Time slows down for the two of them. The air grows still.
Clara knows she has seen Aiden through Jackson's camera, but seeing him up close like this and being able to catch every wrinkle, every scar, and every bit of hair from his beard feels different. His tough yet captivating emerald eyes allure her. Seeing him like this again gives her a strange sense of calmness, but once she's reminded of the current situation, it vanishes.
Aiden releases a breath.
"You're...you're alive?" He shakes his head, confused. "But how?"
His mouth remains agape as he tries to process everything.
To process her.
Clara doesn't expect her chest to swell so much, but the intensity is getting to her. She tries to force away her tears threatening to reach her eyes. She clears her throat.
"Those people who have been looking for you, they found me that day when I was shot," she explains while watching his face carefully. "They managed to save me in time by taking me to some hospital of theirs. That was before I found out they were horrible people."
She rubs her shoulder.
"Look, Aiden, I know we...have a lot to talk about and things were rough between us before and I want us to at least try to talk things through. I want to try and make up for things and I thought by helping Jackson it would..."
She is almost about to say it would fix things, but it's like he said. There's nothing to fix.
She grows tense while trying to find her words.
"I thought it would...um...help."
She becomes nervous from his intense stare. It's difficult for her to read him. She can't tell if his shocked expression is anger, or disbelief. Is he going to shut her out again? She can't bear that. She digs her nails into her palms.
"Say something please."
He remains quiet. He takes a step towards her and then another. Clara stands firmly in place while trying to figure out what he's doing. She is taken aback when he leans forward and pulls her close to him, engulfing her in a hug.
He rests his head onto her shoulder and releases a long and heavy sigh, feeling relieved that she's alright, that she's alive and breathing. His breath brushes against her ear causing the hairs to stand on her body.
She wears off from her shock and returns the hug by wrapping her arms around his back. She buries her face into his jacket and inhales the strong scent of leather while he catches a whiff of her perfume. She holds him tighter with the scent reminding her of old memories. She can't control a tear slipping from her eye and seeping into his jacket. She feels warm and safe in his embrace and she doesn't want to let go.
They stay like that for a few seconds which feels like a whole minute for them before they pull away, the both of them missing the contact. His hands linger a little more on her shoulders before completely pulling away.
"What's going on, Clara? What happened for the last several years?"
This is the part she has been dreading the most. Reopening her old scars. She avoids eye contact with him.
"A lot has happened. Those people who went after Jacks, they've been after you for a long time. When they took me to their hospital, the one who's in charge of their group, Rachel, told me they managed to prevent me from dying because of this thing they put behind my neck."
Clara turns around and moves her hair to the side to give him a better view of the chip. Aiden leans forward and squints at the chip, never having seen something like it before.
"I thought it was weird at first because I've never heard of these people. She and her brother, I think his name was Stephen, told me they were trying to do good for people with this chip, but after she found out who I was, she wasn't so nice anymore."
"What do you mean?"
She sighs. "She found out I knew you. She was trying to get me to tell her where to find you, but I couldn't do it. I remember she threatened me by saying she'll find a way to get me to talk."
Aiden listens closely with his arms crossed, already feeling guilty.
"Later on, I realized the chip she planted on me wasn't just there to heal my wounds. She found a way to control me with it."
Her breathing picks up pace with her getting anxiety from the memory. Aiden senses her discomfort and is tempted to comfort her.
"And I mean that literally. I...I don't know how she did it, but she used some type of remote that was connected to the chip to control my body. I know it sounds crazy, but I wouldn't make this up."
Her chest squeezes, but she tries to keep her voice steady. Tears prick at the corner of her eyes.
"They made me lead them to the bunker. Luckily you weren't there, but when that didn't work they..."
She stiffens, not being ready to get into the next part.
"They put me under training and turned me into one of her soldiers. I...I hurt a lot of people. I ended up attacking and...killing some people. I...I...didn't..."
Her voice cracks and tears break through as her lips tremble. Aiden clenches his fists as he processes everything she's telling him, his stomach forming into a knot.
"I didn't want to. You...You have to believe me. I didn't-"
"Hey, hey," Aiden speaks softly and places his hands on her shoulders. "Relax."
She can't bring herself to look at him as she stares down at the floor. She hates herself for crying in front of him and she wants to hit herself.
"Look at me," he says in a hushed tone as he rubs her shoulders.
Clara bites her lip, while keeping her eyes away from him for a moment. Eventually, she looks at his warm eyes. She isn't used to seeing this softness in Aiden. For a second, she feels like she is looking at a different man. Something about it makes her feel a bit offput. It's a strange feeling that she can't describe, but she brushes it off.
Aiden, on the other hand, is torn inside. He knew he shouldn't have left her at the cemetery. What was he thinking? He assumed someone had found Clara and called an ambulance. Never would he imagine someone with some weird tech finding her and holding her against her will. The tears in her eyes and the mascara running down her face is enough to break him.
"I'm sorry." She pulls away from him and holds down her tears.
She wipes away the mess on her face while sniffling. Aiden can't help but frown at the sight of her.
She wonders if she should tell him about her encounter with Wrench. The more she thinks about it, the more she decides against it. It would make things worse and her emotions were already at an all time high. Getting into the terrible things she did to Wrench and his friends would only cause her to break down.
What if Aiden doesn't stick around if she tells him? They have to know each other well if Wrench knows Jackson. She can't risk him leaving and she needs his help. She collects herself and turns to him again.
"It was only recently that I was freed by someone. I don't know who it was, but they managed to block Rachel's access to the chip, so she can't control me anymore. It happened during some deal Rachel was trying to do with Mary Kelley, but it failed because I escaped her," she explains with an edge still present in her voice. "I mean I'd like to think she can't control me. It's been a week since then, so she shouldn't."
Clara gets paranoid about it since she is afraid she'll jinx it. She sometimes still hears Rachel's voice giving her demands. At times she can't tell if they're real or if it's all in her head. Regardless, she'd have to remain hopeful for now.
"Rachel always had either me or someone else working undercover for different groups like Mary Kelley in order to try and find you. Now since Mary Kelley is dead, Clan Kelley is vulnerable right now. I was thinking of finding one of their bases and trying to dig up a name. There's someone she works closely with named Jonas and I know it's just a hunch, but I believe he may be working undercover for the Kelleys and it's the only lead I can think of right now on finding Rachel."
She rubs her shoulder as she starts to feel awkward about her next request.
"And I was wondering if you could help me."
She wants to laugh at herself with her being the awkward one asking for help instead of him.
Aiden takes in what she's saying. All of this is happening so fast. He is still processing everything and the whole thing bewilders him, especially Clara asking him for help. She grows nervous at his silence.
"We could go...as a team."
His heart leaps in his throat.
"A team?"
She nods with a small smile forming on her face. Aiden's heart flutters from her smile alone.
"You mean you want us both to go in?" He asks, not used to Clara being with him when breaking into places.
"Yeah. Besides, it's not like I don't know how to handle the guards. I figured I needed some backup, you know?" She explains while still feeling awkward about her request.
Aiden gazes at her, still taking in her request. Having seen her worn eyes and listening to her tear up sparks something inside of him. Something about her is amiss. She may talk the same, but the spark from her eyes is missing and it makes him all the more curious of the severity of what she's been through. The worst part of it all is it's because of him.
There's no hesitation in his mind. He can't abandon her again.
"I'll help you."
Clara blinks a few times. "You will?"
"Why wouldn't I?" He states at her confused.
She releases a sigh of relief.
"Well I..." She shakes her head, regaining herself. "I mean...okay. I appreciate it."
There's a pause. Aiden still has questions, but he'd ask them in the meantime.
"When did you plan on doing all of this?"
Clara stops to think. She never had thought about when she'd do it.
"I would say as soon as we can. They could be planning anything right now." She glances down at his signature trench coat. "I'm guessing you have your weapons."
"Yeah, but we need to be careful," he says even though he's mainly referring to her.
A smile reaches her face. "You know I'm always careful, Aiden."
"Clara, these people are dangerous. You know what they do, right?"
"Yes, I know, but don't worry about me. The sooner we find Rachel, the better." She adjusts her jacket, feeling her gun and her phone inside her pockets.
Aiden frowns at her, still not being convinced, but he keeps his thoughts to himself.
"I've already mapped out a place and it's about twenty minutes from here. There shouldn't be too many Clan Kelley members right now. I checked their patrol hours, so we can be in and out."
As she went through her plan, Aiden can't shake off a bad feeling hitting him, but maybe it's a feeling he's always used to. With Clara in the picture, the feeling is stronger than ever.
Clara senses his unease and her face softens.
"It'll be fine, okay? Besides, I have you helping me."
She tries to comfort his worries by giving him her best smile and it does soften him a little.
He sighs. "Okay. Show me where we need to go."
With that, they were on the way to the Kelley hideout in Aiden's car. They agreed to go in his car until they were done and then he'd take her back to the garage.
The ride feels awkward and tense. There's so many questions, thoughts, and feelings. Aiden can't decide where to begin with it all.
"So..." He taps his fingers against the steering wheel. "We never got to talk about what happened before." He already tenses up inside from the subject.
Clara cradles her fingers in her lap. "No, we didn't."
He tries to think of what to say. His thoughts trail back to the incident at the cemetery and he remembers something. He digs through his pocket and feels around for her phone. Once he detects it, he pulls it out and hands it to her.
"Here."
Clara glances at the phone, surprised. "You took it?"
She inspects it and is amazed at it looking as good as new. She's shocked he kept it after all this time.
"Yeah. I also heard your message," he says without looking at her.
For a moment, she doesn't remember what message he is referring to. She thinks back to that day when Aiden was still angry with her. She stayed up long nights hating herself for what she did. She kept trying to rehearse what she'd say to Aiden. At that point, she felt like her life was over. She recalls rehearsing several different messages. She starts to remember what she had said and she cringes at herself for the way she sounded in it.
"You heard that too? I know it doesn't fix anything. I'm sure I sounded pathetic."
Aiden shakes his head with furrowed brows.
'No, you didn't. Clara, none of what happened was your fault."
"Are you serious? They wouldn't have found you or your family if it wasn't for me."
"You didn't know what they'd do to us. You were just doing your job."
Clara can't believe what Aiden is saying.
"How could I not have known? They were the Chicago South Club. I should have known better." She raises her voice a little. "Stop making excuses for me."
Aiden opens his mouth to say something until Bagley informs him that he has arrived at his destination. He almost misses the turn, but he makes it in time. He parks in front of the building and turns to Clara, who is already checking her gun.
"Clara."
"Let's go." She doesn't let him get another word in as she steps put of the car.
He watches her head towards the building and sighs. He follows her and checks himself to make sure he has everything he needs. He heads up to Clara who refuses to face him.
"We can sneak in through there." She points towards the back gate with only two guards patrolling it. "You can take out that guard and I'll get the other one."
As much as he wants to continue their previous conversation, with her being deadset on breaking into this place, he knows she won't budge.
"Okay, just be careful and stay close to me," he instructs her.
This time, she looks at him.
"I will. It's not like I have anywhere else to go."
She continues to head towards the building before he can even blink. He makes sure to follow her while keeping an eye out for anyone who could sneak up on them.
Going into this, he grows uneasy. He's thrilled to work with Clara again, but he never imagined it would be like this. Sure he has seen Clara use a gun before, but with her being willing to leap into dangerous territory is new to him.
Aiden can see a path leading beneath the building. He gets a good look at the inside and sees a set of glass doors leading inside with the two guards still patrolling it.
Clara gets a good look at it as well. Once she's made up her mind, she gestures Aiden to follow her. He complies, feeling reluctant going into this with her. He watches her carefully as she approaches one of the unsuspecting guards from behind and places them into a sleeper hold.
Aiden almost gets distracted from watching her, but catches himself as he takes out the other guard with a few swings from his baton. Clara is already on her feet as she makes her way over to the glass doors. She peaks through the glass. When she doesn't spot anyone, she hacks into the door, opening it.
They go inside with Aiden still keeping an eye on Clara or any other potential attackers. The place looks like a worn down warehouse. British rap music plays through a rusty radio in a corner and graffiti litters the walls. They spot a few more Kelley thugs holding their guns. They appear to be young, probably in their 20s so they have to be amateurs.
Clara wastes no time sneaking behind one of them and knocking them out with the butt of her gun. She neutralizes the other by hacking into one of the power boxes and electrocuting them. She is surprised at the lack of challenge and wonders if she even needs Aiden's help, yet again Rachel or the people working for her could be lurking out there. It gives her comfort to know she has Aiden as backup if that were to happen.
She gestures Aiden to follow her up a set of stairs leading to another room.
"It looks like there is a computer up there," she whispers while pointing towards it.
Aiden nods, seeing it as well. They keep themselves crouched as they go up the stairs. They take a few more guards out before unlocking the door to the room and going inside.
"I'll search the computer. You keep a lookout," she instructs him.
"Okay," Aiden replies with his pistol at the ready.
Clara makes her way over to the computer. She sifts through names, profiles, or anything that could lead her to Jonas or Rachel.
A minute goes by with no sign of any Kelley soldiers around the corner. Aiden continues to scout the area while occasionally glancing at Clara. He notices her growing frown as she clicks away at the computer.
"Everything alright?"
Clara doesn't answer with her full attention being captured by the screen. He turns himself fully to her.
"Clara?"
She jerks her head towards him. "Hm?"
"Do you need help?" He asks while walking towards the computer. He sees multiple profiles of Kelley members and affiliates.
She doesn't answer again as she continues searching, hoping for anything to turn up.
"I don't see him anywhere," she states with a sigh.
She is disappointed, but should she be surprised? She steps back, feeling like giving up.
"I guess it was worth a shot." She bows her head. "Sorry. I didn't mean to drag you here for nothing."
"I'm sure we'll turn up other leads. Don't stress yourself out with this," he reassures her.
Clara is still disappointed none the less. A light banging noise grabs her attention as she jerks her head towards the direction of the sound. She scans the room, trying to pinpoint where the thuds are coming from. She readies her weapon as she cautiously walks around the room. Aiden takes notice.
"What is it?" He asks.
"Do you hear that?"
Aiden goes silent while trying to pick up on anything, but he hears nothing.
"Hear what?"
The noise comes to a halt out of Clara's frustration. She doesn't hear anything for a few seconds before the noise comes back again accompanied with what sounds like muffling. She grows even more confused.
"What is that?" She mutters.
She continues tiptoeing around the room while following the noise. It becomes louder once she approaches a large shelf filled with boxes. She stops and leans towards the shelf. It's hard for her to tell if the sounds are coming from in front of her or beside her.
Aiden also makes his way to the shelf, but he still doesn't pick up any noise, making him wonder how she is hearing anything. Is his hearing getting bad? A part of him starts to doubt her, but she is determined to figure out the origin of whatever she's hearing.
She puts her gun away and grabs the edges of the shelf to move it. She only manages to scoot it a little bit.
"Come help me with this," she says.
Aiden obliges hesitantly.
"What are you trying to do?" He asks while pushing the shelf with her. "What are you hearing?"
"It's like a weird banging noise and something else. It's hard to describe it, but I know I hear it."
He glances at her quizzically, but says nothing as they continue moving the shelf. After a few good shoves and pulls, they manage to move the shelf out of the way, but they are only met with a blank wall.
Clara glares at it, knowing that she's still hearing the sound.
"What?" She mutters under her breath.
"Are you sure you're not hearing something else?" He crosses his arms.
"I know I hear it. The sound is coming from here. I know it."
"What if it's just-"
"Shh," she hushes him as the noise grows louder.
The banging grows loud enough to where Aiden can now partly hear it. Her eyes scan the area with the noise sounding like it is coming from multiple directions. Her eyes glance down to the floor and she notices a square outline camouflauged into the concrete. She kneels down to take a closer look and can see the lines more clearly.
"This is a hatch. It's coming from down here," she states, getting more puzzled by the minute.
She digs her nails under the lines, searching for a loose spot. She feels it and pulls the hatch up slowly. They're both taken aback at the disturbing sight of five people huddling underneath the hole with tape strapped around their mouths and bodies. Some of their eyes are bruised while others had blood trickling down their faces. They all stare up at the two of them with tears staining their eyes. She can tell their lips are quivering beneath the large tape that barely gives them room to breathe
"Oh my god," she breathes out.
They have to be Kelley slaves judging from their white clothes. Aiden shudders beneath the thick layers of his clothes. Human trafficking is never something he takes lightly. No matter how many times he has seen this type of corruption, it still gets to him.
Aiden and Clara briefly glance at each other before turning their attention back to the slaves. She slowly leans towards them, causing them to scoot back. She catches a foul odor, making her wonder how long they have been kept down there.
"It's okay," she whispers. "We're not with Clan Kelley. You're safe."
They still tremble and they notice Aiden come into view. Clara reaches her hand down and works to remove the piece of tape stuck to one of their mouths. The sweat on the captive's face clings to her fingertips as she remove the tape. The tied up woman gasps for air, her lips trembling. Her hazel brown eyes never leave Clara's as she continues to be untied.
Once the tape is removed, the woman scrambles over to the others and unties them as well. Aiden reaches down to untie another captive. They seem to trust him as they lean more towards him. With them all being untied, they rush out of the cramped area while catching their breaths. Some mutter in different languages while others are too shocked to say anything. The first woman Clara freed speaks up.
"Thank you. Thank you so much," she says quickly towards the two of them. "I don't know if they were ever going to let us out of there."
"How long were you in there?" Aiden asks.
"I...I don't know. It was so cold and dark and-"
"Hey, it's okay now," Clara speaks gently. "What's your name?"
She struggles to form her words.
"Estelle. I recognize him." She points towards Aiden before looking at Clara again. "And I think...you look familiar."
Clara takes a good look at Estelle as she finds something familiar about her too, but she can't quite put her finger on it. She notices a few others staring at her as if she is a spider that broke into their home. She can hear one of them speaking french. She is able to understand them.
"I saw her."
"She was with the Kelleys."
It takes Clara a split second to realize what they're talking about.
"You were at the Sandstone Residence that night." Clara points out, being able to recognize Estelle more clearly.
She recalls her being one of the maids carrying the trays on the night she escaped Rachel. Estelle begins to recognize her as well.
"Were you the one who ran away?"
"Yes," she answers, recalling that night. "I promise I wasn't with the Kelleys. I was forced to be there."
Estelle nods with a light grin. "I know. I could tell."
Aiden stares at the two, puzzled as to what they're talking about.
"Wait, what happened?" He interrupts.
"That's right. I didn't mention it to you." She turns to him. "That night I escaped Rachel, she was trying to cut a deal with Mary Kelley by using that device she was controlling me with. She was going to help the Kelleys control their slaves, but the only reason she did it was to drop some of her spies inside the Kelleys. She thought it would help find you. That's why I wanted to look here first."
Aiden doesn't respond while absorbing what she's saying. The fact that Rachel was trying to help a sick organization like Clan Kelley control people against their will makes his stomach turn. And it would have been because of him. Now he is even more eager to meet this woman.
Clara notices the others peaking out the window while trying to find a safe way out.
"There's still guards outside. Stay close to us. We'll get you out," Aiden says as he nods to Clara before gesturing them to follow.
Estelle is eager to follow while the others are a bit hesitant, but comply none the less. They make their way out of the room, being sure to stay crouched. Clara searches for a way out while Aiden keeps a lookout for more guards. They ran into a few more guards on the way out and were successful in taking them down. They all make it safely outside.
The rescued scan the parking lot, paranoid of Kelley thugs lurking around. They take one last glance at Aiden and Clara while murmuring something before taking off. Only Estelle stays behind. She watches the other freed captives run off and she gives Aiden and Clara an apologetic smile.
"Don't take them the wrong way. I'm sure they're grateful."
Clara waves her off. "Don't worry about that. We're just glad you're alright."
Estelle nods. "Thank you both again. I'm very grateful that you showed up."
"It's no problem. Really." She assure her, still being disturbed by what she saw earlier.
It takes Clara a few seconds to remember why she came here in the first place. Estelle is about to leave before she stops her.
"Wait."
Estelle turns around.
"I hate to bother you with this, but I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. Did you happen to see anyone with dark hair, brown eyes, facial hair? His name is Jonas."
Estelle thinks back. She has seen many Clan Kelley members and it's difficult for her to pinpoint anyone who fits Jonas's description.
"What does he sound like?"
"He has a deeper voice. He doesn't have an accent if thats what you're wondering."
Estelle folds her arms and thinks hard about it. She remembers different faces, but fails to remember anyone who looked or sounded like Jonas.
"Maybe I've seen him. I don't know. I haven't heard anyone with that name."
Clara, although disappointed, doesn't dwell on it that much. Estelle still appears to think about it for a moment until a face appears in her mind.
"Does he have a scar across his eyebrow?"
"Yes," Clara answers quickly, wanting to know more.
"Maybe that could be him. I saw him somewhere." Her forehead creases, trying to remember where. "I know I saw him, but...ugh I can't remember right now."
"It's alright. Don't stress yourself out about it. If you can't remember, that's fine. Just focus on getting back to your family."
"No. You saved my life, so I owe you that much. I wish I could remember."
Clara wants Estelle to get back home and move on with her life, but can she really let an opportunity like this slip?
After some consideration she says, "We could set up a channel for you to contact us."
Clara glances over at Aiden for approval. He can't shake off a bad feeling, but since Estelle doesn't seem to have a problem, he doesn't argue.
"Yeah." He glances over at Clara before turning his attention back to Estelle. "You can contact us through there. We can patch you in."
He taps his optik and connects with hers.
"You can let us know if you remember anything."
"I'll keep it in mind. Thank you both again."
"You don't have to keep thanking us. Get home safe." Clara pats Estelle on the shoulder and gives her a warm smile.
Aiden watches Clara intently, missing this softer side of her.
Estelle manages to form a grin, feeling comfort in Clara's gaze. She nods to the two of them before taking off. Clara watches her go and sighs before turning to Aiden.
"Now what do we do?" Aiden asks.
Clara's lips flatten. "I think it's best that we call things off for tonight and get some rest. We could try looking at different groups, but that could lead to nothing as well."
Aiden doesn't feel right with Clara getting so involved with his dangerous life again. The sight of those captives alone is enough to make him worry. He observes her as she continues to talk about other potential plans with him not processing anything she's saying. He pays attention to the way her eyes shift around as she speaks. He listens to the tone of her voice. There's a slight edge to it as she rambles on and on.
"I'm not sure right now. I say we sleep on it for the night," she continues. She notices Aiden watching her and stops. "Aiden?"
He collects himself.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll take you back," he says while gesturing her towards his car.
Clara is taken aback by his bluntness, but follows him none the less. The ride back is silent at first. The two are not sure what to bring up besides what they've already said to each other. Aiden taps his fingers on his lap while keeping his other hand on the wheel.
"You don't have to do all of this," he finally says. "I'm sure I can think of a way to find these people."
Clara glances over at him.
"Don't be ridiculous. We need each other's help in this and I don't mind helping either."
"It's not worth risking yourself for this."
As Aiden pulls into the garage, Clara turns herself to him.
"Aiden, I don't mind. Really. I want to help." She grins lightly. "We're a team, remember?"
Dread lingers inside of him as he puts the car in park. He doesn't say anything as Clara removes her seatbelt.
"Well, thanks for coming along with me even though it was a bust. We could meet up tomorrow night to talk if you want."
She rubs her shoulder before opening the car door.
"Where are you staying?" He asks, not ready for her to leave.
"I'm currently staying at some gym. I don't think there's anyone coming back for it. What about you?"
He chuckles.
"You're sitting in it."
Clara blinks a few times, trying to understand what he means until she looks around the vehicle and notices the tech.
"You're staying here in your car?"
"Yep. I know it's not the bunker, but it does the job."
Clara grimaces, knowing how uncomfortable it was for her to stay in her own car.
"You should consider stopping by my place. Trust me, it's way comfier than a car."
Aiden shakes his head.
"Don't worry about it. Believe it or not, I've been living like this for a long time. I'll be fine."
She eyes him, still not pleased, but she'd let it go for now. She pulls out her phone.
"If you change your mind, here is the address."
His phone buzzes and he sees the address pop up. When he looks back up, he already sees Clara stepping out of the car. He follows suit and they both shut the car doors. She makes her way around the car and faces him. They both stare at each other, feeling the awkwardness in the air. She clears her throat.
"I'm going to head back," she says while nodding towards her car. "It was good seeing you again, really."
"Likewise."
He keeps his gaze on her and he almost wants to keep her longer.
She is quiet for a few seconds before saying, "I'll see you tomorrow."
She gives him a small wave before turning herself around and heading towards her car. Aiden clenches and unclenches his fists, needing to say something.
"Clara," he calls out to her, causing her to turn around.
"Yeah?"
Aiden opens his mouth to say something, but the words won't come out. There is more he wants to get off his chest, but too many thoughts and questions plague his mind, leaving him at a loss for words. He closes his mouth, realizing it's all too much to get into right now.
"Drive safe," is all he can say.
Clara raises her brows, not being sure if she heard him correctly.
"I'm sorry, did I just hear you say drive safe?"
It takes Aiden a second to process what he said. He isn't sure what possessed him to say that.
"Yeah, what about it?" He tries to play it off.
A grin grows on her face.
"I don't think I've ever heard you say that." She shoots him a devious smirk. "Who are you?"
Aiden manages to work up a laugh.
"Come on, I'm not that cold. Is it really that bad?"
She keeps her gaze on him for a few seconds as he buries his hands inside his pockets. She softens.
"I'm just teasing." She starts to turn around. "I'll see you tomorrow."
She laughs lightly before heading towards her car. Aiden's smile remains as he watches her go. It vanishes, however, when he starts to worry about her safety. He considers tracking her to make sure she gets back safe, but maybe it's too much. His heart races while he watches her get in her car and back out of her spot before driving away. He almost expects a hoard of cars with armed men tracking her down. He attempts to calm himself as he heads back to his own car, already missing her company.