Aidan: The Rescue (Indie Rebels Book 5)

by Miranda P. Charles

  They came to a stop. A couple of seconds later, the back doors opened. “Out,” the leader ordered.

  Aidan hopped out first with his hands still tied behind his back.

  Felicity got up and gingerly copied him. Thank God, she’d decided to wear flats.

  She looked around, shivering from the cold as clouds of fog formed while she breathed. It was a moonless night, and she couldn’t see any lights apart from those coming from the pretty two-storey house in front of them.

  “Let’s go,” said the boss, heading towards the front door.

  Felicity walked next to Aidan, with the other two thugs behind them. “Where do you think we are?” she whispered.

  “Somewhere in the Blue Mountains,” Aidan answered with certainty.

  She glanced around again. Considering the colder temperature and the time it took to get here, Aidan might be right.

  “Follow me,” the leader said as they walked inside the house. He took them upstairs to a room with a small table and two chairs. “The two of you are going to stay here overnight. Then, tomorrow, you’re gonna tell me your perfect plan to get me Shannon’s money.”

  Felicity’s brows rose. “You want us to come up with the plan?”

  “Yes. You know what makes Nolan tick. Just make sure the plan will be good enough for me. If I don’t like it, then what happens to him will be on your conscience.” He indicated Aidan.

  “What are you gonna do?” she asked with an audible gulp.

  The boss scoffed. “Can’t have someone like him walking around freely when he’s seen our faces. Get what I mean? As for you, you’ll keep on working for me until we get that money. Understand?”

  Felicity’s breath shallowed. This couldn’t be happening.

  “Start thinking.” The leader headed for the door.

  “Could we have some water, please?” Aidan asked. “And would you mind turning on the heater?”

  “You’re suddenly very polite, aren’t you?” the leader said with a smirk.

  “I’m sure Felicity would be able to think better if she’s comfortable.”

  The leader laughed. “Still trying to impress her, huh? I’ll be back in an hour. If I like your progress, you can have water and heat.” He banged the door shut, and a key being turned could be heard. They were locked in.

  “It’s so cold,” Felicity whispered. She’d never been so afraid in her life.

  “I know. Don’t worry,” Aidan said rather distractedly, looking around the room as if searching for a means to escape.

  She helped him look around, but there wasn’t even anything they could use to free their wrists.

  Felicity paced the floor. It was up to her to keep them safe by coming up with the plan the thugs wanted from her. Clearly, with her handbag left in her car back in Sydney, she couldn’t call the police.

  She stilled. She did have that IR call button in the front pocket of her jeans.

  She glanced at Aidan, who was now checking out the windows.

  “Are they locked?” she asked.

  “Yeah.”

  She sighed. Even if the windows weren’t locked, they were on the second floor. They were stuck in here, with no way of getting out—unless she used the IR button.

  This was a direst-of-emergencies situation, right?

  Well, one important question needed to be asked. Did she want to be an Indie Rebel?

  She stared at Aidan, who now seemed to be checking out the trees outside, then looking down to the ground below. Surely, he wasn’t thinking of breaking the window and climbing out?

  Fear and guilt clutched at her heart. Aidan was here, kidnapped, because of her. Could she stand here and allow the criminals to hurt him—maybe even kill him—when she had the means to call for help?

  Of course not.

  Besides, if the Indie Rebels existed to help people escape criminals when the police couldn’t be of any assistance—like right now—then she couldn’t see anything wrong with it. In fact, she was starting to see such acts as…noble.

  She nodded as she made one of the most important decisions in her life. But how could she press the button when she couldn’t reach it?

  Maybe she should get Aidan to press it.

  She shook her head surreptitiously. The contract was clear. She couldn’t tell anyone about the Indie Rebels, so how on earth would she explain the button to Aidan?

  She started walking around again.

  “You okay?” Aidan asked.

  She nodded. “Just thinking.”

  “We’ll get out of here. There’s no need for you to come up with some plan to get the money those idiots want.”

  She paused, sending him a smile. “I’m trying to keep warm. And thinking about how to get out of here helps.”

  Aidan walked to her. “You’re so brave and courageous.”

  “You help me,” she admitted. Without another thought, she kissed him.

  Aidan kissed her back eagerly. When they parted, Aidan placed his forehead against hers. “I love you,” he breathed.

  Despite their current predicament, joy filled Felicity at hearing him say it out loud again. “I love you, too.”

  Aidan’s face instantly lit up. “I’m forgiven?”

  She couldn’t help but laugh. “Sort of. You still have a lot of explaining to do. But that can wait until after we get out of here.”

  Aidan nodded solemnly.

  “Give me a few minutes to think, okay?” she asked. “I just…I want some heating in here, so I want to be able to tell those thugs something about a plan.”

  “Okay,” Aidan said reluctantly.

  She resumed her pacing. Her main problem was keeping her IR identity from Aidan. How could she avoid revealing it to him when she needed his help in getting the button out of her pocket?

  Lie. Make up a story.

  What story, though?

  “Babe, you all right?” Aidan asked, sitting on the floor near the window. “Come and sit on my lap so we can warm each other up.”

  Hiding a frustrated sigh, she went to him. As she snuggled against him sans arms, an idea occurred to her.

  Her heart raced. This was it. This could work. It had to work.

  “Aidan,” she said, getting off his lap. “I need you to do something for me.”

  “What?”

  “There’s a button in my right front pocket. I need you to take it out.”

  Aidan gaped at her, his eyes wide.

  Using the wall next to them for balance, she shifted to a kneeling position. “Turn around so you can get it out.” Now that she’d made her decision, she wanted the IRs to come as soon as possible.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s my anti-stress button,” she said, the lie making her a tad breathless.

  “Your anti-stress button?”

  “I never told you about it before because it’s very personal to me—and a little bit embarrassing. But I rub it when I’m feeling stressed. It helps.” Wow, what a flimsy excuse. She hoped Aidan would believe it, though.

  “Oh, so it works like a stress ball?”

  “Yes!” She couldn’t help her grin. Aidan seemed to be buying her story.

  “Let me get it, then.” Aidan rose to his knees and turned the other way. Then, she positioned herself so Aidan could reach inside her pocket. Desire flared through her as his fingers accidentally brushed her crotch.

  She bit her lip. God, she missed this man.

  “Got it,” Aidan said, his voice sounding hoarse.

  “Okay. Hand it to me.” She shifted so she could take the IR button from Aidan’s hand.

  She felt for the switch and flicked it to turn on the device.

  Felicity closed her eyes and took a moment to scan her emotions. Did she really want to do this?

  Visions of the two masked IRs in her car came to mind. Suddenly, hope filled her, and she felt safe.

  She smiled. Then, she pressed the button.

  A soft bell tone started ringing from behind her. She twiste
d to look at Aidan. The sound seemed to be coming from his collar near his ear.

  “What’s that?” she asked in surprise.

  Aidan turned to face her, his eyes swimming in tears. “That’s the nearest Indie Rebel receiving your distress call.”

  Felicity gaped at the man she loved. Then, she plonked down on the floor, shocked to her core.

  Chapter 21

  Aidan sat in front of Felicity, his heart wanting to burst from happiness. Felicity was an Indie Rebel now. He was free to tell her his secrets. No more lies.

  “What did you say?” Felicity asked in a dazed whisper.

  Aidan smiled. How he wished he could hold her in his arms. “I’m an IR, babe. It was something I couldn’t tell you, and you know why.”

  “Oh my God,” Felicity said, her eyes widening even more. “Oh my God!” she repeated in a shriek, launching herself at him.

  He laughed, catching Felicity with his torso. Without the use of his hands, he toppled over to his side.

  Felicity dropped to the floor, facing him. “You’re an Indie Rebel,” she said with wonder. “How long have you been with them?”

  “Twenty years.”

  “What?”

  “I’ll tell you the whole story once we get out of here. Mind you, the only reason I’m allowed to do that is because you were already pre-approved for information regarding me once you made the decision to become an IR. Remember that, as an initiate, you still can’t know the identities of your teammates unless it’s a special case and the chiefs have given it the go-ahead.”

  The sweet smile Felicity sent him made his heart flutter. “And I’m a special case for you.”

  “Obviously,” he said with a grin.

  “So…that woman you got in the car with on Tessa’s birthday…”

  He slid closer to her and kissed her lips. “She’s an IR. She picked me up because Sophie was meeting with the same private detective who visited Nolan, and we shadowed them.”

  Felicity’s mouth formed an o. “You’ve been working on my case?”

  He nodded.

  “I have so many questions about your IR identity. We have time, right? We just pressed the button.”

  He chuckled. “I pressed my button long before we got here.”

  “Really? How? Before they tied up your wrists?”

  Aidan sat up awkwardly. “After. In the van. My button is on the waistband of my jeans at the back—in case I get cuffed, which I did.”

  “I should have thought of that,” Felicity murmured, sitting up as well.

  “Don’t worry about it. Anyway, I already spotted the team outside a few minutes ago. I’m sure they’re rounding up our kidnappers by now.”

  “Really? How come we can’t hear anything?”

  “We’ve been trained to be quiet and efficient.”

  “Oh. So, you’re an active IR?”

  “Yes…” He hesitated. “Is that a problem with you? Because if me having to go out at night to work on cases means you’ll be unhappy in our relationship, I can become inactive.”

  Felicity’s brows furrowed. “You’d become inactive for me?”

  “Yes. Actually, I already was when we started getting serious, but I just had to work on your case. That was why I suddenly became very busy again after being able to spend a lot of time with you.”

  “I see. Do you really want to become inactive?”

  He took a deep breath. “Babe, I want to make it with you. I want our relationship to work. If that’s what it takes, then I’ll do it.”

  Felicity eyes watered. “You help people in situations like this…”

  “Yes.”

  “How much do you love being an IR?”

  His lips curved up rather sadly. He wasn’t going to lie about this. “It was my life for so long. It gave me a sense of purpose. It still does. But I also know that I don’t want to give up on us, so I’m willing to find another way to be useful. I just love you so much.”

  A tear rolled down Felicity’s cheek. “I love you, too. And I don’t want to stop you from doing something that’s clearly such an important part of your life. Seeing tonight what being an IR really means…please continue being active. And please teach me how to become one. I can already see me secretly helping out women with abusive partners who just can’t leave them alone.”

  Aidan opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He simply had no words for the happiness coursing through him.

  Felicity leaned in and kissed him tenderly. “How come you didn’t tell me you’re an IR when I asked you to take the button from my pocket?”

  “Because you hadn’t pressed it yet. Technically, I couldn’t let on that I’m one until you’ve become one.”

  “I see. You’re a stickler for rules, aren’t you?” Felicity teased.

  He laughed. “Yes, although I’ve probably asked for more dispensation since I met you than I ever have in my entire IR life.”

  “Really? Like, what else, apart from letting me know you’re one?”

  “Well, there’s that pre-initiation so you could get the button. The chiefs have never approved anything like that before. Usually, you already need to be an IR before you get to use any of our gadgets.”

  “Wow. You must hold a lot of sway. Are you some kind of boss?”

  He chuckled. “A team leader.”

  “Really? Wow. So you must be very good, huh?”

  “You could say that,” he said with a shrug.

  “What else can I know that other initiates can’t?”

  Aidan laughed. Clearly, Felicity was enjoying this. “I’ve already got pre-approval for you to know the identities of some of our teammates, too.”

  “Really? How many? Why?”

  “So many questions. We haven’t even gotten out of here yet. Our hands are still tied behind our backs.”

  Felicity blinked, her smile disappearing. “You think there will be a problem?”

  Aidan thought to tease her, but decided against it. “No. There were only three guys. Since the house was cold when we got here, I doubt there are others. Plus, I’ve already checked this room for bugs and such. There are none. Our kidnappers aren’t very sophisticated. They’re probably mid-level criminals trying to make it to the big leagues.”

  “Right,” Felicity said with relief.

  The door flung open.

  “Hi,” said Aidan to his masked teammate, grinning. “She knows.”

  “Oh, great,” said Bryce. “You two look comfortable sitting there. Want us to come back?”

  “No,” he said with a laugh. “What’s the status?”

  “We got the three thugs all tied up in the living room. I have to say, they’re not very sophisticated.”

  “That’s exactly what Aidan said,” Felicity quipped.

  Bryce chuckled. “We’ve secured both your cars. Your handbag’s still in there, Felicity, even though the door was left open.”

  “Thank you. How did you know where the cars were?”

  “Aidan pressed his button while you were still in Ollie’s basement parking.”

  “Oh, of course.”

  Aidan smiled. Felicity seemed impressed by the IRs, so far.

  “The others are making a sweep of the whole house,” Bryce said as he cut off Felicity’s bindings and helped her stand.

  “Thanks,” Felicity said. “I recognise your voice. You were with the lady who gave me the button.”

  “Yep, that’s me. You okay?”

  “Yes. And thanks again for the button.”

  “All Aidan’s idea. This guy’s mad about you, you know?” Bryce said as he freed Aidan’s wrists.

  “That’s good,” Felicity said shyly, looking at Aidan. Then, something occurred to her. “Wait…are you the team leader whose girlfriend is being targeted by a crime gang?”

  Aidan wrapped his arms around Felicity now that he could do so. “Uh-huh. Although I know that, technically, you weren’t my girlfriend when they spoke to you.”

  Felicity h
eld him tight. “I’m sorry I doubted you. Thank you. I love you.”

  “Love you, too, babe,” he breathed.

  At the corner of his eye, Aidan noticed two other IRs entering the room. Judging by their heights and builds, he guessed them to be Emma and Isla.

  He released Felicity. “Hey, guys. Found my phone?” he asked them.

  Emma handed it to him. “We also found two laptops, five portable hard drives, and some files. Our guys are already checking out the contents to see if we can highlight some evidence against the perps for the cops.”

  “Great,” Aidan said.

  “Will we need to give a statement to the police?” Felicity asked.

  “Not if we can help it,” Aidan said. “Hopefully, we’ll find enough without bringing us into the picture.”

  “Oh, good,” Felicity said with relief.

  “One of your kidnappers is being very cooperative,” Emma said. “I’m sure there’s enough to put them away without your input.”

  “Hey,” Felicity said with a big smile. “You’re her—the one with him in my car.” She indicated Bryce.

  “Yes,” Emma said with a chuckle. “You know that we did all that because Aidan’s crazy about you?”

  Felicity laughed. “Sounds like he’s instructed you to talk him up to me.”

  “Yes, and at every opportunity,” Aidan said with a chuckle.

  Felicity grinned. “Are they one of the IRs I can get to know while only an initiate?”

  He nodded. “Later. When we’re done here.”

  “Okay. Can’t wait.”

  “I almost forgot.” Bryce took a couple of things out of his hip pocket and handed them to Aidan. “Earpiece and mic. When we couldn’t hear you after you made the call, we figured you don’t have yours with you.”

  “I don’t. Thank you.” Aidan placed the tiny earpiece in his right ear and attached the very small mic to his collar.

  “Anything else you need?” Bryce asked.

  “Only water, please, if you can get some,” Felicity asked.

  “We have bottles in our van. I’ll grab a couple.” Bryce left.

  “We’ll let you know when the coast is clear,” Emma said, also leaving.

  Isla stayed, keeping quiet near the door.

  Aidan gave her a small nod. He knew Isla was keen to hug her best friend—and to divulge her secret.