Cassie studied Mia’s face as she sat on the couch in Aidan’s living room. He’d driven them straight here, but she hadn’t missed the looks Aidan had been sending Mia’s way.
She didn’t blame him. Not after the choices Mia had made.
An internal war battled inside her. She wanted to trust Mia. After basically raising her since the day their mother had died, there was nothing she wanted more. But after everything that had happened, it was almost impossible.
She’d just finished telling her sister about what had happened at the coffee shop—minus the part about the phone Olive gave them. Elijah’s recorded confession was too important to the investigation to share with anyone. Especially someone who might still be loyal to the man.
Mia’s eyes filled with worry. “I’m really glad you’re okay, Cass. And I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”
Was she? Cassie had no idea what to make of this woman. For the first time in her life, Mia was almost a stranger to her. And that killed her.
Her gaze flicked to Aidan in the kitchen. He was making pasta for dinner. He was trying to give them space, but at the same time, she knew he was listening to every word.
She looked back to her sister and forced a smile to her face. “Thank you. At least Joshua and Antwon were arrested, and the police are on their way to arrest Elijah.” The guy might even be behind bars already. She wondered if Aidan’s FBI contact would call to let them know.
When she looked at her sister, she caught a flash of emotion. It came and went so quickly, Cassie couldn’t quite place it.
“Well, I’m glad you’re safe,” Mia said quietly.
Aidan walked into the living room, three bowls of pasta in his hands. He handed one to Mia, another to Cassie, then sat on the single chair opposite the couch.
“How did you get away?” he asked.
Mia met his gaze. “I told the guards I was getting some things for church night. Ordered a car and then, instead of going to town, I directed him here.”
That was a long drive in a hired car. Expensive too.
Mia looked back to Cassie. “You’d mentioned Aidan worked at a security company called Blue Halo, so I figured that would be the best place to start looking for you.”
Cassie gave a slow nod before looking at Aidan. He was a human lie detector. If anything Mia said wasn’t true, he’d know.
His eyes never left Mia. “Did Elijah see you leaving the compound?”
“Elijah wasn’t there.”
Didn’t really answer his question. Not directly, anyway.
“What made you change your mind?” Cassie asked. There was another pause from Mia. It did nothing to ease the rock that sat heavy in Cassie’s gut.
Mia looked at her, and her eyes softened. “I love you, and you’re important to me. I want to make sure I’m doing everything in my power to keep the people I love safe.”
People. Not Cassie, specifically. Did those “people” include Elijah?
Cassie leaned forward and squeezed Mia’s hand. “Well, I’m glad you’re here now.” She just hoped and prayed that she was here for the right reasons. That she was choosing Cassie. That she regretted ever choosing Elijah over her.
When Aidan’s phone rang from the kitchen, he rose, lowering his bowl to the coffee table before crossing the room.
“Hey, Ty. What’ve you got for me?”
Aidan’s eyes narrowed as Tyler spoke to him. Her stomach dropped. It wasn’t good news.
When Aidan spoke again, his voice was harder than it had been. “Thanks for letting me know, brother. Keep me updated.”
“What did he say?” Cassie asked almost nervously.
This time, Aidan only had eyes for her. “Elijah, Isaac, and some other members were missing when they got to the compound. They don’t know where they are.”
No! This was supposed to be over, dammit. They’d given law enforcement what they needed to lock the man up. He should be behind bars!
“They’re working on locating them.”
She was sure Tyler had been a lot more specific about their strategies, but no way would Aidan reveal anything in front of Mia.
Her sister leaned forward and touched Cassie’s hand. “I’m sorry.”
She’d said that a lot. What she hadn’t said was “I hope they find him” or “I hope he goes to jail.”
Aidan moved over to Cassie, pressed a hand to her back and leaned down to kiss her head. Then he turned to Mia. “Do you know where he might have gone?”
She shook her head quickly but didn’t say anything.
Cassie could tell he wanted to press. But she also knew he wouldn’t, for her sake. And she appreciated it. Today had been long and harrowing and awful.
Tomorrow, they’d ask Mia more questions. They’d find out if her intentions were good. If they weren’t, it would hurt, but she’d deal with it.
Aidan looked into his bathroom to see Cassie slipping a shirt over her head. His shirt.
A low growl slipped from his chest, and he moved behind her, curling his arms around her waist. “I like you in my shirt.”
He pressed a line of kisses down her neck, and her sweet moan had his body hardening.
“I like that it smells like you,” she whispered.
He looked up at their reflections, and his eyes narrowed at the bruise on her cheek. He hadn’t missed the bruising down her body as she’d pulled on the shirt, either. “I hate that you got hurt.”
Her brows twitched, and the calm left her eyes, replaced by turmoil. “I’m okay.”
Her hesitation told him everything.
“I’m glad we got the evidence we needed to have Elijah arrested. I’m also glad Mia’s not at the compound. But…”
“But you don’t trust her.”
Pain. It drowned her features. “I want to trust her. I want to be able to rely on her like I used to. I feel responsible—”
“No.” He spun her around and lifted her to the counter. “Don’t say it. You are not responsible for her. You have sacrificed for her your whole life. Even before this stuff with Elijah and his organization, you spent most of your childhood making sure she was okay in foster care. Any decisions she makes as an adult are on her.”
She nibbled her bottom lip and nodded. He could almost see her mind ticking. “I still can’t believe the man wants to kill me as a sacrifice. That’s just… God, it’s sick.”
Aidan could think of a lot of other words to describe it. The man was a fucking psychopath with a demented need to control people.
“He’s not going to touch you,” he whispered.
Her eyes dampened, then she leaned her head to his chest. “Thank you. Thank you for coming for me. For protecting me. For loving me.”
He held her head to his chest, kissing the top of it. “You never need to thank me for any of that. Especially loving you. It’s all I know how to do.”
They remained like that for a moment, then he carried her to bed. Once she was beneath the covers, he pressed a featherlight kiss to the bruise on her cheek. “I’m going to make sure everything’s locked up tight, then I’ll be back.”
She grabbed his arm before he could leave. “Don’t be gone long.”
“Never.”
She gave his arm a squeeze before letting go.
He moved silently down the hall, his skin still heated where she’d touched him. It was always like that. Her touch penetrated his skin and went right into his heart.
He heard Mia before he saw her. She was in the kitchen. He slowed his steps, and when he reached the entrance, he watched her from the side as she stood by the sink, cup in hand, just looking out the window.
Her brows were tugged together, and she seemed to be deep in thought.
He’d never found Mia to be the most mature person. Where Cassie was selfless, Mia was the opposite. Taking what people gave her. Wanting whatever she could get without working for it. And when he and Cassie were together all those years ago, before he’d disappeared, there’d always been something about Mia that struck Aidan as…reckless? Maybe it was her act-first, think-later behavior. Or maybe it was her more immature way of seeing the world.
She was only staying in his house because Cassie wanted her sister close. Even though neither of them trusted her, she wanted to ensure Mia’s safety.
Aidan had relented—but he still asked a couple of the guys to be on watch outside the house tonight, just to help keep Cassie safe.
“Everything okay?”
Her body jolted and she swung wide eyes toward him. “Aidan! Oh my gosh, you scared me.”
He took slow steps toward her. “Just locking up. Do you need anything?”
She shook her head. “No. I got stuck in my thoughts for a moment.”
“Thoughts of Elijah?”
He didn’t know if she’d ignore his question, or maybe get annoyed by it. She turned back to the window, and he could tell she wasn’t really seeing anything.
“Yes. And Paragons of Hope. And Cassie. It’s a mess. A huge mess.”
There was a thread of regret in her voice. “You never knew?”
“That my father planned to kill my sister? No.” Truth. “It’s like a nightmare I can’t wake up from.”
It was a nightmare no one could wake up from.
She shook her head. “Anyway. I should go to bed.”
She tipped the rest of her water into the sink and set the cup in the dishwasher. Then she turned to him. “I’m really glad Cassie has you back. She loves you. She’s always loved you. And when you disappeared…” She shook her head. “Anyway, I’m glad you two found each other.”
Another truth. She was crossing the kitchen when he called out her name.
“Mia.” She stopped and turned. “Cassie can trust you… Can’t she?”
Her brows tugged together. “I would never hurt my sister.”
Another truth. But not entirely an answer to his question.
