The rest of the inmates looked just as shocked as Darren felt, though it was his eyes that Aiden eventually sought out. He settled into Darren’s gaze and didn’t prevent the sultry arch of his mouth, nor did he look away when Darren mimicked his smirk. Matt noticed their little game too and wasted no time throwing a jibe at Darren, the ridiculous statement about the new warden being the male version of a gorgon with snakes for hair making it impossible for Darren to withhold a laugh. As a result—andso he could shake his head at Matt—Darren broke eye contact first.
“That’s all, gentlemen,” Aiden said when the excitement dulled down. “I hope this can become a mutually beneficial arrangement. Now, please, enjoy your lunch.”
Retracing their steps, he and the prison guards climbed the stairs and disappeared past the gates. Darren was still staring at the space in front of the metal bars even after Aiden was no longer visible, trying to figure out what was the new warden’s game. His goal. Warden Jefferson hadn’t been bad per se, but he’d never really come across as someone who was concerned with pleasing the higher-ups so much.
So why was Aiden Kesley?
Matt nudged Darren, shoving his elbow into his side. “Ya know, new warden guy totally has the hots for ya.”
“Cut it out, Matt. Too much trouble,” Darren scoffed, but even though he’d said them himself, his words carried no weight.
Seducing the warden was a really bad idea, but no matter how Darren tried to convince himself to drop it here and now, he just couldn’t bring himself to do so. It didn’t matter that the blond fox was the new warden; Darren didn’t back down from a challenge, especially one that he was sure would test a lot more than the extent of his charm. He needed the distraction, the single-mindedness that having a goal other than to make it to the next day offered. He could find something else to latch onto… but the smuggling operation had proven to be only so effective, and besides, it was too late to shut his interest down when the shiny prize made it impossible to erase the smile from his face.
Yeah, this was definitely a bad idea.He needed to be careful about what he did next, to thread with extra care, or he risked making his life here even more of a Hell than it already was. But if he succeeded? Not only would he get to fuck the attitude out of Aiden Kesley, but he would reap the benefits of being friendly with the new prison warden. And not just when it came to his and Nyle’s little smuggling venture.
“I’m not kidding, man. He was seriously eyefucking ya like a whore at a frat party. I’m positive.” Matt fanned his face with an exaggerated wave of his hand. “Shameless little bastard.”
Darren didn’t say anything back. He stood up and motioned Matt toward the food counters where a long line was already forming.
His friend followed without protest, lacing his hands behind his head. “Just be careful, okay? Heisthe warden.”
Darren smiled to himself. Good thing he loved a troublesome challenge, then, wasn’t it?
Chapter 5
Aiden clasped the doorhandle with his trembling hand, took a deep breath, and entered Private Investigator Kyle Deverson’s office.
“Good evening, Mr. Kesley,” Kim, the receptionist, greeted him, peeking out from behind her holographic computer screen. “Mr. Deverson expects you. Please go right in.”
He nodded and rushed toward the carved oak door at the end of the narrow corridor. PI Deverson’s text from earlier meant he’d finally stumbled upon something to do with Claudia’s case and Aiden was buzzing with the need to know what it was.
“Come in,” the PI said when Aiden knocked.
“What do you have?” Aiden demanded, bypassing any and all small talk. Six months had passed since he’d last seen the PI, and in those six months, the man seemedto have made more progress than Aiden had in almost two years.
PI Deverson offered a tight smile and invited Aiden to sit. He ran his fingers through his short dark brown hair, the hue matching the tone of his skin, then produced a small data chip and slid it to Aiden over the luxurious wooden surface of his desk. “It took some maneuvering and a lot of favors, but I managed to get a copy of the autopsy recording.”
“How?” Aiden had gone after the video himself in the first months after Darren Howe’s private trial, but the most he’d gotten was a big nothing and a police warning for misconduct.
PI Deverson rubbed his beard and let out a satisfied hum. “I have my ways, though unfortunately, this is the best I can offer right now, Mr. Kesley. I watched it once already and… I have to say that I couldn’t find any clues.” That didn’t mean Aiden wouldn’t, but he tried not to get too optimistic. His desperate efforts to get the authorities to tell himanythinghad led nowhere, after all. “As for the court proceedings… Those are proving a lot trickier. But I’ll keep trying.”
Of course. They were most likely to shed some light on this entire thing Aiden had been trying to solve for so long. He was used to disappointment though, the panic and rage that had once consumed him nowadays dulled down to a pang of irritation and a tightening of his chest.
Still, this was a giant step compared to the endless dead ends, even if Aiden didn’t know whether it would yield anything useful. Maybe it would, or maybe it would just raise more questions like that phone call between Liu Zhihao and Darren, which the police had never made public.
Just like the investigation and the trial proceedings that the authorities still refused to comment on.
Before his murder, Liu Zhihao was the Head of the Huangsin Conglomerate, a competitor to the DuLaurent Corporation. He was also one of Darren’s clients. The supposed phone call incriminated him as the one who’d ordered the assassination of Aiden’s fiancée, Claudia, but according to the police reports, he’d canceled the hit a few days later. Darren Howe had gone through with it regardless, and then murdered Liu as well.
As for the motive… There wasn’t one because Darren Howe apparently suffered from borderline psychopathy and thus didn’t need one.
Aiden squeezed the data chip, thinking back to Darren’s indigo eyes. A shiver racked his chest. They’d been sharp, following him like a hawk stalked its prey. Alert.Intelligent.Impossible to miss even in a crowd; hard to forget even when he tried to. They hadn’t seemed like the eyes of someone with a sick mind.
“Mr. Kesley?” PI Deverson’s hoarse baritone snapped Aiden back to the present. “A piece of advice. I’d leave watching the autopsy for a good day and headspace. It’s not an easy thing to see.”
There was a hint of concern in the man’s voice, though Aiden didn’t need it. Whatever was on that video wouldn’t break him. Couldn’t. He didn’t have the luxury for that or to wait for a day where his mind would cooperate.
“I will be fine.” He stood up, pushing the data chip into his pocket. “I hope to hear from you again. Soon.”
