by L. J. Wilson
Troy jerked away. Aaron made it down several steps as Troy shuffled back to the top. “Where the hell are you going at midnight?”
“Something I’ve got to take care of,” he said, turning.
Even in the dim light, he could see Troy narrow his eyes. “Yeah. I heard about that too.” He shrugged. “Another bad habit. Chloe likes to gossip. Sounds like the past has come back to bite you in the ass. Maybe you deserve it.”
“You done?” he said.
“No. Same advice, Aaron. It’s a big day for Honor tomorrow. Don’t fuck it up by making sure she spends it calling lawyers and posting bail. Ruby’s not with you for a reason. Man up. Accept it.”
Both their bedroom doors closed quietly, but after another hour passed, Aaron succumbed again. This time he made it as far as the kitchen. He picked up the keys to the Dodge Challenger and took a determined step toward the back door. Then he put the keys back and called Alec. It rang until a sleepy Jess answered. “Aaron. Hi… sure, he’s here. His phone was on the hall table. Alec’s got… Well, he’s… Uh, geez… just hang on a minute.”
Aaron heard knocking, a muttering of voices—another woman, who wasn’t Jess. Finally Alec’s voice took over. “Aaron, what’s wrong?”
“Everything…”
“Yeah, Honor texted me. I was working security at a rock and roll show in Atlantic City. I didn’t get back until late. But if you need me, I can be there in twenty.”
Aaron shook his head. He was doing it again, disrupting every life around him. Damn. He had no right, dragging Alec out of bed—with whoever—for what? To hold his brother down until sunrise? Then what? Maybe the youngest Clairmont had a point. “No… it’s fine. I’m cool,” Aaron said. “I didn’t realize… Didn’t know you had company. I shouldn’t have called.”
“Never mind that. Aaron,” Alec said sharply.
On his end of the phone, Aaron could have sworn he heard Pop. He wished like hell it was. He could use Sebastian Clairmont right about now.
“Don’t… Just promise you won’t do anything impulsive… stupid.”
Sitting in their moonlit family room, Aaron snickered. “What? You mean like grab a gun, head over to Abstract Enchantment and blow the son-of-a-bitch’s brains out?” There was silence on the other end of the line. In the background, Aaron heard an awkward chatter, Jess and some woman named Heidi introducing themselves. Troy was right. He needed to grow a set. “I… I’m joking, Alec. Seriously, I’m cool.”
At six a.m., Aaron heard Honor’s light footsteps. They stopped abruptly at the edge of the kitchen. “Alec… Aaron? What are you two doing?” Aaron was in the recliner. Alec’s body lay awkwardly on the couch, his leg resting on the recliner’s arm. Big brother had turned up fifteen minutes after their phone call. Alec would have known in a heartbeat if Aaron had so much as gotten up to use the bathroom.
Alec sat up, blinking at his sister. “Uh, jet lag. I couldn’t sleep. I came by late last night. Aaron agreed to keep me company.”
Honor folded her arms, staring at her brothers. “Jet lag… from Atlantic City?”
“Uh, yeah. You know me. Never quite right since taking that last bullet.” She looked unconvinced, Alec’s military reference only highlighting the bizarre scene—he never spoke about it. “And a girl,” he quickly added. “The makeup artist on the tour… Hazel….”
“Heidi,” Aaron corrected.
“Right. Heidi. She, um… Well, coming over here avoided that awkward ‘nice knowing you’ moment this morning. It was a one-time thing, you know?”
“Honestly, Alec…” Honor said, picking up a toss pillow and hurling it at him. “You’re a pig when it comes to women.”
He caught the incoming pillow. “Yeah. Aaron was just pointing out the same thing.”
“Right. That’s what I was doing,” Aaron said, returning to the sunrise view. “Pointing out Alec’s problems with women.”
A flurry of activity ran Abstract Enchantment that morning. That was good. Any absence on Aaron’s part wouldn’t be noticed. But as Aaron passed by Shauna’s desk, she called out to him. “Hey, morning,” she said brightly. “Big day, huh?”
“You could say that.”
She came around to meet him as workers passed by and the last hints of construction were removed. “Where are you rushing off to?” He stood closer to the private elevators than anything else. She glanced down, spying a tool box.
“The plumbing in the executive suite, there’s a drip.”
“Really? We’re on a major countdown for corporate Windamere’s arrival and that’s your priority? It sounds as off track as Stefan, who went into town on an ‘urgent errand’ a few minutes ago.”
“Did he? I mean, right, I knew he was headed somewhere. I ran into him in the parking lot. He specifically asked me to see to the faucet.” He didn’t like lying to Shauna, but he couldn’t think of another way.
“I swear. Men have no concept of priorities.” Shauna shook her head, her tight skirt and a well-fitted, low-cut shirt showing off her runway figure.
“Yeah, guess we have that much in common.”
“Well, in that case,” she said, moving back to her desk and opening a drawer. “Return this for me if you’re headed up there.” Shauna held out a small leather clutch. “Ruby left it in the dining room yesterday. I understand she wasn’t feeling well.”
It seemed like enough bait to go fish. “Shauna, you’d said that you met her before…Ruby. Do you know… well, anything about their relationship?”
“Their relationship? Stefan and Ruby?” Shauna said. “Not much. I told you, other than booking flights and arranging for items on must-have lists, I stay out of Stefan’s personal life.” She sat back down, though her gaze didn’t leave Aaron’s. “ If you’re smart, you’ll do the same.”
He nodded. “Right. I just… After seeing her… Well, she… she didn’t strike me as his type. Not what I was expecting in terms of a fiancée.”
“Why would you spend any time thinking about Stefan’s fiancée?
“To tell you the truth, Ruby Vasquez is someone I knew back in the day. She, um… she was a sweet girl. Maybe it’s more Stefan—he’s not the kind of guy I would have figured her for.”
Shauna stared. “Aaron, I don’t know what it is you’re after, but a little advice—steer clear of Stefan’s affairs. If that was your long-ago impression of her, all I can say is people grow up. Sometimes they turn out to be somebody else. Either way, why does it matter to you?”
“It doesn’t,” he said dully. He didn’t need Shauna alerting Stefan to his questions. “I’ll take care of the clutch.”
“Aaron…” Shauna said as he turned to the elevator. “All I know is they’ve been together less than a year. And you’re right—about him anyway. This Ruby doesn’t fit Stefan’s usual taste in women.”
Aaron’s head bobbed. He waited for more.
“I’d heard her name, here and there. Then boom, out of nowhere he says they’re getting married. But who knows? If you meet the right person and fall in love…”
“Yeah, I suppose.” Aaron shrugged as if his need were only for gossip and disappeared into the elevator.
Clutch was a good word, Aaron thought, squeezing the supple leather. Something inside cracked under the pressure of his bad hand. He hit the hold button. Shauna’s information was observational. The tiniest bit of evidence might give him more insight. It was unlikely that an explanation for something so huge fit inside something so small. But Aaron unzipped the clutch, hoping. The first thing he found was a tube of lipstick. He recognized the color, sienna sunset. He could see the vivid hue on those beautiful pouty lips… He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to clear the vision. Inside a slot was a driver’s license, some cash. He pulled out the license. California? Ruby had been living in sunny California?
He thought back. Before Stefan came to New York, Honor said he ran several Windamere properties in California. Had Ruby been a guest in one of his hotels? Had she caught his eye? W
as it that simple? Honor had said Windamere had been searching for the right venue for their boutique hotel endeavor. Maybe Aaron was even less than a bad memory in Ruby’s mind, and she was happy and anxious to direct her new lover to the right property.
Aaron shook his head. Maybe thinking was a bad idea. He glanced inside the clutch once more. Then he wished he hadn’t. The thing he’d cracked, a little plastic case holding birth control pills. Aaron zipped it shut and slammed a finger into the start button. Seconds later the doors opened.
She ignored the first knock. The second one was louder and Ruby padded to the door, thinking she hadn’t asked for more towels or breakfast. She wasn’t hungry. She just wanted to be alone. She was glad Stefan had slipped so quietly from the bed, not reaching for her like he usually did. Among drowning waves of emotion, Ruby felt a swell of guilt. Stefan deserved her loyalty, not her past.
Assuming that the executive suite was the safest spot on the Abstract Enchantment property, she swung the door open. Upon seeing Aaron her guilt vanished and was replaced by a jolt of bottled rage. Her hand rose, and Ruby served up a thundering slap—the one she should have delivered on her front lawn or at Aaron’s sentencing. Then she remembered that the left side of his face was numb. He probably barely felt it. Ruby raised her other hand, but Aaron was too fast, and he restrained the incoming swing.
“I thought we could talk first.” He let go.
Her fist clenched but stayed tight to her side. “I have nothing to say, Aaron—other than, get the hell out.”
“I’m not going anywhere until I get few things straight.”
“When… when did you even get out of prison?” she demanded. “It was a twenty-five year sentence. I know. I was standing right there. I recall my disappointment—life wouldn’t have been long enough.” Her stare bore into his. “Stoic Aaron. You wouldn’t even give me the satisfaction of flinching when they handed it down.”
His gaze darted past her head. “I did the crime… Sentences get reduced. The streets are full of criminals. I was paroled about a month ago.”
“I should have kept tabs, made sure that didn’t happen. I should have told Stefan. He would have made certain—”
“Start there. What… what are you doing here… with him?”
“What am I…?” She was incredulous. “I’d say the better question is what was I ever doing with you? How naïve could I have been to be so utterly… completely duped into believing… Believing…” Ruby couldn’t finish the sentence, and her hand clamped over her mouth. She turned away from the door. Coming full circle, she found Aaron on the inside, the door shut behind him. “Get out,” she repeated, determined not to share breathing space. “I don’t want you anywhere near my life. I’m sure this place has plenty of security.”
“Are you really afraid of me?” A typically ballsy Aaron stood before her. He proved her right by whipping out his cell phone. “Pound 611 for security. They’ll be up here in a heartbeat. You can scream whatever you need to, and I’ll be back in lockup before noon.” Aaron thrust the phone closer. “Go ahead,” he said. “If that’s what you want.”
“Fuck you,” she spat, smacking his hand hard, the phone flying across the room. “Just get out. I’m done with you. I don’t want to stand in any more courtrooms. I don’t want to spend another minute of my life thinking about you.” Ruby tucked the lapels of her robe and walked to the other side of the room. “And it’s exactly why I’m here.”
“Meaning?”
“To finish it—be finished with you.” She folded her arms, her mood bleak—indignant. “When Stefan told me Windamere was looking for a property for their boutique venture, I didn’t hesitate to tell him I knew the perfect spot. At first I’d hoped he’d demolish the old Rose Arch Inn, maybe build a trendy bar down at the waterfront. But as you can see,” she said, an arm sweeping through the elegant space, “he did me one better. It’s gone—all of it. I’ll never look at Abstract Enchantment and see…” She stopped, her lips pursing tight. This conversation wasn’t supposed to happen—he wasn’t supposed to happen.
“See what, Ruby?” Aaron said, taking a daring step closer. “Us together… here… on the beach. Did you think it’d be that easy? Just fly in, pull up, and bulldoze the past?”
The back of Ruby’s hand pressed to her mouth, wet eyelashes fluttering. “You… you weren’t supposed to be here—in any way.”
“So what was your plan, to con yourself into believing we didn’t matter?”
“You don’t,” she managed. “I came here for closure, satisfaction, the tomb-like sealing of any memories.” The massive pushes and pulls Ruby felt were unexpected. Ample therapy, years later, and apparently the only thing she’d accomplished was knowing she couldn’t be anywhere near Aaron Clairmont.
“And as far as Stefan knows—us, we’re a likely Nickel Springs coincidence, I’m just some guy you used know.”
“You heard him. Stefan drew that very conclusion. And there wouldn’t be anything to explain if you were in prison—where you belong.” Ruby’s gaze dragged over him, and she felt her mouth bend to a frown. “Learning Honor is the chef here should have been my only surprise.” She narrowed her eyes. “Stefan, he doesn’t know a damn thing about us—take it as a good indication of how little you matter to me.”
“Or we matter so much you couldn’t dare risk telling him.”
A guiltier swallow rolled through her throat. This was one of the most endearing things about Stefan. He’d earned her trust by never pressing for intimate details about her past. He never needed to know specifics about the man who’d attempted to kill her father, the one who left Ruby so devastated she could barely function. It was too painful. Stefan understood that, and he wanted to help. She’d been so grateful. Otherwise, she’d be… Well, Ruby didn’t want to think about where she’d be without Stefan. She looked at Aaron, who stood a few worlds away from things like help and gratitude. “Stefan and I are none of your business. I don’t owe you any explanations. You steamrolled my life, nearly killed my father…”
“How… how is he?”
“Alive, thank you.”
“I heard he isn’t well.”
She hesitated. How absurd. The killer inquiring about his intended victim’s health. “He’s not. And if you think I’m going to stand here discussing my father with you…” She turned for the door.
“Wait,” Aaron said. “I get it. I have no right to ask. No right to be here. But Ruby… I… ”
She stared. He was so incredibly… there. Every part of him, the color of his eyes… his skin, the way clothes fit his body. The way he fit into her mind. And now, the fact that Aaron was standing two feet away. Her head tipped, drawn to the tight crop of his hair. Ruby cursed her rambling inappropriate thoughts—had the short hair made him look tougher in prison? Was it awful like in the movies? Was he ever injured? Was Aaron ever forced to hurt anyone else? He could have—easily, if he’d needed to.
And Ruby found herself right back to where she started. No worries, we all know he was perfectly willing to murder my father… Surely taking out a stranger was nothing…
After yesterday, Ruby prayed that Aaron wouldn’t have the nerve to show up at Abstract Enchantment again, never mind confront her. She’d come there for an ending, and now all she felt was conflict. Ruby’s arms flapped against the silky violet-colored robe. “And you have no more explanation than what you offered in court, ‘That’s correct, your Honor,’” she mimicked. “‘It was my intention to kill Dante Vasquez on the night of January twentieth.’”
Aaron didn’t say a word. He only put down the toolbox and dropped her clutch on a table.
She arched a brow and folded her arms tighter. “It doesn’t play any better years later, Aaron… None of it.”
The room grew quiet, his disposition calm compared to hers. “I…I know how it looked… how it still looks... ” Aaron’s hand, the one the police had broken, curled into a weak fist. Like it or not, Ruby watched pain race through him. It
didn’t seem like it was all coming from a single extremity. “I can’t talk about that part… justify it. Just know there wasn’t any other way… And it wasn’t what you…” His jaw locked, any defense dead-ending.
“That’s what I thought,” she said, matching his dull tone. “My father was just in the way of your sick drug-dealing life. So why the sudden newsflash? Along with everything else, and aside from that night, you were always damn smart, Aaron. Don’t tell me it’s taken years to come up with some lie you’d like to bounce off me now. You would have stood a better chance when I was so completely in love with you.”
On that raw reminder, Ruby backed farther away. She felt her shoulders meet with the wall. There was nowhere to go. From the moment she’d seen him, Ruby immersed herself in practiced emotional prompts—Aaron and the feelings that he’d eviscerated were in the past. It was just the memories that were making her shake.
“An explanation wouldn’t have mattered—not back then… maybe not even now. It was best that way for a lot of reasons, but mostly because there was one truth I couldn’t have fought… or hid. But now, being as the impossible has happened and you’re here… You know how much I loved you, Ruby. It was real. There are a lot of things I have to live with. But not that. I can’t live with the idea of you believing otherwise. Look at me and tell me you don’t know that.”
Her glassy gaze focused on plush carpeting and red-painted toenails. Ruby’s toes curled deep into the fibers. A tear splashed. The question scared the hell out of her. Or maybe the answer. Before she could do or say anything, he was close, breathing out, Ruby breathing Aaron in. The scent was intoxicating, like something you once needed to live being offered again. Her hands wrung together and then snapped back, splaying behind her, palms flat to the wall. Ruby didn’t move her head, only her eyes, which stared at his hands. The right one was clearly not in the same strained clench as his left. “How… how many bones?” she asked as if the inquiry involved no more than medical history.
