Chapter 13

The most important thing about staging an accident was preparation. Everything had to be accounted for, every scenario considered, and every pawn had to be in its place.

"Good morning, Lin," Aiden greeted the supervisor of the renovation team, who was headed up the ramp. "How are we getting along?"

The work on the repairs was going well from what Aiden could tell and with each passing day the few small scuffles between the prisoners dwindled too as a buzz of excitement settled across Horizons. Darren Howe, on the other hand, seemed more interested in helping Aiden get the books in order than the improved infrastructure, though he'd toned down his familiarity after that first day, letting Aiden dictate the pace.

Aiden liked that, and not just because he was the warden. It allowed him to control the dynamic, to steer things the way he wanted to so he could line them up just right for the next stage of his plan. It was all coming together so perfectly that he couldn't help but worry every time he got a few moments of downtime.

What if he was missing something between making sure the prison was functioning while he worked late on Claudia's case? His sleep was shit and his meds made it hard to focus sometimes. But he had the habit of checking. He was detail-oriented and cautious even when he wasn't at his best.

"Ah, Warden Kesley. I was just thinking of stopping by your office, so your timing is perfect. We just have the glass change and the flooring left and I can sign-off the repairs." Lin flashed him a toothy grin, tipping his head at the refurbished entertainment unit, where a gym section and an IT corner with three flat screens and a media player had replaced the debris from the impact.

"When will that be?" Aiden asked as they walked by the workout area. Along with the usual machines, there were various devices and installations hanging from the solid beams overhead, including a punching bag, hoops and climbing rope.

"Two-three days. We're ahead of schedule."

Aiden's skin tingled with anticipation, a smile tugging at his lips. Less than a week until he executed the grand finale of his performance, making Darren Howe pay.

"Thank you for your hard work," he said, feeling a tinge of guilt at knowing he would be sabotaging the repairs team's efforts because the construction site served as the perfect stage for an accident. A loose piece of equipment, an unstable frame… there were various ways he could play it. "Actually, if it's not too much trouble, I'd like you to drop by later and run me through exactly what you've done. Blueprints and materials included. I need to send off a detailed report to HQ and some of the technicalities escape me."

"Sure thing, warden."

Aiden thanked the man and strode back up the stairs, then through the main corridor leading to the prisoners' blocks. His destination was the staff room so he could check on the morning shift and ask them if they'd enjoyed the biscuits he'd brought, but he paused by his office as Darren came out of the library with a textbook in his hand. He didn't see Aiden and just marched down the hall, flipping through the book.

Aiden's nerves flared as he followed after Darren automatically. He hid just out of sight as Darren stopped to chat with the two guards stationed there.

"Hey, Mike, looking a lot better today," Darren said, flashing that boyish grin. It suited him, even if Aiden could tell it was the fake version.

"Careful, Howe. I haven't forgotten your sorry attempt at screwing me over yet," Mike scoffed, but as far as Aiden could tell, there was no hostility behind it or his words.

"C'mon now. I explained it was a misunderstanding. Louis here even vouched for it!"

"Uh-huh," Louis, the older guard with the scar on his forearm hummed, bumping his shoulder into Darren. "You know Howe's smarter than that. He'd never mess with us."

Mike shifted the gun from one arm to the other and pointed at the stairs. "Whatever. Off you go, Howe. Your guy, Matt, was looking for you earlier."

As Aiden left his hiding spot and continued on to the break room, he wondered who Darren Howe really was. The more he observed the man, interacted with him, the more he'd began realizing how different Claudia's murderer was from the monster he'd expected to find here. Darren was… smart and friendly, if a little too forward in his flirting at times for Aiden's liking. He was a man with the kind of disposition that invited others in, including the prison staff it seemed, that brought no drama. He appeared carefree, a regular person who was perfectly normal to the point where… it seemed wrong, like he was wearing a mask in that same way Aiden wore one of his own.

But why? What did Darren even have to hide? Or… was Aiden projecting?

Aiden reached for the area behind his ear, but caught himself and rubbed his arm instead. He wasn't imagining Darren's fa?ade, he was sure of that. But he was also sure he wouldn't be able to figure it out yet, not until he made his next move like he'd intended to, and so he let that issue rest for now and went to the staff room, finding it crowded with people on their breaks.

As had become the norm, after making himself a mug of coffee, Aiden sat next to Nigel, the Chief of Guards. Nigel smiled, the scar on his left cheek arching upward like a crescent. Fighting off rioting factory workers on one of Jupiter's mineral-rich moons was how he'd gotten it according to his file. Such occurrences of aggression had been quite common for the past few years, especially since the big corporations had been neglecting health and safety in lieu of redirecting most of their focus to the race for what lay beyond the gas giant.

"Boss." Nigel handed Aiden a coffee stirrer from those bunched in the mug in the middle of the table. "You're early today again."

"Lots of paperwork." And other things to take care of that Nigel didn't need to know about. "But I needed a break, so I thought I'd stop by and catch up on all the gossip."

"Not much of that so far, I'm afraid," Nigel replied, shoulders slumping as he relaxed in his chair. "Everyone's been on their best behavior because of the entertainment area and the courts."

Aiden cradled his cup with both hands and took a sip, the warmth pleasant as it slid down his throat. "I just spoke with Lin. We should be good to open them next week."

Toby, an older guard with thinning hair, sighed from the sofa by the fridge. "Damn, gonna miss the fight for the E-unit. I'm off on holiday."

"How are we going about it, boss?" Nigel posed, waving off the other man. "By the way, these are amazing," he added, shoving a biscuit in his mouth.

"I thought they might be popular," Aiden replied, urging the other guards to finish the box. "And I'm thinking of leaving the grand opening for Tuesday as it gives us the entire weekend to make sure everything is in order."

"They'll hate you for that."

Aiden rubbed the rim of his cup with two fingers. "I'd rather they hate me than risk an accident."

"It's not like it would be a big loss," came a remark from the other side of the table, making the rest of the guards laugh.

"When do you want to do the inspections?" Nigel asked, fiddling with the clip-on button along the sleeve of his dark blue uniform. It matched Aiden's, including the armband with Horizons' name.

"As soon as Lin signs the inspections report off. I'll have Karlson conduct a health and safety training before that though. I want all guards on duty to attend," Aiden explained. "I'll send you the schedule."

"Gotcha."

After going over the training details, Aiden returned to his office. He spent the morning filling out reports and updating logs, then had a meeting with Lin during which he could barely concentrate, because his brain kept reminding him he was about to spend the afternoon in Darren's company.

His stomach churned in protest. He had been slowly working Darren and needed to push him a bit more now that the timeline had moved forward, to make it slightly more obvious he was supposedly interested. Which, if Aiden was being brutally honest, wasn't going to be overly difficult, because even if Darren Howe was the murderer of his fiancée, he couldn't deny that the man had charm. Intellect. Objectively attractive features, especially those intense eyes. A regal nose, a sharp jaw. He was the type that could likely have anyone, or at least thought so, giving Aiden the alibi he needed. Darren had seduced him, that was the script he had to follow, the role he had to take on. He didn't like it, but it was necessary if he wanted to breach that last barrier his position as warden enforced, so that he could worm his way past Darren Howe's defenses.

Aiden prepared a list of things he needed done today and waited. The moment Darren walked into the office, his eyes locked with Aiden's, two pools of the darkest indigo that betrayed a hint of the real Darren behind the fa?ade, a man whose darkness reminded Aiden of his own. It lasted the briefest of heartbeats before Darren chased that hidden truth away with a playful smile, but Aiden's stomach squeezed all the same, filling with anxious butterflies that carried bittersweet arousal straight to his dick.

Aiden's breathing elevated, his abs squeezing tight. He felt disgusted and vibrated with the need to do something, to strangle or pummel the man, to hurt him. To cause pain and to feel it himself. To give into the tingling excitement stirring his blood south.

No. He couldn't allow that. He couldn't surrender to whatever was making him think of Darren as anything other than a murderer who needed to pay for his crime.

Aiden let anger rise up to the surface, but didn't let it show, schooling his features expertly so he could mask it. So he could return to being Warden Kesley. So he could flash a flirtatious smile Darren's way and get on with this seduction game they were playing.

Except, the smile he let out surprised him, clawed at him, ripped him apart from the inside, because it was real and came from a place he had no control over and couldn't stand to acknowledge even existed.