “How often does this get used?” she asked as they walked inside the stunningly decorated, two-bedroom cottage.

  “Not often enough, if you ask Mar,” said Aidan. “The last time would have been in September, when we had a small party here for her birthday.”

  Felicity smiled. “Pity I didn’t know you then.”

  Aidan walked towards her. “Well, you know me now. And here we are.”

  “Yes. Here we are.” Her gaze was caught in his, and she was mesmerised. The look in Aidan’s eyes seemed warmer, deeper, more revealing…

  “I’m crazy about you,” Aidan murmured.

  She gasped, her heartbeat spiking.

  “I love you,” he added.

  Felicity threw her arms around Aidan’s neck. “Oh, Aidan. I love you, too.”

  Aidan let out a delighted laugh. Then, they kissed with such passion that she couldn’t believe she didn’t turn into a puddle at his feet.

  In this moment, any remaining reservations she had regarding Aidan’s commitment to their relationship melted away. And, after everything she’d been through over the years, she hoped this was the start of a much happier, less complicated life for her.

  A phone rang, and Felicity pulled away. “That’s mine,” she said, eyeing their bags near the front door.

  “Why don’t you get that while I run a bath for us?” Aidan asked, running his hands along her back.

  “Good idea.” She gave him a peck on the lips before stepping out of his arms.

  She went to her bag to retrieve her phone while Aidan disappeared into one of the bedrooms. To her surprise, Sophie was calling. Wow, it had been a while since she’d heard from her. Sophie hadn’t been attending the workshops, as she’d been given shifts to work during Sunday afternoons.

  “Sophie,” she greeted cheerfully.

  “Hi, Fel. How are you?”

  “Good, thanks. You?”

  “I’m fine. I’m outside your building right now, and I’ve been buzzing your apartment. You not home?”

  “No, sorry. I’m away for the weekend. What’s up?”

  “Just wanted to have a chat. You with Aidan?”

  “Yes. We’re in Bowral.”

  “Oh. Whereabouts?”

  “Um…I don’t know, to be honest. I wasn’t paying attention to the street names on our way here.”

  “When are you back?”

  “Tomorrow around noon so I can have some time to prepare for the workshop.”

  “Right. I can’t make it to the workshop again tomorrow. Can I talk to you when you get back home?”

  “Sounds urgent,” Felicity said with a laugh.

  “It is. So, could you let me know when you’re back?”

  “Sure, no problem.”

  “Great, thanks. Bye.”

  “Bye.”

  “Who was that?” Aidan asked, coming out of the bathroom.

  “Sophie. She was outside my building. She thou
ght I was home.”

  “What did she want?”

  She shrugged. “She’ll come and see me tomorrow when we get back. She won’t be at the workshop.”

  Aidan lifted a brow. “Okay. What time are you seeing her?”

  “I said I’ll be home around noon.”

  “You wouldn’t mind if I’m there when she visits, do you?”

  She smiled, happy to spend as much time with Aidan this weekend as possible. “No, as long as you go to the bedroom if she wants to discuss something personal.”

  “Sure. Anyway, let’s forget about Sophie. Let’s have a bath. Can’t wait to do naughty things to you,” Aidan added in a low voice.

  Felicity grinned and took Aidan’s hand. This was turning out to be the best weekend of her life. The way she felt, nothing could possibly burst her bubble.

  Chapter 13

  Aidan stirred from sleep and opened his eyes. Judging by the light that filtered around the sides of the heavy curtain in the bedroom of Maricar’s guest house, he’d say it was around eight in the morning.

  Felicity was still in deep slumber. Not surprising as they’d had a very late night. Even he could do with an extra hour or two of sleep, but he had to empty his bladder—and drink some water to quench his thirst.

  He went to the bathroom, then headed to the kitchen. Oops, they’d forgotten to draw the curtains in the living room, and he was naked. He squinted. Was that Maricar reading a book by the poolside?

  He padded back to the bedroom to put on some clothes. He hadn’t had time alone yet with Maricar this weekend, although he was sure she didn’t mind in the slightest. Maricar had been thoroughly enjoying Felicity’s presence in her home and had sought his girlfriend’s company more than his. It was perfect.

  He walked out to join his childhood guardian. “Hey, Mar.”

  “Hello, dear. Where’s Fel?”

  “Still in bed. You look bright and fresh this morning.” He sat on the daybed next to Maricar.

  “It’s a beautiful day. And it’s because I’m so glad that you’re happy,” Maricar added softly.

  “I am,” he said with a grin. “I have so much to thank you for. If you hadn’t planted the thought in my head—and given me your blessing—I wouldn’t be sitting here right now as an inactive IR.”

  “Oh, I’m sure the idea would have occurred to you at some point. I just put it out there earlier.” Maricar smiled. “Felicity is lovely. She’s great for you.”

  He nodded. “I think so, too.”

  “How’s the Kingsgrove place? When are you going to move some of your stuff there?”

  “I’ve asked Kallan and Isla for a hand. They took some of my clothes and other personal items there last night. I just hope I remember where they’ve put everything. Thankfully, they sent me pictures.”

  Maricar chuckled. “Just be very mindful. That’s still a safe house, so you might have other agents having to stay there with you if cases call for it. You wouldn’t want to be shooing Felicity out the door if those times come.”

  “I know. I’ll be moving into my Burwood apartment soon. It’s closest to Fel’s. But the current tenants have requested they be given two months to vacate, which I’ve agreed to.”

  “Well, I hope you’re prepared with a good story to explain why you’re not living in one of your properties right now.”

  Aidan winced. “I’ve already indicated to her that the Kingsgrove house is my property, too. Then, I can pretend that someone wants to buy it from me off-market. The timing should work if the supposed offer comes next week.”

  “It sounds plausible,” Maricar said with a sigh. “I’m sorry that you have to keep lying to Fel. You shouldn’t have to do it again, hopefully.”

  “I know. I really, really want to make it work with her, Mar.”

  Maricar beamed. “You’re already in love, aren’t you?”

  He laughed. “You’d want to know, wouldn’t you?”

  “You don’t need to tell me. I can tell. It’s written all over your face.”

  “Well…she’s in love with me, too.”

  “Ah!” Maricar clapped her hands together in delight. “That makes me so happy. Now, promise me you’ll visit often, okay?”

  “Of course.”

  Maricar sobered. “I’ll miss you as an IR, Aidan. The team won’t be the same without you. But I know this is the best for you.”

  Aidan leaned to kiss Maricar on the cheek, his heart full.

  He couldn’t believe his life was different now, and he couldn’t wait to get on with it—with Felicity.

  Aidan followed Felicity into her apartment, carrying some leftover fried rice that Petra had packed for their lunch.

  “I better call Sophie,” Felicity said, checking her watch. “Do you mind?”

  “Of course not.” He was just as eager to know what Sophie wanted. Trying to pretend he wasn’t interested in their conversation, he went to the kitchen to transfer their food onto a microwave-safe plate and heat it up.

  “Hey, Sophie,” Felicity was saying. “I’m home now…Okay, cool…Yes, he’ll still be here…Great! See you soon…Bye.”

  “She coming?” Aidan asked.

  “Yep, in half an hour. We should be finished eating by then.”

  “Did she say what she wants?”

  “No. I suppose it’s important enough for her to want to chat face-to-face.” Felicity paused. “I hope it’s got nothing to do with Nolan or Lydia.”

  Aidan placed their lunch in the microwave and turned it on. Then, he walked to Felicity and cupped her face. “That idiot and his sister better not mess with you.”

  “Or?” Felicity asked, embracing him around the waist and grinning.

  “Or they’ll have me to deal with,” he murmured.

  Felicity sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. “I hope I won’t need you to save me from those two. But even so, you’re still my hero for saying that.”

  Aidan’s chest expanded. With every minute that passed, the more he fell in love with this woman. He squeezed her in his arms and continued to hold her, revelling in this moment of quiet bliss.

  The beeping of the microwave intruded on their moment.

  Felicity stepped back. “Let’s eat. I love Petra’s cooking so much.”

  He chuckled. “She was so thrilled when you told her that. She and Maricar would love to have you back there at anytime.”

  “Can I go with you whenever you visit?”

  “Of course.” This couple thing was great.

  Felicity took the plate out of the microwave, and he grabbed a couple of forks. Then, they sat down to share the fried rice while looking through the Bowral photos they’d taken with their phone cameras.

  A while later, the security intercom buzzed.

  “That’ll be Sophie,” Felicity said, jumping to let her friend in.

  Aidan took the empty plate and forks to the sink and began to hand wash them. “Do you want me to hang around here or in the bedroom?” he asked.

  “I’m sure Sophie would like to say hi to you first.”

  “Okay.” Hopefully, Sophie would also let him stay and listen to their conversation.

  “Hey,” Felicity said, greeting her guest. “Come on in.”

  Aidan dried his hands with the tea towel and went to the living room. “Hey, Sophie.”

  “Hi, Aidan. Good to see you again.”

  “Have a seat,” Felicity said. “I’ll grab you a drink. What would you like?”

  Sophie shook her head. “Nothing, thanks. I’ll only be a minute. Uh, this is actually a police matter.”

  Aidan frowned, glancing at Felicity, who looked surprised.

  “Do you want to talk in private?” Sophie asked.

  Felicity shook her head. “I want Aidan here, please.”

  “Sure,” Sophie said, glancing at Aidan.

  Aidan put his arm around Felicity’s shoulders. He had a bad feeling about this.

  Sophie cleared her throat. “Lydia approached the police
regarding her father’s missing cash. I know you’ve said repeatedly that you don’t know anything about it, but Nolan is now insisting that it’s you who should be asked about what happened to the money.”

  “What?” Felicity asked in disbelief. “Is he fucking kidding?”

  “That’s crazy!” Aidan said, anger starting to boil.

  “Apart from what landed Nolan in jail,” Sophie said, “has he done anything illegal or criminal that you know of?”

  Felicity shook her head.

  “The bastard appears to be trying to pin a crime on Felicity,” Aidan interjected.

  “We’re trying to figure things out,” said Sophie.

  “Well, if he said I’m responsible for it, then he’s lying,” Felicity said angrily.

  “Do you remember anything at all that Nolan might have said to indicate what could have happened to the missing cash?” Sophie asked.

  “I didn’t even know there was any missing cash,” Felicity said. “Like I said before, he never involved me in anything relating to his management of his father’s assets.”

  Sophie nodded. “Thank you. That’s all. I better leave you guys to it.”

  “Okay,” Felicity said flatly.

  “We’ll get to the bottom of this, okay?” Sophie said to Felicity in a much softer tone.

  Felicity nodded.

  “See you later.” Sophie left and closed the door behind her.

  Aidan gathered Felicity in his arms. “You okay?”

  Felicity was quiet for a long moment. “I’m scared that Nolan wants to wreck my life because I’m the reason he’s in jail.”

  He cupped her face so he could look into her eyes. “Hey, you’re not the reason he’s in jail. His own actions are the reason he’s in jail. I’m sure the police will see through his lies. They just need to investigate everything, that’s all. In any case, I promise I won’t let him hurt you again. Okay?”

  Felicity smiled, tears pooling in her eyes.

  Aidan hugged her tighter. He might not be an active Indie Rebel anymore, but he could still play detective.

  “I better go to the workshop,” Felicity said. “A buyer for one of the girls’ pieces is coming at two to pick it up. I hope they buy other things once they’re there.”