Chapter 25
"I'm really sorry I didn't tell you, Patrick. He's my cousin and I need to try to help him….. I promise to be safe….. I'll let you know when I'm done…. Kiss Emma goodnight for me and I love you…." Robin hung up the phone, placed it back in her jacket pocket and stared out into the falls again. She spent the past ten minutes convincing her husband that she needed to do everything she could to try to convince Aidan to get help. She felt bad for not telling Jason, felt bad for going behind his back but she couldn't let him kill her cousin. He was her family, her mother's nephew. If she stayed back to let Jason "handle" it, how could she possible look into her mother's eyes or worse, her aunt Alex's eyes and say that she did nothing to help her son? She couldn't. She had to at least try, try to talk him into letting Sam go and try to talk him into seeking help. Something. Anything. She was just thankful that Patrick understood.
Jason, Lucky and Nikolas silently waited in the SUV and kept their attentions focused on Robin. Each man in their own thoughts and each man silently hoping that their friend wouldn't betray them. Jason hoped that Robin was going to do the right thing and not help Aidan. Nikolas hoped the same as well. But Lucky was a different matter: If Robin ended up helping her cousin than Lucky would have to arrest her for being an accessory. With the windows in the SUV partially down, they watched and listened as Aidan approached.
"Jason…" Nikolas whispered as he positioned himself between the two front seats. "Do you think that Sam is in the back of that truck?"
Jason quickly turned his head back to the SUV in question. He squinted his eyes, hoping to see into the tinted windows for any sign of Sam. Not being able to see anything, he shook his head in defeat as he stared straight ahead. "I don't know. But if she is, we have to a find a way to grab her. I… I don't know what that bastard has done to her…." His fists clenched in anger thinking the worst.
"I think I have an idea." When both men in the front seat gave him their full attention, he continued to whisper. "I can go around and sneak up to his truck and if she's there, then I'll grab her."
"And if she's not?" Lucky questioned quietly.
"Then I sit tight and have him take me to her." Just when he sees his brother about to protest, Nikolas pressed on. "Look, I don't want to hear any of your objections, I am perfectly capable of defending myself." He looked back up to Jason and was pleased when the other man nodded his approval.
"When I confront Aidan, you get Sam to safety." Jason practically forced out all while his inner beast protesting at some other man rescuing his love. But Jason needed to think about Sam's safety above his claim. As soon as she was safe, as soon as Aidan was dead, then he would have his woman back in his arms.
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Aidan could see Robin illuminated by the headlights of the SUV he stole. She was sitting on a park bench in front of the waterfalls. Even though it was night time, it was a beautiful, peaceful area, otherworldly even. He could picture bringing Samantha here for a picnic underneath the moonlight, just the two of them, dancing beneath the starry sky. A smile came to his lips as he opened the door and quickly closed the distance between him and his cousin. He was desperate to hurry this along, desperate to get the money, desperate to get back to Samantha, and desperate to take her far away from here so that they can finally start their new life together. "Robin…" He called to her as he came to a stop just behind the bench.
Jumping at the sound of his voice, Robin quickly turned her head and sighed in relief. She was so deep in thought that she didn't realize Aidan was behind her. "Aidan…" She stood to her feet, her bag slung off her shoulder as she slowly tried to reach out to him.
Sensing her need for comfort, Aidan felt a twinge in his heart. He opened his arms and enveloped her in a warm brotherly hug. He truly loved his dear cousin, but not wanting to delay his return to Samantha, Aidan tried to rush things along. "Did you bring the money?" He pulled back and slightly narrowed his eyes at the frown on her face.
She pulled back from his embrace and nodded while stepping back away from him again. She could tell that he seemed anxious, almost desperate to move this "transaction" along. "Oh Aidan… What have you done?" Shaking her head, she couldn't help feel disappointed in him, she couldn't help the tears that suddenly misted her eyes.
"What have I done? I'm finally making things right, that's what I've done."
"How can kidnapping Sam be right?" She saw the anger in his eyes, the startling realization that she knew everything that he had done. "I know everything, Aidan." When he remained silent, she continued. "How could faking her death be right? Her entire family believed that she was dead, her mother, her sisters, Jason…."
"Morgan doesn't care for her…."
"How can you say that? I've seen the love that Jason has for Sam, it's the same love she has for him in return. Their soul mate's Aidan…."
"No, he left her, more than once…."
"But they came back to each other, they always will. They are meant to be together, forever." Seeing him protesting further broke her heart, but she pressed on. "Please Aidan, you have to let her go. They love each other…"
"NO!" He snapped almost advancing on her to shut her up. "Samantha loves ME." He punched his chest as he pointed himself out to her. "WE are meant to be together. Samantha and I, always, forever." He continued his tirade and ignored his name being called in her pleading tone, shaking his head in denial. "No, there is nothing you can say to change our minds. We love each other and we want to be together." Taking a deep breath, Aidan remembered that he had only given Samantha a small dose of the drug, the few particles that he had given her were not going to keep out for long. Back to desperation, Aidan pressed on as he held his hand out to her. "Now please Robin, hand over that bag."
It finally dawned on Robin that he was utterly lost. No matter what she did or what she said, it would be of no use. Aidan was gone…. the same as Lisa. Her heart broken, she reached into her pocket, pulled out her cell phone and prayed that she was doing the right thing. It was time to call Jason.
"What are you doing?" He narrowed his eyes as they followed her hand.
"Something I should've done from the start." Flipping it open, she took a deep breath and was ready to dial but froze when her cousin pulled out a gun and aimed it at her. It was so much worse than she had originally thought. Now she wished that she would've told Jason from the beginning. "Aidan? What are you doing?"
"Hand me the phone Robin." When she hesitated, he snapped. "NOW!" When she passed it to him with trembling hands, he pulled his arm back and tossed it into the water. But just as he was about to put his gun away, a shift in the clouds caused the full moon to shine through and illuminate everything around them, and from the corner of his eye, he caught a red shine for the briefest second before the clouds shifted once again. A reflector from a car. Turning his gun back out, he pointed it back to Robin's face. Fear crossed her eyes and he felt the ache of betrayal stab his chest. "YOU BETRAYED ME, YOU BITCH?!" Grabbing her arm, he twisted her around and held her up against his body with one arm around her neck while the other was holding the gun to her temple. He yelled out into the night. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE CAR MORGAN!"
"Aidan? What are you doing?" Robin was panicking, her hands flew to the arm that had her in a choke hold, she didn't know what was going on.
"Your ex is here!" He hissed out angrily at her ear. "When did you call him, huh?! Was it right after I called you and begged for your help? HUH?! How could you do this to me? WE WERE FAMILY!"
"Aidan, I swear, I have no idea…."
"GET OUT OF THE FUCKING CAR OR SHE DIES!"
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Lucky cursed as the situation just took a turn to the ultimate worst, now they had a hostage situation on their hands. Having heard everything, Jason was at least thankful that Robin tried to reach out to him, but she should have done that from the beginning. Choosing to bury that thought, he kept his control on a leash and looked to Nikolas with a nod. Looking up at Lucky, Jason opened the car door the same time as Lucky did and exited the car. Nikolas snuck in low and exited the same door as Lucky, the angle was one that Aidan wouldn't be able to see so that Nikolas could make his way around the lot and sneak into the back of Aidan's truck with Jason's spare gun in his hands.
"We both know you're not going to hurt her Devane, so why don't you just let her go?" Jason stepped out of the shadows with his arms held firmly to his sides, he made sure to stay in an obscured path so that Aidan wouldn't get a clean shot at him. Lucky beside him doing the same.
"It seems that my little cousin here betrayed me. Could you believe that?" When he felt Robin struggle and protest, he quieted her. "SHUT UP!"
"Robin didn't betray you." Lucky spoke up. "She didn't know that we were here."
"Ahh, well hello to you too, Mr. Officer. Now Morgan, where are the rest of your henchman?" Aidan swung his gaze around and caught the lights reflecting off another SUV to his right. "Tell your men to get of the car…" When Jason hesitated, Aidan fired a shot off and hit Milo's SUV, flattening a tire. "NOW!"
Jason was more than ready to end this shit. He recognized the desperation in the other man's eyes, so much like his own, both with one goal in mind, getting to Sam. From the corner of his eye, he saw a black figure, Nikolas, sneaking into Aidan's SUV. His heart immediately sinking when the other man didn't come out carrying Sam… she wasn't there. Which meant that Aidan had her stashed somewhere. So Jason found himself playing by Aidan's rules, for now. Looking straight ahead at Milo and Cody, he gave them a nod telling them to cooperate. Both men quickly acknowledged and got out of the car.
"Throw your weapons down. NOW!" Aidan yelled out as he pointed his gun to Milo and Cody. When they followed the order, he turned his gun back on Morgan and fired off a shot, flattening his tire as well. Ignoring Robin's startled scream, he squeezed his arm tighter around her neck and pointed his gun at the man he hated. He wanted to kill him, desperately wanted to feel his blood soaking his hands but he couldn't get the shot. Morgan had strategically placed himself in the direct path of large bushes and some thin trees. The shot would have to be perfect, he didn't have the patience and even though he was angry at his cousin for betraying him, he didn't want her in the line of fire. "Drop yours as well!" Backing away as he heard the guns drop to the ground, Aidan pulled Robin with him and headed for his SUV with the money still in Robin's bag. "Now if you'll excuse me gentlemen, I have a date with destiny."
Jason's fists clenched so tight, they were white. He wanted to kill him with his bare hands, kill him for everything that he has done to him and to Sam. But he had to wait. He was never a rational man when it came to Sam. She always made him feel way too much, overloading him with so many emotions, he could barely process them all. Right now he was dying to get to her, dying to hold her, dying to feel her. He let out a breath as he watched Aidan shove Robin into the passenger seat as he followed and tore out of the parking lot, oblivious to the man in the back of the SUV.
Snapping to attention as Milo and Cody ran for the back of his SUV to change the flat tire with the spare, Jason barked out. "Hurry up, we need to get that bastard."
"Jason, I just got a text from Nikolas. They made a left when they exited the park."
"Let's go!" Jason jumped in the driver's seat just as Milo and Cody were done changing the flat in record time. All four men in the truck, all four doors slammed shut and Jason peeled out of there. He finally felt something else other than desperation. With Nikolas hiding in the back of Aidan's truck with a cell phone and a gun, Jason finally felt HOPE. "I'm coming baby." He whispered into the night.