24
Darren
As soon as they’dsedated Sammy and Danny, Darren updated the Maine’s crew. Aiden, on the other hand, crashed on one of the couches in the spacious living room of the duo’s condo, falling asleep against the stack of cushions. Rick hovered nearby, throwing a blanket over his friend’s sleeping form and brushing away the lock of copper hair stuck to Aiden’s nose that Darren himself had been eyeing.
Opportunity missed, he simply watched Rick fuss over Aiden for a while and then focused on the two work IDs they’d stolen, the glass cards designed to fit into their designated slots on the armbands every employee at the warehouse wore. Nyle had already updated the online records with Darren and Aiden’s glasses-wearing headshots and fake biometrics, so if they were stopped for inspection, their disguises would hold.
Darren swung by the kitchen for a glass of water. Upon his return, he found the room empty, save for the humanoid shape under a neon-green fleece blanket. He walked over and hovered above it for a few heartbeats, his fingertips tingling with the urge to stroke Aiden’s cheek. He gave in, couldn’t find a reason tohold back anymore, but kept the caress fleeting and gentle so as not to wake Aiden up just yet. They’d both slept well last night it seemed, but decent sleep once rarely made up for all the shitty ones.
Darren contemplated kissing Aiden’s forehead. He felt like he had the right to do that too, even if… they hadn’t officially put a label on the thing between them. The sound of distant sirens coming in through the cracked open balcony door got his attention just as he was about to do it. He slid the curtains out of the way, slipping outside into the cool morning gloom. Propped on his elbows along the metal railing, Rick absentmindedly typed something on his phone while smoking a custard-scented electronic cigarette and staring at the hazy skyline of Atlan at sunrise.
“Hey,” Darren said, pausing by the metal table with the two chairs.
Craning his head to the side, Rick caught his gaze and nodded. “Hey.” He moved a bit to the right and tipped his chin in an invitation.
Darren took it. “Thanks for making this possible.”
“Yeah. Of course. No need for you two to put yourselves in any more danger than you already are by simply going there,” Rick all but scoffed, waving Darren’s comment off as if there was no need for thanks.
Having observed Rick and the way he interacted with Aiden and the others for the past couple of days, Darren reached the conclusion that for him it likely was the obvious thing to do. Darren wished he could reassure him that everything would be fine from here on, but he couldn’t give that guarantee. While posing as personnel gave him and Aiden higher chances of avoiding trouble, things could always go wrong.
Darren looked from Rick to the darkening sky, leaning forward on the railing. “I can have Aiden sit out,” he considered.Part of him wanted to, just so he wouldn’t put Aiden in danger he had no reason to be in, but another part wanted the man there, a partner Darren could count on. “As long as I’m careful, and with a little luck, I should be… fine.”
That was the truth. He believed it, and yet he still wanted Aiden there with him.By his side all the time.It was selfish and needy and silly, but true all the same.
When Rick didn’t reply, Darren shifted his gaze back to him. A small smile curled one side of his mouth, making Darren wonder if Rick had seen right through his façade.
“Maybe,” Rick finally said, taking another pull from his cigarette. “But is that a risk someone in your position should be taking? Besides”—he angled his body Darren’s way and sized him up—“Aiden wouldn’t let you go alone anyway.”
Goosebumps covered Darren’s skin. His heart jumped into his throat and he had to swallow around it before he could challenge Rick’s statement. “What makes you say that?”
Rick gave him a look that all but said, “Do I need to spell it out for you?”
And he didn’t, because Darren had felt it last night. That Aiden cared. That Darren wasn’t alone in his need to have Aiden. Perhaps it was a flame in comparison to the fire that burned within Darren, but it was there, a flicker, a spark, that had the potential to end him or complete him.
“I won’t let anything happen to him,” Darren said, vowing both to Rick and himself.
Rick chuckled, but the worry bleeding through made it sound a little fake. “Good to know, but…” He tilted his head to the side, glancing over his shoulder past the swaying curtains. “I think you have more of an equal partnership kind of deal on your hands, Darren Howe. Aiden isn’t the type that needs protecting. After all”—he patted Darren on the arm—“hedidfind you, all on his own, and then almost killed you.”
Darren smiled. Couldn’t really hold it in, because Rick was right. Aiden was smart and stubborn and a little reckless, which made for an explosive combination that was the perfect mix of what Darren liked in a man. He had passion in him, dedication too, even if they were still buried deep in some dark corner surrounded by walls Darren had just started to crumble. Aiden wasn’t afraid to act in accordance with what he believed in, to fight for what mattered. The darkness that haunted his soul… even that was captivating, so familiar and sad and irresistible. So comforting, like a cozy blanket Darren could cocoon himself in but not be alone at the same time because Aiden was there with him.
Rick’s expression was soft and a little spaced out when Darren looked back at him. He didn’t push for a conversation and seemed content with the silence that settled over them, so Darren didn’t say anything either and just watched the horizon as more and more light crept in.
“I should get going,” Rick said after a notification pinged his phone. He stuffed the cigarette into the pocket of his jacket and pushed off the iron railing. “Bea’s picking me up from the outskirts.”
“I can give you a lift,” Darren offered, trailing behind.
“Nah, I’m good. You should get some rest.” Rick paused at the door. “I’ll see you two soon. Good luck.”
Double-checking that Sammy and Danny were secured and the IVs with sedative were properly set up, Darren lay on his side on the second couch in the living room and watched the soft rise and fall of Aiden’s chest until it lulled him to sleep.
Gentle shaking pulled Darren out of a dream he immediately forgot. Blinking his eyes open slowly, he blindly reached out, finding Aiden’s hand mid-lift.
“Hey,” he croaked, clamping fingers around Aiden’s wrist and halting him.
“We need to head out soon,” Aiden said, brushing his other hand along Darren’s cheek.
“Yeah.” Rubbing the underside of Aiden’s wrist with his thumb, Darren felt the tiny shivers his caress caused. They slither into his own body through his fingertips, making his stomach flutter. “What time is it?”
