“Thanks,” he said, not withholding a smile of his own.
Darren’s eyes zeroed in on his mouth for a second, turning darker as he gave Aiden a slightly stiff nod. “Yeah… You’re welcome.” Shaking off whatever complicated thoughts hadflooded his head, he shifted his attention to the tablet and picked it up. “I’ll monitor any station surveillance and comms I can intercept, but it would be best not to stay too long.”
“I agree. I’ll keep this as short as I can.”
“Alright, boys, we’re almost there,” Bea informed them via the ship’s speakers.
The Maine took a sharp left and Aiden glanced through the narrower part of the bridge into the cockpit ahead. Out of the central viewport, he could see the L-shaped docking platforms that shot up from the main section of the spaceport like the spokes of a wheel. The Maine approached quickly, and was secured to a bay within minutes. He and Bea got off, each with their own errand to run.
Once they passed security, they split. Aiden followed a wide glass tunnel which led him from the docking platform to the center of the station where shops and the offices of logistics companies fought for space. It was crowded, though nothing like the hive of activity Chicago or Atlan’s spaceports were, and certainly not quite as sophisticated in terms of design. Still, Aiden found the place just as impressive, marveling at how a massive structure like this now existed here, when some forty years ago there had been nothing but suffocating red-tinted darkness.
Using one of the interactive holographic maps scattered through the spaceport, Aiden located the burger joint and wove his way to the food area, situated along a stretch of leisure-focused establishments. They numbered about twenty, including both stores and food outlets, and as soon as he neared them, the aroma of grilled meat and various spices hit his nostrils. He’d not eaten since dinner the previous day, and, by extension, he doubted Darren had either, so he swung by the kiosk of the burger venue to place a takeout order he could pick up on the way back to the Maine. Then, running a hand throughhis hair, he walked over to the table in the corner where Rick was battling a monstrosity of a wrap.
“You came,” Aiden said as he approached the table from the side, turning the earbud on so Darren could listen in. He didn’t have to do that, but knowing Darren could hear what was going on calmed his nerves a little.
“Aiden!” Rick shot up, knocking his chair down in the process, and crashed his bulk into Aiden in an awkward hug. He was dressed casually in brown cargo pants and a leather jacket, as if he was here for work and not because he was meeting a fugitive. “Shit. I’m so glad you are okay! I was so worried!”
The genuine concern in Rick’s voice stirred a pleasant squeeze in Aiden’s chest. Offering a tight smile, he tipped his head at the table. “Let’s not attract too much attention.” He tapped his glasses, checking to make sure they were still in place.
“Yes, of course.”
Aiden took the seat opposite Rick and helped himself to the spare bottle of water. “How much did Nan tell you?” he asked, observing Rick’s face for a reaction.
“Only that what the authorities are saying is a lie,” Rick replied, flicking back a lock of black hair that had slipped out of the ponytail at his nape. Confusion and worry caused lines along his forehead.
“And that coming from a woman you’ve never met was enough for you to agree to see me?” Aiden challenged in a hushed voice.
Rick shook his head, fingering the edge of his plate. “No, not really. But I know you, Aiden. If you wanted to steal funds, you’d never have been discovered in the first place, much less left two bodies behind.” He snorted, the sound carrying slight worry along with the amusement.
A flashback of the two inspectors made the hairs on Aiden’s neck and arms stand up, but he forced the pang of panic down. “I did… kill these men.”
The confession seemed to surprise Rick, though the shock in his wide eyes quickly gave way to sympathy. “And I’m sure you had a reason to do… something like that.”
“I like your friend,”came Darren’s smooth baritone through the earpiece.
Aiden really didn’t deserve this kind of friend. He’d kept things from Rick, even if he’d done it so he wouldn’t worry his friend needlessly. He’d skirted around the truth when it had been more convenient to do so. But he was going to come clean if Rick decided to trust him, and this time, he wasn’t going to try and push Rick away. He was done doing that. He just hoped he would get the chance to make up for his many fuckups.
Nodding curtly, Aiden scoped their surroundings. “I did. But I can’t go into details here.”
Rick wrinkled his nose, his eyebrows drawing together. “Yeah… That makes sense. And…” His expression clouded, the tautness in his features making Aiden’s heart race.
PI Deverson’s bearded face came to mind, his friendly smile gone because of Aiden. His mind jumped to the worst-case scenario, images of Rick in a hospital or worse flooding his head. He couldn’t let something like that happen.
“Rick. Is everything okay?” Aiden said with the flattest tone he could muster, trying not to alarm his friend.
“I… I don’t know. Things have been a little weird…”
Aiden didn’t like the sound of that even a bit. “I want you to come with me,” he blurted out, swallowing around a lump. “But if you agree, you will become a fugitive. You’ll… have to leave your life behind, Rick.”
“You can bring him here if you wish to sit down and talk. Then he can make his choice,”Darren supplied.
“I can take you to our ship and we can talk there. I want to tell you everything. I owe you that. You can decide what to do once you have the full picture,” Aiden pressed, partly because of the bad feeling in his stomach and partly because he hoped Rick would agree so at least they could say a proper goodbye to each other if he decided this was too much.
The metal legs of the chair scraped against the floor as Rick pushed it back and stood up. “I made my decision the moment you invited me. The truth is… I’m scared, Aiden. I was trying to get in touch with you. I think someone is watching me. The police harassment stopped, but I’ve been noticing stuff. Like, at work. And my apartment.” He laughed without humor. “God, it’s silly, but I even moved to a different place. Thought maybe my mind was playing tricks on me because of all the strange interrogations, but…”
Aiden’s world spun. Had Marcus gone after Rick? But he had to realize Rick didn’t know anything… Or was he planning to use him to get to Darren by blackmailing Aiden? He couldn’t put it past the man who’d murdered an entire family.
Head pulsating, Aiden clenched his hands and stood up. “I’m sorry. For dragging you into this mess. It’s not fair.”
