My brows dip. “I thought we already knew it had to do with a woman?”
“I suspected there was more to this to keep Ed punching back,” Kace says.
“And there is,” Blake replies. “Ed was mentoring Alexander and Alexander crossed him. He tried to push Ed out of the very deal Ed helped him get inside.”
“How do you know that?” I ask.
“I’m resourceful,” Blake says, “but that’s not all of the story. Ed didn’t lie down for Alexander. He made a financial move on a deal he knew Alexander needed to happen. The result hurt Ed, but he took the calculated loss to destroy Alexander. The problem for Ed is that Alexander had scooped Kace’s music, and survived. Now, they are financial equals.”
I glance at Kace. “Are they—”
“His financial equal?” Blake supplies before Kace can reply. “He’s too humble to reply, so I will. No. Kace has the resources to crush Alexander.”
In other words, Blake is here because Kace plans to crush Alexander. I’m suddenly crystal clear on how easily Kace agreed to me doing this today on my own, even after hearing I was going to Riptide.
I tangle my fingers with Kace’s again and shift in his direction. “Can I talk to you before I leave?”
Blake’s phone rings and he motions to the door. “I’ll wait in the foyer.” Smart man that he is, he doesn’t wait for a reply, nor does he waste any time getting lost.
I watch him, waiting until I’m sure he’s out of range before I face Kace, my hand on his chest. “What are you going to do when I’m gone today?”
His expression is impassive, but he doesn’t touch me, which to me speaks of withdrawal. “I told you. Work on the song.”
“What are you going to do about Alexander?”
“I’m still deciding.”
“Kace, before you act—”
“Aria,” he says, and now he touches me, his hands pressing to my waist as he steps into me. “Go see Gio. We only have a week and a half until we leave for Italy.”
My fingers curl on his chest. “Will you talk to me before you do anything?”
“Go see Gio. I’ll meet you at Riptide. I want to talk to Mark about Alexander, anyway.”
Relief washes over me for reasons I can’t quite explain. I think they’re about control, though he’s not agreed to talk to me about Alexander before he acts. Still, if he’s decided to join me at Riptide, he’s not shutting me out. Or he’s made me feel better about shutting me out. I’m not quite sure. “Then we’ll come home together,” he adds, in that soft raspy tone of his that always does delicious things to my nerve endings.
It’s an unfair play.
So are the words “come home together.”
To our home. There’s a pinch in my chest with those words and for just a moment, I forget Alexander. “I like that this is my home, Kace.”
His eyes soften and warm. “I like that your home is here, too. So, go do what you need to do so we can get home.”
I bundle up and Kace walks me downstairs, and to the backdoor of the Walker-driven SUV, where he kisses me goodbye. I climb up into the backseat and he shuts me inside. The door is then between us and I have this moment when I feel as if it represents a new wall, a barrier between us we cannot climb. Which is ridiculous. Kace and I are in love. We are closer than we have ever been to each other.
The vehicle begins to move and I’m left with Adrian behind the wheel and Adam in the passenger seat, who even sitting is clearly a really tall man with dark wavy hair and a polite manner. He greets me with that polite manner, after which, Adrian’s personality takes over. Apparently, Savage isn’t the instigator with him that I’d thought. Adrian does plenty of talking all on his own. “Ever been to Texas?” he asks, glancing back at me at a stoplight.
I open my mouth to say that my mother is from Texas but I quickly bite back the confession to speak a simple truth. “I’ve always wanted to visit.”
“The tequila and food are heaven, but be warned,” he says. “It’s packed with rednecks and cowboys.”
I bite because he wants me to bite, but I am actually smiling as I do. “And the difference between rednecks and cowboys?”
“Ingenuity. Rednecks do dumb shit but they get the job done.”
“And a cowboy?”
“Thinks he’s smarter,” he says, “but anyone who thinks he’s smarter, isn’t.”
“Are you a cowboy or a redneck?”
“He’s just a pain in the ass,” Adam says, giving me a wink. “But he saved my life once upon a time, so I put up with him.”
I laugh again, thankful for the distraction they offer right about now, and Adrian continues on as if Adam hasn’t spoken. “Did I mention the tacos in Texas?” he asks and then honks his horn and curses at someone.
“The sign says no honking,” Adam says.
“Only New Yorkers would put up a sign that says no honking,” he grumbles, before settling us in motion and eyeing me in the mirrors. “It’s also hot as hell in Texas.”
“It’s pretty hot here, too,” I point out, “but we do have seasons. And snow.” My mind flashes back to a rainy Christmas in Cremona, the Christmas before my father vanished. “In Cremona, it rained a lot, all the time it felt some weeks.”
It’s out before I can stop it, and my heart starts to race. I don’t talk about Italy or myself. I don’t know what just happened and I barely know these two men. Adam leans around the seat. “Relax, Aria. We know who you are. We’ve both done our share of high-risk overseas jobs with big paydays. Neither of us need money. Neither of us want what is yours. We’re just here to protect you and help you. That’s all. You can speak freely with us.”
Of course, anyone can say the right things, but I’ve not only chosen to trust Walker, I don’t even have the formula and they know it. “Years of conditioning,” I reply.
“I’m a former SEAL. Adrian’s a former undercover FBI agent. We both know a thing or two about hiding, and the utter damn joy of just being ourselves.”
“Amen to that,” Adrian adds, and I relax back into my seat because apparently, I’ve tensed up with my misspeak.
“Thank you both,” I say. “It’s been a long time hiding for me. My entire adult life.”
“And we’re here to help you keep hiding,” Adam says, “or stop hiding safely.”
Clearly Blake has told them everything, but there isn’t much time to think about that right now. Adrian pulls us up to the shop and my old home or rather, my old safe, familiar space. I am reminded of Kace telling me we will meet at Riptide and go home together. This place never felt like home. Kace does. He feels like home. He is home. It’s almost terrifying how much I need that man now, but I comfort myself with how much I believe he needs me, too. We need each other.
Adam is leaning around the seat to study me. “My gut is always to escort you to the door, but I know that’s not how we’re playing this. I’ll exit after you and be close to the door, but no one will know I’m with you. And we have a man watching the security camera in a vehicle a block down the road.”
“I’m not afraid of my brother.”
“If we’re watching him, someone else might be as well,” Adam replies.
And probably are, I think before I nod. “Right. I won’t be long.”
I exit the vehicle and hurry toward the door, where I key in my security code and waste no time opening the door. It’s ridiculous for me and Gio to be the opposite sides of any coin. Ever. “Gio!” I call out, entering the store, but there is only silence. “Gio!”
Still nothing.
Frowning, I hurry forward and make it three steps when I freeze. The hair on the back of my neck is standing up. Something is wrong. Seconds tick by and there is no movement. Suddenly I’m more afraid for Gio than I am myself. I start running forward, but I don’t call out. In my heart of hearts, my fear is that Gio is lying somewhere dead. I need to see him. I need him to be in bed asleep or in the shower.
I pass his
empty office and dash up the stairs, fumbling in my purse for the key to open his apartment and do so without knocking. “Gio?!” I call out as I open the door, but a quick scan shows me nothing. I rush around the apartment, enter the bathroom, the closet, and come up empty. Gio isn’t here.
He has to be here.
Walker is watching the building.
I dash to my apartment and come up dry. I’m barely breathing as I run back down the stairs and enter his office, stepping behind his desk and sucking in a breath as I find a piece of paper that reads: Aria. The script belongs to Gio, and with my heart in my throat, I flip it over to read: I left. Your precious security team didn’t know. Still feel safe?
“He climbed out a window right as you punched in the security code.”
I glance up to find Adrian standing in the doorway, a skull on his snug black T-shirt.
“Where is he now?”
“We have a man following him.”
In other words, my brother’s wrong. Walker knows exactly what he’s doing. And so do I. He’s trying to scare me away from Kace and back to him. Anger simmers in my belly. Adrian crosses to the desk across from me. He’s tall and broad, his goatee and strong jawline accenting the confidence about him. He indicates the note in my hand. “May I?”
I hand him the note. He reads it, and then his lips quirk. “Bold. Cocky. I might like him.” He sets the card down. “But I’ve killed people I liked about as much.”
My temper flares. “This is my brother you’re talking about.”
“And?”
“He’s my brother.”
“If he tries to hurt you, we won’t choose him, Aria. We’ll choose you.”
“He won’t try to hurt me. He’s my brother.” I’m a broken record and I don’t even care. “We are family. We’re close. We’re a part of each other.”
“I said the same of my brother. Now he’s dead. He would have preferred it to be me.”
My lips part in shock. “You—you killed him?”
“It was him or me. And we were close, Aria, but money and power changed him. It happened and I never saw it coming.”
My hand goes to my throat. “I don’t even know what to say to that.”
“You don’t need to say anything. Just listen and think. You don’t know where Gio’s been, or what he’s been doing.”
“He told me.”
“Eight months later. Maybe it’s longer than that. Maybe he wasn’t telling the truth at all. I know what you’re facing. Many of us at Walker know betrayal by someone close to us. That’s why Kace hired us.” He leans on the desk toward me, his brown eyes meeting mine. “He’s a good man, Aria. He loves you. He wants you protected. You need to entertain the idea that Gio might be dangerous.”
“Did Kace ask you to tell me about your brother?”
“Yes. I did.”
At the sound of Kace’s voice, Adrian pushes off the desk and turns toward him. Kace gives him a nod and steps into the office. Adrian glances at me. “I hope he’s the brother you deserve.” He heads for the door and disappears.
I’m now alone with Kace. He stands in the doorway, in a thin, sleek black leather jacket and boots, his dark hair a rumpled, spiky mess, as if his fretting fingers have been running through it. Because of me. Because of Gio. “I thought you were meeting me at Riptide?”
He closes the space between us and drags me to him, cupping my head and resting his forehead against mine. “I had a bad feeling about this.”
I pull back to look at him. “You thought he would hurt me?”
“I don’t know what Gio will or will not do, Aria. But I believed you’d fight. I thought he’d hurt you emotionally during that fight. I decided you might need me. The way I needed you in California.”
My fingers curl on his chest. “You don’t trust him,” I press.
“I told you, baby. I don’t know him, And I share your fear that you don’t know him either.”
My words. My truth. Both I agree are hard to swallow. Instead of trying to respond, I hand him the card and he reads it before glancing up at me. “You know—”
“Yes. I know he didn’t really fool them.”
“He wants you to walk away from me.”
“That was my first thought, too, but Kace, if that’s true, then he’s not after the formula. And he wants it. He also believes you are the path to getting it. He needs me to stay close to you.”
“Then what’s his agenda?” He indicates the note. “What is he trying to prove?”
“I don’t know,” I say, my brow furrowing in consternation. “That I need him, too?” I wave that off. “That feels too basic. I’m back to I don’t know. I just don’t know.” I pull my phone from my purse. “I’m going to call him.”
He nods and leans on the desk. I punch in Gio’s number and it goes straight to voicemail. “Come to dinner tonight. Or I can meet you for dinner. We need to talk, Gio, and clearly, you knew I’d come to see you or you wouldn’t have left the note. Enough with the games.” I disconnect. “I should have just told him that I’m coming out as myself, but after this game he’s played with me, I need to think about what I’m going to say. And I don’t know what he’ll do, especially when Sofia and her people are out there. I can’t believe he didn’t take my call.”
Kace catches my arms. “What if he wants the formula, but not enough to put you in harm’s way and he sees me as harm’s way? Remember, we believe Sofia was behind the note that led you to the auction and me.”
“Now you’re just trying to make me feel better about Gio.”
“I’m trying to make you look at all options. Let’s go to Riptide and then we’ll come up with a plan. Or we can skip Riptide and just get right to it.”
“No. No, I am not altering anything for Gio. Not anymore. Let’s go to Riptide.”
“Aria—”
I push to my toes and kiss him. “Thank you for worrying and showing up. Thank you for convincing Adrian to tell his story. I needed to hear it.”
A few minutes later, I’ve texted Crystal a heads up that I’m on my way and shortly after, I’m bundled up in my coat, and Kace and I settle into the back of the SUV. It’s then that I decide that my life has been one big puzzle. Gio and I were always the two pieces that fit, and deep inside, I always believed that together, we’d find the missing pieces. Now, I’m not even sure we’re living inside the same puzzle.
CHAPTER NINE
The first snowflake of the season, or at least my first snowflake of the season, hits my nose as Kace and I exit the SUV in front of Riptide. It’s almost as if the universe is sending me a message: I’m entering a new season of life. Or perhaps the universe is just driving that point home, reminding me that yes, change can be a shock, but with a proverbial nice warm jacket, it can also be a blessed relief. And the truth is that life is changing for me, but I’m proud to say that I’ve been smart and brave, looking for answers, thanks to my own ingenuity.
And with Kace by my side, I’m excited about living life, about my future, for the first time in my life.
As if he’s read my mind, Kace’s arm slides around me and we press into the snowy wind, on a path that leads us to the doors of Riptide. We enter the lobby, both of us shivering, but with smiles on our faces, our worries temporarily banked. “I love this time of year,” I say, greeting the doorman and handing off my coat. “We’ve finally escaped the heat.”
“It’s a magical time of year everywhere,” Kace replies, handing off his coat as well. “I want to show you Germany while we’re in Europe if we can work it out. They do Christmas right.”
My first holiday with Kace. The future really is a dream I’d never imagined. Change isn’t that scary anymore, not when I have so much to look forward to experiencing.
Scooping me close and into the nook of his arm, he angles me in front of him, and adds, “Next year, we’ll stay home for the holidays. I don’t even know what a holiday at home looks like.”
The words are forbidden to me simply because in this context, they assume an odd mix of stability and adventure. “I’d like to experience that as well.”
Tenderness fills his blue eyes and he kisses the tip of my nose. “And we will. This year will be an adventure.”
I’ve barely had time to fully appreciate the impact of his words and he’s shifted me forward again and set us in motion. “Crystal’s office?” he asks.
“Yes. And how do you have full walk-around credentials here?”
“When you make Mark money, he becomes a real teddy bear.”
“Like that man could ever be a teddy bear,” I say, glancing up at Kace. “Maybe with a whip in his hand.”
“That’s another story,” he comments dryly.
My brows dip. “What does that even mean? That’s the second odd comment you’ve made about him.”
“He’s a man of many dimensions, baby, but then, so am I. I’ll explain later.” We reach the open door to Crystal’s office. We poke our heads in together to find Crystal and Mark behind her desk, her on her phone, while Mark hitches his hip on the edge, listening to her call. Her eyes light on us and she lifts a finger. Mark stands, assumed power radiating from him, his gray suit fitted to the long lines of his body. He is refined masculinity, plain and simple, while Kace manages an intriguing mix of cultured man and rugged bad boy. I used to think I wanted refined masculinity. I was wrong, so very wrong.
“Ms. Alard,” he greets.
“We both know that’s not my name,” I say and add, “Aria.”
His lips quirk. “Good to see you grow a backbone,” he replies.
“As long as she doesn’t start walking around with a stick up her ass like you,” Kace says, “she should do just fine.”
Mark’s lips quirk. “Says a man who plays with sticks for a living. Why don’t I put a glass of whiskey in your hand instead?” He glances at his watch. “We can add some orange juice to suit the time of day.”
On that, Mark, rounds Crystal’s desk and, aware that their talk will be about Alexander, I turn to face Kace, resting a hand on his chest but I don’t speak. I don’t know what to say. I’m worried about him acting against Alexander, but in this moment, I realize that back in San Francisco, I felt differently. I wanted him to act. I wanted him to deal with Alexander. It’s as if returning here, to this city, set me so on edge that I stopped trusting my initial instincts. He and I are alike. We’ve lived with a secret, and that secret has controlled us.
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