Aidan: One Night With The Doctor (The Wallflower's series Book 7)

by T. C. Clark

  “How could you figure it out? I know you’re good, but it’s classified information,” Aidan said, pulling out his phone to pull up the information.

  “And I’m magic,” Dmitri said with a smile. Aidan laughed and gave him the information.

  Dmitri’s fingers flew over his keyboard.“This isn’t right.”

  “Ahhh, the magic Russian can’t get in.”

  “No, I’m already inside, it literally took me a few seconds. Your government needs better firewalls. I’m more concerned with who she is doing this surgery on. It looks like she is getting into something dangerous.”

  “What do you mean?” Aidan asked. Dmitri’s frown got his attention. He’d only known him for a little bit, but nothing upset the Russian. What the hell was going on with Anita?

  “I’m worried. I’m not sure who got her into this, but everything about this case seems off. It’s changed hands too many times, and NICON is involved. They are an offsite mercenary team that does black ops for the CIA. I still think you should go there, but I’m not sure you should go alone. I have an idea. You’re not going to like it, but if you really care about this woman, I don’t think you have much of a choice.” Dmitri pulled out his phone and texted someone.

  “I’m going, I definitely don’t want her to face this alone. I know her ex-husband set this up. Maybe he has something to do with it.”

  “Well, I owe you for saving my life. So, I’ll take care of everything. But I need you to have an open mind.” He handed him the phone and shook his head when Aidan exploded out of the chair.

  “Hell, no! Anyone but him. He’s a fucking asshole. You know he threatened to kill me three times the last time we met. Pick someone else, it’s not going to happen,” he said firmly.

  Dmitri just chuckled and started typing on his computer. Aidan got a bad feeling that shit was about to hit the fan.

  * * *

  Anita arrived on base with a frown. She had no idea why this surgery had become so complex to set up. Yoel had pushed it back four times since she’d agreed to take it. She knew it wasn’t his fault. He couldn’t control his superior’s decisions. She couldn’t back out of it now; she’d already signed the contract, and the United States government made it clear they wouldn’t let her out of it.

  She was being taken to Yoel. He would be her handler while she was on the ground, according to the stoic marine who was driving her. She didn’t know why she needed a handler, but she was glad it was Yoel.

  Maybe he would answer some of the questions she had in person since he refused to do so on the phone or via email. He’d once told her that the department he worked in monitored everyone’s communication. She thought he was being paranoid, but the more she dealt with them, the more she believed his claim.

  At least she’d had time to check up on all of her patients. Mina was doing very well, and she’d even married her protective Italian. She sighed at the thought. It was nice to see love still conquered all. She’d been unaware that she was cynical about love now. Seeing those two really made her miss the feeling.

  She smiled. If she wasn’t careful, she’d start feeling that way about Aidan again. He was a constant in her life now. He’d taken her idea of starting a friendship to a whole new level. She talked to him more than her mom. She’d been sure that his interest in her would lessen after she left town, but it doubled.

  Every phone call or text reminded her of a time when they’d been best friends. She still hadn’t asked him exactly why he left. She didn’t think she could go down that road again. But she was starting to wonder. She looked down at her phone and shook her head when she saw two missed messages from him.

  He was worried about her, and he wasn’t the only one. Sabrina had tried to talk her out of this more than once. The more information they received about this patient, the more skeptical they became. But she wanted to help Yoel.

  They were no longer together, but he was still a close friend. Sabrina had joked that she was in a love triangle with both of her exes. She didn’t see it that way. Maybe she worked better with people when they weren’t together. God knows she would have never believed that her exes would have become her closest friends, but here she was.

  “Ma’am, once I leave you with Yoel, he will escort you around.” Mack the marine yelled over the busy noises of the street. His green eyes watched her like a hawk every time he spoke. She shivered; something about him worried her.

  She didn’t understand the warning bells her instincts were sending out, but she was old enough to trust them. She nodded but stayed quiet. They pulled up to a deserted part of the base and he jumped out. She looked around with wide eyes. Where was everyone else?

  She grabbed her small bag and got out. Her body relaxed when she saw Yoel. She had to force herself not to run to him. She refused to let Mack see her nerves. She walked over to him; his expression worried her.

  He was a handsome man, but in a different way than Aidan. Aidan was blessed with a face and body that deserved to be on a fitness magazine. Yoel looked like a hardened man who’d done and seen some things.

  A look passed between Yoel and Mack and instantly she knew Yoel did not like that man. He took her bag and led her away. She stayed quiet while they walked. She knew he would tell her what was going on when he felt she was safe. When they got to a small outbuilding, he led her inside and turned to her.

  “You didn’t get my last email?” he asked, looking behind her at the road.

  “I don’t know, what was your last email?” She didn’t like how upset he was.

  “I told you not to come. I wanted you to try to find a way to break the contract.”

  “You know there’s no way I can break it. They had me sign four different documents, but no, I didn’t get that email.” She tensed when he cursed.

  “Something isn’t right NICON is here, they are a black ops team for the CIA. I don’t trust their involvement at all. They are known for how rough they do things. I’m not sure who called them in. The surgery should be happening soon, but because of security reasons they won’t tell us the exact date. As soon as you’re done, make up a reason to leave.” Yoel looked down at his watch and cursed. “Promise me you will leave right after it’s completed.”

  “I promise as soon as I’m done I will invent a reason to leave. It’s not too hard. I have a lot of other patients. Yoel, just tell me what’s going on. Who is the patient?”

  “His name is Manil, and he deserves this surgery, Anita. But I hate that I brought you into it. When I asked for your help, everything was different, and now other people are involved, and every day it’s starting to feel more and more like a setup for something bad. I have a handful of people I trust. No matter what happens next I will find a way to protect you, I promise you that.” He looked like he wanted to say something more, but he took one more glance at his watch and turned to lead her back.

  Anita hated how upset he was. Yoel never panicked; if he was worried, then something was definitely wrong. She would get this surgery done as quickly as possible and then she needed to figure out how she could help Yoel.

  * * *

  Yoel took her to a house located on the northern part of the base. It was close to the entrance. She knew he’d personally chosen where she stayed and wondered if his choice was intentional. The house was large, too big for one person. She took one of the rooms upstairs. She wondered if Yoel intended to stay with her here.

  He gave her thirty minutes to freshen up and then drove her to meet the team. They didn’t speak. He’d tapped his ear, and she knew that he thought the place was bugged. She remembered that from their marriage.

  When they arrived, he walked her into the small hospital. It was eerily quiet. Most hospitals overflowed with people. It was weird to see an empty one. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t notice the second doctor, but Yoel did.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” Yoel said, his Cuban accent coming through as his anger grew.

  Anita turne
d and almost dropped her papers. Aidan was standing there. He looked equally determined and protective. His eyes caught hers, and her heart started to beat. The man was much easier to say no to when she only saw him in small increments of time.

  She took a deep breath to settle her nerves. Was she really standing here with the only men she’d ever loved in her life? She couldn’t shake the feeling that something monumental was happening here; it was as if she’d crossed some sort of checkpoint and everything was changing.

  “I replaced Dr. Goel, they said it had something to do with his background check. I put in a call to be assigned to the team, and thank God I did. This place is not normal.” He looked around at the hospital and then back at Yoel with accusations in his eyes.

  Yoel opened his mouth to argue, but then closed it. Anita watched as he took control of his temper and turned away from Aidan and back to her. “I will come back to check on you later today. We can talk then.”

  “Yeah, we can. I have a few questions for you as well, and as of today, you can think of me as Anita’s shadow. I’ve seen how things work around here. I’m not letting her out of my sight.”

  Anita started to argue but changed her mind. So far, Yoel hadn’t been able to tell her anything, and she needed to know what was going on. Still, she didn’t like seeing them squaring off against each other. She would tell Aidan that later.

  “I think that’s for the best. We will see you later, Yoel.”

  Yoel frowned as he walked away. He clearly wasn’t happy that Aidan was here. When Yoel was gone, the tension seemed to lift from the room. She finally noticed a man and woman standing in the corner.

  The tall muscular blond man waved at her. He was wearing regular clothes, worn khakis and a white V-neck t-shirt that revealed his intricate tattoos. There was also a dull scar across his neck that either indicated surgery or something more sinister. He sent her a bland smile that she didn’t trust.

  The woman was beautiful in a school teacher sort of way. She had rich black hair cut into a short pixie style. Her toffee colored skin was flawless under the harsh hospital lights. She wore a simple navy wrap dress with brown flats. Her brown oversized cardigan emphasized how small she was. But, despite her size, there was something in her eyes that told Anita she wasn’t as innocent as she appeared.

  “Who are they?” Anita asked.

  “They are with me as security. We shouldn’t talk here, let’s head back to the house,” Aidan said firmly.

  “Let me guess you were assigned to the same house I’m staying at.” Anita sighed, well this was going to be great.

  “Yep, I can’t keep an eye on you from miles away.”

  She wanted to argue but she equally wanted answers. Other than the patient’s file, she’d yet to be told exactly what she was doing or who she was working on.

  She followed behind him and wasn’t surprised when the couple followed as well. They spoke softly to each other in Russian. Anita kept her face blank; they didn’t need to know that she spoke Russian too.

  “She seems like she is too good for him, right?” The woman asked, her hand on the metal necklace around her neck. It had a metal pen attached to the end. She looked like a child walking next to the bulky blond giant.

  “You think all women are too good for their men,” he said with a smile. Anita watched the small woman smack the blond guy on the butt. He laughed and pushed her. Their playfulness calmed her. When they got to the house, Aidan’s security team took seats at the kitchen table.

  “Why are you here?” Anita asked. She was sure the answer was something she wasn’t going to like.

  “I was going to ask you the same thing. When did you start working with the CIA? Do you even know who we are operating on?”

  “I don’t work for the CIA. I came here to help my ex-husband out. When I signed on, they told me they couldn’t tell me who the patient was, and I’m starting to regret that I didn’t ask more questions. But obviously, you know who he is.”

  “His real name is Manil Habish, and he is in protective custody. He gave the U.S. government intel on a guy named Eraj Gotam. His information saved millions of lives. But because of his choice, his family was executed. Eraj leads the biggest rebel group in the country. He is extremely dangerous. He still controls most of the people here. The only reason they hired you is because no surgeon will touch him in this part of the world. Eraj is vindictive. If he finds out you’re helping him, he’s going to come after you.”

  “If I don’t do the surgery, that man is as good as dead. The tumor is pressing on an artery. He could literally die at any moment. You said he did good, that his actions saved millions of lives. If that’s the case, then I want to help him no matter what.”

  “You’re not hearing me. There is a price on his head, and the man who is hunting him has made it clear that any person who assists him will also become a target.”

  “I understand that, Aidan. But everything you just told me only makes me want to help him more. I took an oath to heal people. This man, whoever he is, needs my help. I agreed to do it, and I won’t run away now. You don’t have to be here. I can do this on my own.”

  He sighed and opened the fridge to pull out two beers. He handed one to the man sitting at the table and the woman across from him frowned.

  “Do you think because I have a vagina that I can’t enjoy a beer?” The pretty woman asked with a frown. Aidan rolled his eyes and went back to grab her one. He handed it to her. She examined it and then pushed it across the table to the man. He’d already finished his can.

  “Why?” Aidan asked when he realized she wasn’t going to drink it.

  “Obviously, I don’t like beer, it’s disgusting, but I don’t want you assuming anything about me,” she said with a sweet smile. Anita couldn’t stop herself from laughing at the innocent look she gave him, and the woman winked at her.

  Aidan decided to focus his attention on Anita. “I knew you wouldn’t leave, that’s why I’m here. I will assist you in the surgery, and my name will be featured as the main doctor. If we are going to do this, then I will be his target.”

  “Aidan, you don’t have to do that.”

  “It’s already done. Even if you don’t believe it, you belong to me, and that means you’re mine to protect. You want to do the surgery, then we will do the surgery, but I will be the one taking the risk. These people…” he said, pointing to the man and the woman. “They are here for our protection. His name is Sandy, and her name is Lily. We do what they say, Anita. I’m serious.”

  “You really think we are in danger?”

  “Yes, I do. If we do this, it needs to be as soon as possible, and when we are done, we’re gone. I mean it. We will do the surgery and disappear the next day. I don’t care about what contract you signed. I know you can feel it too, Anita. You’ve always been good at sensing things, something isn’t right here,” he said.

  She was quiet for a while as she thought about what he said. “I agree with you. I’m too tired to think about all of this tonight. I’m going to head up, take a shower, and go to bed. I can’t believe you came all this way to help me. Thank you, Aidan. I hate that you had to come, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t happy that you are here.”

  “I didn’t come here to help you. I came here to get you. I’m done playing around. I want you back, Anita Walker, and if that means following you around to offsite bases and protecting you from man-hunting psychopaths, then that’s what I’ll do.”

  “Some people would call that stalking,” she joked. She didn’t want to think too hard about his feelings for her; she didn’t have the mental bandwidth to deal with that right now.

  “And some people would call that love. I think in time, you’ll know which ones to follow.”

  She decided to ignore that comment. “Where is everyone else staying?” She had questions about the two people he’d hired for security, but she wanted to ask him about them when they were alone.

  “Me and Sandy here will be staying
in the downstairs bedroom. Aidan can take the other room upstairs with you. We’ve already wired all of the windows and set up security around the compound. We are going into lock down in ten minutes. After that, no one goes in or out without one of us. Going forward, I will shadow you, and Sandy will be with Aidan. Our job is to keep you safe. If you follow our rules, you will stay alive,” Lily stated, standing herself. She stretched her back and then held out a hand. The giant man took it and followed her out of the room.

  Aidan was standing at the window, still watching her. He felt strong and solid, she knew he meant everything he said. His light brown skin glowed under the kitchen light. His eyes burned into hers.

  “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Anita didn’t wait for Aidan to respond before hurrying upstairs. She went into her room. It was small and bare with a worn mattress and military-style bedding. She sat down on the cot and took a deep breath.

  Aidan was different now, she could openly admit that. Age and experience had changed him. For the first time in a long time, she wondered why he left her. That question had haunted her for a while after their breakup. It had hurt so much because she hadn’t seen it coming. She had a feeling she would know soon enough because it didn’t look like Aidan was giving up his pursuit of her anytime soon.

  * * *

  Aidan followed Sandy through the hospital with a frown on his face. He wanted Anita out of here. Even Yoel agreed she should leave, but she wouldn’t budge. He’d argued with her about it this morning, and all that had done was make her dig in even more.

  The beautiful woman was crazy. When he saw her standing with another doctor talking quietly in the corner, his body responded. Every time he was within a few feet of her, this happened. She looked beautiful in her blue scrubs with her hair pulled back into another one of her signature buns.