Invidious Betrayal (17 page)

L
OOKING AT THE DRIVER’S LICENSE
that he held in his hand, Vincent could see why Ian had been enchanted by young Miss Aria Cole of Land’s End. She was indeed lovely, and he could now understand the physical pull Ian felt toward the girl. Felt being the key word, because according to the last communication he’d received over two weeks ago, Ian and the captivating Aria had gone their separate ways, though Ian hadn’t come home yet.

It wasn’t uncommon for Ian to take off from time to time, but then Vincent could always find him if he needed to. With the tracking chip removed, it was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Vincent glanced at the photo again before placing the ID in his breast pocket. He slowly walked toward the woman sitting on the edge of the bed. It had been only a matter of time before she stuck her ass out again to make some money. And when she had, he’d gotten the call.

“Have you told me everything, Lace, or do you prefer I call you Gail?” he asked.

Gail looked up, nodding her head. She was a pretty girl but didn’t hold that certain something Aria’s beauty held. “I swear there’s nothing else.” Her voice trembled.

Vincent believed her, but he still wanted to know what motivated her. “What on earth drove you to do such a thing to that girl?”

“Like you’re the poster boy for coherent actions,” Jasper grunted under his breath. He leaned on the motel door as he picked his nails with the point of a file.

Vincent ignored Jasper’s comment, knowing that it was better to disregard a maniac than to taunt one. Even though he could hold his own if it came to blows, Vincent lacked the brutality and the experience Jasper had acquired over the years. He was the brain, and Jasper was the brute force. They knew their roles well, and they usually respected each other’s contributions to their dynamic relationship. Then again…

“I see that thesaurus word-a-day app has come in handy, Jas. Now I would love to go over all the new words you’ve learned, but I have more pressing matters. If you like we can sit down with a cup of cocoa later. I’ll give you my undivided attention.”

“Promise?” Jasper grinned, throwing the nail file. The thin metal had enough force behind it that it was embedded in the wall to the hilt just inches from Vincent’s head.

Unfazed, Vincent crossed his heart. It was nice to have a friend around, especially one as dedicated and loyal as Jasper. “I promise.” If he was a laughing man, he figured their interaction would have been funny but he wasn’t.

In high school they were thrown together, two loners who were exact opposites, to partner in a class assignment. Both had been surprised that they shared some of the same interests, but more than that, they shared the same dislikes. It was friendship at first insult. They’d bonded, and from that time on, the two were as close as two hetero guys could get. But after graduating, Vincent found his calling in genetic research and engineering, and Jasper found his place in the armed forces. Neither found a friend that compared to the other.

Then one day Vincent’s brother Victor told him that Jasper was home from a tour and might need a friend. What surprised Vincent the most was that he was happy to link back up with his childhood friend. That decision had benefitted them both, but recently Vincent had grown tired of their constant pissing contests.

He and Jasper could act like fools later. Right now he was curious to know what motivated the woman in front of him. It was true that Vincent was no saint, and he’d been accused of having an ambiguous—if not lack of—moral judgment, but he valued family, friends, science, and progress, above everything. Not saying that he wouldn’t throw one of the things he valued under a speeding bus for the other because he would, had, and once his plans were in place, he was going to again. To betray something you held dear was a hard, but necessary, call. When he had to choose, Vincent made the unselfish choice—the one that he believed would affect the world for the better. Or at least he strove to.

Vincent’s attention came back to Gail, who was eyeing Jasper with fear. He cleared his throat and when she turned her head to face him, her fear seemed to melt away, replaced by lust and awe, and maybe a little greed.
Little girls and their daddy/powerful alpha issues
, he thought. He didn’t quite understand that whole thing, but hey, to each his own.

“I would apologize for my friend’s brutish ways, but I wouldn’t dream of critiquing him for something he excels in. So…my associate Sal aided you in setting up this innocent girl, Aria, to take your place.”

Her name isn’t Carissa.
Vincent had to appreciate how well Ian had played him.

“I didn’t know what he wanted a girl for,” she said as she rubbed the bruise that was appearing on her upper arm.

Normally Vincent didn’t care for the manhandling of women, but in Gail’s case…

“You had to have known what she would be used for. You’re in the business of pleasing men. You certainly pleased Sal enough to where he tried to screw me over. Your little stunt has caused me a lot of grief.”

“Aria was a virgin.” Gail sniffed. “Men pay big for that, and I supplied her to you for a fraction of the cost. I didn’t know about you or—”

“Please don’t.” Vincent rubbed his forehead, feeling his patience draining. “I had to dispose of my favorite Madame,”—he paused because Gail let out a pained gasp—“and retire several of my long-time employees one of which I actually liked. Because of your generosity, an innocent girl was gang raped, and the only person I’ve ever truly loved unconditionally is out alone in the world. For the first time in my nephew’s life I do not know where he is. Not to mention he may think me a monster now and that I sanctioned what was done. To be honest, I have my issues, but I loathe violence unless it is absolutely necessary.” Vincent looked over to Jasper, who always read him so easily. His friend stood, making sure his leather gloves were on properly.

Gail took one look at Jasper and began to scream and kick up the length of the Aztec-patterned comforter in an attempt to get away from him. Vincent turned the volume up on the television set, looking up in the huge mirror on the wall, just in time to see Jasper break Gail’s neck. He turned the television down.

“You want me to kill Ian’s girl?” Jasper asked as he went to the washroom and wet a towel. “I’ll make it quick.”

Vincent hated to kill the innocent. Well, those who he considered innocent unless he had good reason. Aria knew too much. “No,” he sighed. Jasper was the best, but he needed him for something else. “I want Ian home, and right now you may be the only one he’ll listen to. We have to assume that the girl shared what she heard with him. I have a feeling he’s not going to resurface until Victor is stateside. His call a couple of weeks ago is our only clue. We’ve both seen the highlights of that night, so I doubt Ian and the girl are together. None of his friends—and I use that term loosely—have seen him, and he hasn’t been to his usual hangouts. I need him where I can monitor him. Plus, I have to convince him that what I do, I do for the greater good. I need to make him understand that.”

“And your inside man is running interference with Ian’s attempts to reach his father?”

“Yes, but I need to figure out my next move. My means may have changed, but the goal is still in play.”

“Yeah, but are you going to be able to do what it takes for the win?” Jasper began wiping the room down even though they wore gloves.

“The least I can do is save her from seeing your menacing mug right before she dies.”

Jasper held up his hand, pretending it was a gun that he held to his own head. “Two shots to the head, and she doesn’t even see it coming.” Jasper then threw the towel over Gail’s hollow eyes.

“How humane of you.”—Vincent rolled his eyes.

“I don’t need your shit right now, Vin.”

Vincent sighed. “Just worry about Ian. How do you plan on finding him, anyway?”

“I trained him.” Jasper lowered the brim of his baseball cap he wore. “I’ll find him.”

“If she’s with him”—Vincent stepped through the motel room door into the night—“subdue them both without injury. I don’t want him to see her die. Oh, and send Carlos and a couple others to her address tomorrow. Make it messy, unprofessional…seemingly personal.”

What on earth am I doing here
? He was a sucker for punishment, that’s what. At least that was what his brother, Richard, always told him. Apparently it was true. He was a sucker for punishment. At Ian’s age he still vied for his father’s attention, even if it meant doing something his father thought was uncharacteristic of a Howl and being scolded for it. Being the exact opposite of what a Howl was, was the only way to elicit a response from a father who seemed to hate his very presence.

Ian had to laugh out loud at that thought. In truth, his father didn’t hate his presence. He was just taken off guard whenever he saw Ian. For the first few minutes anyway, then his father would regain his frosty nature. Senator Victor Howl was as cool as a cucumber ninety percent of the time. The other ten, he was lukewarm.

Ian pushed the button that moved the driver’s side seat in an upright position. It was Wednesday, a few days after the dinner from hell and one of the two days Aria left school on time. He wished he knew what she did on the days she stayed. When he first started looking after her—some would say stalking, but he labeled it as looking after—he often imagined that she was inside the school with some guy, doing the things he wanted to do to her.

He tried to extinguish the uncharacteristic jealousy since then. He just wanted her safe, even if it meant being safe from him. He wanted more than that, but she had made it clear there was going to be nothing more. Not even friendship.

Ian opened the car door and got out. He leaned against car and pushed the hood of his sweatshirt off his head so Aria could see him as she passed.
I shouldn’t be here
, he told himself. He hadn’t bothered her since she basically told him that she felt nothing for him. Why couldn’t he just accept that, go home, and beg his uncle to leave her alone. Whatever it was Vincent wanted, Ian would find a way to give it to him if it would ensure Aria’s safety. The problem was that every time he tried to leave this place, her, his heart seemed to slow, and the hollow ache inside it would induce rapid breathing to the point where he would need to pull the car over to regain control.

Nothing, least of all a woman, had ever affected him like this, and he both relished and hated the feeling. Caring about someone in the way he cared about Aria was foreign to Ian. He had associates, but he kept everyone, even his family, at arm’s length. That way no one could hurt him. Only Aria had, every time she looked at him with indifference, but it was wholly his fault. He should have never allowed anyone that much power over him.

The saddest thing of all was that he should want nothing from her. They didn’t have a start where they’d flirted, hooked up, then declared their love. Hell, she probably hated everything about him, with good reason. By his logic, she was within her right to kill him. If she spat on him whenever she saw him, he couldn’t and wouldn’t object.

He deserved nothing from Aria but he wanted what seemed impossible.

Ian had almost talked himself into leaving, but it was too late to leave now; Aria was coming out of the building. He pushed off the car and stood so that she would see him.

She didn’t notice him as she walked down the front stairs of the school and across the walkway that would bring her mere feet from him. Aria was dressed differently today. Instead of the sweats and loose-fitting clothing she’d been wearing of late, today she wore a snug-fitting black vest that buttoned just under her breasts. Under that was a low-neck tank top that showed off a little cleavage of her perfectly-sized breasts that he would give almost anything to see bare again. Her dark blue Capri pants showed her lovely curves and tight, shapely backside. Aria’s hair was a fall of loose curls framing her angelic face, most of it spilling behind her shoulders to the small of her back. This look was in total contrast of what she’d worn to school since he’d been in town.

What is different
? Had her thinking that he was gone cheered her up enough to begin the healing process?