Chapter 13
CHAPTER
THIRTEEN
AIDEN
Fire licks the pads of his fingers as screams fill the air.
The subtle smell of burning skin radiates around the room.
I take a deep inhale and close my eyes, trying to find the equilibrium that being in the morgue normally brings.
This man is almost at his limit for the day.
After the last man that Ari sent to the grave, Ashton had a complete and utter meltdown.
Apparently, too many dead bodies meant not enough research results, which meant listening to an hour-long lecture about protocol.
Sigh.
So I’ve been here since before dawn after peeling the cum-stained sheets from the bed and dropping Bosco off on Jenn’s desk. When she arrived at 9 am, I was greeted with a sweet shriek followed by loud thuds as she threw things, chasing the poor spider out of her space.
The man’s fingerprints are completely gone by the time I shut the lighter off.
Tears streak down his face, and his voice is raw from his screams. Snot leaks down his face while he is lying in a puddle of his own piss.
If I go much farther, I will face Ash’s wrath again.
Depositing the man back into his body bag, I am contemplating who to pull out next when Gage saddles up beside me.
He doesn’t approach me often, given he is aware of my slight disdain for him and my tendency to snap at him for looking at Ari.
But the man is good at his job. Plus, his family has a long history of protecting The Order, and his father sits at Anthony’s side, so it’s not like I can fire the man.
Unable to stop the eye roll, I finish zipping up the bag and turn to Gage. “What?”
His face is unreadable, but I have a feeling I know where this conversation is going, which means that I should put some space between me and my knives before I gut the man. Gage lifts his eyebrow. “Just come out with it, Gage. We both know you have something to say.”
I deposit the man in his drawer and close it, leaning back against the wall and crossing my arms over my chest as I wait Gage out.
The silent bodyguard act is not going to work on me, and I’m not just going to start spilling state secrets before I know what he wants.
His deep silver eyes stare into mine as if he is trying to read what’s beneath my outer shell.
Good luck with that, man. A thousand therapists could not give you an accurate reading on the shit going on in my head.
Gage sighs before relenting and breaking the staring contest we are having. “Do you think we should talk about last night?”
“What about last night?”
“Not only do I watch everything around me, Aiden, but I also hear things.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake. Gage should be glad the murder tools are mounted to the wall behind him because if they were near me right now, he would have a knife sticking out of his chest.
I will not kill Gage. I will not kill Gage.
Grinding my teeth together, “And what did you hear last night?”
He shifts, and an almost cocky look fills his face like I am giving him exactly what he wants. “Aiden. You were screaming their names and moaning so loud that you should be thankful you didn’t wake Anthony up. I can only imagine what his reaction would have been.”
Knowing Anthony as I do, he probably would have stormed into my room, fired off a couple of shots—grazing me but not seriously injuring me—and told me to shut the fuck up. Best not to disturb the asshole’s beauty sleep.
“What exactly are you looking for here, Gage? Get to the point. Because frankly, I am barely holding back from strapping you down on my worktable and taking the saw to your tongue.”
Gage doesn’t even flinch. Bastard knows I am not allowed to mutilate him completely without cause. And confronting me about my untimely wet dream would not be a cause worthy enough. Gah, a wet dream at twenty-two years old. I should have better control of myself.
Gage drops the act and turns serious, “Ari isn’t exactly stable enough to make informed decisions right now. She is still grieving over Brodie.”
A flash of her covered in blood and knifing a man in this very room invades my vision. I harden in my jeans. No. No way. I can’t think of that right now. Gage might think it’s for him, and that man is into some vile shit that I don’t want to be on the other side of.
“What Ari can and cannot decide is not up to you. And you damn well know it,” I ground out. Ari would have Gage by the balls if she heard him say that.
“I’m well aware, but I need to keep her safe. I love her.”
A breath later, my pocketknife is lodged into Gage’s arm.
He grunts, looking down at the wound. Exasperation fills his features as he grips the handle and pulls it out.
“I love her like a sister, you absolute jackass.” Blood seeps from his wound and colors his shirt as he removes the blade.
“God dammit, Aiden. I am going to have to replace a brand-new shirt.”
Okay, so maybe I knew that, but a fresh warning to back the fuck off can’t hurt. Sometimes a little mutilation is warranted. What? It’s not like I removed a limb.
Opening the drawer beside me, I reach for the gauze and throw it to him.
He can make a makeshift tourniquet and have Ash patch him up before he leaves.
Wouldn’t be the first time. And for sure it will not be the last if he keeps testing me.
I would do it, but I don’t want to. The man doesn’t deserve my delicate touch.
“What I do with Ari is my own business. If I want to stick my dick in my future wife’s cunt, in a dream or in reality, then I will.” Best to be direct.
“If you use her—”
“If I use her and she doesn’t like it, then she can handle the consequences herself. She would be pissed even knowing we are having this conversation.”
He nods in agreement. “She is very effective with a knife.”
Arianna with a knife is a sin I can’t resist.
With the gauze wrapped around his arm slowing the blood flow, Gage faces me again, the look in his eyes deadly. “Now, let’s talk about Brodie.”
I would rather wrap my balls in spikes. “Let’s not.”
“I wasn’t aware you had feelings for Brodie.”
I scoff. Feelings. Sure.
“Despite what you might think, Gage, you are not actually aware of everything that goes on around here.” Stalking over to the far side of the room, I open the drawer for Patient 2231 and move him to the center table.
Running my hand down the bag, I can’t help but tease the helpless man, “No need to shake, precious. You have my full attention.” I can almost hear the faint scream behind his ball gag.
Gage ignores me as I talk to my body bag. “Did Brodie know?” he gruffs out.
I don’t bother to respond. Because whether or not he knew doesn’t matter.
He’s dead. And if there is one thing Ashton has not figured out yet, it’s how to bring the dead back to life.
Otherwise, I would have dug up his coffin and injected him with it already.
I could fuck a zombie; why not? I’m an indiscriminate lover.
Zombies in movies don’t bleed, and the ones I’ve read about have dirt coming out of them. But, like, maybe Ashton could create ones that could bleed in theory. That would be cool to play with.
Clearly not taking a hint, Gage presses me further. “Fine. But does Ari know?”
“Gage, I would think very clearly about your next question. I am this close to impaling you with something more permanent than my pocketknife.”
I open the bag just enough to see the new man’s face.
The tears are streaming down his cheeks as he waits to find out what I’ll do next.
Last week I chopped a couple of his fingers off and cauterized them until he passed out.
Can’t do that again. Wouldn’t want to become predictable.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spot my hammer.
Delicious. Hammer to his cock and balls.
I’ll see if he can bleed and piss at the same time.
“Aiden.”
I forgot Gage was still here. He never knows when to leave things alone.
“Gage. Go away. I know what I’m doing, and I do not need or want your oversight.”
“Do not make me hate you, Aiden. If you mess with Ari, I will end you.” He doesn’t wait for my reply and slams the door after Bosco crawls his way into the morgue.
Good.
“Bosco, come give our friend a warm welcome.” The spider makes his way over to the table, and if he had a tail, it would be wagging for sure.
He starts at the man’s face. “Hump his face a little if you want, buddy. This man might as well be useful for something.” Bosco will do what he wants regardless of what I tell him, but you know, I try.
Removing the gag, I replace it with the head of the hammer, sending it deep enough to choke him and stop the screaming. “Get it real nice and wet. That’s it. Warm it up a little. Wouldn’t want cold iron hitting your balls.” The man’s eyes widen in terror as he realizes what’s coming for him.
Fully removing the man from the body bag, I raise the stirrups and strap him in.
Gage is right about one thing. I can’t spend my nights dreaming about a wet cunt and hard dick.
I need to focus on the family legacy I need to uphold.
Being the head of The Order is no joke, and just about everyone is gunning for me.
They would stab me in the back and dance on my corpse for the power that I am about to gain.
Good thing I’m better at killing than most of my opponents.
But I cannot afford any distractions, and this Ari thing is becoming a real problem.
Goddammit, just thinking about her is giving me an erection.
It’s been months since I’ve gotten laid.
That’s my problem. And the fact that I am currently engaged to be married to a tease of a fiancée.
I have craved Ari for years. Watching her and Brodie almost drowned me in jealousy.
Now, she’s at the tip of my fingers. I just have to snatch her.
Clearly, from the way she’s been acting, she does want me.
Even if she has to think of Brodie while I’m inside her.
She can even scream his name. We can both think about him while we fuck. I’m going to come either way.
Then she will be out of my system. Years of pining have brought me to my current state, and it’s time to fuck it out of my body and into hers. The relief at knowing that this feeling will soon be gone allows me to focus on my current task.
Right. Ball hammering.
“Sorry about the delay. Mid-torture crisis. But I got it figured out now. You know how it is…actually, you probably don’t. And won’t get a chance to. Oh, well.”