17
“We’ve got nothing. I’m sorry,” Nash said as Aiden dressed. Nash and Nabi were on speakerphone and sounded as frustrated as Aiden felt.
“It’s as if everyone went quiet. Ahmed has threatened black market sources and I’ve hacked everything I can think of. Still no word on who owns that IP address and no word on if Phobos is real,” Nabi told him as Aiden tied his tie.
“How is Piper doing? Tammy has been calling me every three hours,” Nash asked.
“She’s hanging in there. We have dinner tonight with Sada Kourtney.”
“I’ve known her for years,” Nash said. “She’s a good person.”
“Thanks for the update, but I need to go. I’m having one of my men taking over point starting tonight at midnight,” Aiden tried to throw in casually.
“Excuse me?”
“I told you that you weren’t there to get laid,” Walker yelled.
“Look, mate, it’s not like I meant to develop feelings for her. And you should talk. Piper told me all about you and Layne.”
“I waited until she was no longer my . . . oh. I get it. Smart man. I should have just hired another physical therapist, but Aaron’s a prick, and he was the only other one there.”
“Check in tomorrow. I’ll bring Eddie into the briefing. We may have to plan an announced public appearance to bring these guys out of the shadows,” Aiden said, grabbing his gun and sliding it into the holster hidden in the small of his back.
“We’ll get to work on that,” Nabi said before they ended the call.
Aiden slipped his phone into the inside pocket of his gray suit and knocked on the door. When it opened, he smiled. She was so Piper, casual and sexy all at once. She wore a sundress and flip-flops with something strange hanging from them. Her hair was down, and he wanted to wrap it around his fingers as he kissed her. Five more hours. He could hold out for five more hours.
“You look beautiful. What is that on your shoes?”
“A nanoparticle. Aren’t they fun? My dad got me them for my birthday.”
It made Aiden smile. His Piper was so good, sweet, and original. Who else would have nanoparticle flip-flops, the ugliest DNA bra, and still be absolutely adorable in them?
“Then shall we?” Aiden held out his arm for her to take and together they walked out of the palace and into the waiting car. Guards were already in place and when they pulled up to the restaurant, Aiden spotted two of them in civilian clothes sitting on the patio near the front door.
As they made their way inside, Aiden winked at the waitress and took in the patrons. Everyone was eating and talking. No one was wearing an earpiece and very few people even glanced at them as they made their way to their table.
Sada and her date stood up as they approached the table. They were smiling as Sada made her way around the table to hug Piper. “This is your date? You’ve been keeping secrets.”
Aiden held out his hand to a man a couple inches shorter than he was, but also a couple years younger. He was built and looked as if he hung out in a gym a lot. “Hi. I’m Aiden.”
“Royce. Nice to meet you. Are you Piper’s boyfriend?”
“Not yet,” Aiden said, but the implication was clear: he would be.
“Royce, this is Piper Davies.” Sada introduced as Piper held out her hand. “Piper, this is my boyfriend, Royce. He’s from Germany and flew in to visit me.”
“It’s wonderful to meet you,” Piper said cheerfully as she took a seat across from Sada and Royce. Aiden pushed her chair in and took the seat next to her as the waitress from that afternoon stopped by to chat and take their drink orders.
“So, how long have you guys been talking?” Piper asked as Aiden casually scanned the room.
“A couple months now. We clicked instantly when he sent me a message request. We messaged for a week before talking on the phone for the first time,” Sada said excitedly as Aiden and Royce shared a look as the women talked about how they met. Aiden was relieved to see Royce was of the same frame of mind as he was about talking about all the emotional moments of a new relationship. How’d you meet? Online. Discussion done.
“Sada tells me you’re the head of the lab. That’s a big accomplishment,” Royce said when Sada took a breath.
“That’s right. And I feel so bad. Where are my manners? Tell me about yourself, Royce.”
Aiden listened with half an ear as Royce talked about Germany and that he was a scientist for a lab that handles some kind of chemicals. Aiden scanned the area one more time and then brought his attention back to the conversation when he heard Royce say his name.
“Sorry, what was that?”
“I asked what kind of scientist you are,” Royce repeated.
“Well, recently I’ve found myself fascinated with DNA and nanoparticles.” Aiden saw Piper’s lips quirk as she tried to stop herself from laughing out loud in reference to her unique clothing habits.
“What interests you about them?” Sada asked, leaning forward.
“Stripping them from the host.”
This time Piper choked on her water as she coughed, distracting Sada from asking him any more questions. “Are you okay, Piper?”
“Fine, just swallowed wrong,” Piper said as Aiden grinned. She kicked him under the table.
Aiden was stopped from teasing her more when the food arrived. Royce began asking questions about which football club Aiden cheered for. When Aiden looked up, the smiling waitress he’d talked to earlier wasn’t smiling. Royce kept talking, and Aiden wasn’t able to ask her what was wrong. Instead, he scanned the room. He didn’t see anything out of place. Again, no one watching them, no one else scanning the room, no one with visible earpieces.
“This is so good,” Piper said, taking a bite of her dinner made up of rice, slow-cooked meat, raisins, and spices she had dreams about. “I have missed this so much.”
Aiden turned his attention back to the table and jumped into the conversation about football while Sada and Piper talked about some friend they had in common from Italy who was due to arrive in a few weeks.
“Do you think O’Neill will get a contract exten—”
Aiden blinked as Royce’s words drifted off. His vision blurred, his hearing tunneled, and his body went numb. He tried to reach for Piper, but everything went black.
* * *
One second, Piper had been chatting excitedly with Sada and the next it felt as if she’d stepped away from her own body. She blinked at her food and over toward Aiden. She had to warn him. But her mouth didn’t work. In her vision, Aiden slipped farther and farther away as voices floated to silence. And then nothingness.
* * *
It felt as if she blinked and was awake again. Piper’s eyes snapped open, “Aiden!”
It didn’t take but a snap second later to realize she’d been out for a lot more than a blink of an eye. She was on a fishing boat, a man sat across from her, and her hands were bound as she sat on a bench on the deck.
“I’m sorry, he’s not here right now,” the man said casually in his slight accent. It sounded similar to Royce’s and Mila’s, so she thought he must be German.
“Where is he? Who are you? Where am I?” Piper let loose with all her questions as she looked around. It was night, but in the distance she saw lights and the vague outline of a coastline. “Is that Rahmi?”
The man laughed and crossed one leg over the other as the old fishing boat slowly chugged through the dark waters.
“Which do you want to know first?”
“Aiden?” Piper asked, having a sinking feeling she had figured out what was happening.
“Is that the boring scientist you were with? Royce also said he had no taste in football clubs. He’s fine. Or will be when he wakes up.”
“Sada?” Piper asked, almost not wanting to know the answer. Had her friend turned on her too?
“Same. She’ll wake up uninjured except for knowing it was her desperation for love that resulted in her friend’s capture.”
/> “Is that Rahmi? Where are we going?” Piper tried to take in every detail and file it away in case it was important.
“No, that’s not Rahmi. Rahmi is way back there,” he said with a nod of his head. “We’re heading to a special place. A new lab for you to continue your work in.” If Rahmi was back there, they were in the Rahmi Strait. Wait, that meant the shoreline she was seeing a mile off was . . . hope.
“Don’t you want to know who I am?” the man asked with amusement as he uncrossed his legs and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. His serious face came into view.
“I don’t need to ask. I already know who you are. We’ve met before, Agent Rand of the Department of Homeland Security. Or should I call you Phobos?”
18
Aiden’s eyes shot open, and at the same time he sat up he reached for his gun. He wasn’t in the restaurant anymore. Instead, he was in a well-appointed room with an IV in his arm and an old man who looked like a doctor standing next to him. In a heartbeat, Aiden had the gun pointed at the man.
“Mr. Creed, please. You are safe now.” Aiden turned to the soft woman’s voice behind him and found Princess Nailah wringing her hands.
“Where’s Piper?”
“She’s been taken,” Nailah said, her voice catching with emotion.
Aiden’s heart plummeted and it felt as if someone was squeezing it until it burst.
“It was her coworker’s date. The coworker is—” Aiden shot off the table, cutting Nailah off.
“Where is Sada?”
“In custody. They don’t think she was an accessory, but we need to be sure.”
“And the guards who were on duty?”
“Piper was taken out the back door. The guards reported that the waitress brought them a snack, and the next thing they remember is waking up here. The waitress is also in custody, as is the entire kitchen staff.”
“Sir,” the doctor said, drawing Aiden’s attention, “I understand the urgency, but I need to check you out.”
“No time, doc.” Aiden peeled the tape from his elbow and pulled the IV needle from his arm. “Thank you,” he said, handing it to him before jumping from the table. “Can you get me to where they’re being held?”
Nailah nodded and hurried to the door. Aiden was right behind her. They didn’t talk as he followed her into tunnels underneath the palace and into a secret holding center underneath the security building. She knocked on the door and a guard opened it. “Give Mr. Creed full access to the detainees.” The guard nodded and opened the door. “Mr. Creed,” Nailah said, gripping his arm, “do whatever it takes to find Piper.”
“I promise. I’ll find her or die trying.”
Aiden’s body was tightly coiled as he followed the guard. He wanted to spring, he wanted to attack, and he wanted to kill. But right now he needed to keep calm. He had to gather more information.
“Right in here, sir,” the guard said, opening a door. Aiden walked into the dimly lit room and found Prince Jamal standing with his arms crossed, looking into a two-way mirror.
“Aiden,” Jamal said tightly, “they’re interrogating the coworker now.”
“Have you called Keeneston yet?” Aiden asked.
“Not yet. I want to be able to have some answers to the questions I know will follow. I failed them. I won’t fail them again.”
“We all failed. But I for one refuse to fail again.” Aiden’s determination to find Piper overpowered his fear of what could be happening to her.
Jamal nodded his understanding, and Aiden turned to watch the man yell at Sada, who was crying hysterically. “Do you mind if I talk to her?”
“Do whatever it takes to get answers.”
Aiden left the room and opened the interrogation room door. “Aiden!” Sada sobbed. Aiden motioned for the guard to step outside. Aiden and Sada were now alone. “Where’s Piper? Where’s Royce? What happened?”
Aiden took a seat across from her and reached out for her hands. They were damp with sweat and shaking as he grasped them. “Sada,” Aiden said in such a tone that Sada instantly stopped sobbing, “listen to me. Piper is missing. I need to find her. She’s your friend, right?”
“Yes,” Sada said as she tried to calm herself.
“Tell me everything about Royce you can remember. Every time he asked about Piper or the work you did at the lab. Every time he asked about FAVOR.”
Sada’s eyes snapped up, “How do you know about FAVOR?”
“Because I’m the man hired to protect Piper because someone wants to steal FAVOR and turn it into a weapon. Now they have Piper, and I need to find them.”
Sada was quiet for a moment as her eyes drifted off. Then she gasped and fresh tears poured from her eyes. “It’s all my fault! Oh my God, he told me he loved me. He . . . he . . . he,” Sada gasped for air as she sobbed.
“Sada,” Aiden snapped. “You’ll have time for tears later. I need answers. Now.”
Sada swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “He didn’t ask about Piper or what we were working on for a month. It wasn’t until he video-messaged me while I was at the lab that he got into specifics. I knew I wasn’t supposed to say anything, and I thought I was vague enough. I didn’t tell him exactly about FAVOR. But if he were smart enough, he could have figured it out. And then he didn’t ask me again until a week ago. Again, it was real casual. He asked what Piper left behind when she went back to Kentucky and how hard it must be to maintain two labs.”
“Go on,” Aiden ordered.
“Then out of the blue, he called and said he was coming to visit and hoped he could meet my friends. He specifically mentioned Piper. I told him that was funny since I had just gotten word she was coming here.” Aiden saw her struggle to keep her composure as reality set in. She’d been played, just like Dudley. “I slept with him,” Sada cried, ripping her hands from Aiden as she hugged herself. “I slept with the man who took my friend. I led him right to her.”
“Sada, where would he go? Did he mention any cities, towns, friends, anything?”
Sada thought for a minute as she tried to scrub his touch from her body. “No. He didn’t talk about himself much. I’m so sorry. I’m so stupid.”
He wasn’t going to get any more from her, so Aiden stood and headed for the door as Sada sobbed. The guard opened the door and Aiden whispered to him, “Collect any evidence from her person and let her shower. She’s not an accessory. She’s just a victim. Got it?”
“Yes, sir,” he said as Jamal opened the door to the observation room and nodded his approval of the plan to the guard.
“City services called. They found video from cameras at the marina. She’s on a boat.”
“And the restaurant staff?” Aiden asked.
“Held at gunpoint.”
“You need to call Nabi. I’m going after her,” Aiden told him as he strode for the exit.
“Wait,” Jamal ordered.
Aiden stopped in his tracks and slowly turned. “Don’t try to stop me.”
“I’m not. Come with me.” Jamal walked away, expecting Aiden to follow. Aiden looked at the door—Piper was somewhere beyond it—but he followed Jamal instead.
They went up three flights of stairs and into the main control room. There were desks, television screens, and offices. People were hurrying around as everyone was on high alert. “You,” Jamal ordered a guard rushing by them. “Take Mr. Creed to the armory and give him everything he needs. Meet me back here in ten minutes.”
* * *
Ten minutes later, Aiden had a vest, wetsuit, and a duffle bag of various weapons. Jamal was waiting for him with an envelope in hand. “I’ve talked to my Uncle Mo. He’ll fill in his security. He suggested I give you this.”
Aiden opened the envelope to find diplomatic papers. “What’s this?”
“The ability to do whatever it takes to get Piper back.”
“These are Rahmi papers. I’m British,” he said, shoving the papers back to Jamal.
Jamal looked around and gra
bbed a letter opener from a nearby desk. “Kneel.”
“What? I don’t have time—”
“KNEEL!”
Aiden knelt. “By the power invested in me as the Prince of Rahmi, I hereby pronounce you a citizen of Rahmi, where you will henceforth hold dual citizenship with the United Kingdom. You are granted a post in our foreign office to act as a diplomat for and on behalf of Rahmi and to do whatever necessary to protect our interests in the Rahmi International Nanotech Laboratory and its founder.” Jamal tapped the letter opener on each shoulder. “Rise, citizen of Rahmi.”
Aiden stood and Jamal shoved the papers back to him. “There will be a legal notice regarding your citizenship and a new post up in ten minutes to make it public. Just don’t kill anyone until then.”
Aiden shoved the papers into his suit coat. “Got it.” He grabbed the duffle bag and strode from the building. As soon as he was outside, he pulled out his cell phone and called the one person he knew could help.
“I figured you’d be calling. Mo told us what happened.”
“I need your help, Miles.”
“Help is already on the way.”
“Don’t send help here. Pull up your account. I had a GPS dot in her bra.”
“I knew I liked you. Hold on.”
Aiden tossed his bag into the car he’d been borrowing and sped from the palace grounds.
“All GPS dots are in the palace except one. It’s in the Strait of Rahmi, a mile from the Surman coast.”
“Watch that signal and text me every five minutes with the new coordinates.”
“You got it.”
Aiden hung up the phone and sped through the city. Someone had taken the woman he loved. No man, mountain, ocean, or army was going to prevent him from getting her back.
19
Forever Guarded Page 13
