“Yeah, so if you show up there and can catch Aaron while he’s not in the private area, you might be able to talk to him.” If I wasn’t wrong, Marco’s eyes sparkled with hope. He wanted answers as much as I did. “His guards will be around, but with so many people... you can slip past them. They have to blend in, so it’ll be difficult for them to stop you.”
“Unless he decides to hide in the VIP area with his father and his associates.”
“He won’t. He hates talking to them and being around his father, especially if he doesn’t have to do it. Roberto will only care that Aaron shows up so that his associate doesn’t get offended. The only problem might be that the guards will be more wary of you now because you’re a girl.”
My eyebrows shot up.
“Ever since Roberto found out about you, he’s wary of women. He got rid of his slave girls and requested new ones to make sure none of them were spies.”
A gasp escaped my lips as I brought my hand to my mouth. “Are they...?”
“Dead? Yeah.” Marco ground his teeth together. “There was nothing any of us could’ve done. Roberto shot them all himself.”
I inhaled deeply, my stomach feeling heavy. “And Aaron...”
“He just stood there and watched. If Roberto finds out about the girls we saved, he’s going to send his men after them.”
“He mustn’t find out.” I hugged myself, suddenly feeling chilly, and it wasn’t because the air was cold. “I’ll try to get to Aaron. If the guards don’t let me, I’ll just have to find another opportunity. I hope Roberto didn’t forbid him to talk to women.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me if he did,” Marco said. “But I saw him talk to a girl who approached him at a club...”
A sparkle of jealously spread through me, and I clenched my teeth together.
Marco glanced at me as if he could tell what I was thinking. “He rejected her, but no one stopped her or anything.”
“Okay. I’ll go that party. I’ll come here the day after to tell you how it went. I suppose you can’t go there to see for yourself.”
“Aaron doesn’t want me anywhere near him, and I can’t pretend I didn’t know he’d be there since everyone who works for the Viteris knows that information.” Marco rubbed his brow. “My only job now is to be prepared if the Viteris are attacked or need more help. I’m just one of the soldiers.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll figure this out.”
***
My stomach fluttered as I scanned the sweaty and drunk crowd in the stuffy dark nightclub, but Aaron wasn’t anywhere in sight. The blue light was so dim that I could barely see anything except for women who were dancing around the poles under shiny lights. The VIP area was on the first floor and multiple guards stood in front of the stairway. There was no way to see who was up there or what was going on, so I hoped Aaron would come to the bar for a drink. The bar was glowing with a soft, pale blue light, and I started dancing as close as possible to it so I could see who the bartender was serving. I ignored women and focused on men, but none of them looked like Aaron.
My feet were already starting to ache when two men started for the bar. One of them was dressed in black pants and shirt that reminded me of the Viteris’ guards. He was saying something into the ear of the man next to him. The light coming from the bar fell on the men’s faces, and my heart jumped into my throat.
Aaron’s face was impassive as the guard kept saying something to him, this time covering his mouth with his hand. There wasn’t any obvious reaction to what the guard was saying. Aaron simply ended up ordering himself a drink, the guard never leaving his side. Who was that guy? Roberto’s attempt at replacing Marco in Aaron’s life? As if that would ever work. Taking a deep breath—which turned out to be a terrible idea because the air was full of smoke—I made my way straight to Aaron, ignoring the guard.
“Hey, gorgeous,” I said as I leaned on the bar next to Aaron, my back turned to the guard, who was just getting a seat on one of the high stools after he had shooed whoever had been sitting on it. “Wanna dance?” We couldn’t exactly talk in front of the guard, but if we got lost in the crowd... Surely the guard wouldn’t cling to Aaron and make himself obvious. Maybe that had been why he’d been talking to Aaron. He wanted to make himself look like Aaron’s friend. He’d have more chance of that if he wore something else, but I assumed he couldn’t put on different attire because then other guards might not be able to identify him.
Aaron simply stared at the glass the bartender had put in front of him, not even looking at me. In fact, he didn’t even react or show any interest. Huh. Was my disguise that good so even he couldn’t recognize me? Perhaps. I leaned closer to him to whisper into his ear. “Dance with me. Come on. I won’t bite. Promise.” Before I moved away, I licked his earlobe.
“Do you want me...?” The guard had hopped off the stool and was trying to get in between Aaron and me. Aaron simply waved his hand, and the guard sat back down. I held my breath, waiting for Aaron to say something. He simply grabbed the glass and downed his drink in one big gulp, then his eyes finally turned to me.
“Okay, babe. Let’s dance,” he said, his lips stretching into a smile that never reached his eyes. I let him take my hand and pull me onto the dance floor. The guard had turned in his seat so he could watch us, and Aaron didn’t go too far, so we were still in the guard’s sight, probably so we wouldn’t raise suspicion. Aaron’s arms wound around me as he pulled me against his chest, his hands resting on my back. He moved completely out of rhythm with the music and didn’t say anything.
“Do you know who I am?” I asked, looking into his eyes, but it was too dark to read them.
“Of course.” A ghost of a smile traced his lips, but something about it felt off.
“Umm, okay,” I said cautiously. “What’s wrong? Why didn’t you come see me?”
“I’ve no interest in you. Not anymore.”
“What?” I froze, starting at him in shock. “Is it because of people in here?” Maybe someone was watching us, although how they’d be able to hear us was anyone’s guess.
“Why is it so hard to understand that I don’t want you?” He cocked his head at me.
“Because of everything.” What game was he playing now? “Or did you get amnesia?” I slid my hands down his back and squeezed his ass. “Do you want a reminder?”
He caught my wrists, gripping so tightly that I winced. “I’m not going to listen to anything you have to say. Leave.” He shoved me away from him, and I nearly collided with the person dancing behind me. Before he could walk away from me, I grabbed his arm.
“Why not? You owe me and your friend an explanation. We didn’t do anything wrong.” I had no idea how much I could say without anyone figuring out anything, but I wasn’t about to let him go just like that.
“I don’t owe you anything.” He scowled. “Now let go of me before I lose my patience.”
“Look. I don’t know what someone might have told you or shown you, but you know better than to trust those people. Just give me something...” I didn’t understand why he couldn’t just whisper into my ear or something. Would that tip off the guard? The guy was craning his neck to see us among the people, but it didn’t look like he was too alarmed. So what if he told Roberto Aaron had gotten close with some girl? It couldn’t be that much of a problem.
But maybe he could give me a sign. My fingers trailed down his arm, and I caught his hand, gently caressing his fingers. He could just touch me back, and I’d know I should just go. Aaron’s eyes narrowed at me, and he remained motionless. I jerked my head toward our hands, squeezing his thumb between my fingers. Come on, just give me a sign. Surely he would understand what I wanted.
Aaron simply pried my fingers off his hand, glaring at me. “Stay away from me.”
Without thinking, I stepped forward and slapped him so hard across the face that he stumbled. The guard came rushing toward us, and Aaron’s brow furrowed as he brought his hand to his cheek, his lips slightly par
ted. He blinked at me, and his guard, instead of grabbing me, took hold of his arm and pulled him away from me. I watched them leave, my palm still stinging. My chest was heaving and I knew I had to get out of here before the guards came looking for me. Pushing my way through the crowd, I ran for the door.
Chapter 10
Before I could storm to my room, Dylan got in my way, blocking the stairs in front of me.
“Hey, where’s the rush?” he asked. “Everyone’s waiting for you in the computer room.”
“Why?” I frowned at him. My plan was to come up with a way to get Aaron alone with me, without any guards around. There was something very odd going on with him, and I wasn’t about to let it go just like that. I didn’t think I could focus on anything else right now because I was still upset about what had happened tonight. “Isn’t it a little late for meetings?”
“Maybe, but everyone wants you to see something. You might find it interesting.”
“Don’t be cryptic. Just tell me what it is. I’m really not in the mood right now.” I narrowed my eyes at him.
“It’s about your... about Aaron Viteri. He’s done something that might lose the Viteris some of the support and loyalty.” Dylan’s lips twitched and he seemed to be doing his best to suppress a smile. Shit. What had Aaron done now?
“Okay, let’s go.” I started toward the computer room. Once Dylan and I got there, Michael, Tony, and Jason looked away from the screen and up at me. Jason was grinning like a Cheshire cat. My pulse sped up, my hands jittery as I made my way to them.
“So glad to see you here, sis,” Jason said. “Where have you been? We lost track of you for a while. It’s a good thing you came back on our radar just as this surveillance camera footage surfaced, or we would’ve been worried for your safety.”
“I was out,” I said. “What happened?”
“Play the video,” Jason said to Tony. I took a seat in an empty chair next to Tony, who was chewing on his lower lip as he looked at me, his hand hovering over the play button.
“Do it,” I said, and Tony obeyed. The dark rectangle on the screen changed to a view of an alley littered with trash, empty bottles, and who knows what else. No one appeared to be there. I waited, barely breathing. A few moments later, a group of people came into view.
As they neared one of the strong street lights, I realized they were all dressed in black and carrying guns. Aaron was among them, his hands in the pockets of his jacket. He stopped in the middle of the alley, and the camera zoomed in on him. The guard who’d been with him at the club was saying something to him, but all I could hear was a low, buzzing sound. The camera was too far to be able to capture it.
Aaron’s face became serious, and in one swift move, he pulled out his gun and pointed it at the guard’s chest. The guard lifted his hands up, and the rest of the guards stood there unmoving, some reaching for their guns but hesitating, as if they weren’t sure what to do. Aaron was their boss’ son and they were supposed to be protecting him, but the guard Aaron had his gun on was probably their friend. Even if he wasn’t, he was still one of them.
Aaron glanced around at the guards surrounding him, and he threw his head back and laughed. Then he said something to them, and the guard in front of him dropped to his knees, his hands clasped in front of him in a plea. His mouth was moving and he had to be begging Aaron not to pull the trigger. But Aaron didn’t seem to listen. He said something and then pulled the trigger. The guards around him jerked back as the shot resounded, loud even through the camera, and I flinched. The guard he’d aimed at toppled to the ground, his body unmoving, blood quickly pooling around him.
Three of Aaron’s remaining six guards pulled their guns out and pointed at him. Aaron turned toward them, spreading his arms, and saying something to them as if daring them to shoot him. They hesitated, and I had a feeling one of the guards was trying to convince them to lower their guns. Aaron used the opportunity, raised his hand, and quickly fired three times in the direction of the guards with the guns.
All three of them fell to the ground, the shots still ringing in my ears. A wide smile spread across Aaron’s lips as he pointed the gun at the rest of the guards. He cocked his head at them, waving the gun, and they all raised their hands. That seemed to satisfy Aaron, who tucked the gun into the back of his pants, and motioned for the guards to clean up the mess. Then he simply walked away.
“He made a mistake,” Jason said as the video went black. “He should’ve killed all of them and claimed they attacked one another. This way he has witnesses who know what he did.”
I was still staring at the screen, my heart thudding loudly. This wasn’t the Aaron I knew. He wouldn’t have just killed his guards.
“Is that part of the plan you mentioned?” Michael asked me. “Because it looks to me like he’s going about this the wrong way. It’s not his father who’ll lose the support. Well, maybe some of it if he doesn’t do anything about what his son did, but it’s Aaron who they won’t trust.”
“That’s a lame plan of taking over,” Dylan said. “No one will stand with him now. Everyone protects their own. That’s why they agreed to work for him, and Aaron stabbed them in the back.”
“Our informants say the first guard Aaron killed didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, he was the Viteris’ loyal guard for years. Aaron apparently killed him just because it amused him, and he killed the rest of the guards because they dared to question his reasons for doing it,” Michael said.
“Octavia?” Tony asked softly. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I rubbed the back of my stiff neck. Was it possible that Roberto’s guards had somehow provoked Aaron into doing this? But he wouldn’t be so stupid as to do it in public and benefit his father. If Roberto had found a way to discredit him so Aaron couldn’t take over... Except Roberto didn’t know about Aaron’s plans, and it didn’t make sense he would try to harm Aaron and his family’s reputation. Surely he expected Aaron to take over someday, although not anytime soon.
“I hope you got over that guy,” Jason said, folding his arms. “He’s a psychopath, and now he finally snapped and showed his real face. Should be fun to watch him unravel. Maybe he’ll actually manage to take down the Viteris for us all by himself. Who could’ve expected that?”
“If this is all you had to show me, then I’m going to bed.” I had no strength to argue with my brothers about Aaron, and I still needed to figure out what the hell was going on. Tony just nodded and no one said anything, so I rushed out of there. Kidnapping Aaron suddenly sounded like a brilliant plan.
***
“I can’t tell you anything.” Marco gave me a pained look when I met with him the following day. “Aaron forbade me to tell anything to anyone.”
“So he’s more willing to talk to you now, is he?” I gritted my teeth. “What the hell was he thinking? Did he tell you what happened at the club?”
“No, but I found out what happened after the club.” Marco ran his hand over his face. “I assume it didn’t go well with you...”
“No, it didn’t. He was mad at me. Wanted me to leave. Something’s wrong with him. I don’t think this was ever a part of his plan.”
“He wouldn’t have done it if it wasn’t.” Marco clenched his jaw.
“Except what he did undermines him, and he was super cold with me. This has to be Roberto’s doing. He’s plotting something again. Aaron wouldn’t just kill his guards without a reason. We need to figure this out.”
Marco’s expression was guarded. “We? I told you, Aaron doesn’t want me to talk to anyone about him. Just me being here with you could...”
“Could what? Make him kill you? You’re his best friend! Aaron would never hurt you.”
“So what do you say? Aaron was abducted by aliens? Roberto switched him with an evil twin?” Marco’s lips twisted into a forced smile.
“I don’t know, but you have to help me.” My family seemed to like the way things were going, so they wouldn’t twitch a finger, al
though for all I knew this was Roberto’s plot to do God knows what. The only person who could help me was standing right in front of me.
“I can’t. Aaron...” Marco looked torn.
“He needs help. Our help.”
Marco pressed his lips into a tight line. “I...”
“Listen to me.” I caught Marco’s arm, catching him by surprise and shoving him against the wall. “I know Aaron can act cold sometimes, but this isn’t him, and you know it. We have to talk to him and get him to tell us what’s going on.” Actually, just getting him to talk to us would be a major achievement. “If you help me, you’re not betraying Aaron.” I let go of him, taking a step back.
“You already tried talking to him. I tried too. It doesn’t make a difference. What else can we say? It’ll just piss him off more. Maybe he just no longer wants us with him.” Marco’s voice quivered a little at the last part.
“If that’s the case, he better have a damn good reason for it. And I want to hear it. If Roberto’s behind all this, then we have to help Aaron. I thought we already agreed on that.” I tapped my foot against the floor. We were wasting time.
“I... What are you planning to do?” Marco asked. “If I give you some information everyone knows...”
My shoulders relaxed. I knew Marco would help me. “Will Roberto take him somewhere or do something to him because of what he did to his guards?”
“Roberto decided to send him away for a while until things calm down,” Marco said. “A lot of guards are going with him to watch the house.”
“Wait, so Roberto’s just sending him away with the guards to some secret house?” A frown creased my brow. “Don’t you think Roberto would be furious and want to keep him around so that something like that wouldn’t happen again? This was his plan, wasn’t it? He might have even ordered Aaron to do this somehow!”
“I don’t know. Maybe you’re just looking for excuses for him when there are none,” Marco said. “I think Roberto wants him away so that he can calm down his associates and say Aaron’s being dealt with. I bet the guards won’t let him out of that house and will have permission to shoot him or restrain him if necessary.”
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