Behind Every Man

Elm Treigh

Chapter Eight

Harley and Quinn sat in the luxurious living room of the apartment He provided when they were recruited. Both having returned from their recon at Spenser a while ago and were now awaiting to report to Him.

That's how it was with Him. He'd send them out to gather materials – lumber of a specific wood, machines of various functions, oil or gasoline, herbs with undiscernible smell, and liquids that neither knew existed. They were to deliver these items to a cabin in Willowdale Forest located a few acres away from a recently burned down barn off Topsfield Road. Afterward, they were to return to the apartment to await further instructions or to report to Him. Sometimes it would be a call using the cellphone they were given that only received calls and text messages.

"What if we need to get ahold of you?" One of them had asked. He simply replied that they wouldn't. He'd know if He's needed and assured them that He'd call if that were the case. "What if Harley and I get separated and we need to get ahold of each other?" Quinn had followed up. She was always the one to question Him. He impatiently replied that they wouldn't. The twins had accepted this disconcerting answer; Quinn did so with her head hanging in submissive shame.

Other times He would appear on the large television screen in the living room. Faceless and ominous.

Harley was seated at one end of the plush charcoal davenport reading a book, while his sister sat cross legged on the other end, a laptop whirring on her lap. Their only entertainment provided to them were books stocked in the apartment and their laptops, as they weren't allowed to leave except for errands and reconnaissance. The kitchen was always fully stocked to their exact tastes, so they couldn't even have the excuse of grocery shopping. Even the credit card He had gotten them was specifically for materials He sent for or more spying on Mia.

Harley knew he and his sister were prisoners, in the nontraditional form of the word. True, they were recruited in London and initially he thought it was a wise choice. They were promised an insane amount of money and would be living in unbelievable conditions in America, a country they've dreamt of coming to one day. All they had to do were a few errands here and there, and a bit of spying. Seemed simple enough. Although, they hadn't explored America as they had hoped, despite the fact He had never guaranteed they would when they were approached, and had Harley known the subject was Amelia Hewitt, he may have thought twice about accepting the job with Quinn. However, he couldn't deny that he wanted the opportunity to see Amelia again. After what happened between them at their annual end of the school year party, he was determined to continue where they left off. Even if she claimed to not remember, he'd help her remember. They connected. He knew they did. Being prisoners was all worth it because Amelia Hewitt was worth it. She always was.

"Oh my," Quinn whispered in awe.

"What?" Harley asked not looking up from his book. When he didn't receive an immediate reply, he glanced up at her and frowned at the wild admiring stare she was giving the screen of her laptop. A part of him told him to not inquire further. It was Quinn. Whatever it was that she was staring at that brought on that lecherous gleam was not good. How society could believe debauchery belonged solely to men clearly haven't met his twin. One only had to spend a day with her to find a perverse mind was shared equally among both sexes. With a long reluctant sigh, he saved his place in his book, and nudged Quinn with his foot. "Quinn?"

Quinn smirked at her twin, causing him to scrunch his face regretfully. He was right; he shouldn't have asked. "Did you know," she began. "That the Sons of Ipswich are Champion swimmers?"

Harley huffed exasperated. "Please tell me you did not come upon a - ", before he could finish his sentence, Quinn twirled her laptop around to face him and sure enough, there on the screen, was an enlarged picture of Spencer Academy's Champion Swim Team, in their uniforms, prominently featuring the Sons of Ipswich in the center. "God Quinn!" Harley revolted. "Put that away!"

Quinn laughed loudly at her brother's reaction. "Oh, come brother," she snickered.

"Why are you looking at something so vile?" He asked.

"What you call vile, I call dessert for my eyes," she replied. "And mouth once I have Reid at my disposal."

"Please stop, Quinn. I can't stomach this."

"Apologies brother, but I must." She turned her laptop toward her. "He wants us to get close to your darling Amelia and whether you like it or not, that would include her friends. The famously handsome and incredibly fit Sons of Ipswich."

"This is research you're doing?" Harley inquired with a shake of his head. Quinn nodded.

"Well done Quinn."

The twins jumped at the sudden new voice. They turned their heads to the television. There He was a shadowed silhouette surrounded in hues of gray. An average sized head atop average sized shoulders. The twins had no clue whether he was seated or not, so ascertaining his height was albeit impossible. They weren't even sure if the sound of his voice – strong, authoritative, and low – was his. Yet, they sat straighter in his omnipresence.

"As always, your instincts are correct," He commended. Quinn blushed and smiled proudly at His praise. "However, getting close to the Sons is not what I want."

"But you just agreed that it would be best to get closer to Amelia," Quinn deflated.

"And it is," He answered.

"I'm afraid I don't understand," Quinn muttered petulantly.

"The Sons will soon be out of the picture."

"What do you mean?" Harley hesitantly asked, the hair at the nape of his neck bristling at the statement.

"Once Amelia learns of the Sons true nature, she won't want anything to do with them."

Their true nature? Harley thought confused. Besides being privileged twats?

"How are you sure?" Quinn challenged. She had already planned out her next move with Reid.

"You question me?" He returned sharply.

"No, Sir, of course not," Harley hastily interjected, sending Quinn a reproving glare. "I believe my sister only meant to inquire how you know this to be fact when she and I were recruited because of our childhood connection with Amelia. Fair to say that we'd know- "

"My interest in Amelia dates back to before the two of you were even thought of!" He reproached loudly. Quinn shrank back into the davenport. Harley's mouth snapped shut as he swallowed a harsh gulp. "I've been watching Amelia from the womb! Don't ever question my knowledge of her! Understood?"

"Yes Sir," They immediately responded.

He allowed the reprimand to simmer in their silence a little longer than was comfortable before continuing, "I'd like you two to get close to Aaron Abbott, Emma Sanderson, and James Hewitt."

"Best friend, aunt, and father," Harley ticked off on his hand. It wasn't going to be easy.

"That's not going to be easy," Quinn said.

"Follow your instincts, Quinn," He stated smoothly.

Quinn straightened up, the blush returning. "Yes, Sir."

Mia sat comfortably on a pile of pillows in the entertainment room, stroking Aaron's hair as he laid his head on her lap. They were wearing their pajamas, watching the credits roll to The Sword in the Stone – one of their favorite movies to watch together. Well, one of Amelia's favorites anyway. She really did have a King Arthur/Camelot obsession. Not that Aaron minded. He always enjoyed spending time with Amelia. He may not be into everything she wanted to do, nor was she always into doing what he liked to do, but if it made her happy then he was happy. Just as she was happy to see him happy. To him, Mia was the good everyone should aspire to be. She saw the good in others first. Mia had only ever been the one to see him as someone good. Someone that could do anything and make everything better. Her constant and unrelenting belief that he was more than the image Spenser Academy had of him, that he could do better than the image Spenser Academy wanted to keep him in, was a sentiment he appreciated and feared.

He never wanted to disappoint the people he loved and cared about. It was the reason he tried to be the best athlete he could be. For his parents, if either ever stayed long enough to watch him play. Aaron's mother prided in Aaron's handsome physique. To her, appearances were of the upmost importance in her world. Her friends and colleagues complimenting her for Aaron's good looks and physical prowess inflated her ego to an unreachable level of high societal standards. Rarely did she stop to take notice of how uncomfortable her friend's lascivious stares made her son. Rarely did she stop to notice if these stares were followed up on. They were. Of course, she was never made aware and Aaron had no desire to tell her or his dad. Why would he? His mother didn't care about him. Not really. Not ever. All she cared about was her place in the hierarchy of Ipswich's prominent families, which include the Four Founding Families of Ipswich; Danvers, Parry, Garwin, and Simms. She couldn't care less about his studies. Being one of the top athletes in Ipswich and keeping up his good looks were more important than getting the grades to get into a good school. As far as she was concerned, Aaron was going to inherit her ex-husband's business. He didn't need the degrees that her ex-husband could buy him. Aaron was positive that telling her that he's slept with her friends and her colleagues and has been sleeping with them since he was thirteen years old, would have likely turned into a regular occurrence; all so his mother could keep her status. As it was right now, he thankfully had the excuse of all the athletic activities at Spenser to keep him occupied and away from his mother's acquaintances. Or he would have been applauded for his premature rise to manhood. Especially by his father.

Telling his dad about these unwanted conquests wouldn't make him feel better. Having had these women didn't make him feel like a man. To his father, being a man was about power. Being one of the best athletes at Spenser was power over the athletic department. Bagging any girl that showed him interest was power over women. Being the most popular guy at school, having followers, having students fear him while others wanted to be him was power over people. It was all about power.

The Aaron Abbott persona was a creation of his parents, the pressure of being one of the wealthiest families in Ipswich, and of Spenser Academy. A creation he was more than ready to put to rest. With Mia by his side, he felt he could do it. He always wanted to be better with her around. But first he had to help her with whatever struggles she was going through. There were approximately two years missing between them that emails and the occasional phone call couldn't fill.

Amelia promised to tell him everything. He may have let certain insecurities and fears get in the way of being the best friend he's regularly been but not anymore. No, now he's going to be the best friend she deserves. Without looking at her, he took a breath, and said, "Mia?"

Mia stilled her movements. It was time. "I know." She removed her hands from Aaron's hair, stretching back into the pillows. Where should she start? Chase? The party? Her pregnancy? She would be showing soon.

Aaron noticed the perplexed look on Mia's face. He sat up to face her directly. "Mia?" He repeated slowly, as though speaking to a small kitten. Mia gave him a wary stare, trying her best to smile reassuringly. "Just start at the beginning."

She let out a long-winded sigh. "The beginning." Aaron nodded, grabbing her hand in his for support. "I suppose you want to know about Chase first?"

"If that's where your mind is at, sure." Truthfully, he didn't like the idea of Chase Collins being a part of Mia's life at all. But a part he was, nonetheless. Or possibly still is? He'd find out soon.

Mia let out a long breath. "Very well, " She began. She moved to sit on the couch. Aaron mirrored her and sat beside her. He wanted to hold her hands or place a comforting hand on her knee, anything to make her feel comfortable to talk to him. Amelia had always been able to talk to him about anything and everything. Seeing her reluctance made him feel ashamed.

"Chase and I met when his parents were in England on a business trip. His parents were working with my Aunt Emma's company. My Aunt Emma liked the Collins'. She offered them a place with her company and they moved to England a year later," she took a breath and let it out in a big huff. "We became friends." Aaron looked away, not liking what he was hearing. "Not like us, Aaron." She tried to assure.

Aaron gave her a small smile. "I know," he replied. "You and I never took our friendship to the next level."

Mia blushed. "Right," she acquiesced. "Um, well, he attended the same school I did. We started off as acquaintances at school but real friends outside of school."

"Like secret friends?"

"Huh, yes," she chuckled.

"And you were alright with that?" Aaron asked, almost angrily.

Mia smiled ruefully at him. "Are you saying that had I stayed in Ipswich before this year, you wouldn't have hidden our friendship from your friends and classmates?"

"No!" Aaron answered immediately. Mia's smile widened. "Mia, I would not have hidden our friendship!"

Mia nodded. "Well, he did, Aaron. Chase was a little complicated," she continued. "He was careful about who he let in his life. I suppose that is something adopted kids do." She shrugged. "Do you remember what I said about Chase at Nicky's?"

"Yeah," Aaron nodded. "You said that Chase was adopted. That he was in the car when his adoptive parents died. That he went looking for his biological parents, found them, but it wasn't good news. That his biological dad was a jerk, didn't want anything to do with him, but told him about family that he has here in Ipswich. That it's possible the family here rejected him, and he left town." He summarized.

"Yes, well, what I haven't told you is that, um," she looked away, a little embarrassed. "Well, it's obvious that Chase and I became more than friends. And, um…"

Aaron clenched his jaw. He wasn't sure he was ready to hear that his Amelia and Chase Collins had sex. Which is what Mia was likely about to confess. He tried to relax himself and nodded at her encouragingly. "Go ahead, Mia."

"What I haven't told you was that Chase broke up with me a few days before he left for Ipswich," she mumbled out quietly.

"He… broke up with you?" Aaron asked, surprised. "Why?"

"I'm not sure why," she spat out. Aaron gave her a sympathetic look. She pouted angrily. Great, she was pitied. "After his meeting with his biological father, he came back different."

"Different? Different how?"

"He had this powerful determination in him that I hadn't seen before," she mused. "When his parents died and only he survived, he was changed. Felt an incredible amount of sadness and guilt. It was said that he was suffering from 'Survivor's Guilt'. Not uncommon for soldiers or people who lived through accidents that loved ones didn't. I tried to be there for him the best I could. He was so withdrawn, and I hated seeing him that way." Aaron grabbed her hand. She smiled sadly at him. "So, when he came to me that his biological father had called for him, I was very surprised. Chase wanted nothing to with him after finding out the truth, but I suppose it was an inevitable circumstance from his adoptive parents dying."

"Is that when he broke up with you?" Aaron carefully asked.

Mia nodded. "Yes. He was telling me what his father had told him, about the family in Ipswich and that it was important to find them to get the answers he needed, the help he needed. I told him I would go with him. After all, I was going to move to Ipswich for my last year of high school and you would have gotten to meet him, and it just felt like it would have been a great change for him and for us. But he rejected that idea immediately. Told me I had to stay in England. That it would be safer for me."

"Safer? What did he mean by safer?"

Mia shrugged. "I don't know. I suppose he meant safe from him?"

Aaron gave Mia a questioning glance. "Safe from him?" Mia shrugged again. "Mia did Chase ever try to hurt you?" This time Mia moved away from Aaron. "Mia?"

"Afterward, I was devastated. Aaron, I love Chase," she pleaded. Tears forming in her eyes. "Jenny convinced me to go to a party the night Chase was leaving. It was one of those end-of-the-year parties. I went and saw Chase there. Seeing him hurt so much. I, uh, had a few drinks…" Aaron began to breath faster. "I don't really remember much of the party but, um, I remember, or at least I think I remember, that I was with Chase and he was sad but also angry and he, um, was a little aggressive…"

Aaron clenched his fists. Was Mia telling him what he thinks she's telling him? "Mia did Chase – were you… raped?"

At hearing the word out loud, Mia collapsed into sobs. "I th-think so."

"You think so? You're not sure?"

"No, I'm not sure! All I know is that I was with Chase, he got a bit aggressive with me and now I'm pregnant!"