“Two piggies left.” I force myself to smile, avoiding looking at the brain matter slipping down the wall behind the fallen man.
Aiden turns on his heel, moves for the door, and then stops, his gaze flitting to me. “How many men does it take to deliver a message?”
Pulling my Glock from my waistband, I take aim at the only uninjured man standing in the room. “Just one,” I reply, my voice steady as I pull the trigger and watch as the last man crumples to the ground.
AJ pats me on the shoulder with a smirk, “Ata boy.”
We don’t even clear the stairs before his men rush up toclean up the mess we left behind. “Now what?” I ask, already knowing the answer but wanting confirmation regardless.
AJ releases a slow, steady breath. “Now we wait; Walsh will come to us; his ego won’t allow him to stay away for long.” Fixing his jacket into place, he adds, “Go home to Scott, keep your head down, and ring me if anything happens.”
With a nod, I turn and head back to my car, knowing that this is far from over and that things are about to get even more complicated.
AJ speeds off on his bike, most likely going back to Katie. I just hope she doesn’t get tangled in this mess. Walsh has no fucking idea how lucky he is that she was not killed that night he sent his goons to my brother’s home.
AJ is pissed, and rightly so; he’s dangerous at the best of times, but I can tell that Katie means the world to him; if anything happens to his girl, the devil himself will not be able to protect Walsh from AJ’s wrath.
29
AIDEN
Tonight is the night. Date night. Katie has absolutely no idea what’s in store for her. I told her it would be a surprise, and surprise is exactly what I have planned. She’s going to love it. I cannot wait to see her face. I’m fuckin’ buzzin’.
As I pull up into the garden, I hook my Spotify to her echo dot, play L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole, and make my grand entrance. “Katie?” I catch sight of her on the stairs, looking stunning in her little black dress. She smiles and takes my hand as I lead her into her kitchen, singing along to the music. Pulling her against my chest, I grip her hip in one hand and her hand in the other, spinning her around the kitchen, we dance to the music. The look of surprise and joy on her face makes all the planning and anticipation worth it.
Katie laughs and twirls around, her eyes shining with delight as we move in perfect harmony. As the song comes to an end, I dip her back and press a gentle kiss to her lips, savouring the moment before the night truly begins. The warmth of her smile against mine is enough to make my heart race. “Ready to go?” I ask, my teeth rolling across my lowerlip as her hand slips into mine and we head out the door.
“Aiden?”
“Ah, no peeking!” I bat her hands away from the blindfold she’s trying to remove. “It’s a surprise for a reason.”
She wasn’t too impressed with me pulling over before we got here, or putting a blindfold on her under her helmet before leading her here, but hey, she wasn’t a fan of my bike until recently, and now she looks damn good in the leather jumpsuit. Damn, if I weren’t so excited to show her what I have for us, I’d bend her over that bike and fuck her senseless.
“Ok, ok, I won’t peek,” she says with a laugh, finally relenting and letting me guide her into the surprise I have waiting for her. I open the heavy metal door, revealing a dimly lit room filled with flickering candles, and low-playing music.
Carl Mooney is bound and gagged on my workshop table.
“Ready for your surprise?”
“I’m ready,” she grins, I take the blindfold off and watch her eyes widen at the sight before her. Her gorgeous smile fades when she spots the body on the bench. “Is that?”
“You said you wanted to watch, bug,” I remind her, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “I have him gift-wrapped especially for you,” I mumble against her hair as I plant a gentle kiss on her crown. I then take her hand and lead her closer to the workbench.
Carl’s eyes grow wide the second he claps his eyes on Katie, she’s too busy staring at the scalpel, the forceps, the drill, and other various tools laid out in front of her, to acknowledge him.
I step behind her, caging her between the bench and my body. “Let’s get you a little more comfortable.” I nip at herear while I reach around and unzip the jumpsuit. Fuck, this is more erotic than I expected it to be. Katie’s breath hitches as my hands roam over her exposed skin. “It’s ok to be nervous on your first time.”
Her body leans back against me, Carl’s muffled cries and whimpers cause her pesky conscience to momentarily surface. Turning my attention to nuisance, I ask, “Do you mind? You’re distracting her.”
Katie shakes her head, backing away from the table. “I can’t…”
My grip tightens on her waist. “Yes, you can,” I reassure her, nudging her back to the bench.
“It’s wrong,” is the only thing she can think to say, her voice barely above a whisper. My fingers trace the outline of her jaw as I lean in closer. “No, bug. No. What was wrong was him pretending to be your friend so he could take advantage of you. What was wrong was him getting you so drunk that you couldn’t see straight and then forcing himself on you.” Carl cries in protest, and I punch him in the face to silence him.
Katie nods, angry tears welling up in her eyes, her gaze darting to the predator on the bench.
“He won’t hurt you anymore,” I assure her. “We’ll make sure of that.”
