Chapter Twenty-Four

Madison groaned. The bed pitched and rolled. Morning storms were the worst.

“What? There now?” Aiden’s voice sliced through her sleepy fog.

She picked her head up and cracked one eye open.

The white room with the dark wood furniture was not her boat. Aiden shimmied into his jeans, his head tilted to the side with his phone pressed to his ear.

“I’ll be there. Keep him busy.” Aiden turned toward the bed and paused when he saw her.

She smiled and one side of his mouth hitched up and that dimple, man, she’d stroked his face and he’d smiled at her so big last night. When she saw the dimple, she knew she touched his heart. The world was a crazy, messed-up place, and yet they’d found each other. She didn’t know what was going to happen today or tomorrow, but she trusted him. And yeah, she was more than a little in love with him.

He slid his phone into his back pocket and zipped up his jeans.

“Hey, sorry I woke you. It’s a lot earlier than I’d have liked to get up.” He circled the bed to sit on the edge.

“It’s okay. I’m surprised your phone didn’t wake me.” She threaded her fingers through his, unable to keep the warm fuzzies at bay. Was it insane to think that she’d found someone amidst the hell Dustin tried to create?

“It was on vibrate. I’ve got to run over to the garage for a bit.”

“Is this a Classic Rides thing or a . . . ?” Was she allowed to say “FBI” out loud?

“Neither, really, just an appointment I forgot about. Why don’t you go back to sleep and I’ll bring you back some breakfast?” He ducked his head and kissed her, quick and hard. “Then I can wake you up the right way.”

Her toes curled. Exactly what way was the right way? She couldn’t wait to find out.

“I like the sound of that.”

“Me too.” He stood and walked toward the closet. She’d like nothing more than to spend all night in bed with Aiden, but what about Everglades Air? Her job? Her friend? What if the cops had tried to find her?

“Hey.”

“Hm?” Aiden stepped out of the closet and pulled a shirt on.

“What are we going to do about last night and me?” Last night she’d done what had felt right in the moment. Today, she was beginning to realize just how far the ramifications went. Not only had she stolen from a criminal—she’d stolen from her boss. Someone who treated her like family.

“We’re working on it. I just need you to hang here. Lie low. Don’t answer the door for anyone. Lock this door and sleep until I get back.” He pointed at the doorframe. “This is reinforced steel. This whole room has been outfitted as a safe room.”

“Oh. Like the garage?” She tucked the blankets around her and sat up.

“Exactly like the garage.” Aiden pulled on his socks and shoved his feet in his shoes. He seemed to be in an awful hurry for just an appointment.

“Have you seen my phone?” She glanced around.

“No. It’s probably for the best if you turn it off. Don’t call anyone. I’ve got to go.” He crawled up from the foot of the bed and kissed her once more. “I’ll be back.”

“Can’t wait.”

She smiled and watched his ass while he slipped out of the bedroom. Why did she have the sinking suspicion Aiden was keeping something from her? Because he probably was under some guise of protecting her. She didn’t like it, but then again, she was in deep now. At least she didn’t have to worry if what Aiden was doing was the right thing or not.

Except, she’d done the bad thing last night. Lily and her family were going to be worried about her. And she’d betrayed them, for the sake of doing a good thing. It was such a messed up situation to be in. But Aiden was working with the FBI. They were the good guys. Weren’t they? She flopped back on the bed and blew out a breath.

For her sanity, she needed to believe Aiden would do the right thing by her. That in the end, the bad guys would get what they deserved and the victims—like Lily’s family—would be compensated for their loss. Besides, Aiden had to be the good guy in all of this. If not, she’d just fallen for another con man criminal.

Madison placed her hand over her heart and stared up at the ceiling. It had been so long since she’d cared for a man. The anxious uncertainty swirling in her breast was enough to drive her nuts. When all of this was over, she had to wonder what her future would be. Could something work between Aiden and her? She was reasonably certain the man cared for her. The sex was great, but it was more than that. When he was in her and staring at her, it was as if for those few brief seconds their souls meshed and they were one person.

The digital clock on the dresser ticked away the minutes, but Madison couldn’t seem to fall back to sleep. With as little rest as she’d had over the last couple of nights, it was a wonder she hadn’t just passed out when her head hit the pillow. Aiden had been gone for over half an hour. At this rate, she wasn’t going back to sleep. Between her obsession with Aiden and worry over Lily and work, she was up for the day.

She sighed and slipped out of bed, arms wrapped around herself, and tiptoed around the room. Aiden said she shouldn’t contact anyone, but what if Lily was trying to find her? Or, maybe they didn’t realize she was gone? But that would be silly. There were two other people who knew she’d been there last night. She could look at the messages, maybe check her voice mails, couldn’t she? The last thing she wanted was for Lily and her family to be worried about her.

Madison frowned and turned in a circle, taking in the room. Her jeans were folded on top of the dresser with her bra. Wouldn’t she have left her phone there? Maybe she’d dropped it in the barn or in the car?

There was no way she’d go back to bed now. Between the albatross of guilt weighing her down and Aiden’s promise of return—she was awake, like it or not. She got dressed and scraped her hair back into a messy bun. Aiden had said to stay put. It wouldn’t hurt to take a quick look around in case she’d dropped it.

She flipped the lock and peeked out, but the house was empty.

One quick look around.

Madison wiggled her feet into her shoes and wandered out into the living room. Aiden’s home was a little on the plain side—lots of white walls and tile floor—but the furniture was all bachelor. Large, overstuffed pieces that were black, brown, or solid wood. It was a change from the flamboyant norm that was a typical Florida home. No color or decoration. There was little to no personality here. It was as if he’d saved that entirely for the cars, leaving a blank slate here.

He worked with the FBI, whatever that meant.

There were so many questions. Could she be satisfied leaving them unanswered?

If she wanted to keep Aiden in her life, she might have to.

She let herself out through the back door and crossed to the garage. She tried the side door, but the knob didn’t twist. It was locked up tight.

Madison sighed and stepped back. She should have known better. There was no way Aiden would leave his precious cars vulnerable. She wasn’t sure where he lived, but petty crime was everywhere in Miami.

Just to satisfy her curiosity, she circled the barn and tried the sliding door, but the locking system was secure. She’d just have to hope Aiden got back soon. The only other place her phone could be was in his car. Making Lily and her family worry was low on her list of things to do.

She retraced her steps back to the house. Maybe there was a landline she could use, but it wasn’t like she knew anyone’s number these days. She stopped at the edge of the patio slab, her lungs refusing to draw breath.

The kitchen door was open.

She distinctly remembered shutting it.

If Aiden had returned she’d have heard the purr of his car.

Her heart pounded. She shouldn’t have left the bedroom.

Madison turned—and ran straight into her rat-bastard ex-husband.

* * *

Aiden turned into Classic Rides, cursing under his breath. An unmarked SUV and a police cruiser sat out front in the shade of the palm trees that lined the side of the lot, the two uniformed cops staring at Detective Smith gesturing at Gabriel, who merely nodded. Good luck getting the mechanic to talk. Gabriel was about as silent as they came.

Aiden pulled the Challenger around behind the garage. The last thing he wanted right now was for the cops to look too closely at his street-modified ride. He doubted they’d give him the professional courtesy and turn a blind eye. He’d skirted the boundaries of legal.

He parked haphazardly and got out of the car. Kathy was waiting for him in the first open bay, little lines bracketing her mouth. It was the only indication today was not a normal day. The twins were nowhere to be seen and Julian would no doubt have made himself scarce. CJ was rolled under an old Ford pickup truck banging around. The man did not know cars—he knew tech—but he was learning.

Aiden handed Kathy Madison’s cell phone. He’d hated taking it, but they couldn’t risk her making contact with anyone right now. The world needed to think she’d been kidnapped. They’d have to find a body at a morgue that they could outfit with enough DNA to be a match and roll it into the Everglades, maybe with the last Bugatti. After that she could go into witness protection with no one the wiser she wasn’t alive. Whatever the solution would be, first, they had to deflect the heat.

“Detective Smith.” Aiden strolled out to join Gabriel.

“Wondering where you were.” Matt had his hands on his hips and a pair of aviators perched on his nose.

“It’s Monday. We usually give everyone a little leniency. What can I do for you?” They’d been pretty lucky to stay under the Miami-Dade Police Department’s radar until now. They might be an FBI operation, but their methods weren’t always legal. So long as they produced the desired results, the people in charge didn’t ask any questions. It’d only been a matter of time. Too bad they had to take notice of their little operation now.

“Where were you yesterday around one o’ clock?” Matt wasn’t beating around the bush. At least he was only interested in the wreck and not last night. But, Everglades Air fell under a different jurisdiction. It would take time to connect anything to them—if they ever did.

“Yesterday?” Aiden stared over the detective’s shoulder. “Hm, Gabriel, didn’t I run up to Boca for those parts for the Jag?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Anyone confirm you were there?”

“Uh, sure, I’ve got a guy who picks up parts for me. He knew I was coming, but left them on the porch.” Aiden dug out his wallet and handed over his junk dealer’s business card. So often, people rolled the old cars into the junkyard and left them. The bodies might be weak, but the parts were still good.

“But he didn’t see you?” Matt took the card and turned it over.

“Nope, but he’s got a security camera. I bet I’m on it.” Crap. He’d swung by the junkyard an hour before he’d met Dustin for the trade. They’d have to do some quick work to get the time stamps altered, but there was always the chance the junk dealer wouldn’t work with the cops unless a warrant was involved.

“Anyone else confirm you were there? What route did you take?”

Sweat rolled down Aiden’s spine. Security and traffic cameras were too risky to doctor. If Matt wanted to track him down that bad, the only thing stopping him would be an FBI order.

“What’s going on, man? Bitter I took your date?”

Matt frowned and glanced at Gabriel, then back to Aiden.

“Gabriel, why don’t you go help with that pickup truck? I promised we’d have that transmission ready by Wednesday.” Aiden spoke without glancing away from Matt.

“Sure thing, boss.” Gabriel turned and strolled back into the garage.

Matt took a step toward Aiden. The detective was a couple inches shorter, with the build of a runner. The sport coat was too tight on his shoulders. A little digging into the detective proved he liked to be hands-on working a case. Aiden figured the coat and glasses were for show, to appear more official.

“I know you have a beef with the Eleventh Street Gang. One of their guys caused a wreck yesterday, shot up a few cars before we picked him up, but strange thing is, there’s no driver for the other car. A couple people said a man with light-colored hair was pulled out of a Mustang by a guy driving a pickup truck and left the scene. Wouldn’t know anything about that, would you? Don’t you have another guy, a redneck, that works for you?”

The ache in Aiden’s shoulder, neck, and back knew all about that, but he’d have to power through it. He resisted the urge to glance behind him to see if John’s truck was there.

“Sorry, man, like I said, I had a busy day yesterday here.” He thumbed over his shoulder.

“I don’t believe for an instant you work for the FBI,” Matt said quietly.

“We both know the truth, Detective.”

“I don’t believe it. Guy with your record? Not likely. Where’d you get the scratches from?” Matt gestured to Aiden’s forearms.

When the window broke, the flying glass had cut him, but not much. Aiden held out his arms.

“Huh. I guess that happened last night.”

“And last night you were . . . ?”

Aiden cocked a brow at Matt. “None of your business.”

The phone in Aiden’s back pocket began to vibrate, except he couldn’t remember which phone was in what pocket. Was that his phone? Or the burner he’d been using?

“Look, DeHart, I don’t know what you’re doing, but I don’t trust you. What were you doing yesterday?”

Aiden glanced over Matt’s shoulder. The other two cops were too far away to hear what they were saying. “I had a face-to-face meet with an asset. There was FBI coverage. I bet part of it was recorded. Unfortunately, I can’t share the details of our operation, but I can remind you that you’ve been asked to give us some space, so, Detective? Back the fuck off.”

“I could arrest you for fleeing the scene. FBI won’t look too kindly on you doing that.”

Aiden forced his hands to relax. Punching Detective Smith wouldn’t solve any of their problems.

The other pocket began to vibrate. Who the hell was trying to get ahold of him at close to eight in the morning? Something was happening. And good things rarely happened this early.

Aiden took a step toward Matt, staring him down. “I don’t want to start a pissing match with Miami-Dade PD. I just want to do my job. Now, unless you’ve got some evidence to charge me with, get off my property.”

“I’m sure our guys will swab the interior and find something. I’ll pin this to your ass yet, FBI or no.” Matt turned and stalked toward his SUV.

Aiden waited, watching the detective and two officers load up and roll out. Why did they have to get the detective with a vendetta?

He turned and strode into the garage, pulling both phones out.

“Aiden.” Kathy hurried to his side and grabbed his forearm. “Emery just called, said someone’s tripped the alarm at your house.”

“Anything on the cameras?” While Aiden didn’t stand for cameras inside the house, he had a couple outside, just in case.

“He’s pulling those up.”

Aiden unlocked his burner phone and pulled up the missed calls.

Dustin Ross.

“I’ve got to get back to my house. Something’s not right.” Damn it. Why hadn’t he left Madison’s phone? Maybe she’d have ignored it?

He jogged back to his car, Kathy behind him.

“I’ll get Tori over there too, just in case.”

“What about the paperwork?” The sooner Madison was gone, the safer she’d be.

“It’s started, but that takes time.”

Fucking FBI, with their red tape and a hundred forms. They were dealing with a life here, a very precious life.