Rectify

by Laylah Roberts

  Steering her over to his car, he opened the door to the back seat, gently pressing her to sit down. He crouched down in front of her. Clasping her hands between his, he frowned as he realized how icy they were. He rubbed them, trying to warm them.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were cold, lovely?” There was a bit of a breeze coming off the lake, but she shouldn’t be this chilly.

  “I, ahh, didn’t notice. It doesn’t matter.” She squirmed around on the seat, as though she couldn’t sit still.

  Aedan pulled off his jacket. It was only light, but it should help warm her up. He pulled it off and placed it around her shoulders.

  “I can’t just sit here, Aedan.”

  “The alternative is to go back to Rogan’s house. Believe me, I’m tempted to drag you back there and give you a sedative to help you sleep.”

  Her jaw dropped as she gaped at him. “You wouldn’t.”

  No, he wouldn’t forcibly drug her. But she didn’t need to know that.

  “You’ve changed.” She watched him closely.

  Did that upset her? Would she rather have the old Aedan back? He pushed those thoughts to one side. Now wasn’t the time.

  “We both have, lovely. You can’t tell me you thought I would be the same man.”

  “No, I guess not.”

  He ran his hands up her legs then clasped them behind her back. “I have no idea what you must be going through, Natalya. But until we know the worst, you have to just believe that everything is going to be all right.”

  “It’s so hard!” she cried. “I can’t go on if anything happens to him. I can’t.”

  He pulled her forward against his chest and held her tightly.

  “Scoot over, baby.” As she slid over, he sat beside her and pulled her close to him. “Why don’t we talk about something else?”

  “Like what?” she asked dully.

  Aedan ran his hand through her thick hair. “What did you do after you left Diego?”

  She was silent for so long he didn’t think she was going to answer. Maybe he should just drive them out of there. Waiting here was getting them nowhere.

  “I didn’t want to stay in Matamoros,” she said suddenly. “There was nothing for me there anymore. Just a few cousins and an uncle who I barely knew. I’d saved up some money which I used while I waited for Mateo’s green card. I didn’t know how long it would take, and I had to make my cash supply last, so we lived in a horrible motel while we waited. Poor Mateo, it was awful. When all the paperwork finally came through, I immediately bought us two bus tickets and we made our way to Hondo.”

  “Why Hondo?”

  “Because of Maria. My cousin. I knew she would help us. I know I should have taken us further away, but I didn’t know where to go. I didn’t want to leave Mateo with strangers while I worked, and Maria worked at a day care center. So I put him into the center she worked at as soon as I got a job.”

  “Doing what?”

  “Waitressing. I took the first job I could find. It wasn’t ideal, but it paid the bills and put food on the table. Most of the time.”

  Christ, he hated thinking about her having to live day to day, working her guts out just so they could eat.

  “Why didn’t you come to me?” he finally asked.

  She sat back slightly, stiffening. “Because I didn’t think you’d care. Would you have answered my phone calls?”

  Maybe not. He hadn’t wanted anything to do with her. But if she’d turned up on his doorstep with a child in tow, would he have turned her away?

  “I’d have cared,” he told her. “I’ve never stopped caring about you, Natalya.”

  “Aedan, I can’t do this anymore. Not right now.”

  He pulled her tightly against him. “I’m sorry, you’re right. I just can’t stand the idea of you alone and needing me.”

  “I had Mateo. He’s such a good boy. So kind and gentle. Oh, he’s no angel. Especially since we left Diego. I’m not sure if it’s his age or all the changes, but he’s definitely started playing up more now.”

  “It was a huge change for him. That can be unsettling for a kid.”

  “You were twelve when you moved to the states, weren’t you?”

  “Yeah. And even though I was a lot older than Mateo, I didn’t handle leaving all my friends and my grandfather very well.”

  “I remember you talking about your grandfather. The two of you were close?”

  He nodded.

  “You didn’t make friends quickly?”

  “No. I was different. That’s not always a good thing when you’re a kid. I had a weird accent, I was smaller than everyone else, and I had a bit of a smart mouth. I might as well have planted a sign on my back saying ‘kick me.’ That’s why I worked so hard to get rid of my accent. I wanted to fit in. I wanted people to like me.”

  He’d quickly learned that being different could make life unpleasant. So he’d concentrated on trying to sound and act like everyone else.

  “You never told me this before,” she said.

  “I didn’t want you to feel sorry for me. I always felt insecure as a child, like I wasn’t as good as everyone else. I wasn’t as tough as Rogan, or as athletic as Lucas, or as charming as Dylan. I met Lucas at basketball camp; did I ever tell you that?” He’d told her about Lucas and how he’d been shot. But he couldn’t remember if he’d told her about how he’d met the other boy.

  “No. Really? You liked basketball?”

  “I hated it, but for some reason my parents decided I needed to meet other kids around my age, so they forced me to go. I sucked, and the other kids hounded me. Lucas stood up for me. He was a year older, and he became my hero. When we got back from camp, even though we went to different schools, we stayed friends. He introduced me to Dylan.”

  “What about Rogan? You’ve always been close to him.”

  “He’s a couple of years older than me, so we weren’t at the same school when I first arrived here. Once I moved into the same school as him, things became easier. No one wanted to mess with Rogan MacGuire’s cousin. But even though I’d found friends who accepted me, I still felt like I didn’t always fit in.”

  “I think everyone feels like that at some stage.”

  “I guess,” he agreed.

  “Is that part of the reason you decided to go into acting? I always knew you would do well.”

  “I wanted to be popular. Kind of went to an extreme, didn’t I?” he joked. “The night Lucas died, my gut told me we shouldn’t go out. I ignored it, because I wanted to fit in. I was worried that if I tried to stop Dylan and Lucas that they wouldn’t like me anymore, that they wouldn’t want to be friends. So I ignored my instincts and Lucas died.”

  “Oh, Aedan. His death wasn’t your fault.”

  “Wasn’t it?” It sure felt like it was.

  The front passenger door swung open and a large man climbed in.

  Aedan sat forward, pushing Natalya behind him in an attempt to shield her. The person turned and Aedan’s heart started beating again.

  “Bloody hell, Stanton!” he growled. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  A disapproving frown scrunched up Stanton’s forehead as he glared at them from the front seat. “What are the two of you doing?”

  “Waiting for news on Mateo,” Natalya replied incredulously.

  “What do you think we’re doing?” Aedan asked. Did he go out of his way to be oblivious?

  “Tanner should never have let you come here. Do you want to draw attention to yourselves?” Stanton asked.

  “What do you mean?” Aedan had no idea what he was talking about. How were they drawing any attention?

  “The cops are going to start wondering who you are. A child is spotted falling into the lake. No one has come forward to claim him. But, oh wait, there’s a woman sitting in a car over there, looking traumatized. Hmm, wonder if that’s a coincidence?” he pondered sarcastically.

  “Well, maybe we should be talking to the police,” Natalya said.
/>
  “Do you want the Fuerte Cartel coming after you?” Stanton snapped. “The only reason you’re alive is because you haven’t blabbed, Natalya. Don’t you think the cops are going to have questions about Diego and his activities? You’d be a gold mine for them and a liability for the cartel. I’m shocked the cartel hasn’t come after you already. If I was them, I’d have killed you a long time ago.”

  “Cheerful thought.” Aedan glared at the other man.

  “While you’re here, you might as well make yourself useful. I’ve got Miguel and Eion searching close by for any dark vans or anyone suspicious. You two head over to the RV camp ground and check around. But do it discreetly, got it?”

  “But what if they find Mateo? I need to be here.” Natalya turned to stare up at him worriedly. Aedan gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

  “They’re not going to find your kid.”

  Aedan frowned. “How do you know that?”

  “Because that woman was lying. She didn’t see anything.”

  “Why would she lie?” Natalya asked. “How can you be so sure?”

  “She lied because she was paid to lie. I tried to find her, but she seems to have disappeared. A few days ago, she started to splash the cash around. Folks around here are puzzled about where the money came from. My best bet is the kidnappers had her set up as a diversion before they even took Mateo. She’s pulled everyone’s attention to searching the lake and away from them.”

  What kind of person would do that?

  “Aedan, move into the front seat and drive us away unhurriedly. You can drop me off when we’re out of sight. We do not want to draw any attention to ourselves.”

  Aedan climbed out of the car and slipped into the driver’s seat.

  “You really don’t think she saw Mateo?” Natalya asked, hope in her voice.

  “No, I don’t believe so. There’s something else, though.”

  “What?” Aedan peered into the rearview mirror. But it was too dark now to make out Natalya’s expression.

  “Your cousin, Maria, has disappeared as well.”

  Natalya gasped and sat forward. “Do you think she’s okay? You don’t think she’s been taken as well?”

  “No, I don’t. I think she lied to you. I don’t think she ever saw Diego near Mateo’s day care.”

  “What makes you think that?” Aedan asked.

  “Because she cleared out her apartment, her bank account has been emptied, and her neighbors saw her leave with a heavily-tattooed Mexican man in his late twenties the day after Mateo disappeared.”

  “She wouldn’t betray me. She’s my cousin.”

  “Sometimes blood counts for very little. Especially when someone thinks they’re in love,” Stanton said grimly.

  ***

  “Do you think Stanton sent us to the least likely place we would find Mateo’s kidnappers?” Natalya bumped up against him as they searched around the camp ground.

  “I think it’s pretty unlikely they’d hang out here,” he agreed. “They’d stand out like a sore thumb.”

  Right now the place was filled with baby boomer couples, all traveling around in their extra-large RV’s. A few families were also scattered around the grounds.

  Aedan slipped his arm around her. “Come on; let’s head back to Rogan’s. It’s dark now. There’s nothing we can do.”

  “Do you think Stanton’s right? Do you think that woman was lying about seeing Mateo?” How could anyone do that? Didn’t they know the hell they were putting her through, imagining her baby was dead? There had to be a special kind of hell for a person like that.

  “It sounds like it,” Aedan said grimly.

  “I’m so relieved and so furious, all at the same time. Who would do that?”

  “I don’t know, baby.”

  “Well, I guess if my own cousin could betray me, it wouldn’t take much for a stranger to, would it?”

  ***

  Aedan stood staring at his bed. How the hell was he supposed to sleep? Thoughts rolled around in his head, each one trying to gain traction.

  He pinched the top of his nose, trying to ease the tension headache he could feel forming. A knock on the door caught him by surprise and he turned, walking over to the door. Natalya stood on the other side, looking nervous.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, reaching out to grasp her hand and pull her inside. Stupid question. Of course, she wasn’t all right. He held her close against him, swaying as she held on tight.

  Heat curled at the base of his stomach, tendrils whispered through his body.

  So not the time to get turned on, you asshole.

  “Can I stay with you?” she asked in a small voice. “I can’t be on my own.”

  “Of course you can, lovely. I’ll get some more blankets and sleep on the floor.”

  She stiffened against him. Damn, what had he said?

  “You don’t want to sleep with me?”

  Cupping her shoulders, he moved back slightly so he could stare into her face. This was something he didn’t want to handle wrong.

  “I didn’t want to presume anything. You’re in charge right now, Natalya. Whatever you need, whatever you want, just tell me and I’ll do my best to be there for you.”

  “I want you to sleep in the same bed with me, to hold me. Just keep me warm. I don’t think I can sleep, and I don’t want to lie there alone just thinking about... thinking about...”

  “Shh,” he told her. “I understand. Grab whatever you need and I’ll run you a bath.”

  With a nod, she walked into the bedroom. There was a blank look on her face that worried him. He could tell that the shock of everything that had happened was getting to her.

  Thirty minutes later, Natalya was dressed in one of his t-shirts, which reached the top of her knees. She sat quietly at his feet as he combed her long hair.

  “I don’t understand why she would betray me,” she whispered.

  Thank God. He’d been sitting here, worrying about her silence.

  “People change. And you heard what Stanton said, people do crazy things when they think they’re in love.”

  He ran the comb through her hair, which fell like a black waterfall of silk down her back.

  “I’m sorry for all the times I made you choose between me and Rogan.”

  He paused. “You never asked me to betray Rogan.”

  “But I always wanted you to choose me over him. I was immature and selfish.”

  “You’re being too hard on yourself.” He wouldn’t allow her to beat herself up. Especially not when she was so low already.

  “I judged him without knowing him.”

  “Maybe, but you had your reasons. It’s in the past, Natalya. Time to let it be.”

  Natalya stood and held out her hand to him. “Come to bed with me?”

  Taking her hand, he stood and followed her over. He’d managed to find a pair of pajama bottoms to wear, but even though they were loosely fitted, they did nothing to hide his erection.

  Christ. Keeping himself from getting aroused around her was like trying to restrain a sugar addict in a store filled with sweets. Completely and utterly impossible.

  Natalya stripped off her t-shirt before climbing on the bed.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  There was a vulnerable tremble in her chin, but her voice was sure as she stared up at him. “I want to sleep with you.”

  “Just sleep,” he said firmly.

  “No.” She shook her head and lay back, cupping her full breasts in her hands. She rolled the puckered nipples between her fingers and thumbs. “Fuck me, Aedan.”

  His head was telling him to slow down, but his cock was throbbing so fiercely it nearly devoured his every thought.

  Cool down. Think unsexy thoughts. Raindrops. Roses. Whiskers on kittens. Seriously? He was resorting to singing show tunes?

  “You don’t want me?” Her face shut down.

  Shit, shit, shit.

  “Of course I want you. I want you more th
an I want to breathe.”

  Piercing blue eyes watched her thoughtfully for a long moment before he gently pushed her down onto her back and took her mouth in a searing kiss.

  “Promise me I’m not taking advantage of you.” He pulled her shirt up and kissed his way across the top of her breasts.

  “No more than I’m taking advantage of you,” she told him.

  He unclasped the front of her bra. Pressing her breasts together, he tongued her nipples. Moisture gathered on her panties as her pussy clenched in ecstasy.

  “Oh!” she cried as he sucked strongly on her right nipple.

  Pulling her t-shirt off over her head, he helped her take off her bra. He slid her jeans and panties down to just above her knees. He brushed his thumb over her clit, and around in circles until she was crying out, her whole body shuddering. Aedan pushed two fingers deep inside her pussy.

  As he drove his fingers in and out, the look on his face grew so intense she nearly exploded then and there. But she wanted this to last. She adored the anticipation, knowing that if she could just hold off a little longer it would be so much sweeter.

  “Arms above your head,” he commanded.

  She quickly obeyed him as he stripped her jeans and panties completely off.

  “Bend your legs and place your feet far apart on the mattress.”

  “Aedan,” she protested. “You never used to be this bossy in bed.”

  “Sorry.” He pulled back, trying to cool himself down.

  “Don’t be.” Reaching out, she grabbed his hand. “I think that’s what I need right now.”

  Impossibly, his cock seemed to grow even harder.

  “Then shouldn’t you be moving into place?”

  He stared at her, waiting. Should this be turning her on as much as it was? Her pussy wept, her whole body trembling, just waiting for what he would ask of her next. She shifted her legs into position, knowing he could see all of her.

  “You’re so wet.” Aedan brushed his fingers through her damp curls.

  “I haven’t had a chance to wax,” she said, embarrassed.

  “Shh, did I say anything negative?”

  “No, but you used to prefer me to be bare.”

  “Not everything needs to be like it was before,” he told her, as he kneeled between her open legs. He pulled the lips of her pussy apart with his fingers, just staring at her.