Invidious Betrayal (23 page)

With her out of sight, his thoughts returned to what had happened at the rest stop. They had either been betrayed by the FBI agent or his father’s phone was tapped. No, he wouldn’t accept that a state senator who was as popular as his father could have his phone tapped, though it wasn’t impossible. He knew firsthand what a hacker could do, but he knew his father had a great security team, because he tested them often.

So that would mean that the FBI agent was dirty, and he and Aria couldn’t trust law enforcement other than her father and possibly his deputies.

Another hitch in the ‘keep Aria alive’ plan was that Jasper was involved now, and the soldier of fortune seemed to be wielding the same unnatural strength and speed that Ian suddenly had. Over the years Ian had always thought the still-active special ops soldier had held back during their sparring, but he never imagined that Jasper was hiding all that power. How did Jasper get that way?

More importantly, how the hell did
I
get
this
way?

Ian held his hands up and peered at them. He turned them around slowly to see if they looked any different from before, but they didn’t. He could admit that he had always possessed a certain quickness that others didn’t. Even his punches seemed more solid, though he’d never had to fight anyone other than Jasper; and he didn’t consider sparring as fighting, but he could tell that now he was different. What was even weirder, why hadn’t he discovered what he was capable of before now? What’s different?

Had he always had sensitive hearing? He could hear and clearly decipher sounds throughout the train. He had power, and speed—the speed of a comic book hero.

What triggered it
?

Of course while he couldn’t figure the trigger, he didn’t have to wonder
how
he or even Jasper had gotten this way. His uncle was a genetics genius and a doctor who ran one of the top drug manufacturing companies in the world. For as long as Ian could remember, Jasper had injected himself with a special concoction of “vitamins” once a week. Ian had taken a medication his uncle prescribed monthly until he was hospitalized when he was about ten. It was likely those injections he received as a boy had greatly enhanced him.

It was then that Ian remembered that during the fight, Carlos had said that he was a part of the
“club”
. How many others were guinea pigs for Uncle Victor’s research? I wonder if Dad knows about it. And how is all this connected with me being set up for Aria’s murder?

Ian needed to speak to his father, but doing so could put Aria in the path of a bullet next time and he wasn’t going to risk her safety just to get some questions answered. He decided to get her to safety before confronting his family. Besides, Ian knew his father would never truly do anything to hurt him. He hadn’t thought his uncle would either, but Jasper’s attack certainly changed that opinion.

Only, Jasper had gone straight for Aria and not him so it doesn’t seem that he is on the ‘kill’ list just yet.

When Ian heard Aria’s soft voice calling the all clear, he sighed. “You are a master of your emotions,” he reminded himself quietly. Ian then relaxed and locked away his immediate images of Aria in the shower, water trailing down her delectable body, before going back inside the small quarters.

“So do we sleep in the chairs?” Aria asked him. She looked over the small, upholstered chairs with curiosity.

They were both tired, though it was late-afternoon. “You need a proper rest.” Ian pulled out the chairs and arranged them into a full-size bed. He dressed the bed then pulled a single loft bed out above it. “I’ll sleep up top.”

He watched as Aria climbed into the bed before he made quick work of getting the top bunk sheeted, then pulled his body up with ease and laid down. After an hour or so of looking at the ceiling and listening to Aria move around, Ian leaned over the edge of his bunk.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

“I can’t sleep.”

He understood what she said, as well as what she didn’t say because he felt the exact same way. They both were all wound up. Ian swung his feet around and jumped down, landing on the floor next to the bed. His sudden movements jolted Aria to sit up. She looked at him, her brows wrinkling, probably wondering what the hell he was doing. Ian moved onto the bed beside her, over top of the blanket.

“What are you doing?” she asked, as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her back into his front.

“I won’t touch you inappropriately, Aria,” he said, feeling her stiffen. “I just need…” How could he tell her that he couldn’t fall asleep unless he felt her next to him? He’d tried to sleep but since the condo he was only able to take mini-naps here and there. Ian needed to feel her warmth, to know she was safe.

When she relaxed into him he figured it was due to fear and fear alone. Gone were the days when either of them could close their eyes without worrying about what might happen while they slept.

Ian folded her in his arms, doing his best to keep his body’s urges to himself. It was hard to ignore his imagining the peach nightshirt riding up over her thighs, but at least he tried to ignore it. Her freshly cleaned skin was calling to him. He moved his face into the side of her neck and inhaled deeply.

“Ian,” Aria said. She breathed more calmly than she had a minute ago. She was more relaxed and that meant more to him than she would ever know. “Where are we going?”

Ian knew that Aria’s trust in him had been building since he’d carried her out of his uncle’s mansion that night, which seemed to link them—possibly for the rest of their lives. He had proven to them both that her safety was his main concern, so her getting on a train, not knowing where they were going but doing so anyway, validated that trust she put in him. He would do his damndest to maintain that trust, and this closeness she now allowed.

Aria depended on him to keep her alive and he had made a promise to her father to do just that, but Ian wasn’t just keeping her safe because it was the right thing to do. He was a means to an end to Aria, and that end was her ultimate safety, but to him she was so much more.

“We can’t trust the people I know or any law enforcement agencies except maybe your father’s. Only Agent Kessler knew where we were going and Jasper showed up. We need to lay low until my father returns or my uncle gives up his obsession with you.” Ian believed the latter would probably prove futile. “I’m taking you to a place I think you’ll be safe.”

“Do you think your father can help?” she asked. There was both fear and hope in her voice.

God, he wanted to turn her around and kiss her until her fear melted away. Make love to her until she forgot that they were being hunted. He wanted to tell her that he’d fallen for her the very moment she woke in that motel room, ready to fight him before allowing him the pleasure of consoling her.

Ian was certain that none of that was going to happen. Aria would never allow him to touch her intimately again and he would never tell her how he felt about her. She didn’t need this, or him, in her life any more than what was necessary. He needed to accept that now.

“I have no idea, but right now you need sleep and I need to think.” Ian wasn’t sure if they could depend on anyone other than each other at the moment, but he wasn’t going to tell her that.

It was still dark when Ian slowly became aware of his surroundings, and Aria’s feminine scent had been what woke him. Well, that and the throbbing mass of flesh between his legs. Her soft, curvy bottom was tucked nicely into him, and it was a sensation he knew he would always appreciate. Ian’s hand rested on her flat stomach, so he slowly moved his arm that had held her close while they were sleeping from around her waist. Aria moaned and arched her back, moving her shoulders away from him, but burying her ass into his aching cock. He let out a growl that sounded more animalistic than human as he pulled her closer and buried his face in her hair.

“Ian?” Aria said groggily. He stiffened and held his breath. “Too tight, can’t breathe.” He loosened his hold, but before he pulled completely away and got out of the bed, she turned over to face him. “Thanks,” she said. Then, to his shock, she moved into him, and nestled her head under his chin as she tucked her body closer.

Ian groaned, relishing the pleasure of holding her.

Aria hadn’t jumped from the bed in disgust or pushed him away.
That is a plus
. Instead she moved closer, and it sounded like she was asleep again. For several minutes, Ian lay motionless in the dark before putting his arm back around her, unsure if she was going to jump up in hysterics. When she made no moves to dislodge herself, he relaxed, then eventually fell back to sleep.

When Ian woke hours later, it took only a second for him to realize Aria wasn’t beside him. He shot up from the bed, but didn’t take in consideration the space or lack thereof. He fell between the pull-out bed and the shelf/pullout table. Cursing, he managed to maneuver his folded body up and pushed the bed enough to move around it. Just as he reached for the door, it slid open.

“Goodnight, sleepy head,” Aria said, as she moved around him. She held two covered plates in her hands and two cartons of orange juice under her arm.

“Morning… I mean, goodnight.” Ian rubbed the top of his head, smothering his anger and concern as he checked his watch. They had about two hours before changing trains.

Aria cleared her throat.

Ian looked up and realized that Aria was still standing. “Sorry,” he said. Ian quickly moved to fold the bed up, so Aria could get by. She sat down on the single chair while he transformed the night room back into a day room. With the beds away, Ian was able to unfold the table. He helped her with the food before heading for the bathroom. He went through his morning routine and tried again to push down his unexpected anger.

How could she leave the room without him, without protection? When he finished and sat down at the table with her, he was sure he looked calm, but he was still fuming underneath. “I promised myself and your father that I would keep you safe. I can’t do that if you don’t stay with me at all times.”

Aria gave him the most innocent smile he’d ever seen. “You were asleep and I was hungry.” She furrowed her brows. “Was I supposed to starve?”

“I mean it, Aria,” he bit out. “I need you safe.” Ian glanced at the plate with hot turkey and gravy, potatoes, and green beans in front of him. It actually looked appetizing.

“Us,” she said, opening her juice. Ian raised his brows, confused. “You said you needed me safe, but what you mean to say is that you need
us
safe. Me and the baby, right?”

Ian exhaled as he rolled the straw she’d placed next to his juice back and forth across the small table. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her, but he had to bring some things to light. He looked her in the eyes, so she could see he was serious. “You saw me kill Carlos in your room?” Aria hesitated just a few seconds, then nodded. “And you saw me at the rest stop, so you saw how fast I am. You’ve witnessed this just like I have and you know just like I do that it’s not normal. I’ve thought about it over and over and I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s feasible to assume that I am some kind of science experiment. Genetics and chemistry are my uncle’s specialty. That being said, whatever is wrong with me is likely to be passed on to that child.”

“There’s nothing wrong with you, Ian.” Aria took a sip of her juice then began eating her food as if he had said nothing.

Ian watched her eat for a while before adding, “It may not go to full term and if it does, it may have some abnormalities. I don’t want to put you through that pain. And what if—” Ian looked down, unable to finish. Saying it might make it real, but even as he refused to say it out loud, he was unable to dismiss it from his head.
What if this baby killed her like I killed my mother
? Ian shut his eyes tightly, took a deep breath and then looked down before he opened them. He couldn’t look at her. “We should take care of it now, Aria, before it’s too late.”

Aria’s head was tilted when he looked back up at her. He watched as she carefully placed her fork back on the plate in front of her. She smiled, but he knew it wasn’t a happy smile. “You weren’t prepared for this—me or this situation. My parents are in a hospital because of…” Aria looked away. She closed her eyes and sighed. When she looked back at him, Ian saw the unshed tears in her eyes. “Look, I didn’t want this but I’m doing my best to accept it. And once I’ve accepted something, I try not to dwell on it if I can’t change it. Yeah…what you can do is…
different,
but it doesn’t change the person I’m becoming to know. I’m not stupid. This baby may not be yours. Of course if I had a choice,” she sighed. “But it is a part of me and possibly…you and I’m not going to
take care of it
.” Aria wiped at her eye before a tear fell and shrugged. “I’m not expecting anything from you, Ian, but if you are the father I would like you to know
our child
. So you have to decide what role, if any, you’d like to play in his or her life, but I would appreciate it if you never bring up
taking care of it
again, okay?”