He’s as much a victim as the rest of us.
He lied to me. He hurt me. He put me in danger.
No, I don’t believe that last part. He wanted to protect me from danger.
He did lie to me, but deep down I know he had no choice.
I’d go to the ends of the earth to protect my sister. He wanted to free them both, and being a prisoner makes you desperate. He didn’t know me when he started this job. I know he’s not violent or evil. A little gruff, yeah, fine. A little bit of a dick to the people around him. On the outside, yeah. It’s his armor.
Twigs break beneath my feet as I make my way down the path. I waited until it got light outside to take a rideshare to the farmhouse. Koda thinks he’s still here.
I’m in pain, but I think that pain is from missing him. Not from his betrayal.
I walk for a few more minutes, like Koda said to do, until I find his car parked by a tree. How long has he stayed out here? Cam said he came to the gym last winter for a membership. He was acting weird then.
I guess we all know why now.
That means he spent the brutal winter out here. For her. To save as much money as possible, to start a life free of all this pain and brutality. He wanted to do what my mother did. Once she found out she was having another child, she escaped, and hid from him ever since.
If she’d stayed, this would have been my life.
I would’ve been as trapped as Aiden. Now it’s all over.
Kenji has his mother’s statue.
I have Ivan’s necklace.
And best of all, Ivan’s gone.
I shove my hands in my pockets, the light black zip-up I’m wearing warding off the morning chill. It has to be about seven now, and as I approach the car, I see him. Asleep. A tiny smile splits my face.
I love watching him sleep.
It’s the most relaxed he gets, and I love it for him. He’s too high strung, but I guess when you carry as much weight as he does, it drags you down.
Not anymore.
I rap my knuckles on the window and watch him stir. He blinks his eyes open, then they widen when he sees me. Damn.
I missed those violet eyes.
His pouty scowl and attitude soaking every movement of his skin.
He’s so not what I go for.
He’s cynical, grouchy, and I love this doberman of a man more than anything. I felt it that first day we met, and I’ve let that feeling grow every single day since.
I wait for a moment as he slowly opens the door and gets out, trying not to meet my eyes, but he keeps sneaking glances. Air chokes my lungs. He looks horrible. The farmhouse is empty, but I wouldn’t want to stay in there either.
“You shouldn’t be here.” His voice has a rough rasp to it, as if he hasn’t spoken in days. I step closer to him and watch as he braces. “Don’t.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.” I step again, his body going rigid. Aiden’s eyes well, his bottom lip trembling as he looks away.
“Leave me alone. I don’t want you here.”
“Liar.” I step again, only a foot of space between us. He shakes his head, looking away. Slowly my hand braces his shoulder, begging him to look at me. He keeps softly shaking his head.
“Stop it.” His voice breaks. He struggles away from me, pushing my hand off him. I’m not giving up.
