Page 35 of His Last Will

THIRTEEN

AIDEN

Fire licks the pads of his fingers as screams fill the air. The subtle smell of burning skin radiates around the room. I take a deep inhale and close my eyes, trying to find the equilibrium that being in the morgue normally brings. This man is almost at his limit for the day. After the last man that Ari sent to the grave, Ashton had a complete and utter meltdown. Apparently, too many dead bodies meant not enough research results, which meant listening to an hour-long lecture about protocol.

Sigh.

So I’ve been here since before dawn after peeling the cum-stained sheets from the bed and dropping Bosco off on Jenn’s desk. When she arrived at 9 am, I was greeted with a sweet shriek followed by loud thuds as she threw things, chasing the poor spider out of her space.

The man’s fingerprints are completely gone by the time I shut the lighter off. Tears streak down his face, and his voice is raw from his screams. Snot leaks down his face while he is lying in a puddle of his own piss. If I go much farther, I will face Ash’s wrath again. Depositing the man back into his body bag, I am contemplating who to pull out next when Gage saddles up beside me. He doesn’t approach me often, given he is aware of my slight disdain for him and my tendency to snap at him for looking at Ari. But the man is good at his job. Plus, his family has a long history of protecting The Order, and his father sits at Anthony’s side, so it’s not like I can fire the man.

Unable to stop the eye roll, I finish zipping up the bag and turn to Gage. “What?”

His face is unreadable, but I have a feeling I know where this conversation is going, which means that I should put some space between me and my knives before I gut the man. Gage lifts his eyebrow. “Just come out with it, Gage. We both know you have something to say.”

I deposit the man in his drawer and close it, leaning back against the wall and crossing my arms over my chest as I wait Gage out. The silent bodyguard act is not going to work on me, and I’m not just going to start spilling state secrets before I know what he wants. His deep silver eyes stare into mine as if he is trying to read what’s beneath my outer shell. Good luck with that, man. A thousand therapists could not give you an accurate reading on the shit going on in my head.

Gage sighs before relenting and breaking the staring contest we are having. “Do you think we should talk about last night?”

“What about last night?”

“Not only do I watch everything around me, Aiden, but I also hear things.”

Oh, for fuck’s sake. Gage should be glad the murder tools are mounted to the wall behind him because if they were near me right now, he would have a knife sticking out of his chest.

I will not kill Gage. I will not kill Gage.

Grinding my teeth together, “And what did you hear last night?”

He shifts, and an almost cocky look fills his face like I am giving him exactly what he wants. “Aiden. You were screaming their names and moaning so loud that you should be thankful you didn’t wake Anthony up. I can only imagine what his reaction would have been.”

Knowing Anthony as I do, he probably would have stormed into my room, fired off a couple of shots—grazing me but not seriously injuring me—and told me to shut the fuck up. Best not to disturb the asshole’s beauty sleep.

“What exactly are you looking for here, Gage? Get to the point. Because frankly, I am barely holding back from strapping you down on my worktable and taking the saw to your tongue.”

Gage doesn’t even flinch. Bastard knows I am not allowed to mutilate him completely without cause. And confronting me about my untimely wet dream would not be a cause worthy enough. Gah, a wet dream at twenty-two years old. I should have better control of myself.

Gage drops the act and turns serious, “Ari isn’t exactly stable enough to make informed decisions right now. She is still grieving over Brodie.”

A flash of her covered in blood and knifing a man in this very room invades my vision. I harden in my jeans. No. No way. I can’t think of that right now. Gage might think it’s for him, and that man is into some vile shit that I don’t want to be on the other side of.

“What Ari can and cannot decide is not up to you. And you damn well know it,” I ground out. Ari would have Gage by the balls if she heard him say that.

“I’m well aware, but I need to keep her safe. I love her.”

A breath later, my pocketknife is lodged into Gage’s arm. He grunts, looking down at the wound. Exasperation fills his features as he grips the handle and pulls it out. “I love her like a sister, you absolute jackass.” Blood seeps from his wound and colors his shirt as he removes the blade. “God dammit, Aiden. I am going to have to replace a brand-new shirt.”

Okay, so maybe I knew that, but a fresh warning to back the fuck off can’t hurt. Sometimes a little mutilation is warranted. What? It’s not like I removed a limb.

Opening the drawer beside me, I reach for the gauze and throw it to him. He can make a makeshift tourniquet and have Ash patch him up before he leaves. Wouldn’t be the first time. And for sure it will not be the last if he keeps testing me. I would do it, but I don’t want to. The man doesn’t deserve my delicate touch.

“What I do with Ari is my own business. If I want to stick my dick in my future wife’s cunt, in a dream or in reality, then I will.” Best to be direct.

“If you use her⁠—”

“If I use her and she doesn’t like it, then she can handle the consequences herself. She would be pissed even knowing we are having this conversation.”

He nods in agreement. “She is very effective with a knife.”