Chapter Nineteen

Aiden

Aiden typed quickly, the codes flowing from his fingers as he made his way past another firewall. It wasn't easy to do what he was attempting and if he got caught, it would be a hell of a punishment. Up to twenty years in prison was certainly no small thing. He'd be lying if he said a small part of him didn't worry about that, but as another layer opened for him, he felt an overwhelming desire to do a happy dance. He'd been working on this project off and on for the last little while; if he succeeded, it would make rescuing their newest woman a hell of a lot easier for the guys.

Any security company was a risk for a hacker but fortunately for him, Edward Blair had chosen one of the cheapest security companies out there. It was also one of the worst. He really should have remembered you get what you pay for. However, crappy company or not, they still had a few decent layers of security on their servers that had taken him longer to get through than he'd expected. It was nothing impossible, but it was still a bit of a challenge and Aiden loved a challenge.

His fingers flew across the keyboard, his entire focus lasered onto the codes as they scrolled down the screen at rapid pace. This was his element, where he shone. Aiden had never felt more confident in anything than he did in his technological abilities. He wasn't much use in a physical altercation, he didn't have any weapons skills to speak of. He'd once tried to learn to shoot. Stone had patiently instructed him for weeks but it was clear to everyone involved that Aiden would never be much use with a firearm. He really couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. It was much safer for everyone if he stayed far, far away from any type of gun. He could keep his brothers safe, though, by finding every bit of information that could possibly be useful. There wasn't anything he couldn't do on a computer. If he told someone that, they might think he was being conceited or pompous, but it was simply fact. Aiden hadn't found a single challenge he hadn't passed, a single server he couldn't hack, or a single puzzle he hadn't solved. There had never been information he couldn't find. He wasn't tooting his own horn; he was simply the best at what he did.

"Food is ready."

Aiden jumped a bit as the sound of Rocky's voice interrupted his flow. It only took a moment for his concentration to return. He didn't look up from his task, typing furiously as he spoke, "Just a minute. I'm almost there."

"You need to break for food. You have to be starving, baby." Rocky walked into the room as he spoke, quickly reaching Aiden.

Rocky's massive hand cupped Aiden's cheek, gently turning Aiden's head toward him. Aiden continued typing, even as he got a bit lost in Rocky's hazel eyes. He didn't worry he might make a mistake, that was the surest way to guarantee he made one. He simply trusted his knowledge of the keyboard. He couldn't pause at this stage; he didn't want to have to start over. If he keyed in the wrong information, he'd be starting over anyway, but at least this way, there was a good chance he wouldn't.

"I just need to finish this one bit," he told Rocky, "I can't stop now, or I'll have to start over. It should only take a minute, though, for me to get to a point that I can pause."

Rocky searched his face for a second before nodding his head. "Is me being in here going to mess you up?"

"No, it's fine."

Once again, Rocky nodded and then he placed a kiss on Aiden's forehead before stepping back and giving Aiden space to work. Aiden turned his face back to the screen seeing that he hadn't missed a step during the interlude. With a satisfied smile, he gave the computer his full focus once more.

True to his word, he had bypassed the firewall within five minutes, discovering it was the final layer of security. He was in. He wasted no time in finding what he was looking for. He didn't want to be sorting through their servers for too long. Lingering was a sure-fire way to get caught.

"Want more sausage, baby?"

Aiden's hand rubbed his tummy even as he shook his head at Rocky. If he ate another bite, it was likely his stomach would explode. He was so full. Honestly, he'd accepted food too many times when Rocky asked. He knew Rocky was trying to make up for him sleeping through so many meals, but it didn't matter how hungry he had been, eventually no more was going to fit. He was officially at that point.

"Okay, let me get this cleaned up, then I'd like to have a chat."

Part of Aiden cringed inside at those words. They had never had a good connotation before. Usually, those words preceded a goodbye and some bullshit excuse.

It's not you, it's me.

It's nothing personal, I just think we're going in different directions.

I just can't see us lasting when we're so different.

All the past chats Aiden had had with partners played back in his head. Deciding to distract himself, he grabbed the platter that the food had been on and headed to the kitchen to help. He should have known better.

"Thank you, baby, I'll take that. Why don't you go sit down." Rocky took the platter from Aiden's hands and started loading the leftovers into a container he'd already taken out.

"But I want to help." Aiden pointed to the sink where dishes had been stacked. "I could get those started while you pack up the food."

"I've got the dishes," Aiden's shoulders fell when he heard the words. He wanted to be useful, he also wanted something to keep him from freaking out about the upcoming chat . He was certain Rocky wasn't going to let him. "If you really want to help, though, you can wipe down the table. There are special wipes in the upper cabinet by the fridge."

Aiden froze for a second before a wide smile graced his lips and he headed for the pack of wipes to clean the table.

Rocky

Rocky sat on the coffee table in front of where Aiden had sat on the sofa, Aiden's legs between Rocky's knees. Rocky placed his hands on Aiden's knees and took a deep breath. He hoped Aiden was open to the plan he had in place. He needed to find some way to lessen Aiden's stress and help him decompress. He needed to balance his work with some downtime, or he was going to wear himself into the ground again and that was unacceptable to Rocky.

"Don't worry about letting me down easy, just go ahead and say it, please."

Rocky's gaze shot to Aiden's at the words. What was he talking about, let him down easy? Did he think Rocky was breaking up with him? Fuck that. There was no way Rocky was letting this little boy go. Aiden was his.

"Why would you say that, baby? What do you think this chat is about?" Even though Rocky was pretty certain he knew exactly what Aiden was thinking, he wanted to be sure.

"You're ending things, right?"

Rocky closed his eyes for a moment, calming himself. He wanted to rip apart everyone who had made this precious man feel so disposable that a request for a simple chat would lead him to believe he was being tossed aside.

"First, you're mine. I'm not letting you go, baby. You're stuck with me, so you might want to get used to it. Second, I take care of what's mine. That means I'm going to take care of you. That's what this chat is about. Taking care of you."

"Taking care of me?"

It broke Rocky's heart that Aiden's voice held so much doubt. Rocky found himself determined to make Aiden see himself the way Rocky saw him. He knew that he had his work cut out for him, but if it was the last thing he did, he was going to build Aiden up to the point that he'd never doubt his own self worth again.

"Yeah, baby. Taking care of you. What happened when we got home can't happen again. You can't run yourself so hard. How are you going to help anyone if you're sick or not thinking properly because you don't listen to your body when it says to rest?"

Aiden's shoulders had sagged with relief during Rocky's speech but then went back again at the end. Rocky guessed he was balking at what was being said and maybe he could have softened his approach some, but Aiden preferred to be straightforward and what he'd said was simply the truth. Aiden couldn't keep going like he had been or he could end up sick or make a mistake he might never forgive himself for. Rocky would be damned if he saw that happen.

"I was thinking, maybe you could spend some time in Little space. It would help you let go for a bit and I'd really love to spend some time with Little Aiden. I know I've caught small glimpses of your Little, but I'd like to truly meet him if you'll let me."