Except for the fact that he yields much more power than any of the men I’ve heard stories about. A power he’s clearly more than willing to use on me. I somehow thought he was different, but the way he treated me before we left lets me know that’s not the case. I won’t make that mistake again.
Kailler keeps glancing over at me. I think it’s because I’m pressing myself into her side trying to get as much distance from Aidon as I can. As hurt as I am, I find myself still getting turned on by the way his thigh is pressing against mine. The same thigh that had turned my world upside down. Now Aidon went and flipped me right side up.
“What’s wrong?” Kailler asks me to my surprise.
“Nothing.” I shift more in my seat, giving Aidon part of my back.
“Sit back. Your seatbelt doesn't work properly if you’re sitting that way.” Now he’s being the silly one. Why does he care? Plus, I’m sick of him pretending to be concerned about me or my well-being. It confuses me.
“He’s worse than Lawson,” I say. Kailler snorts a laugh. Her eyes go wide. The mask that had dropped for a fraction of a second rights itself immediately. She’s been reading the book I gave her. Excitement bubbles up inside me, but Aidon is quick to tamper it down.
“Who is Lawson?” His hand comes down on my shoulder, and he presses me back into the seat to sit correctly.
“See?” I point my thumb at Aidon. “So Lawson.” Kailler’s lips thin and I know she is trying not to laugh.
“Who the fuck is Lawson?”
“It’s girl stuff,” I huff, trying to get under his skin the same as he’s done mine. Lawson is the villain from the book we are reading. He is always bossing people around and expects everyone to jump at his commands. In short, he’s a jerk.
“We’ll talk about this later,” he grits out as the SUV comes to a stop outside of a building. He opens the door, slipping out and offering me his hand. I ignore it, instead getting out without his help. Of course when I try to head toward the building, my sandal snags on a crack, and I almost fall. Aidon’s arm wraps around me, and he catches me before I hit the concrete sidewalk.
He lets out a few curses under his breath, dropping his arm from around me once I have my footing. Then his giant hand wraps around my wrist in an unbreakable hold. Goosebumps break out over my skin at his touch, my body being the traitor it always is whenever he’s involved.
“Why not get a collar? I hear some men are into that.” That’s what I’ve heard, but in the stories some of the girls have told me, the roles are reversed actually. One of the girls has a client that likes her to put a collar on him. She walks him around her place. He also cleans her whole house from top to bottom. He pays exorbitant amounts of money to do this.
“Maybe I should get you a gag?” he tosses back at me. Ouch. I stop walking for a second, but Aidon has me by the wrist. We all step onto the elevator. Aidon hits the button for the seventh floor. This place is super nice. I’m not sure what he thinks I’m going to know about it. I’ve never been here before.
I stare down at my feet as we ride the elevator in silence. When we step off and out into the hallway, there are two men standing guard at the door. Kailler walks ahead of us to talk to the men. Once she seems satisfied, she signals for Aidon to approach. She has that serious look back on her face, and I know it’s because she’s on high alert. Protecting Aidon is her top priority.
We step into the apartment, and I smell Sara’s perfume. Guilt hits me. I’d told Aidon her name. It was a stupid slip. One I won't be making again. Kailler starts looking around the place. I stand in the living room, not sure what to do. Aidon watches me.
“Have you been here before?” I shake my head no. “But you know who lives here?”
I turn away from him, walking over to an end table and picking up a picture frame. I smile remembering this day. It was my birthday. Everyone is smiling in it.
“Cora.” I hear the warning in his tone. I set the frame back down on the table.
“What?” I turn to him and ask.
“I asked you a question.” He takes two steps toward me. I take two steps back, bumping into a wall with nowhere to go.
“I guess we're going to find out what you’re going to do to me then.” I raise my chin in a challenge, calling his bluff.
Chapter 11Aidon
As Cora circles the apartment, looking at photos, straightening pillows, and dusting her fingers across the top of the table, I pull Kailler aside. “Who the hell is Lawson?”
“It’s no one to worry about.”
“No one to worry about? This man who uses collars and Cora knows him?” I’m stymied by Kailler’s reticence. “The Vieth organization is known to be all women.”
“It’s really nothing.” Kailler waves her hand, and the small smile she was trying to hide before in the car is back. When she realizes I’m not letting this go, the smile fades. “It really isn’t anyone important. Don’t you trust me?” she adds in a small voice.
Kailler and I have known each other for a decade. I was there when she held her brother while he took his last breath. She was there when Chu handed me control over the organization. If I can’t trust her
