Chapter Thirty-Six

Rocky

Aiden typed away at his keyboard while Rocky gathered the ingredients for a simple chicken, tomato, and spinach dish his mom used to make on busy days. It was quick, healthy, and would fuel his boy as he worked.

Less than a half hour later he had dinner ready. When Aiden didn't respond to Rocky's prompt to stop for dinner, Rocky simply set the food next to Aiden. He didn't want to interrupt the flow of what the other man was doing. Rocky had seen Aiden eat while working multiple times, so he figured as long as Aiden ate, that was all that mattered at that moment. Some things were important enough to compromise.

They ate in silence, the only sound in the room was the click of the keys. Aiden took bites with one hand while continuing to type with the other and Rocky admired his skill, but when Aiden declared, "I found him," in less time than it took to finish eating Rocky was astounded at the other man's skill.

Aiden placed a call to Blade. Rocky wasn't sure of all the technical details, but he did get that Drake had shown up at the restaurant, sensed something was up and had taken off. Aiden had managed to follow his trail using security footage as Drake pulled cash from an ATM and then booked a room in a motel on the edge of town. They were familiar with the location as they often hid the women they rescued there for a day or two before moving them to a new location.

Aiden coordinated with Blade, offering up information the guys would need to apprehend the man in the safest way possible. Blade would be calling in Sheriff Blake, since the club tried to stay within the confines of the law when they could and Drake had conspired in a few attempted murders. Blake would want to take him into custody.

Rocky headed to the bedroom, knowing he'd be needed in the take down. He was a bit apprehensive about leaving Aiden alone but he knew his boy was going to be home, where he was safest. He'd also be in constant contact through the comms system they used. It made it easier to know he'd be hearing Aiden's voice regularly and knowing he'd be safe.

As Rocky finished dressing and stepped into the dining room to kiss Aiden goodbye, the other man was already relaying security details, the room number and the best points of entry. Rocky approached quietly and lightly kissed Aiden's forehead.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, and I'll talk to you soon." Rocky whispered before turning and heading for the door.

Aiden

Aiden watched the security footage from his laptop screen as his brothers approached the room that Drake was occupying. He wasn't worried about their safety because he'd given them every advantage, he could possibly give them. He always triple checked his information before providing it to his brothers because he knew that what he was giving them was a matter of life and death.

At that moment the guys were approaching from two different directions to ensure that there was no way that Drake could escape. The man wasn't small enough to fit out the bathroom window, something they knew this from experience when a pissed off husband had located where they were hiding his wife and tried to climb in.

He could hear the guys through the comms as they relayed their next moves. Aiden kept quiet as they spoke, not wanting to interfere or cause a distraction. But every time Rocky's voice came through it seemed to calm him, which was surprising considering that Aiden felt more fear for Rocky's safety than he normally did. Probably because of the shift in their relationship. Rocky had embedded himself so far into Aiden's heart that he now didn't know what he would do without the other man. If anything happened to Rocky, Aiden knew that he'd be lost.

Aiden was pulled from his thoughts when he heard a noise coming from the direction of the living room. Part of him wanted to assume that it was the house settling, as so many people said happened in older homes, but the rest of him instinctively knew that the creak he'd heard meant danger.

Before Aiden could decide what he should do, he heard a voice speaking behind him, "you guys think you're so special that your shit don't stink. You think you're heroes, but what you do just gets people killed."

It didn't take a genius to guess who was behind him, so it was no surprise to Aiden when he turned and found Drake standing by the kitchen counter. "What are you doing here, Drake?" Aiden kept his voice calm as he spoke, hoping not to rile the man.

Drake looked around the house as if Aiden hadn't spoken, or the question bored him. It took a moment before he finally replied, "I know you know. I know you're after me. Everyone knows that you're the one to stay behind when those fuckers decide to play vigilante. Directing from the safety of distance like the weak ass motherfucker you are."

Aiden tried not to let the insult get to him, but it closely mirrored some of his own thinking. Unlike so many times before however, this time, as soon as his brain started making him doubt his own worth on the team, Daddy's voice floated through his head, reminding Aiden that he was special, talented and valuable. He wasn't going to let this man undo the progress he'd made, so he ignored the insult. "What does that have to do with why you're here?"

Drake chuckled and shook his head. He obviously thought Aiden was stupid for asking, but he was hoping he hadn't muted his comm and the guys would be able to hear him. He wasn't stupid, he knew the answer but asking might buy some time.

"You know what it feels like when someone you love dies, Pup?" Aiden didn't know how it felt because he'd never loved anyone before, but he knew Rocky was intimately familiar with the feeling and Aiden was determined to do whatever it took to keep Rocky from experiencing that pain again.

"I don't. I've never had someone I love pass."

"It's fucking gut wrenching. It's like someone ripped your heart from your chest, cut it into pieces with rusty kitchen shears, then sewed it back up. It's never the same." Aiden wasn't good with metaphors most of the time but he understood that one, and if the man in front of him wasn't here to harm him, Aiden might feel sympathy for him. "When someone you love is taken from you, it splits your world in two. There's the before and after. Everything changes."

Aiden kind of understood that last part because he felt that way about Daddy, but in a good way. There was before Daddy, when Aiden was shy, unsure, and felt like he was unlovable. Then, there was after Daddy, when Aiden felt stronger, more confident, and knew he was loved. Nothing was the same now, and that was a good thing.

"I'm sorry you've experienced that." Aiden tried to keep his voice even and calm, but his words seemed to agitate the other man more. Aiden thought saying he was sorry for Drake was something that would help but apparently, he'd gotten that wrong.

"Sorry? You're fucking sorry ?" With each word he spoke Drake's voice rose and became angrier. "You fucking helped kill her, and you're sorry?"

Aiden wasn't sure how to respond. Should he say that he was indeed sorry, or should he agree? This was one of those times when Aiden really wished he was better with social cues. He wasn't always terrible at them, but right at that moment, even though he was trying hard not to show it, he was terrified, and his thoughts were running in circles. Not wanting to make anything worse he simply stayed quiet. Which turned out to be a good plan since Drake didn't seem to be willing to listen to anything anyway and was already yelling some more.

"You and your band of heroes caused her death, and you need to pay! You guys won't really understand until you lose someone you care about, too. Since it's been obvious for years that big queer bastard has been pining for you, you're going to be the first person to pay for her death." As he spoke, Drake pulled a gun from the back of his pants and aimed it directly at Aiden's head.

Fuck. Time's up.