by Ladew, Lisa
Aria interrupted his stealthy thoughts by clearing her throat. He turned to her. Her face was set, expectant, challenging. She was waiting for something from him. But he didn’t know what.
He looked around for real this time. The place was small. Tiny. A miniature hallway led to the only room. He looked inside and grimaced at the small bed.
Coleton turned to Aria. “Looks great. I’ll take the couch.”
Aria stared at him. Apparently that wasn’t what she was expecting. She looked at the couch then back at him. “Your feet will hang off the end.”
“I’ll live,” he grunted, then sat down on it. What now?
“I’ll take the couch,” Aria said, her voice forceful.
Coleton cracked a tired smile. “Your badge gives you the right to tell me where I can sleep?”
Aria opened and closed her mouth several times, then snorted in his direction and left the room. A wider smile spread over Coleton’s face. Was she flustered? He never would have thought. From some other unit the sound of a baby crying filtered in to him. Poor thing. It sounded like it was in pain.
Aria came back out to the living room and spoke without looking at Coleton. “We need to head to the store. Get some sheets and pillowcases and some food.”
Coleton nodded and stood. That was probably one more reason she wanted to be way out here outside of the city limits. Less chance someone would recognize either of them.
“So tell me something,” he said as they walked out of the apartment and Aria locked the door behind them. When she didn’t respond he pushed on anyway. “Why a tiny apartment out in the middle of nowhere?”
Aria nodded and gave him a knowing look, like she had him all figured out. “Where were you planning on staying before your car blew up?”
The question surprised Coleton and he took a moment to answer. “I don’t know. The Paris West maybe.”
He watched Aria closely as they reached the car and climbed inside. She nodded her head in that knowing way again. “The fanciest hotel in town. Don’t you think they would have looked for you there?”
Coleton didn’t respond for a moment, but then he got it. “This is the last place they’ll look for me?”
She winked at him as she maneuvered the car onto the road. Coleton felt his groin twitch again. Calm the fuck down, he snarled at himself internally. This woman is off limits. Everything is off limits for now. Don’t you know you’re probably going to die in the next week or two? You have to be on your toes!
Aria spoke and Coleton tried to pay attention. “Exactly. Even if they couldn’t find you in a hotel and decided to check apartments, they wouldn’t check some cheap hole in the wall like this. They know you have money. They expect you to stay somewhere nice.”
“Maybe, but what about you? Is this standard police procedure? Because my dad still has dozens of cops on his payroll, I'm sure. Won’t one of them tip him off?”
She shook her head and her blonde hair bounced around her shoulders. “Nope. No one knows where I was taking you. We didn’t have a tail. And this place is definitely not on anyone’s radar.”
Coleton fell silent and thought about Aria’s words. “Smart,” he finally said, grudgingly. She was smart. And if he had to be holed up with a cop for the next couple of weeks, he was glad it was her. The thought of her actually having to protect him physically made his stomach turn - he was sure she was good at what she did but putting a woman in danger was not something he ever wanted to do - but just using her intellect and her knowledge to outsmart his dad’s cronies didn’t bother him. In fact it excited him slightly.
He would love to see his dad bested by a woman. His dad was old-fashioned and did not have a lot of respect for women, often treating his mother and his sisters like dirt, and that was one of the things he hated about his father. If he got out of this alive, and that was a big if, and if he ever spoke to his father again, he would make sure to rub that fact in his father’s face. He could see the conversation in his mind. A woman outran you and out thought you, Dad. Maybe it’s time to give up, hang up your title, admit you just don’t have it anymore.
Within moments, Aria parked in front of the only store in the area. One-third animal feed store, one-third grocery, and one-third house-wares. Coleton was glad his car had blown up early in the day because he bet this place didn’t stay open past five. They hurried inside and Aria got a cart then steered it towards the frozen foods section. When she got there, she began indiscriminately sweeping packages of TV dinners into the cart.
She turned to him as he watched in horrified understanding of what she was doing. “When does court start again?” she asked
“Next Tuesday,” he muttered, his eyes on the packages in her hands.
“So a week's worth of meals for two people, three meals a day …”
Coleton grabbed one of the rock-hard packages and read the ingredients. No way was he eating this. “Look, I’ll cook. You don’t have to get these. Let me shop.”
She turned to him, an appraising look in her eye. “You cook?”
“I get by,” he admitted, shoving TV dinners back in the freezer. It had been years since he’d cooked for more than one though.
Aria stood back and let him put all the dinners back in the freezer. He lined them up neatly so no one ever would have known they’d been out.
“What’s your favorite food?” he asked her gruffly, wanting to know but not wanting her to know how much he wanted to know.
She didn’t answer for a moment and he stopped arranging to glance at her. He couldn’t read her face.
Finally she answered. “Lasagna.”
“Good one. Second favorite?”
“Macaroni and cheese.”
He laughed and looked more closely at her. Her lips twitched but she didn’t drop her intense stare.
“Third?”
“Spaghetti,” they said together and this time she laughed and smiled for real. She looked surprised and dropped the smile immediately, but he couldn’t help but notice the flush it brought to her cheeks. It made her look more beautiful than ever. Coleton snapped his head back around to the freezer and stuck his face inside it. What in the hell was wrong with him?
Chapter 7
Aria followed Coleton around the store, amazed to see what he was putting in the cart. Spices, meats, noodles, fancy cheeses. He was spending his own money and they still had plenty of it left since the rent had only been six hundred dollars, so what right did she have to protest? None. And did she really want to? He cooked. He knew the ingredients to lasagna by heart. She had a feeling she was about to eat better than she had in years.
She didn’t cook. Jason had been the cook in their marriage. If it was up to her, she’d eat grocery store chicken and Ramen noodles every day. But Jason had grilled and even liked to make his own sausage and bread. Back when their marriage had been good he’d made her a salad every night, dressed just the way she like it, then loaded her up on protein. He’d even packed her lunch for the next day. He’d taken care of her. But that had all changed in the blink of an eye, after his accident. Then he’d run off with her sister.
Aria felt her almost-good feelings evaporate. Who cared about food when she’d been betrayed by the two people she loved the most. She thought she was over her love for Jason. There was nothing left there but a black hole of seething nothingness too controlled to be called hate - but her sister? Some days she was still angry at her sister, but mostly she just missed her. Missed her smile and her laugh and her bouncy attitude. She wondered what her sister was doing right now.
In front of her, Coleton dropped some delicate-looking noodles into the cart, then turned to her. “What’s the pots and pans situation?”
“I didn’t look,” she said, embarrassed. Why didn’t she look? Oh yeah, because she had been expecting to eat TV dinners like she always did.
“No problem,” he told her, his voice sounding happy and anger-free. She forgot about her own problems for a second and studied him. He�
�d been mad since the first moment she’d seen him, but now he seemed fine. Mentally removed from the danger he was in. Maybe even enjoying himself?
He turned the cart down the next aisle and began walking swiftly towards the signs that said house wares. She followed him at a distance, watching him pick out one pot and one pan and a dish and silverware starter set. He grinned at her. “Nothing fancy,” he said and she felt herself returning his grin. At least a little.
“What else do we need?”
“Sheets, blankets, pillows, pillowcases,” she said, thinking. “What about clothes? Do you have any?”
His face fell. “My suitcases were in the car that blew up. My suit and everything else.”
“Don’t worry about the suit for now, just grab yourself enough clothes for a couple of days. Toiletries?”
Coleton pressed his lips together. “Yep. I guess I need everything.”
They split up, Coleton heading to menswear and personal items and Aria heading to bedding. She got sheets and blankets for the couch and the bed, still intending to make him take the bed. She was short enough to fit on the couch. She didn’t need his chivalry - if that’s what it was.
Twenty minutes later, they met at the registers. Coleton gave her a smile that lit up his face from the inside and made her melt a little bit at his handsomeness. She didn’t think she’d ever seen a more joyful and authentic smile. Certainly not from someone greeting her. What had she done to deserve it? She felt a quiet clenching in her chest, and then a brittle snap as something loosened but didn’t quite let go. Something deep and painful. Something she’d never thought about but everyone knew was there.
“Got everything?” he asked her, his deep voice soothing and still happy. She looked at him, pouring her questions into her eyes, but not daring to ask them.
How can you be happy right now?
Doesn’t it bother you that someone you love is betraying you so badly?
Why are you being so nice to me?
She finally nodded her head and pushed her cart to a lane to wait for check out. He got in front of her and began putting items on the belt. She watched the side of his face, still trying to figure him out. How old was he? He looked younger than her, but she didn’t think he was. He had an old soul. If he was older than her it wasn't by much. His face was a bit scruffy, just beginning to show some beard stubble. His brown hair looked thick, and maybe longer than he normally wore it - he kept brushing it off his forehead like it was irritating him. His eyes were wide set and stunning, and her own gaze kept wanting to return there again and again.
Aria pinched herself - hard, in the webbing between her thumb and her fingers. None of this mattered. Her only agenda was to keep him safe until after the trial. She looked around suddenly, as if hordes of criminals were about to come streaming out of the aisles, brandishing weapons and screaming at them. She almost wished they would. It would be a good distraction.
But the aisles were mostly empty and quiet, and if she’d done a good job, no one would find them out here ever. Their days would consist of nothing but agonizingly boring waiting - the hallmark of any successful protection detail.
***
They left the store and entered the parking lot, Aria slightly behind Coleton. He looked over his shoulder at her, noting the way her eyes traveled over the surroundings lightly, marking the people who passed them or looked at them for too long. Her posture was rigid and he followed her sight line, suddenly feeling protective towards her. Suddenly feeling like he couldn’t stand it if he put her in danger.
When they reached the car, Coleton loaded it up, acting quickly before Aria could even begin to help. He wanted to do this for her. And cook for her. He wanted to take care of someone. He felt the desire clearly in his heart and it confused him, even while it filled him with a slight yearning. But he knew all of that was never meant to be for him.
He’d had several girlfriends over the years. He’d always preferred strong women, women who had their own jobs and minds and desires, and that had caused him nothing but heartache so far. His most serious girlfriend had gone off to medical school and broken up with him just before, not wanting to deal with a long distance relationship. But he had always tried to hold strong to the faith that true, enduring love would happen for him eventually, if he lived long enough.
They piled into the car and drove back to the apartment in silence. A comfortable silence, he thought. His mind turned to the last couple of women he had been interested in. Jen, a woman who had been just his type but who had turned out to be an undercover police officer feigning interest in him because of his father, and Ava, who had been a departure from the norm for him actually - she had been too anxious and flighty for him to really fall for her. Not that there had been anything serious there - just a fleeting interest before she stole his car and disappeared for good.
The thought made him wince. He should have realized she was scamming him, he never should have dropped his guard around her. He blamed his mistake on the intense feelings of apprehension and up-rootedness he’d been feeling. He’d been on the run for seven months already, and had to move cities twice. He’d only barely escaped being caught by his father’s men in Atlanta, and it had been starting to wear on him. Ava had come along at a time when he’d been particularly homesick and sure things were just going to get worse.
Aria drove slowly, then stopped at a stop sign and waited as a large tractor crossed the road ahead of them, moving slowly. Twilight filled the sky, making the dust the tractor kicked up spin and dance in front of them. Aria spoke, and her words threw Coleton into a slick tailspin he couldn’t recover from.
“So how do you know my sister?”
Chapter 8
Aria had spoken without any thought or preconception. The time just seemed right. Finally. They were getting along. He actually seemed like a nice guy. She had no doubt he’d tell her what she wanted to know. There was no reason for him to hide anything from her.
She watched the ancient green tractor pass in front of them, waiting for him to speak, unaware of the storm brewing behind his eyes. Finally she felt the tension that had leapt between the seats and turned to face him. His cheeks were heated and his throat worked convulsively.
“Your sister,” he finally spit out. “Ava Smith is your sister?”
Her eyes widened and she tried to make sense of the name. Smith? Ava’s last name would have been Gale, or if she took Jason’s name, it would have been Arthur. She, herself, had not taken Jason’s name and she never knew if her sister had.
She spoke again, without thinking, her voice a confused, raspy whisper. “Ava is my twin sister.”
Coleton’s fingers scrabbled on the door handle, and in a flash he was out of the car. Aria stared after him, not comprehending at first what he was doing. He slammed his door and stalked away, running his hands through his hair in an angry pushing gesture. She looked at his back, trying to figure out what was going on. Then she had it. He was pissed. Pissed that Ava was her twin? What in the world?
Aria looked around, trying to find a place to pull over. He couldn’t just take off. He had to stay with her, no matter what he was upset about. She turned right, pulling past the retreating tractor and threw a glance over her shoulder at Coleton, who had headed in the other direction. He was just about to disappear behind a gas station. Aria did a quick, illegal U-turn and drove the car hard, trying to catch up with him. She drove around the gas station building, but didn’t see him anywhere. She parked the car and got out, thinking she needed to find him and quick, before darkness fell completely.
The street was all commercial buildings, a used vacuum cleaner repair and sales store, a tiny hometown hardware store, and a thrift shop or two. Aria scanned the businesses quickly, seeing no one on the sidewalk, and not sure where he would have gone. She turned in a circle, checking behind her, then turned back, becoming angry herself. He couldn’t just take off. If she lost him it would mean hell to pay with the Assistant Chief.
; Aria started walking, stalking quickly down the sidewalk, her head turning in all directions, her eyes wide and unfocused, just looking for a tall shape, or maybe movement. She passed the mouth of an alley and saw him, almost at the other end, walking quickly, his hands shoved in his pockets.
His whole demeanor seemed off. She followed him lightly, ready to break into a run if he did. Her hand fingered the handcuffs in her back pocket, and as her own anger grew, she began to imagine slapping them on him and dragging him back to the apartment. Even as the indignant fantasy played out in her mind, she knew it wasn’t practical. She needed his cooperation - needed him to want to stay with her of his own accord. She had to sleep sometime, and she didn't need him sneaking out when she did. Arresting him to place him in protective custody would mean heading to a safe house that was equipped to keep a prisoner, and after watching his car blow up in the parking lot this morning, she didn’t think that was safe for him. He needed to be able to move at a moment's notice.
Some of his steam seemed to be blowing out. She was catching up to him. He turned left at the next road and she put on a burst of speed to get to the corner before he disappeared. He was still walking, and she thought she heard him mutter to himself, before he finally stopped and looked up at the sky, like he was trying to find an answer.
Aria let instinct take over, knowing she would never produce the right thing to say, but that her unconscious mind would. She walked closer to him and opened her mouth, waiting to see what would come out.
“She’s my twin sister and I haven’t seen her in two years,” she said to his back, her voice breaking. “She ran off with my husband, then married him after he divorced me. It seems like she hurt you or offended you in some way and I’m sorry for that. You aren’t the only one.”
