10
Aiden
The trip back toChicago was as picturesque as the one to the palace’s ruins, though at first, charged silence ruled in the shuttle. They’d been close, too close to running right into Marcus’ men because they’d let their guards down, lulled into a false sense of security by the lack of complications so far.
One look Darren’s way told Aiden the other man was thinking the same exact thing: there wasn’t going to be a repeat. Still, it took some time for his nerves to settle. Instead of gazing out of the window, his attention remained on Darren, only steering away from him whenever his sideways glances threatened to catch Aiden staring.
Eventually, their conversation picked up as they neared the metropolis, revolving around Raj Leven and what information they had found on him. The brainstorming session that followed culminated in Darren’s ludicrous plan of posing as university students and approaching Raj. Darren was a bit fuzzy on how exactly they were going to steal the earring, but it included alcohol and a visit to one of those crowded clubs young people liked.
But before that, they needed to swing by a jewelry shop.
“How thoughtful of you to get your friend a matching earring, Mr. Gilman!” the clerk said after Darren fed her a made-up story about their visit, enthusiasm oozing off her. Her fake smile was in full force too, though Aiden suspected it too had more to do with the fat wad of cash Darren had dumped on the counter than her actually caring about the reason they were here.
“Yeah, it’s… his birthday tomorrow. Which is why”—Darren tipped his glasses up the bridge of his regal nose—“we were hoping you could have it ready tonight.”
“Oh, my. I’m afraid we are quite busy and our turnaround time is four to five business days…”
“We would be very grateful if you could prioritize our order,” Darren drawled, taking out and handing her an extra few hundred credits.
That seemed to do the job, if the greedy look in her eyes was any indication. “I’ll see what I can do,” she purred, giving Darren a slow once-over. “Our crafter has already left for the day, so how about you drop by tomorrow after, say, one p.m.? Would that work for you?”
“Yes, that would be perfect. Thank you.” Darren reached out and straightened her crooked ID badge, flashing her a flirty smile that had Aiden do his best not to roll his eyes. “Ami. We appreciate your help.”
“You are welcome, Mr. Gilman. Have a pleasant evening,” she said and sashayed down the counter to service two giggling middle-aged women.
“Next stop.” Darren pointed at the gilded front of an apparel store on the upper level of the shopping center.
Aiden tipped his chin down, looking at the soot and dust and dirt that had settled into his beige shirt and gray cargo pants. He did have a change of clothes, another pair of cargopants and a black shirt, but somehow that didn’t sound like the kind of style college kids like Raj would appreciate.
“I thought you would protest more,” Darren tossed when Aiden didn’t argue.
Hitching an eyebrow at Darren, who was leaning against the escalator’s railing as they traveled up, Aiden allowed a small smile. “I wouldn’t waste energy arguing with you if you are right. We won’t exactly pass for college students unless we look the part.” He stepped off the stairs and started toward the shop, but Darren tugged on his sleeve.
“Leave the clothes to me.”
Aiden’s eyes went wide. “Excuse me?”
“I’ll pick up clothes for both of us and you can find a nice place for dinner?” Darren elaborated, a shadow of a smile flirting with his features.
“Howe—”
“I know your size.”
How? Aiden narrowed his eyes. “Howe.”
“Kesley.” Darren slipped his hands inside his pockets, turning his back to the shop, and walked backwards toward it. “It will save us time. Plus, we’ll avoid the dinner rush. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not have to wait an hour to be seated.”
Aiden didn’t particularly like the idea of not picking his own clothes, but he supposed Darren’s arguments were compelling, as he too wasn’t thrilled by the idea of long queues. Besides, while Darren handled their disguises, he could do some more online stalking of Dr. Batbayar’s son. They needed to be as prepared as they could because they couldn’t risk a slip-up or Marcus was going to know where they were.
“Nothing too crazy, Howe,” Aiden conceded over a sigh.
Flashing Aiden that easy smile he’d been showing off as of late, genuine and real and stomach-squeezing, Darren spunaround and disappeared inside the outlet as Aiden stepped back onto the escalator and headed for the food court. It took him only a single lap to decide on the European-themed restaurant, so he beelined for it. After a quick chat with a member of staff, he was promptly seated at a table in the indoor garden, next to a potted olive tree.
The venue’s host brought over a jug of lemonade with the menus. Aiden sipped slowly and went over the data profile he’d built of Raj. Just as he moved onto his social media accounts and usage and confirmed that yes, Raj indeed wore the golden earring in every single one of his photos, Darren plopped on the cushioned armchair across from him.
“So, since we won’t have the earring ready tonight and can’t make our move, I booked a room.” Darren said, dropping the bags in the empty chair to his left. He helped himself to the second glass of lemonade.
Perhaps it was better that way. They’d have the chance to shower, rest and get acclimated to Earth’s gravity and time cycles. Not looking like zombies was also a bonus.
“Sounds good. That should give me time to narrow down his favorite spots, so we don’t have to go through all the clubs one by one.”
Darren made a noise that sounded like agreement and picked up one of the old-style paper menus. Taking that as a cue he should pause researching Raj so they could eat, Aiden put the tablet inside his bag and grabbed the second menu. He didn’t feel like eating anything in particular, so he decided on a light chicken salad and just watched Darren choose until the waiter came to get their orders.
After dinner, they went to their two-bedroom hotel apartment. It came with a lounge, but Aiden didn’t feel like hanging out, so he went into his room, took a shower and lay on his bed. This was the first time they were spending the nightnot on the Maine, and the knowledge made it hard to fall asleep, giving Aiden plenty of time to wonder if Darren too suffered from the same inability to close his eyes and relax.
Did his mind race? Remember things Aiden wished to forget? Did his body refuse to calm down and let him fall asleep because of what had happened the last time it had been just the two of them? Or did none of this affect him because Aiden was the only one stuck trying to move on from it but failing?
He pondered deep into the night, tossing and turning until he could no longer differentiate between the thoughts in his head, and eventually he drifted off, closing his eyes just before sunrise.
