The Absolution of Aidan (The Syndicate Series Book 3) (26 page)

One by one he snatches them up, drags them by their hair, and ties each one of them to a tree with their hands stretched behind them and pieces of material shoved in their mouths.

“You are sick man,” I spew when he pushes me forward.

“Maybe so. Bring me the kid.” He reels around in front of me. I refuse to look at him. My only concern right now is to watch her reaction, the mother of my child, the woman who taught me the meaning of love.

“I say leave the kid in the van, don’t let them see him. Besides, the little punk has obviously slept through this whole thing. And we need to get the fuck out of here.” Matthew steps in front of Deidre. My view of her is gone. All I see are her unsteady legs. Wobbly. Unstable.

“I really wanted to make you choose which one of these bitches to kill first. By the look in your eyes, you’ve made my mind up for me.” Junior completely ignores Matthew and squares his shoulders back like he’s already won.

That’s when it happens. The only perfect explosion of my still beating heart is when I see Matthew slump forward, and before his knees even hit the ground, Junior screams out in pain when he’s shot in the shoulder of the arm holding his gun.

I lift my foot, slamming it into his arm, kicking the gun out of his hands as I do so.

“Jesus, John, get these damn cuffs off of me!” I yell. I know it’s him. There is no one else I know who can sneak up undetected and shoot two people within a matter of seconds.

“I got him.” Roan. Fuck me. I may kiss the motherfucker after I have my family safely tucked close.

“She told you you wouldn’t get away with this. You fucked up asshole.” Roan punches the piece of shit lying on the ground in the face, while he squirms around like the little bitch he is.

“Do you have a key in these pockets, man? If so, I need it. My brother here has a job to do.” He shoves his hands into Junior’s pocket.

“Fuck you,” he shrieks out in pain.

“No, thanks. Dead stinking pussy ain’t my thing.” He then stands up and looks me in the eye. No words need to be exchanged right now. He knows this as well as I do. Walking behind me, he takes my hands, and I hear the sweet sound of the cuffs being unhinged. I’m running to the van before they even hit the ground.

I lose it then at the sight of my boy sleeping soundly in a car seat. I need to feel him. To feel his little heart beating against my chest. To inhale his scent. To divulge in this life that’s part of me. He whimpers and stretches when I take him out. He wakes the moment I cradle him in my arms. Those big eyes are wide. A sleepy smile spreads across his perfect face.

I turn to bring him to his mom. That’s when I notice several members of my family. John, Salvatore, Anna, and Alexis Drexler. My mother.

DEIDRE

It’s dark. Even though it’s the middle of summer, I’m shaking as if I’m cold.

It’s over. My family is safe. I should feel remorseful, guilty for taking another person’s life. I don’t.

How can I when my entire world’s lives were at stake? When my child was torn from my arms, right along with my heart? Maybe when the reality of what I’ve done finally hits me, I will. Not right now. Not with Diesel wide awake, chewing on my finger, not with Aiden having one of his big hands running through my hair while his other one caresses the side of our son’s cheek.

We’re almost to the hospital, where both my dad and Dilan are in surgery. That’s all we know. All the information Cain was able to tell Aidan when he called him. My mom is too frantic to call the hospital herself, we all are.

I glance up from the backseat of Roan’s truck to the woman driving, swerving through traffic like a racecar driver. My mom. Her only mission right now is to get to the man she loves. The man who holds her heart. My dad. I know he’s going to be fine. He has to be. He’s a fighter, a father, and a grandfather. I’m honored to be his daughter. Those are the first words I will tell him. The exact words I told him when he stood by my side when I fell apart.

Not this time. I refuse to let the enemy steal any part of my true identity from me, to strip away the love that symbolizes my life.

Everyone is silent, too silent really. But hell, we’ve been through it tonight and survived. There are so many things I want to say and do. None of it matters, not now. Everyone’s lost in their own thoughts.

Anna sits quietly in the passenger seat, her arm around her mother’s shoulder. Grace is not moving, either. I’ve seen her eyes many times, from my own reflection gazing back at me. They’re blank, left of the reality surrounding her. She’s going to need help. Lots of it. I fear for Grace. I’ve walked in her shoes, the not knowing, the horror, dread, and distress you’re under. You lose all control of rationality, you fear for the one life you have as well as the life of your child.

Anna needs medical attention in the worst way. How she ran through those woods like she did, in the pain she must have been in, shows us all what a person will do when the will to survive is strong enough. You push headfirst, worrying about your battered body last, to help not only yourself but those you love.

And she looks broken but still strong enough to soothe her mother. I know the dread inside of her has to be eating her alive. It’s the same way Aidan feels. It’s pouring out of him like water from a busted damn. Dilan. I don’t know much yet, but what I have overheard is he was barely breathing by the time Aidan stumbled upon him.

After John untied us all, the first thing I did was run to where my heart was, straight into Aidan’s arms, the two of us clinging, fusing our souls back together, with our child in between us. Peace. All I felt in that moment was peace. That and the fact he decided to leave with me. No questions asked.

I know he wanted to be the one to kill Junior. As morbid as it sounds, I’m proud of him for allowing John to handle it. Unlike me, he won’t have to live with killing someone. Even though the man’s life I took was nothing but a piece of shit who deserved to die, it may hit me hard when the power of us surviving hits me. Then again, maybe it won’t. I’d do it all over again if the end results were the same as they are now.

Who I’m really stunned about is Alexis. I knew where she was staying, knew her story and why she treated her son the way she did. So many questions are left unanswered. Aidan honored her with a thank you, and we left. Now, both her and Roan are trailing behind us in his truck.

“Aidan.” My mom’s anxious voice calls out as we pull into the emergency entrance of the hospital.

As if he can read her mind, he releases his fingers from my hair, removes his hand from Diesel, and climbs out of the truck the minute she puts it in park.

All three of the women in the front step out. Anna, who can barely see, gently guides her mother as they all make their way for the emergency doors.

Aidan hikes up into the truck, glances back at me with a wink, then drives into the visitors’ parking. He turns off the ignition, gets himself out, rounds the front of the truck, and he’s right back where he was as if he never left my side at all. The door wrenches open with a big, fat yank. Aidan Hughes, eyes flaming with tears in them, is the most beautiful man I will ever have the privilege of looking at.

“I know you want to go in there, and god, this is so selfish of me to ask of you right now. But Christ, woman, if I don’t have my mouth on yours…”

“Shut up and kiss me,” I insist.

I’ve never wanted him to kiss me more. To feel his lips wrapped around mine… to feel his tongue licking, taking, and drinking in what is his. Letting me savor what is mine. My chest rises and falls more hastily than it ever has before. When it comes to Aidan, I’m always in a hurry, and he’s always slow. Savoring. Despite everything we’ve been through tonight, our mouths mold to each other’s with ferocity. It’s sloppy, wet, and the best kiss. And I will cherish it for the rest of my life. Because that’s what we have now. The rest of our lives.

“We’ll meet you inside.” Roan clears his throat and shuts his door, leaving the three of us alone. I glance over to Alexis, who seems to be out of place here. Why is she here anyway? I mean, what does she think she will gain? Does she think Aidan is going to forgive her? This is what I mean about questions.

I tear my gaze from her. I cannot stand the sight of the wicked woman less than twenty feet away from me. She gave birth to an unbelievable man, an individual who would have loved her with everything he had if she had purely done the best job God gave her. To simply love him. Instead, she walked down the path of her own self-righteousness. Calculated with the behemoth of her husband and his prodigy and destroyed the one and only childhood he will have. No, I hate her. She will stay away from him, away from our baby. I don’t care what I find out, what she tries to prove, she will always be a part of this pre-meditated plan as far as I’m concerned.

“We need to get in there. They should look you over,” I say. He’s quite banged up himself.

“Not happening. My healing is right here. In my arms, in that car seat.” I drop my forehead to his while he imprisons me with his arms. I wish I could bathe in this moment forever. Bottle it all up and never let him go. His words break me from my little family bubble. “But you, my brave woman, need to get in there and be with your mom. And I want them checking you out.”

“And what about you? If you refuse to have them look at you, then I am, too,” I say, peering up into his still glassy eyes. My heart is breaking for us all. I watch his facial features morph into a terrified expression. His countenance shows he’s recalling, remembering. He lets his tears fall. I take my thumb and brush them away.

“I know Dilan’s parents are here. They have to be. I’ll find them then come to you. Once we know that both of them are okay, we’ll get looked at together. Deal?” His voice is hoarse. “Deal, but I don’t want to leave you,” I verbalize. “Then we’ll find out everything together. Right now though, lets get him inside, see if they have formula and diapers to take care of our little guy here first.” And this is one of the many reasons I intend on keeping him forever. Any man who puts his family first is just that, a man. We embrace each other once more. My eyes are examining his mother still standing there, witnessing us convey how strong our bond is. I want her gone. But I continue to bite my tongue, knowing this isn’t the time or place to tell her she can leave anytime she wants.

“I love you,” I say softly.” “I love you too. So much, Deidre. Now, come. Let’s get you to your mom.” He helps me out of the truck. Gently. Carefully placing me on the ground. Then he gathers Diesel, pulling him into his arms. I shut the door behind us, while Aidan locks it and stuffs the keys into his pocket. The right side of my stomach stings. I hold back my groan, gritting my teeth from the pain. I won’t allow him to see I’m physically hurting as much as I am. He’ll make them look at me, and right now, I don’t want anyone’s hands on me but his.

When we turn around, he slips his hand into mine, grazing his thumb across my wrist. Together, we make our way across the short trek through the parking lot to the entrance. We both look up, noticing Alexis still standing there.

“Alexis,” he greets her politely. I say nothing. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I um… I overheard the two of you saying you needed a few things for him.” She looks attentively to our son. My instincts immediately want to hide him from her. I don’t. “I can ask, get the things he needs, while you two check on your family.” I study her while she waits for Aidan to answer. She’s wringing her hands. Nervous. Unsure.

“I’d appreciate that,” he says somberly. “Okay, then. I’ll do that,” she speaks quietly, her eyes never leaving Diesel.

Aidan pulls me with him. That’s all he gives her as we walk into the hospital, ready but not ready, and terrified to find out what’s going on.

I’m instantly assaulted with flashbacks of the last time I was here, even though I don’t remember being brought here. I do my best to push the memories aside, focusing on finding my mom. But those horrific images are still haunting me, trying to a great extent to surface, to break me down. I won’t allow it. I’m stronger than those memories. Aidan squeezes my hand when we approach the receptionist behind the counter. I know he can hear the foreboding, dark, and ugly trepidation in my voice when I give her my dad’s name, explaining I’m his daughter.

She tells us surgery is on the third floor. Aidan then asks her about Dilan. Without hesitation she explains his family is also in the same waiting room.

Diesel starts to fuss as we make our way to the elevator. Aidan releases my hand to soothe him, talking to him and rubbing his hands up and down his back.

“You okay, baby?” he asks when we step into the elevator, concern for my well-being written all over his handsome face.

“Yes,” is my reply. He seems to be appeased with my answer. Either that or it’s because we’ve already reached the floor. We step out of the elevator and turn right to where the sign directs us to the waiting room. My chest tightens. My nerves fray, threatening to tip me over the edge the minute I see my mom with her hands over her face. Calla and Cain are standing in the corner, arms wrapped around each other.

A couple I don’t recognize are sitting with Cecily, along with Alina and her mother and father, Charlotte and Ivan Solokov. God, what they must all be going through right now. The not knowing, the waiting has got to be slowly killing them all.

“Mom,” I say quietly when I near her. “Oh, sweetheart.” She stands, her legs shaky. I bring her into my arms, pinning her worrisome body close to mine.

Aidan jerks his head in the direction of the couple across the room. I’m assuming they are Dilan’s parents. I nod, watching the two of them disappear.

“Anything?” I ask. The second I do, we both turn around to a deep voice calling the name of Stefano La Russo.

“That’s us.” Mom lifts her head from my shoulder and grips firmly onto my hand, leading us to him.

“I’m his wife, Beth. This is our daughter, Deidre.” Her voice is revealing her worry.

“I’m Doctor McNeal. I’ve just performed the surgery to remove the bullet from your husband’s shoulder. First, let me ease your worried minds. He’s going to be fine.”