Aidan: The Rescue Chapter Two

Felicity noticed the front door open, and her gaze locked with Aidan’s. Smiling, she forced herself to turn away from the gorgeous dark-haired guy she simply couldn’t stop looking at. It was crazy how she still remembered the feel of the muscular chest she’d had the fortune of stumbling into, and her knees weakened again at the memory of his smoking brown eyes staring into hers with concern.

In the last three and a half years, she’d avoided men who wanted to date her. She was enjoying her freedom as a single girl too much. Plus, she knew she needed to focus on herself after walking—or, more accurately, running—away from Nolan West and their problematic relationship. That was why she was surprised at just how ridiculously attracted she was to Aidan.

“You look so pretty when you blush,” Kerrod said.

Felicity laughed louder than she usually did. “Stop teasing me,” she told Kerrod who, like his twin, had become one of her close friends. 

“Frankly, Fel, I think you should make the first move.”

“What? No. I’ll just be embarrassing myself.”

“What are you talking about? He can’t take his eyes off you.”

“You think so?” she asked in an almost whisper.

“Isn’t it obvious? So, go ahead and talk to him.”

She scrunched her nose. “He’s only into casuals, apparently.”

“Oh? Who told you that?”

“Isla.”

“Hm.” Kerrod pursed his lips. “Kallan did tell me that Aidan works very long hours. Probably one of those people married to their jobs.”

“Are you sure you’re not talking about yourself?” she asked jokingly.

Kerrod snorted. “I might be, but I’m not the one flirting with you with my eyes right now.”

At Kerrod’s words, Felicity found herself glancing in Aidan’s direction—again.

And, yes, he was looking at her, too. Again!

Aidan walked away the moment their eyes met.

Felicity furrowed her brows. If he was truly interested, why was Aidan avoiding her?

Kerrod chuckled. “Even I saw the sparks that just flew off the two of you. Feel this air.” He waved his hand. “It’s still sizzling.”

She scoffed.

Kallan turned up by her side. “Hey, Fel. Feeling all right?”

“I’m fine. No signs of sprains or broken bones.”

“Good,” Kallan said with a laugh.

“Hey, bro,” Kerrod said. “Tell me you’ve noticed the fireworks happening between our Fel here and your friend Aidan.”

Felicity didn’t miss the warning look Kallan threw Kerrod.

“He’s not looking for a relationship, unfortunately,” Kallan said to her.

She suppressed a sigh. “I know. He’s a bit of a playboy, huh?” 

Kallan shrugged. “Aidan’s a great guy, but…not for you.”

“Of course. Of course,” she said lightly.

Isla came to join them. “Hey, peeps. What’s going on?”

“These guys are just helping me see the light,” Felicity said.

Isla lifted her brows.

“Just reiterating that Aidan’s not for her,” Kallan murmured, putting an arm around Isla’s shoulders and kissing her on the temple.

Isla nodded. “Okay.”

“Hey,” Kerrod said to Felicity. “How about I set you up with one of my buddies to make you forget about Aidan?”

“Who?” both Isla and Kallan asked suspiciously.

Felicity chuckled. “No, thanks, Kerrod. I’m good. You guys don’t need to worry about me. Goodness, it’s just a little crush. That’s all. And for the record, I’m happy being single. In fact, I know I’ll be fine if I remain single for the rest of my life.”

Isla’s smile was a mixture of dismay and understanding.

Felicity grinned widely to let her friends know she was totally okay. And, really, she wasn’t in a hurry to find a special someone.

Dance music started playing again, and Kallan and Kerrod’s father, Julius, pulled Isla away from their group.

“I thought I’d get a last dance with the birthday girl before the night ends,” Julius said.

“My pleasure, Dad,” Isla said, to Julius’s obvious delight.

The rest of the guests started to join them on the dance floor, and Kallan turned to Felicity, holding out a hand.

Felicity smiled. “Mind if I sit this one out? I actually feel like grabbing another piece of the birthday cake. Luckily, there’s some more, considering I wasted a bit of it earlier on.”

“Okay. Maybe I’ll dance with this guy.” Kallan indicated Kerrod.

“Sure!” Kerrod said, already moving to the music. “It’s time to show everyone who’s better at this.”

Kallan narrowed his eyes. “You’re on!”

Felicity laughed at the twins’ antics as she walked to the almost empty buffet table. She’d thought the enormous amount of food Kallan had ordered wouldn’t be finished, but there was little left.

She used a pair of tongs to grab a small piece of cake and put it on a paper napkin. After breaking several dessert plates earlier, she wasn’t going to touch another one tonight.

She turned around to watch guests on the makeshift dance floor, and her gaze once again landed on Aidan, who was dancing with Isla’s mother. Gah. What was wrong with her eyes? Or did Aidan have a homing beacon for her? She shook her head, annoyed and amused at herself at the same time.

Fortunately, she’d recovered from the deep wounds caused by her ex. Thanks to three years of help from Isla and her therapist, a lot of self-initiated personal development, and her work with the women in the New Again circle, she was now equipped with courage and confidence she hadn’t had before.

She didn’t think she was ready to make herself vulnerable again in a romantic sense, though—that was why dating was still off the table.

Not that it mattered. Aidan wasn’t interested in dating anyone anyway, by the sounds of it. And she’d never been into one-night stands.

Pity.

* * *

A week later…

Felicity walked towards the room situated at the back of the Bayside Council’s premises where she conducted the New Again workshops every Sunday afternoon. The space was pretty much just a big box with no windows, so hardly anyone hired the room due to it not having much of an atmosphere. That was great for the New Again circle, because the council had allowed them to utilise it for free indefinitely. They could even leave behind the items they were working on, as long as they were prepared to clear the place up quickly if it was needed by a paying customer. So far, that hadn’t happened.

It definitely helped that she worked in the council as an administrative coordinator. The bosses had been so impressed to learn that one of their employees helped vulnerable women rebuild their lives that they’d said yes straight away when Felicity had asked for the use of this particular room. Since then, her employers had continued to help the New Again circle in many other ways, and she’d been so touched by their support.

She unlocked the door to the workshop, flicked the switch for the rows of fluorescent lights, switched on the aircon, and dropped the packets of paint protector sheets she’d brought on a large rectangular table in the middle of the room. She smiled as she looked around. Apart from the table, some folding chairs, and two metal filing cabinets where they kept their power tools, paints, and other materials, there was no other furniture in sight. Last week, every single member had finished upcycling their pieces. Then, during the course of the week, every item had been sold through online channels and word of mouth.

Felicity shivered in delight. There was no thrill better than having all of their handiwork valued enough for people to pay for them. Today, they would be starting work on another batch of preloved pieces, most of it donated and some she’d bought herself from various sources.

She checked her watch. Kallan and Isla should be here soon. They’d be delivering six bedside tables, eight chairs, four bookcases, three wooden crates, and a wooden headboard with intricate carvings, all of which had been kept in the couple’s garage. With the workshop space not big enough to store all of the pieces they’d acquired, Isla and Kallan were happy for New Again to keep using their garage for storage.

How lucky was she to have such helpful, supportive friends—Isla, most of all? That dear, incredible, wonderful woman had started New Again specifically to help Felicity heal from her horrendous experience with her ex. Now, Felicity was heading the group, and she was incredibly grateful.

Her phone rang. “Hey, Kallan,” she greeted.

“Hey. We’re here at the car park.”

“Great. I’ll come around to help.”

“Cool.”

She left the room and walked briskly towards the parking lot behind the building, instantly spotting Kallan opening the back of a borrowed truck. Then another person came into view—

Her steps faltered, and she righted herself just in time. Luckily, she didn’t completely trip.

Honestly, Felicity! It’s only Aidan—the guy not for you, remember?

Shaking her head at herself, she walked slower towards the truck. What was Aidan doing here? And where was Isla? “Hello,” she said as she neared the guys.

“Hi,” Kallan said with a rather apologetic grin. “Isla has some urgent work to do, so Aidan volunteered to help. Not that I can’t do everything myself.”

“Let’s see you carry that heavy headboard by yourself,” Aidan said before turning to Felicity.  “Hi. How’s it going?”

She grinned, heart hammering. “I’m good. Thanks for helping out.”

“No worries. I happened to be at their place and saw that Kallan needed another pair of hands. It’ll be good to see your workshop, too, if you wouldn’t mind me having a quick snoop before the others arrive. I like woodworking.”

“You do? That’s great! And, of course, you can have a look around.”

“I haven’t touched power tools in a long while, though,” Aidan said as he carried a bedside table. “So where do we go?”

“Over there.” She picked up a vintage chair with ornate legs and started walking back towards the room, hyper-aware of Aidan following her. It was as if she could feel his breath on her neck even though he was a respectable distance away. Or was it that she wanted to feel his breath on her neck?

Stop it, Felicity!

Couldn’t Kallan hurry up and distract her from these ridiculous thoughts? But, God, how long had it been since she’d felt this way towards a man?

Actually, never.

That was right. She hadn’t felt attraction this strong, this fast, towards anybody.

The realisation started to scare her. How did people prevent losing themselves in a relationship with partners who had this much effect on them?

Thoughts of her past started to flood in, and she tensed. She pushed them away by recalling an image of herself with a paintbrush in her hand, decorating a wooden breakfast tray—the very first item she’d restored. That person was the new, courageous, confident Felicity, and the new Fel didn’t have to worry about her emotions. Because no matter what she was feeling, she was in control of her decisions.

Honestly, though, she had no idea how she’d handle it if Aidan happened to flirt with her. She’d probably be torn between throwing herself at him and hiding somewhere she couldn’t be found.

What she really had to do about this stupid crush was to…well…just feel it until it dissipated, she guessed. Hopefully, that would happen sooner rather than later.

She opened the door to the workshop and walked inside. “Here we are. We can line them all up against this wall.” She put down the chair she was carrying at the corner nearest the door.

Aidan placed the side table next to it. “How do you determine which person gets to work on what?”

“We hold a draw. Those who get small items like this chair can end up working with two or more pieces before someone working on something like the headboard finishes with theirs. I bet everyone will want to work on that headboard. It’s so beautiful.  I’ll keep my fingers crossed that it ends up with me.”

“I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you,” Aidan said with a smile before leaving the room.

Unbidden, she let out a sigh. How sweet of Aidan to say that.

Shaking her head, she walked out of the room. Instead of standing here and swooning, she’d better help bring more of the stuff in.

“Felicity!”

She turned her head towards the caller and grinned. “Sophie! Hi! Ready to join us today?”

“You have spares for me to work on?”

“Absolutely!”

“Great! Can’t wait to start.”

Felicity made little claps, thrilled. This gorgeous police officer who shared her birthday—they'd both turned thirty a couple of months ago—had worked on the domestic violence cases of most of the members of the group, including hers. “The girls will be so happy that you’re joining us, especially after last week,” she said, sobering. “Tessa still couldn’t believe that her ex would be so brazen as to send his brother here to spy on her.”

“Yeah. It’s great that the council is letting you use this hall for free, but the downside is the grounds are a public place, so those idiots think they can make up excuses for being here and get away with it.”

“I’ve actually started researching where we could move our workshop. But it’s next to impossible to find a room big enough for our needs as well as free to use indefinitely.”

Sophie placed a hand on her arm. “No need to keep looking. That’s why I’m here. I’m not doing anything most Sundays, anyway, and I’m really keen to learn how to upcycle furniture. The only thing is, I don’t meet the requirements for membership to New Again,” she said with a laugh.

“Hey, you know we’re more than happy to make you an honorary member.” Felicity was humbled and extremely grateful that this woman would choose to spend part of her free time with their group to help protect them from partners or exes who dared break apprehended violence orders. Unfortunately, it had happened more than once for a couple of the girls. Sophie’s presence in their workshops, albeit as an off-duty cop, was more than welcome.

Kallan and Aidan appeared from around the corner, carrying the headboard.

Felicity made the introductions. “Sophie, this is Aidan, and that’s Kallan. They’re friends of mine helping out with delivering our stuff. Guys, this is Sophie. She’s a police officer friend of the New Again circle. Actually, she’s a detective now. We’re granting her an honorary membership.”

“Hi, Sophie,” the men said in unison.

“Good to meet you, guys,” answered Sophie, eyeing the piece the men were carefully placing down. “That’s a beautiful headboard.”

“Felicity’s keeping her fingers crossed for this,” Aidan quipped. “She said all of you would probably want it.”

Sophie chuckled. “I think I’ll stick to something very simple. I’m new at this, and I wouldn’t want to ruin that. Anyway, I can help carry some stuff.”

“Thanks, but we can manage,” Aidan said.

“Are you saying I’m not strong enough to carry something like that?” Sophie asked with narrowed eyes.

The shock on Aidan’s face was comical. “I didn’t mean that at all. I just meant we can manage. But if you want to help, that’s fine, too.”

Sophie laughed. “I was kidding.”

Aidan chuckled, shaking his forefinger at Sophie as he and Kallan went back to the truck.

Felicity hid a sigh. Even though she smiled along with the others, she felt a stirring in her chest that made her want to pout.

Whoa, was she jealous? She pushed the feeling down.

Soon, Aidan was back, his arm muscles bulging as he carried a bookcase over his shoulder.

Felicity’s heart skipped a beat, and butterflies in her stomach madly flapped their wings. Argh.

As he put his load down, Aidan looked at Sophie. “There are chairs you can carry.”

Sophie shook her head. “I’m sure you can manage.”

Aidan chuckled.

“So what do you do for a living, Aidan?” Sophie prodded in a friendly tone.

“I’m an IT consultant,” Aidan said.

Sophie’s brows rose. “My dad needs a good IT guy. What do you specialise in?”

Aidan smiled. “Unfortunately, I’m pretty busy right now, so I’m not looking for any new business. Thanks, anyway.”

Sophie watched Aidan leave the room. “Don’t you find it interesting that he didn’t ask for my contact number in case he finds an empty slot in his schedule in the future?”

Felicity shrugged. “Maybe he has a long waiting list already.”

“Maybe. How well do you know him?”

“Not well. I just met him last week at Isla’s birthday. You remember Isla, right? My lawyer best friend who helped put Nolan in jail?”

“Yes.”

“Kallan is Isla’s fiancé. Isla and Kallan are the ones who usually deliver our stuff because they’re stored in their garage, and they borrow the truck from a neighbour down their street. But Isla couldn’t make it at the last minute, and Aidan happened to be available.”

“Oh, right.”

“So, do you think Aidan’s hot?” Felicity asked, keeping her voice light. “Or are you thinking he could be here to spy on our members?”

Sophie chuckled. “Both, maybe.”

Oh, no. Felicity didn’t want Sophie to be interested in Aidan. “Well, apparently he’s anti-commitment.”

“Really?”

“Uh-huh.”

Sophie wrinkled her nose. “Shame. He’s a hunk, isn’t he? Just like Kallan. Pity Kallan’s already engaged.”

“Hey, Kallan’s got an identical twin—and I mean identical. Those two look so alike it’s not funny. And Kerrod’s single—a workaholic, but a nice guy.”

“Does Aidan have a twin?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“Don’t worry, then,” Sophie said with a laugh.

Felicity kept the smile on her face even though Sophie’s attraction to Aidan was bugging the hell out of her. It shouldn’t, since she didn’t plan to date Aidan, but she couldn’t help how she felt.

Could she blame herself, though? Aidan was truly divine.

Divine? What a word to describe someone so…masculine.

Sophie cocked her head. “You okay?”

“Huh?”

“You’re blushing.”

Felicity felt her cheeks burn further. “I think it’s just the heat.”

“It’s not that hot. Aha! I bet it’s Aidan. Well, you saw him first, so don’t mind me.” Sophie winked.

Felicity laughed, neither confirming nor denying Sophie’s guess. She was relieved, though, that Sophie seemed to be bowing out. Not that they were in a race for Aidan’s attention.

Sophie turned to the furniture. “Hey, you’ll give me something really simple to work on today, right?”

“Sure. You can take your pick.” As long as it’s not Aidan.

Ugh! What on earth was going on with her?

Experiencing basic human wants.

Her lips tugged up. Of course, she wasn’t immune to lust. It was just that the strength of it for Aidan kept blowing her away.

Hey, wait…

Since she didn’t think she was ready for a relationship, and Aidan wasn’t into commitment, what would be the problem in considering something casual? Yes, she’d always said she wasn’t built for anything like that, but she wasn’t the old Felicity anymore, right?

She let the thought sink in, not pushing against it at all, as she watched Sophie run her fingers along a bookcase.

Hm, she wasn’t totally opposed to the idea. What was more, she’d hate it if Aidan started giving Sophie lingering looks instead of directing those smoking hot gazes towards her.

Perhaps she should take a forward step while Sophie was backing off.

**END OF CHAPTER TWO**

Aidan: The Rescue releases on the 24th of September, 2020 and can be bought from the following stores:

Amazon | Apple iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

(Link to Google Play will be available on release day.)

Aidan: The Rescue Chapter One

If there was one thing that never got old for Aidan Radcliffe, it was watching criminals’ shocked faces while masked individuals in all-black outfits interrupted their crime. During these surprise operations by the Indie Rebels, some goons surrendered without a fight. Others, like this idiot who’d been in the process of robbing his elderly victim for the fourth time, tried to run.

Justin Shapiro, the Indie Rebel initiate Aidan had been training, caught the perp and cuffed him without a problem even though the man was bigger than Justin and had put up a struggle.

“Fucking IRs,” the crook hissed. “How did you know I was here?”

Aidan smirked. While the guy tried to look tough, he heard the fear in his voice.

This was the end for this serial armed robber who’d been eluding the police. His luck had run out, and the Sydneysiders he’d been victimising, including Justin’s grandfather, could feel safe again in their own homes.

“Thank you so much,” Justin’s grandfather said, his eyes wide. “My name’s Glenn. I’m so happy to see you.”

“You’re welcome,” Aidan answered. “This guy here is a wanted man. We’ll tie him up real well and leave him in your yard for the police to pick up. Is that okay with you?”

Glenn nodded. “I’ve read about you, and I know you can’t stay. But I’ll make sure I tell the police it’s the Indie Rebels who saved me from this guy, even though they probably won’t be happy to hear that.”

“No,” Aidan said with a chuckle. “They prefer to do the catching themselves.”

“Have you been following him?” Glenn gestured to their prisoner. “Is that why I’m lucky enough that the two of you turned up at the right time tonight?”

“Yes.”

“Take their masks off, old man,” the thug taunted. “Be the hero and find out who these fucking IRs are.”

Glenn threw him a derisive glance.

“Let’s take care of him so you can call the police,” Aidan said.

Glenn nodded.

Aidan and Justin made quick work of binding the robber’s arms and legs and put duct tape across his mouth. Then, they half-carried, half-dragged him to the yard before waving goodbye to Glenn. They hurried back to a black IR-owned sedan that Justin had parked in a darkened alleyway.

“Thanks, Aidan,” Justin said. “I’m so relieved my granddad is now safe from that fucker.”

Aidan patted his student on the back. “You did very well. And your granddad had absolutely no idea it was you. Keep it that way, okay?”

Justin nodded. “Can I drive you somewhere?”

“No, I’m fine. My car’s around the corner. I’m gonna go back to my friend’s party.”

“Sorry I had to ruin your night. As soon as I saw that idiot turn onto Granddad’s street, I had to call you for assistance. I didn’t think you’d come yourself. I thought you’d send someone else.”

“Not a problem,” Aidan said with a chuckle. “I was close enough. Plus, it was a great time for me to watch you in action. You’re progressing well with your training.”

“Glad you think so. Thanks again. And I’ll wait for your call regarding any new assignment you want to give me.”

“Sure. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.”

“You, too.”

Aidan watched Justin drive away before returning to his car. He got into the back and took off his mask. Then, he changed to the smart casual clothes he’d been wearing at the birthday party. Aidan checked the alley to ensure it was empty before moving to the front and driving away.

Luckily, he hadn’t needed to explain to Isla Morgan, the birthday girl, and the other IRs celebrating with her as to why he’d had to leave the party abruptly. They knew that, as a senior agent and team leader, he was always on call.

He might be quizzed by the non-IR guests about his disappearance, though. But he’d already asked Isla to give the excuse that a relative from overseas, currently staying with him, had locked himself out of the house.

Was Felicity wondering if he was coming back to the party?

Aidan scoffed. He should stop thinking of Isla’s best friend already. Felicity Sebastian wasn’t an Indie Rebel. He couldn’t date her.

Damn. What a pity that was, because Felicity also found him attractive. She’d been so cute, tentatively flirting with him, clearly not wanting to be obvious. Still, Felicity hadn’t seemed able to stop herself from glancing at him constantly.

“So what? You can’t flirt back,” he muttered with a sigh.

Felicity intrigued him so much, having heard a lot about her through Isla. By all accounts, Felicity was a passionate person who made it her mission to help domestic violence victims gain confidence and find their self-worth though the New Again furniture revamping workshops that she ran once a week. She did so much for those women, knowing firsthand what they were going through.

Thankfully, Felicity’s abusive ex-boyfriend was now serving time in jail for breaching an apprehended violence order as well as arson for torching Felicity’s car. With the way Felicity had picked herself up and helped others since that time, Aidan understood why Isla was so proud of her.

Aidan had always loved meeting inspiring people, and he’d wanted to meet Felicity since hearing about her. Actually, he’d wanted to meet her since he’d laid eyes on a photo Isla had shown him months ago.

Today, it had happened. And she was more beautiful in person.

Thank God he was good at hiding his interest towards women who could not, under any circumstances, know about his secret identity as an Indie Rebel. Yes, it was always disappointing when he had to pretend he wasn’t keen. But he of all people understood the risks in breaking the IRs’ number one rule: that only an Indie Rebel could know the identity of another Indie Rebel. It was, and would always be, a matter of life and death if they broke it. With every criminal organisation trying to hunt down Indie Rebels, and with the police considering them an unneeded, unwanted vigilante group, Rule Number One was their biggest and most important protection.

He had to admit, though, that he found Felicity more captivating than any other girl who’d caught his attention. Not that that made any difference. His resolve to not date non-IRs was stronger than his attraction to Felicity.

Right?

Right! Of course! How could he even think of questioning that?

Shaking his head, he turned on the radio and drove back to Isla and Kallan’s house.

Soon, he was walking towards the couple’s front door. Isla’s surprise party, which had started at lunchtime, appeared to still be in full swing late into the night.

Great! He’d been having a wonderful time before he’d received the call from Justin. Hopefully, he wouldn’t get any other urgent messages from anyone.

He rang the doorbell, ready to rejoin the celebrations.

Kallan Keegan opened the door. “Hey, you’re back! Everything okay?”

“Yup. It all went smoothly. What did I miss?”

“More partying,” Kallan said with a laugh, clapping a hand on his shoulder to lead him back inside. “I thought it was winding down when I proposed to Isla. We’re glad that everyone’s happy to keep celebrating.”

Aidan chuckled as he followed Kallan to the open-plan living area at the back.

His breath hitched. Ah, there was Felicity. The short-haired brunette with the loveliest hazel eyes was carrying a tray of sliced birthday cake. God, she was so stunning that he found himself stopping to watch her offer the dessert to the guests.

As she got closer, Felicity spotted him—and seemed to trip on something.

Aidan’s eyes widened as time seemed to go in slow motion before speeding up again. There was no way he could stop what was about to happen, so he braced himself, holding up his arms to try to prevent Felicity from crashing into him.

Felicity tried valiantly to regain her balance. Probably realising she’d hit him with the tray or, perhaps, desperate to arrest her momentum, she dropped her load. Dessert plates broke, forks clanged, and pieces of cake splattered on the hardwood floor. Despite her efforts, Felicity still ended up with her face planted right on Aidan’s chest.

Heat travelled throughout Aidan’s body as he helped Felicity to her feet.

Red-faced, Felicity looked at him. “I’m so sorry.”

“No worries,” he said, keeping a hand on her arm. “You okay?”

Felicity gulped audibly, nodding.

Isla rushed over to them. “Are you okay, Fel?” she asked as other guests swarmed in, also expressing concern.

“I’m okay, everyone. Thank you. Did anyone get cake on them?”

There was a chorus of no.

Felicity stared in dismay at the mess on the floor. Turning to Isla, she said, “Just when your party’s almost over, I had to go and create a ruckus. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Isla said, sweeping her gaze over her friend from head to foot. “What happened?”

“I don’t know. I just…” Felicity shrugged.

Aidan suppressed a smile. He could swear that Felicity had tripped because she’d caught him looking at her.

Argh, such a damned shame that he couldn’t let Felicity think he could be a potential boyfriend, especially when every cell in his body responded to this woman’s close proximity. Even his heartbeat refused to slow down.

“I’ll get a broom,” Felicity murmured, stepping away from him.

Isla shook her head. “It’s okay. My darling fiancé’s already on top of it. See? Thank you, honey,” she said to Kallan, who’d been quick to grab a broom and a dustpan.

Kallan sent Felicity a curious glance. “You okay, Fel? What did you trip on?”

Felicity let out an embarrassed laugh as she walked towards the mess. “My own feet, I guess. Let me help. Aunt Nadine, I’ll take that,” she said to Isla’s mother, who was holding a rag.

“I got this,” Nadine said.

But Felicity was quick to snatch the cloth away from Nadine. “I’ll do it.”

“Okay,” Nadine said with a sigh.

Aidan crossed his arms, unable to keep from watching Felicity as she helped Kallan clean the floor.

“Don’t tell her I told you she finds you hot,” Isla whispered. “She’ll kill me.”

“No, of course I won’t tell her,” he promised.

“She’d be mortified that she tripped when she saw you looking at her.”

Aidan glanced at Isla. “You were watching?”

“I just happened to notice you staring at her. Why, by the way, when you told me earlier you’re not interested?” Isla asked teasingly.

“Don’t push it,” he said in a warning tone.

“I won’t. I already told her you’re not boyfriend material. You’re married to your job as an IT consultant—just like Kerrod. She understands what that means because she knows my dear future brother-in-law quite well,” Isla said with a laugh. “So, basically, I made her think you’re an anti-commitment guy who’s only into casual relationships and one-night stands.”

“Why, thanks,” he said dryly.

“Sorry, but I had to give her an explanation that would turn her off after you guys kept exchanging looks. For the record, Aidan, Fel doesn’t do casual. And don’t give me the crap about not being interested in her. Why lie to me when I know this is all about you being an IR? I’m with you about not dating her. It’s definitely not a good idea.”

He sighed. “Yeah.”

“You know, I’ve thought about asking you to put in a good word to the chiefs about letting Fel know that Kallan and I are IRs, but I changed my mind. She’s such a worrywart that she’d worry about us morning, noon, and night.”

Aidan nodded. As Indie Rebels, they certainly didn’t live a quiet life. Sometimes he wondered why he continued to put himself in danger working for a covert, crime-fighting group, especially one unsanctioned by authorities.

But that thought didn’t occur to him very often. Being an Indie Rebel gave him a purpose in life, and he was great at being one.

Kallan glanced their way as he finished sweeping the floor, and Aidan didn’t miss the loving smile he sent to Isla.

Aidan’s lips curved up. For whatever reason, he always ended up mentoring IR initiates who fell in love with women connected to the cases they worked on, with those women eventually becoming Indie Rebels themselves. Lucky dudes. Apart from Kallan, there were three other guys right here in Isla’s party fortunate enough to have had the loves of their lives also join the IRs. He scanned the room until his gaze landed on Xavier with Eve, then Jaxon with Holly, and Bryce with Emma. Yes, they’d met their respective partners in dangerous situations, but Aidan had never seen happier, more in-love couples than these people. He guessed that having to depend upon each other for their safety, and watching each others’ backs during assignments, served to strengthen their relationships.

He hadn’t had the same luck. None of the women he’d been interested in—and now he had to add Felicity to the count—had had a need for the Indie Rebels and couldn’t possibly had been initiated into the group. He couldn’t help but feel just a little envious.

“So,” Isla said, “you’ve said before that you became an IR when you were only fifteen. I assume, then, that you’ve never dated a non-IR?”

“I have. Twice.”

“Really? Were they serious?”

“I was young and stupid.” He didn’t bother to tell Isla that in his twenty years of being an Indie Rebel, those were the only two times he’d been in love.

“When did the second one end?”

“Over six years ago.”

“Right. So you’ve only been dating IRs since then?”

“No. To be honest, I haven’t met an IR who interests me. More to the point, there are hardly any female IRs who are still single.”

Isla’s brows rose. “So you haven’t dated anyone in six years?”

“Define dating.”

Isla laughed. “So, I was actually right when I told Fel you’re a one-night stand man. I didn’t exactly lie to her, did I?”

Aidan snickered. He wasn’t prepared to share any more details of his pathetic dating life with Isla right now. Most of all, he didn’t want this perceptive woman to discover how empty he’d felt from watching the likes of her and Kallan fall for each other and grow more in love as days passed.

“If I’d known you’d be interrogating me,” he said dryly, “I wouldn’t have picked this day to tell you that you and Kallan have passed initiation. Then, I wouldn’t have been here today, because I still wouldn’t have been able to show my face to you. Can’t be attending a party with my mask on.” Truthfully, though, revealing what he looked like to the graduates always gave him a thrill. He invariably got very close to all the initiates he mentored. He considered them friends—family, actually—well before they were allowed to discover what he looked like.

Isla gave him a hug. “Aw, did I push a button? Sorry. You know that after over a year of us working closely together, I’m so thrilled that we can now see you without a mask on and wearing something else than our all-black outfit. You couldn’t have given me a better birthday present. Plus, I now see how good-looking you are. No wonder Fel’s so smitten.”

“But she’s not an IR,” he said with a wry chuckle, reminding Isla and himself of the unfortunate situation.

“Well, I’m sure there’s a single IR who’ll eventually take your fancy. It’s a pity it won’t be my best friend.”

Aidan sighed. Yes, it was a pity.

His phone rang with an incoming call, and he fished it out of his trousers pocket. Chief 2, the screen said.

“Hope that’s nothing serious,” Isla said. “If you need any of us here, let me know.”

“Thanks. But I won’t be asking you and Kallan to do anything tonight, that’s for sure.” As he walked towards the front door to take the call outside, he passed Felicity.

She smiled at him shyly, embarrassment still written all over her face.

He wanted to stop and say something witty and funny to make her feel better, but the phone buzzing in his hand didn’t give him a choice. He grinned at her instead, winking playfully.

Oops. He probably shouldn’t have winked. Last thing he wanted was to get Felicity’s hopes up. Bad Aidan.

He stepped outside into a balmy Sydney summer night—perfect January weather—and answered his phone. “Hi, Claude,” he said to the IR chief to whom he reported directly.

“Aidan, I’m sorry that I’m calling straight after you just helped Justin. I know you’re still partying with the others.”

“No problem at all. I’m assuming this is an urgent matter.”

“Not really. In fact, we don’t have enough to go on at this point. But it’s important for you to know about it.”

Aidan frowned. “Yes?”

“Someone sent a message through our website saying they have their eye on our highest-ranking chief—that they’re hoping that this chief would die soon from natural causes. If that doesn’t happen in the time frame they want, they’ll make sure it happens, anyway.”

Fear gripped Aidan’s chest. “Maricar. Where is she now? Is she okay?”

“She’s fine. She’s still at her Bowral estate with her nurses and cook. Hugo is on his way there, too. He’ll stay with the women while this threat is active.”

Aidan felt relieved. Those people with Maricar were all trained IRs. What was more, Maricar’s country estate was very secure. He didn’t have to ask to know that agents were now monitoring the numerous security cameras that dotted the property. At the first sign of intruders, agents living nearby could be quickly dispatched. “Okay. I better head home to help man the cameras.”

“No,” Claude said authoritatively. “Maricar told me herself not to allow you to do that tonight. She wants you to enjoy yourself at Isla’s party.”

Aidan let out a heavy breath, knowing there was no point in arguing. But he couldn’t help his concern. Apart from being his most influential teacher and mentor, seventy-year-old Maricar Parlan was like a mother to him. She’d been his legal guardian after his parents had been killed whilst on an IR assignment when he was only fifteen.

“Do we know who sent the message?” he asked.

“We’re still working on that. They covered their tracks well, but our guys will find out who they are eventually. In the meantime, we’re ensuring Maricar is the safest she can be.”

“Right.” Aidan allowed himself to relax. He trusted the IRs. He had no doubts that Maricar was, indeed, the safest she could be.

“That’s all,” Claude said. “I just didn’t want you to find out about this later tonight or tomorrow and get annoyed that we didn’t inform you straight away. But, like I said, there’s nothing for you to do right now. Our guys are watching the cameras on Maricar’s property like hawks.”

“Okay. Thanks, Claude. I do appreciate you telling me straight away.”

“No worries. Party going well?”

“Yeah,” he said with a laugh. “It’s going longer than expected, too, as Kallan and Isla got engaged.”

“Really? That’s great. I’ll personally congratulate them when we organise a graduation dinner for them.”

“Cool. They’d love that.”

“All right. You enjoy the rest of the night.”

“Thanks, Claude. Goodnight.”

“‘Night.”

Aidan hung up. As he glanced at his phone screen, he saw a text message he hadn’t read yet. It was from Trish, his ex from over six years ago—his second and last serious girlfriend. 

He opened it, and his brows rose. Trish was thanking him for sending her boxes of porcelain dolls to her cousin for safekeeping. It had been at least four years since he’d given those boxes to Trish’s cousin. She’d only found that out now?

He started to text a reply, then changed his mind. It was late. He’d respond to her tomorrow instead.

To his surprise, his phone started ringing. He answered, “Hello, Trish.”

“Hi, Aidan!” Trish said enthusiastically. “I had the phone in my hand to send you another message, and I noticed those text bubbles that indicated you were writing me one. So I decided to call you. I knew you’d still be up. You’ve always been a night owl. Anyway, how are you?”

“I’m good. How are you? I didn’t expect to hear from you after all this time.”

“I know! Well, I got back my dolls. Thanks so much. I honestly thought you’d thrown them all out.”

Aidan chuckled. When Trish had left him for Sandro six and a half years ago, she hadn’t taken her three big boxes of porcelain dolls to New Zealand, where Sandro lived. The freight costs had been prohibitive.

Out of guilt and grief, he’d kept them for a while. After all, he’d been mainly responsible for their relationship’s failure. He’d always disappeared to work on IR cases and never told Trish where he’d gone.

“I was tempted to throw them away,” he admitted. “But I know how much they cost you, so I handed them over to your cousin for safekeeping. That was over four years ago now. Didn’t she tell you?”

“No! She thought that mentioning it might bring up unwanted feelings for me. But we just came back to Sydney the other day, and she asked me to pick up the boxes from her today. I was so surprised. Thank you again for not getting rid of them.”

“No worries. So you’re back here for a visit?”

“No. Sandro got a transfer, so we’re back to stay. We both missed Australia so much. But I need to find a new job.”

“Okay. Good luck with that.”

“Thanks. So how’ve you been?”

“I’ve been well, thank you.” He didn’t know what else to say, which had been one of the problems in their relationship. He couldn’t share anything about his IR work.

The silence lengthened, and Trish cleared her throat. “Um, I better let you go.”

“Okay. You take care.”

“You, too. Bye, Aidan.”

“Bye.”

He hung up, shrugging. Funny how effectively time had healed that wound. He felt nothing but a little friendly caring for Trish now. In fact, the pain attached from the lesson he’d learnt from their two-year relationship was much stronger than the memory of his feelings for her. He guessed it was because things with Trish were well and truly over, whilst the lesson was ongoing.

Dating a non-IR didn’t work. At all.

He’d initially learnt that difficult truth with Priscilla, his first serious girlfriend. He’d been a young twenty-one-year-old when he’d fallen for her. Despite orders and warnings from the chiefs not to reveal their identities to non-Indie Rebels, he’d told Priscilla this secret on their one-year anniversary. Trusting Priscilla implicitly, he’d thought he was doing the right thing for their relationship.

But Priscilla had mentioned something to someone because, somehow, a crime lord had gotten wind of the fact that she had information regarding an Indie Rebel. Priscilla had been kidnapped. When IRs had stormed the place where she’d been kept, one of the goons had shot her before they’d tried to escape.

Priscilla had died in his arms, but not before swearing to him on her last breath that she’d never told anyone that Aidan was the IR she’d known. While she’d made the mistake of saying something vague to a friend of hers, she’d died keeping his secret.

Aidan blinked rapidly, taking a deep breath. That was why he emphasised to initiates how incredibly important it was to never, ever reveal their IR identities to those outside of their group. People could slip up accidentally even with the best of intentions.

He pushed the bad memories back into their box. Over the years, he’d learnt that the best way to live his life was to always focus on the lessons without letting the negative feelings swamp him. To date, that had served him well.

He gave himself a relaxing shake. He was supposed to be having fun tonight, not remembering painful memories.

He went back inside the house and locked the door before rejoining the party. For some reason, despite the numerous guests in attendance, his gaze immediately landed on Felicity, who sent him a smile before continuing to talk to Kallan’s twin, Kerrod.

Had she been waiting for him to come back, or had she just happened to glance at the door as he’d come in?

He smirked. Why, oh why, couldn’t he meet IR agents he wanted to date? Why was he always attracted to women he couldn’t tell his most important secrets to?

And why on earth couldn’t he help but feel jealous that Felicity was laughing heartily at something Kerrod was saying?

Don’t go there, idiot. Just don’t go there.

**END OF CHAPTER ONE***

Aidan: The Rescue releases on the 24th of September, 2020 and can be bought from the following stores:

Amazon | Apple iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

(Link to Google Play will be available on release day.)