“No, I think all the guns in his face kept him from resisting,” he replied.
Laura turned her lips to a frown. “I thought you guys had action in your type of career.”
“Trying to find the identity of one man for ten years isn’t action enough for you?” Aidan said.
“How does it feel to finally have caught him?” Cheyenne asked.
Aidan considered the question.
He knew some of his peers would begin to feel empty after hunting a killer for so long. They searched for them relentlessly until it engrossed them, and they’d forget who they were before.
So how did he feel about it?
Aidan regarded Cheyenne, remembering the pain his sister felt when she learned of Candace's murder, how he felt arriving at the crime scene and seeing Candace. He reflected on the chase and remembered the fear when Cheyenne was missing.
“Relieved,” Aidan told her. “Like I can finally rest.”
She smiled at him and reached for his hand. He kissed her.
“Oh,” Aidan said, suddenly remembering the bet he and Cheyenne had made a while back. He turned to Laura. “So, you were dating someone in Florida, right? A heart surgeon. How’d that work out?”
Laura shrugged. “Turns out he wasn’t my type.”
“How long did it last?” Aidan questioned.
“I don’t know, a month?”
“Oh, really,” Cheyenne said, her face brightening in amusement. “You chucked him to the side before you had to return home?”
“Well, chucking is kind of harsh,” Laura replied defensively.
Shaun chuckled as he watched the banter.
“Either way, I have a slave for a month,” Cheyenne replied. Aidan could hear the edge of satisfaction in her words.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Laura said, narrowing her eyes. She looked from Aidan to Cheyenne, whose smile stretched from ear to ear.
“Well, doesn’t make much of a difference,” Aidan said, pointing to her leg. “You can’t walk anyway, so I’d say you’ve got a slave no matter.”
Cheyenne shook her head with admission. “Nice try, buddy. But this doesn’t count.”
“Aww, c’mon,” he whined. “Not fair.”
“Well,” Laura interjected. “While you two work that out, I’m going to run to the cafeteria and get myself some lunch.” She looked at Shaun. “You seem like you’re aching to buy. Care to join me?”
A broad smile spread across his dark face. “I’d be honored.”
“Well, what’s the hold up?” Laura insisted, a smirk forming on her lips.
“I like her,” Shaun said to Aidan as Laura went ahead of him.
“I like her too,” Aidan told him. “But I also like you, so let me warn you. She goes through men like underwear.”
Shaun let his shoulder rise, then fall as he made his way for the door. “Who knows? I just might be the one. Catch you later.”
When the door closed after him, Aidan climbed onto the bed to get close to Cheyenne.
“I was really scared I’d never see you again,” he admitted. “I didn’t know what I’d do without you.”
“I wasn’t,” Cheyenne muttered. “I knew you’d find me.”
“You did? How?”
“I had faith in you even when you didn’t,” Cheyenne said. “I always did.”
“I’m sorry I worried you all this time. Things will change from now on. I promise.”
“First,” Cheyenne said, running a hand through his hair, “don’t make promises you can’t keep. Second, don’t change yourself for me. I love you for the man you are and the compassion you show to others. And third, I think you should turn down the Quantico job.”
Aidan pivoted so he could see her better. “When did you come to that decision?”
“When he was holding me. You had just lowered your gun.”
“So…he was about to kill you in front of me and you made the decision that you didn’t want me to be a teacher at Quantico?” Aidan laughed, but it was an uneasy one. The image of seeing her in Kent’s grasp was still unsettling.
“I’ve never seen you work in situations like that,” Cheyenne replied. “You were amazing. And this is something you’ve done for ten years. It’s something you love doing. If you go to Quantico, you won’t be happy.”
“You’re a hard woman to figure out,” he said.
She laughed and wrapped her arms around him.
Shaun and Aidan debriefed Monroe and Zane, with Hansford on a conference call about the events at the train yard. They’d congratulated Aidan for a job done well; however, he told them it was a team effort. Shaun told Aidan he was only being modest, but Aidan didn’t want to take all the credit. It didn’t sit right with him.
After the briefing, he took Cheyenne home to Laura’s house and helped her get settled on the couch. The doctors told him to be sure she kept her knees elevated and on ice. She was going to have to walk with a cane around the house and ride in a wheelchair if she happened to go out.
Shaun had asked Laura out for a real date and she accepted. Aidan was being honest to Shaun about wanting him to be careful where Laura was concerned, but he figured Shaun was a big boy. He’d been warned and as a federal agent hunting serial offenders, Aidan was sure he could take care of himself against Cheyenne’s wild sister.
Aidan stepped into the kitchen to get Cheyenne a glass of water she’d requested.
When he got the ice, his cell phone rang. Multitasking by filling the glass with water, he answered the phone without first checking his caller ID.
“Hello. This is a collect call from ‘Kent Ory’ at Georgia State Government Corrections. Press one to accept, two to decline.”
Aidan set the glass on the island and gripped the edge.
He was calling again.
Why?
Curiosity had him accepting the call. Once he agreed to the payment, Aidan was connected.
“Hello, Aidan. It’s Kent.” His voice appeared undisturbed despite being in
