Page 23 of To Claim A King
“I would like to go.” The words escaped me before I could stop them, but I could not take them back. My actions had caused my injuries. I couldn’t deny it, but I had more value to this group than Lauchlan and Kellan’s plans for our future.
Hillary’s tender smile dissolved into a firm line. “Aaron, you aren’t able to…”
They doubted my ability to contribute. To be useful. I would prove otherwise.
I shrugged out of her hold and stalked over to Kellan, removing the gun clipped across his back in the holster. He allowed me the action, watching me curiously, saying nothing. I was grateful I did not need to explain myself to this man. We’d been forged in the same fire, and had our positions been switched, I was confident he too would be as restless as I.
I checked the barrel to ensure it contained bullets, then reached into the Viking’s pants pocket for the slim, cylindrical silencer he always carried. He didn’t shrink from my touch, choosing instead to lean into it. I brushed the sensitive bulge as I withdrew the steel device, noting his subtle shift in posture. It was not a time for distractions.
Screwing on the silencer, I held the gun steady in front of me and aimed for the vase on the fireplace mantel over forty feet away. With a sharppop, the crystal shattered in an explosion of shards, littering the floor and furniture in front of it. The kickback was admittedly sharp against my side, but not excruciating, a humble reminder of my mortality. I had not trained in months, but the honed skills of youth were difficult to erase.
My companions simply stood back in total silence and allowed me this demonstration. I held out my hand to Hillary, who now stood directly behind me.
“Knife,Mi Reina.” I ordered. The familiar authority seeped into the facet of each individual syllable. She stared at me with muted disapproval before pulling out a small dagger from her thigh sheath, something she only removed now to shower, and handed it to me.
The knife felt like an old friend against my palm, its warmth and smooth exterior an extension of my body. I welcomed it back into my life as I sought out the victim for my demonstration. I was damaged, but still powerful. My use remained. I would show them.
Lauchlan’s sneaker lay carelessly by the side entrance door twenty-five feet away. I held the dagger by the hilt and threw it on an outward breath. The blade effortlessly pierced the leather skin of the tongue.
“Aye, mate!” the Irishman exclaimed indignantly. “Grand aim and all, but ruin your own shoes, yeh?”
Hillary ambled over to the dagger and pulled it out of the executed trainer, sliding it back into its sheath before turning to face me, hands on her delicate hips.
“I get it.” She blew out a long breath through her nose and eyed both men before saying anything more. “You’re tired of being cooped up. But you’re still injured, Aaron. It’s not safe for you to go.”
“What is Kellan’s purpose tonight?” I demanded, in search of more validation before I would drop my desires. “Is he to enter the building or remain in the car? I am just as able to protect in motion, if it is necessary.”
I reached for her again, gathering her feminine frame between the hard body of my own. Gripping her hips, I bent my head low, seeking salvation in the deep blue of her eyes. My domineering tone flattened into a soft plea. “Please,Mi Reina. I need a purpose. I cannot atrophy under the tenderness of kisses and softness of pillows. I will do as you ask, but I need you to say yes.”
Heart pounding in my chest, I listened to the violent drumbeats as I awaited her reply. My father would mock me for my compassion toward this woman, the way I yielded to her. My father failed to understand the power of a true joining of souls, as I had withMi Reina. From now until my last breath, her wish was my command.
“I hear you,caballero oscuro.” She buried her nose in my chest, her lips brushing against the hardened skin along my pecs. I basked in the delicate touch, the cotton of her skin softening my resolve. When she pulled back, her cool stare slid to the men awaiting instructions by the door.
“Aaron will go with you.” The firm command of a leader. Her disposition brooked no arguments. Neither man looked happy with this development despite my demonstration, but they did not say anything to contestMi Reina’swill.
I gripped her chin within my palm, pulling her to me in a forceful kiss, my gratitude passing between our lips.
“Allow me to get dressed.”
Without fervor, I walked as quickly as my body would allow toward the bedroom, determination feeding my limited strength. I would prove my worth to this group of formidable allies. I would be a burden no more.
“Why is the solution to set fire to the computers,Rojo? Why can we not just remove them from the premises?”
I was seated in the rear cab of a black truck Kellan had been using as an alias vehicle. The trip to Hillary’s condo took far longer than usual to ensure we weren’t being followed. I wasn’t accustomed to the secretive games Kellan played. All my life, I had people for these sorts of things. Surveillance. Clean-up. They were simply a call away, not a trained skill set like the many other traits Vicente had beaten into my flesh.
Lauchlan turned in the passenger seat to face me, index finger raised.
“One, Hill’s got a state-of-the-art setup. There’s a small hacking army of equipment in there. It would take several trips to bring it all down to the vehicle, and this one doesn’t have the capacity.”
He held up another finger.
“Two, this shit’s fucking heavy. You’re not exactly helpful there in your condition, mate, and Kellan’s too bulky for any kind of stealth mode with a whole boatload of computers in a crammed elevator. It’d take too long and be too noticeable.”
The air between us had shifted since we had shared our first kiss. Every so often, I could feel the weight of his stare against my back, or the heat of his gaze along my skin. He had not escaped my notice either.
“What about the sprinkler system?” Kellan asked, continuously scanning our surroundings in all the mirrors. “Wouldn’t water destroy the electronics?”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Lauchlan replied, his voice taking on a gleeful edge. “Can’t count on it, though. Those hard drives need to be fried, and it can’t look like we’re intentionally tampering with evidence. So, we’re going to cause a wee fire in the elevator on the opposite side of the building, pull the alarm, and get the nice, very rich people out of there safely, while I’m upstairs, rigging up the actual fire that’s going to burn everything in sight on the penthouse floor.”
