Chapter Five

Aidan turned because he could have sworn he heard something from behind the door they’d closed. The one between him and Carys.

Fuck, he hoped they hadn’t closed it forever.

“I can’t leave her like this.” He could still taste her on his lips. They’d been close. Close to breaking her down. She’d cried. Not in the way she’d needed to, but it had been a start.

“You walk back in there and she will use it like bricks to build her wall. I know you don’t think what happened now was a scene, but I assure you it was.” Tristan stared at the door, but he wasn’t making a move toward it. “She’s retreated to D/s because it’s all she can handle right now. We need to talk about how we get through to her.”

She’d screamed. He knew it. Shouldn’t they break down the door to get to her?

“She needs some time and space,” Tristan concluded.

“Does she? Because you’ve given her a hell of a lot of it and she’s still screaming alone.” He’d forgotten how pissed he was at Tristan. Tristan was the cause of all of this trouble. He and Carys had been fine on their own.

No, you weren’t. You need him. You and Carys will break because you’re not a couple. You’re a threesome. It would be different if he’d died, but he’s right here, and you have to find a way to make this work.

He hated being the reasonable one.

Tristan huffed. “I know you’re angry. I didn’t mean for her to find out we’ve been talking. You know I’ve been trying to talk to her, too. I’ve sent her flowers and cards and gifts. Anonymously, of course, but she’s not unaware. I simply haven’t made a bunch of loving social media posts lately. I kind of thought she would know.”

“Well, she got the real message when you wouldn’t get married the first time.” He needed a damn shirt. Naturally the big bad Dom had to show off how strong he was by ripping off their girlfriend’s clothes. Like she hadn’t been through enough today.

And yet she’d needed the intensity. She hadn’t had it for years.

“Hey, don’t walk away from me,” Tristan said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Aidan spun around, his heart thudding in his chest. His emotional state was far too ragged, and he knew he needed a time-out, but those warnings were a distant alarm bell he had zero intention of listening to. Tris was his best friend in the world, his other fucking half. It hadn’t been Aidan who’d broken them utterly. “I’m not the one who walked away.”

“Uh, guys, maybe we should think about doing this in like a therapeutic session,” a familiar voice said.

Suddenly he realized they weren’t alone. He looked over, and the gang was all here. Tris’s gang, naturally. They were all friends, but this was Tristan’s team. Lou had a can of soda in her hand, while TJ seemed to have raided the vending machines. Cooper stood with the twins, all of them watching carefully.

“Dude, where’s your shirt?” Kala asked. He knew it was Kala from the expression on her face. She’d changed into her normal uniform of all black—jeans and a tee and combat boots. It was truly helpful when they weren’t working and wore whatever they liked. Kenzie wore bright colors and girlie dresses while Kala took the goth-girl route.

“Don’t worry about his shirt,” Tristan said, stepping beside him. “Your cousin needs… She needs aftercare.”

“What?” a deep voice asked.

Aidan groaned at exactly the same time as Tristan, likely thinking the same thing.

Big Tag.

Why did they let the man out of his office?

“What did you do in my beautiful, sparkling clean and sanitary conference room that would lead to my niece needing aftercare?” Ian asked.

Aidan turned, but Tristan was already facing down the biggest authority figure in all their lives.

“Nothing that hasn’t already been done in there, Uncle,” Tristan said. “My sub was hurting. She needed a session, but she doesn’t want aftercare from me. I’m pretty much doing exactly what you and my parents taught me. I’m taking care of the submissives in my charge. Carys requested her cousins deal with her aftercare. I’m sure she would appreciate Lou being there, too.”

Ian’s expression softened. “Should I get her mother?”

Kenzie stepped up. “Absolutely not. She needs her sister subs, and you know it. Dad, we can handle this part. You try to get Aidan into some clothes before his parents get worried.”

Kala sent him and Tristan a look capable of freezing fire. “Yeah, maybe the Doms should think twice about causing a scene they can’t control. The parents are freaked enough.” She looked back to her dad. “We’ll handle it. Well, Lou and Kenz will do the sub thing, and I’ll make sure nothing goes wrong.”

Lou grabbed a bag of chips and a candy bar from her boyfriend’s stash as she followed the twins. “Send Tash in when she gets back. She’s out calling Dare and keeping him updated. She wouldn’t want to miss the girl time.”

Aidan didn’t want to miss the girl time, but he heard the lock slide into place after the door closed.

Kala would guard her cousin like the precious gift she was.

He never thought anyone would have to guard Carys from him.

“If you want to avoid your dad, you’ll head down to the bodyguard floor,” Ian said quietly. “They’ll have clothes. And a boxing ring, if you need it. You two have to get your shit together. She needs you.”

“She said she doesn’t. She used her safe word,” Aidan replied, wondering if he really wanted to avoid his da. His da might give him some advice. He utterly hated how he felt right now. Vulnerable and stupid, but he hated how she’d looked more. Angry. Desperate. Hollow.

Tristan sighed. “She used it in an emotional fashion. It had nothing to do with her being hurt.”

Ian’s brows rose.

“Not physically,” Tristan corrected. “She’s not injured. She’s devastated emotionally, which is precisely why she used her safe word. She’s also angry. I need you to understand I’m not letting them go to Canada. I might be persuaded to allow Aidan to go if he can prove to me he can handle himself, but Carys is going to a safe house.”

“Sending her away is a mistake,” Ian said with a frown. “But it’s one you’re going to make no matter what I say. You’re the single most stubborn asshole I’ve ever worked with, and I’ve worked with Ten Smith. You should also know once this mission is complete, I’m going to ask the director to reassign you.”

“It’s probably for the best,” Tristan said. “I’m glad you’re not trying to get me fired.”

Ian’s stare sent a chill through Aidan. He had zero idea how Tris was still standing up to the man. “Oh, we both know I likely couldn’t do it. You’re also a ruthless bastard. I approve of ruthlessness. You’re excellent at protecting the parts of your life that are truly important to you. But I won’t watch you ruin your life a second longer, Tristan.”

Tristan’s shoulders lowered slightly, his hands coming unclenched and tone softening. “And if I promise to get out? To get off the other teams I’m working for?”

“If you promise to come home and deal with your family, then we’ll talk.” Ian turned. “And think about letting Carys be something other than a pretty prize you show off. You ruined her relationship with Aidan when you convinced him to leave her out. If you don’t fix it, she’ll shut you both out. Especially if you take him and not her. If you shove them both in a safe house, Aidan might have a chance. I like that outcome better than Carys being alone. So I think it’s an either-or situation.”

Ian strode back toward his office.

“And someone better Lysol my damn conference room,” the man grumbled before walking through the door. “This generation is rude. Someone get Adam on the phone. I’ve got some complaints.”

“I meant what I told Ian,” Tristan said quietly. “I am going to leave the other teams.”

Sure he would. Aidan strode down the hall leading to the stairwell. He ignored the elevators. He didn’t want to be stuck in a small space with Tristan, and he was pretty sure Tristan would follow him. “I don’t care. I think you should do exactly what Ian told you to do. Send me and Carys to a safe house, and I’ll take care of her. But we need an end date.”

“I thought you wanted to face Huisman. I thought Huisman was some hero of yours.”

He had. There had been a moment when he’d thought going on this mission—all three of them—might heal the breach, but he was past the idea now. Wasn’t he? “Carys means more, and after what happened, I can safely say she needs me. She needs me to focus on her and not to get involved in the very thing that broke us.”

“We are not broken,” Tristan said.

Aidan stopped right before he reached the door, pointing his best friend’s way. “Were you in the same room I was? How the fuck can you say we’re not broken? She used her safe word.”

“I told you. She was emotional, and it’s all she’s got. She wanted to send a message, and it’s been received.” Tristan opened the door, allowing Aidan to go first. “I don’t have to be in Canada for a couple of days. We’ll take Carys to The Hideout tomorrow night. The good thing about having a completely private club is you can open it at any time. I’ve already got a message out to Gabriel Lodge, and he’s handling the arrangements. He was having a training meeting with a new class, but he told me he’ll turn it into a watch and discuss session. We didn’t get a wedding, so we’ll have a stress relief party.”

What the hell? He blew past Tris, jogging down the stairs. “You honestly believe she’s going to the club and submitting to you tomorrow?”

“I do.” Tristan sounded like the confident asshole he liked to pretend to be. Or maybe it was who he was now. “I think she’ll go because it’s her safe place, and she won’t be able to resist. She’ll end up in a privacy room with both of us. I expect she’ll likely use her safe word then, too. This is going to be a process.”

How could he talk like this? Aidan reached the door leading into the bodyguard unit. He thought some of the sales unit was down here, too, but he needed the space of the men Big Tag called the Douche. Yeah, it was what Carys’s uncle called a group of bodyguards. The group also included women, who should be more outraged by the title. “It’s not a process. It’s a relationship. At least it was once.”

“Maybe everyone is right and we need to sit down at the Ferguson Clinic,” Tris said with a long huff as he followed Aidan inside.

The clinic had been around as long as Aidan could remember. Founded by therapist Kai Ferguson, it was housed in a building next to the old folks’ home…Sanctum. He probably should never make the joke out loud. There was no need to go to the clinic for throuple’s therapy because they weren’t a throuple anymore.

Except for a moment it had felt so right.

The stairwell door led right into the office portion of this side of the floor. A bank of cubicles were to his left, the first one belonging to Nate Carter, the newest bodyguard and Aidan’s sister’s boyfriend. Daisy had taken one look at the big Aussie and she’d been a goner.

He’d never felt that rush of new love. He’d simply always had it. Carys had always been there, a piece of him he’d never thought he could lose. He was happy for his sister and Nate, but he had no desire for the kind of crazy new love they had. He wanted Carys.

He wanted Tris. Or rather he wanted the Tris his best friend had always been. Sometimes he didn’t recognize him now. He’d been okay with the soldier. Tris had still been recognizable in the soldier. The operative scared the shit out of him.

“Somehow I don’t think a handful of therapy sessions are going to solve this,” Aidan shot back.

Tristan ignored his opinion. “Nate’s shirt is going to be way too big on you. Landon Vail is closer in size. Or they keep some MT shirts in the locker room.”

Aidan was about to tell him he could dress himself when his cell trilled. He wanted to ignore it but what if it was Carys? What if she’d changed her mind and she needed him? He pulled it out of his pocket and glanced down at the screen.

The Huisman Foundation.

“Ignore it,” Tristan ordered. “We need to talk about how to handle her going forward.”

What the hell was the Huisman Foundation doing calling him on a Saturday night? When he was supposed to be dancing with his new bride. Of course it wasn’t like he’d sent them an invite. No one at the institute would know he was getting married. He’d never talked to the man himself.

Had they figured out he didn’t belong and they were calling to tell him it was all a mistake and then this fight was a moot point?

“Aidan.” Tristan somehow made his name an order.

An order he wasn’t taking. He slid his finger across the screen, expecting to talk to someone in administration, likely about the upcoming conference. “Hello.”

“Dr. O’Donnell.” A warm voice with the hint of an accent came over the line. “My name is Emmanuel Huisman.”

The room went cold as he realized he might not have an option of a safe house anymore.

* * * *

Frustration welled in Tristan as Aidan answered his damn cell phone.

It was fucking Saturday night. Who would be calling him? His father was upstairs. His mom and sister wouldn’t bother him now, and Carys wasn’t talking to either of them, but apparently this was his punishment. Aidan would rather talk to some fucking telemarketer than talk to his best friend.

If Aidan thought he was about to leave because he wanted to discuss his Internet usage and how such and such company could save him a few bucks, he was underestimating him. He could stand here all night. It wasn’t like he had anywhere else to go.

“Hello, Dr. Huisman.”

The world seemed to slow down.

Emmanuel Huisman was calling? On what he should think was a random Saturday night? Calling a man he’d never actually met before?

Tris had his cell out in a second, sending Ian a text letting him know what was happening and to be quiet if he came down.

Aidan looked up, a shocked expression on his face.

Speaker, Tristan mouthed.

Aidan nodded, and suddenly Tristan could hear the man he was investigating.

The man he was absolutely sure wanted to burn the whole world.

“I’m sorry to call so late, but I only today became aware you’re going to be a part of our symposium,” Huisman was saying. “I’m afraid I’ve been busy lately, and I’m just getting around to acquainting myself with the residents the selection committee invited.”

He sounded so reasonable. So gracious. It was a mask.

Aidan stood there like he wasn’t sure what to do.

Tristan waved a hand, a gesture for him to talk, to be natural.

“Well, Dr. Huisman, I can’t tell you how happy I was to be invited.” Aidan sounded stilted, but they could work with it.

“Calm down,” Tristan whispered as quietly as he could. He saw the white board and realized he could communicate without Huisman realizing anyone was with Aidan. He pointed to it as he found the dry erase marker.

“My team is tasked with inviting the best and brightest to come to these meetings,” Huisman was saying. “I trust their judgment completely, but I like to make sure I know a little about our attendees, especially the new minds. I was impressed with your essay, but when I read the paper you wrote on using ultrasound as a potential alternative to some forms of surgery, I knew they’d truly found a gem.”

“It’s still surgery,” Aidan corrected. “The ultrasound alternative, that is. It still requires all the precision of a blade. In some ways more.”

Damn, but he was smart. All of his life Tristan had been considered the brains, but Aidan might revolutionize the way surgery was conducted. However, he wasn’t great at the spy game. He wrote on the board.

Act normal.

“Yes, I can see that,” Huisman replied. “I am so fascinated by your work. I wanted to call because as I said, I’m excited about your research. I can’t wait to talk to you and learn more about what you’re doing. You’re coming out on Thursday?”

He was fishing. Shit. Huisman was fishing.

The stairwell door came open, and Ian and Cooper slipped out quietly. Cooper sat on the edge of Nate’s desk, but Ian moved in close to Tris.

“That’s the plan,” he said, though he didn’t sound sure. “To come to the symposium on Thursday. It’s when it starts, right? Sorry, sir. I’m afraid I’m flustered. I didn’t expect you to call.”

This was precisely why Aidan needed to go to the safe house.

Ian ran a hand over his hair, a frustrated gesture.

“I think he’s fishing,” Tris whispered. “I think the people he sent in didn’t report back, and he wants to figure out what the fuck happened.”

Ian nodded gravely. “So do I. Which means Aidan can’t lie.”

Fuck a duck.

Ian was right. Tristan turned to the board.

You have to tell him what happened today. Be honest. He knows because he sent them in. Tell him and then explain you can no longer attend.

Ian growled, but he stood back.

“Well, I was wondering if you might want to come out a bit early,” Huisman began.

Tristan shook his head. No way it was happening.

“I’m sorry, Dr. Huisman. I had a kind of rough day. I was supposed to get married today,” Aidan admitted.

Ian nodded, confirming it was okay to tell him.

Because Huisman already knew. Because Huisman wanted to know if Aidan would lie to him.

“Married?” Huisman sounded surprised, but then the fucker was an excellent actor.

“Yes.” Aidan wasn’t, but he didn’t need to act now. “We put it off a couple of times, so I wasn’t willing to disappoint my fiancée again. She’s a doctor, too, so she understands how important being invited to this symposium is.”

This would be an excellent way to let Huisman down. And it would be all his own damn fault. The doctor wanted Aidan and Carys in his grasp. Well, it wasn’t happening. If Huisman hadn’t pulled this shit today, Tristan would have had to work much harder to come up with a reasonable excuse to get Aidan out of this trap.

“But you said supposed to get married.” Huisman’s voice was all sympathy now. “Did something go wrong? Forgive me if it’s none of my business. I know you might not understand, but we actually have a connection, you and I. I didn’t realize it until I saw where you were from. You’re Liam O’Donnell’s son, right?”

Sure, he hadn’t realized. Tristan was sure Huisman knew who they all were and what they did. And how close they were to exposing him. Which was precisely what Tris had been trying to avoid. By splitting off from Aidan and Carys publicly, he’d hoped to take them out of the line of fire.

He’d failed. Well, everyone had told him he was a dumbass.

“Yeah, he’s my dad.” Aidan was looking to Ian for his prompts. Not to him.

Ian nodded, letting him know to keep going. But then Ian turned to the white board and wrote.

This is your choice.

It took everything Tris had not to growl right back. It wasn’t Aidan’s fucking choice. It was his. He wrote again.

Tell him you have to cancel.

Aidan turned away. “Li O’Donnell is my dad. And we had some trouble. I’m still not exactly sure what happened. My family and Carys’s family… They’re involved in the security and intelligence worlds. I think maybe her uncle’s business came back to bite us in the ass, or shoot us in the ass, so to speak. I’m sorry. I’m still a bit rattled.”

Thank god. He was going to bow out. It was going to be okay. He was surprised at how hard his heart was beating.

Aidan was talking to Tristan’s biggest fucking nightmare. It was everything he’d attempted to avoid, but it was going to be fine because Aidan was sane. Carys would do it just to throw him her middle finger. When Carys got mad, things could go seriously south, but Aidan was reasonable. Aidan would make the right choice.

“Of course you are,” Huisman said. “Is everyone okay?”

“Well, the dudes in the helicopter aren’t,” Aidan replied with a long sigh. “I’ll be honest my fiancée’s uncle has some…rough connections. I think something went wrong and someone was looking for revenge. I won’t probably ever understand it. I’m sorry I can’t talk about it. I’m sure it’s classified.” Aidan groaned. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

Maybe Aidan was better at this than he thought.

Cooper had made his way over while Ian watched Aidan. He leaned in. “I looped Zach in earlier today. He said he’ll be in Dallas in the morning. I’m sure he’ll want an update.”

Zach Reed.

On the outside they were simply teammates on the group run by Ian and Charlotte. They weren’t even very good friends. Zach held himself somewhat apart, though he hung out with Cooper a lot. When he was in Dallas he was friendly with the gang at The Hideout.

No one knew Zach was his partner in tracking down The Jester and had been since the beginning.

“Good,” he whispered. “We’ll debrief in the morning after we’ve settled Aidan and Carys into the safe house.”

A brow rose over Cooper’s eyes. “Sure.”

“It’s not a problem, Dr. O’Donnell,” Huisman replied. “It sounds like you had a troubling day, but you don’t have to worry you’ve said something you shouldn’t. Like I said, I have some ties to your family. I assume this has something to do with the Taggarts. Your father is an executive at McKay-Taggart, correct?”

Aidan’s frown deepened. “I’m sorry, how would you know that?”

“Our families go back quite a ways,” Huisman admitted. “It’s why I was so surprised to see your name and called you on a Saturday evening when I should have waited until Monday morning.”

Sure, that was the reason for the call. Tristan didn’t bother to hide his eye roll.

“I want to assure you you’ve said nothing to betray your family,” Huisman continued. “Mere months ago I approached Mr. Taggart about a problem I found myself in. I consider him an intelligent and wise man. Please feel free to talk to him about the symposium and contact me. I can assure your safety and comfort. If your worried, I’m more than willing to make arrangements with him.”

Ian’s jaw tightened, but his eyes remained on Aidan. He gave him the slightest nod.

“I don’t know. I worry I won’t be able to concentrate, and the last thing I want to do is drag everyone down.”

He was going to praise his friend so much. Aidan was playing this perfectly.

“I scarcely think you could drag us down,” Huisman reassured him. “I’ve read this paper of yours twice now. Dr. O’Donnell…”

“Aidan. Please. Call me Aidan.”

A soft chuckle came across the line. “I do think we’ll get along, Aidan. I like a man who isn’t so arrogant he must go by all his titles. I, too, prefer to simply be called by name. You must call me Manny. All my friends do, and I think we could be friends, you and I.”

He was the fucking devil trying to make a deal. But lucky for him, Aidan couldn’t be fooled.

“Well, Manny, I’m afraid I also don’t want to bring my trouble to your doorstep,” Aidan replied.

“Is it your trouble?”

This guy wasn’t taking no for an answer. Tris went back to the white board.

Tell him you have to take care of Carys. Tell him no, and be firm about it.

Aidan read the note. “No real idea. I’m afraid I get left out of the meetings. You have to understand, I’m not a part of that world. Neither is my father. We’re close to the Taggarts, but we don’t have ties to the intelligence stuff. Not even my fiancée, who is a Taggart. Her father’s a chef, so this is not something we’re used to.”

“Then bring her to Montreal,” Huisman offered. “You sound like you could use some time away, Aidan. I have several guesthouses around the property. I’m happy to offer you one of the bigger ones. Perhaps one large enough you could bring a bodyguard. Or a companion, so your fiancée isn’t lonely. Come to my home and surround yourself with some of the best minds in our business. I include you in this. I truly believe you have extraordinary potential. Come to Montreal and think about the future.”

Tristan huffed, trying to get Aidan’s attention. It was past time to hang up on this motherfucker. He would find another way in. Maybe through one of the other doctors Huisman invited.

“All right,” Aidan said.

Tristan gasped and started to say something, but Cooper had a big arm around his neck, his hand covering his mouth.

“Don’t you dare,” Cooper whispered. “His choice, Tris.”

Now he knew why Ian brought Coop down. Bitterness welled. Carys and Aidan were his. Fucking his.

“But I need a couple of days. Carys and I were going to spend them in the city, but given our situation, I think we’ll come in later in the week.” Aidan sounded like this was all normal. Like he wasn’t fucking up the whole world. Like he hadn’t put their love in danger.

Tris thought seriously about breaking Coop’s hold. Oh, he had an inch and some muscle on him, but Tris could fight dirty. Tris could twist out and kick the fucker in the balls, and then they would see whose choice it was.

“Well, I will look forward to it, and I’m serious about talking to Mr. Taggart if you think it would help make everyone comfortable.” Huisman sounded pleased with himself.

Because they’d given him everything he wanted.

“I should get back to my fiancée,” Aidan said. “But I appreciate you calling, Dr…Manny. I think this might be exactly what I need.”

“I’m glad I could help. See you soon.”

There was something ominous about the words, but Tristan doubted anyone else would hear it. Cooper’s arm came from around his neck, and Tris fought the urge to clock him. Ian was watching him now as Aidan hung up his phone. Watching and likely hoping for a reason to try to sideline him.

It wasn’t going to happen.

Aidan turned to Ian. “Do you think he bought it?”

“Bought it?” Ian asked. “I think you just made a choice.”

“Yeah, I know,” Aidan agreed, “but did I come across as reluctant? Because I was going for reluctant. I thought I shouldn’t sound too sure after what happened today. He knew about what happened today, right? That’s why you wanted me to be honest with him. Because he already knew. Because he’s the one who sent them. Why would he send them?”

“Isn’t that the million-dollar question,” Ian mused. “Tris, you going to freak out on me?”

“Would it help?” Tris asked, bitterness welling.

“No,” Ian said with a sigh. “The path is set, and you’re going to have to get on board. Do you want to give him a training crash course or should I?”

“Oh, it’s definitely going to be me.” If anyone was going to train Aidan, it would be him.

Aidan held up a hand. “Training? Like what kind?”

At least one good thing might come out of this. They would all die, but Aidan would get an education.

Tris felt a nasty smirk cross his face. “You’ll find out.”

He might have been out of control tonight, but Aidan would find he was still the boss come morning.