Safe Read online

  “Are you anxious to get started, Carly?” Aidan said poking fun at her overzealous way of removing his clothing. She smiled at him as he leaned in to kiss her again, trailing his lips down her cheek to her neck and down to her collarbone. He placed his hands under her sweater and began to slide it up over her breasts as she arched her back in anticipation.

  Carly was overwhelmed at the intensity of her feelings with Aidan. She had never felt this way with Ethan or anyone else, and she couldn’t have imagined that she would have felt this way about Aidan. He was no longer that skinny boy from high school. He was a virile, protective, sensuous man who wanted her and had wanted her since they were teenagers.

  Moments later, Carly’s sweater and bra were thrown onto a pile on the floor. Aidan caressed her breasts with his hands as he kissed her in the valley between them.

  “Aidan…”

  “You are so beautiful, Carly,” he whispered as he moved up for a quick kiss on her lips. “I’ve waited my whole life for you.”

  Her eyes met his for a moment before she closed them again as he moved down her body using his soft lips to fill her with pleasure over and over. She shimmied out of her jeans and kicked them into the air. Lying on the bed wearing only a pair of pink lacy panties, Carly felt vulnerable. But, for the first time in her life, she wasn’t scared or worried about that vulnerability because she knew that she was safe with Aidan in every way possible.

  Aidan slid down her body, kissing her naval and finally settled on the area between her thighs. Waves of heat were already pulsing through her as her anticipation built. She wanted him there, using those magic lips and that luscious tongue of his.

  She could feel his hot breath on her there as he teased her, licking around the outside of her panties. She writhed beneath him, eager to let him know that it was okay to take those panties off in any way he chose. He slid them off moments later and pressed his mouth into her private area with more passion than she had felt in a lifetime.

  “Aidan…” she moaned as he circled his tongue around and around again. Holding locks of his hair in her hands, she guided him to pleasure her in a way that she had never felt before. Her hips bucked as she rode the wave of pleasure and then melted into the sheets.

  “I take it that you liked that,” he said as he slid back up to her face.

  “I would say so… You are pretty good at that,” she said with a grin.

  “Well, anytime you want more,” he said with a wry smile that made her want to ask for seconds.

  “I want you inside of me, Aidan,” she said huskily. “I need to feel you.”

  He stood up and removed his jeans and boxer briefs, but not before taking a condom out of his pocket. He slid it on quickly and thrust deep within her. Carly cried out in overwhelming pleasure at the feeling of Aidan uniting with her.

  When he had his release, he rolled onto his side and held her until they both fell asleep. It was only nine in the evening, but they were both exhausted physically and emotionally. As Carly drifted off to sleep, Aidan whispered “I love you, Carly,” but she apparently didn’t hear him as she didn’t respond.

  ***

  “Aidan! Where are you, man? Aidan!” a loud voice was calling out for Aidan downstairs.

  “Who is that, Aidan?” Carly whispered loudly as she was aroused from a deep sleep. Aidan was already putting his clothes on as he opened the bedroom door.

  “I’m up here. What’s wrong?” he yelled down the stairs.

  “He’s here. We need help securing the place.”

  Aidan ran back into the room. Carly was already dressed and sitting on the bed. It was just after midnight.

  “Who’s here? Aidan, what’s going on?” she asked with a look of terror on her face. Before she could get answers, Carly heard two loud pops.

  “Oh, my God!” Aidan said. He grabbed his gun that he had put on the nightstand earlier and told Carly to hide in the closet and stay quiet before running out of the room.

  Carly, never one to take orders even if they were for her own good, ran to the landing above the living room. She crouched down and saw Aidan talking with a man while others ran around outside. Some kind of commotion was going on, and she was almost certain that she heard gunshots outside.

  “Marcus Cantrell,” she heard one of Aidan’s colleague’s say. That’s when she knew she was in trouble. Carly’s old habit of running suddenly called to her like an old friend. She grabbed her backpack purse and crawled out onto the terrace. Figuring she had to get down the mountainside somehow, she started to fling her leg over one side. She had no idea what was below her as all she could see was darkness.

  Only for a moment, Carly thought about Aidan. Should she just leave him now? How could she abandon him after what they had just shared? But he would want her to be safe, right? If the hitman gained access to the house, she’d be dead within seconds. She had to leave. In her mind, it was the only answer.

  Closing her eyes for a quick prayer, Carly swung over the side of the terrace and held on for dear life. Her foot hit something hard and she realized that the terrace was stabilized by metal poles leading to a patio below. In complete darkness, she wrapped her legs around the pole and slid downward until she fell on her butt on the concrete patio.

  She crouched down, looking around in the dim moonlight to see if she could spot anyone. She could hear a lot of noise coming from the front of the house where agents were yelling. She hadn’t heard any more gunshots, but she didn’t want to take any chances. Feeling around in her purse, she located her house keys which had a small flashlight on them. Although it didn’t provide much light, she could at least see a couple of feet in front of her.

  She found a small path leading down the mountainside. As she scooted down the path on her rear end, she held on to any tree limb or plant that she could find. Breathless, she knew she had to get away in any way that she could. Carly wondered what was going on back at the house. She toyed with the idea of climbing back up and trying to get a peek, but it was far too dangerous in her mind.

  As she slid down the hill, she picked up speed. It seemed like she was moving one hundred miles per hour when suddenly she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head. Then, total darkness.

  Chapter 11

  Aidan was beside himself when he returned to the bedroom to find Carly and her purse gone. Her cell phone was sitting on the side table, and he had no idea where she was. He immediately called out to his colleagues to let them know that she was missing, but with the total darkness of midnight surrounding them, there was little they could do until morning.

  Marcus Cantrell had found them, and Aidan wasn’t sure exactly how. He obviously had a snitch somewhere in the organization, but Aidan trusted the guys that were there with him. He knew it had to be someone on the local police force. He couldn’t worry about that now with Carly missing.

  Cantrell had taken a couple of shots at their safe house. One grazed the arm of Agent Delacort, the other wedged itself into one of the log railings on the front porch. Luckily, Cantrell wasn’t expecting the shot that was fired by Agent Stemmons right into his back right thigh. He hit the ground giving Aidan enough time to jump out from the bushes and tackle him.

  “Where is Mrs. Caine?” Agent Stemmons asked as he entered Carly’s bedroom.

  “I have no idea. We need to make some calls and let the agency and local police know that she’s missing. The reality is that, although we have Cantrell, we can’t be sure that she is safe unless she is in custody,” Aidan said pacing the floor as he ran his fingers through his hair.

  “Why would she run like this?” Stemmons asked.

  “Carly has been through a lot lately. She probably heard the gunshots and decided to run to safety. Unfortunately, she is out there in the wilderness in complete darkness now. Her phone is still here. She could be in terrible danger,” Aidan said shaking his head. “I’m going.”

  “Man, you can’t leave. You can’t even see out there.”

  “Then, get m
e a spotlight!” Aidan yelled sharply. Stemmons ran down the stairs to the van to get a spotlight.

  Aidan also ran down the stairs and out the front door. Grabbing the spotlight, a first aid kit, and a radio from Stemmons, he ran around the back of the property. He stopped at the edge of a sharp cliff and shined his light down into the trees.

  “Carly?” he yelled as loud as he could. “Carly?”

  “Here,” Stemmons said as he handed him a bullhorn.

  “CARLY?” he yelled even louder through the bullhorn. CARLY?” The men were quiet and listened carefully. Nothing.

  Aidan handed him the bullhorn and walked under the terrace. “I think I can see where she slid down the mountain here. Keep your radio handy. I hope to have good news soon.” With that, Aidan slid down the pathway that Carly had made.

  Shining his light, Aidan could see that Carly slid down the path for a long way. When he looked back, he could barely see the house lights above him. He had to slow himself down considerably as he shimmied down the side of the mountain. If she had lost control going down the hill, she could be - he couldn’t think about that now. He had to do his job and save her.

  “Carly?” he called out over and over again. His voice was becoming hoarse from calling her name. There were no sounds other than the occasional owl hooting in the distance.

  Aidan shined his light as he came to the bottom of the steep incline. She wasn’t there. What he saw next terrified him. A small pool of blood shimmered underneath the bright spotlight. Nearby was a jagged rock with blood on it too. Aidan slumped over, putting his head in his hands. How could he have lost her all those years ago, gotten her back for one magical night, and now lost her again?

  “Oh, my God. Carly,” he whispered trying to hold back his emotions. “No. You can’t be gone.” He shined his light all around, assuming she would be lying lifeless nearby, but there was no one - nothing.

  Aidan got to his feet and started walking back and forth at the foot of the ravine. Shining his light, he looked at every square inch of the area until he noticed a small crevice. As he approached, he realized it was actually a cave opening.

  “Carly?” he called. “CARLY?”

  He crawled over to the cave opening and shined his light inside. There he saw the sole of Carly’s shoe sticking out.

  “Oh, my God! Carly,” he yelled as he military-crawled into the cave. It was a small space, only big enough for the two of them. She was lying on her back lifeless. He began to shake her and rub her face. “Carly, wake up,” he begged with a tear rolling down his cheek. He felt for a pulse on her wrist and was relieved to feel a faint one.

  Her hand moved suddenly as she let out a loud cough. “Ouch,” she groaned as she reached up for the back of her head. “Oww.”

  “It’s okay, Carly. I’m here,” Aidan reassured her as he shined the light onto her head. He could see a mass of dried blood on the back of her head when he turned it. He was thankful that the blood was drying because that meant she probably hadn’t lost too much for it to be dangerous.

  “Does anything else hurt other than your head?”

  “I’m all scraped up on my hands, but the ugly sweatshirt and jeans I threw on protected my slide down here,” she said with a half hearted smile.

  “Now that I know you are okay… What the hell were you thinking running away like that, Carly?” Aidan snapped. He pulled out the first aid kit and set up the spotlight so that he could work on her wounds. “You could have been killed by Cantrell or this long fall you took.”

  “I know. I’m sorry. I just heard what sounded like gunshots, and it reminded me of seeing Ethan shoot… I just freaked out,” she said, jumping over and over as he poured peroxide over her cuts.

  “If I slide you out of here, can you sit up?” he asked.

  “I think so.”

  Carefully, he crawled out of the cave and pulled Carly by the feet. Carly slowly sat up with his assistance. Her hands were raw and bloody like hamburger meat. Her head had a gash from hitting a rock on the way down.

  “You might need some stitches for this. We’ll have to take you to a hospital,” Aidan said. “You scared me to death.”

  “I really am sorry. After I ran, I thought about how you would be worried, but I figured you would want me to do anything I could to get to safety.”

  “Carly, don’t you understand that safety isn’t being alone? Safety is with me. I would have done anything to protect you. I tackled Cantrell. He’s in custody. And you were at the bottom of a mountain unconscious in a cave. You can’t keep running away. You have to let someone in,” he said putting his hand on her cheek.

  Carly’s stomach churned as she felt the depth of his worry, his emotion. Her heart sank as she thought about how she had hurt him all those years ago as a teenager, and she had done it again tonight. Without thinking, she had ripped his heart apart yet again. She didn’t deserve him. He didn’t deserve the way she was treating him.

  “Stemmons?” he called on the radio as he stood up and walked a few feet away from her. “I found her. We are at the bottom of this huge ravine. Can you check the maps and see the quickest way out of here?”

  Carly slowly got to her feet. Her head was pounding, and her hands felt like they were on fire. Rips were scattered across her jeans, and her sweatshirt was covered in dirt and leaves.

  “Aidan,” she called out. He was off the radio and standing just about ten feet away. The clouds had passed, and the moonlight was streaming through the trees. She could see his silhouette as he stared out at the forest in front of him.

  “You probably shouldn’t be standing, Carly. You hit your head pretty hard,” he said softly as she walked up beside him.

  “You can’t trust me, can you?” she asked looking up at him.

  Aidan looked down at her for a moment before smiling at her. “You know, you always were dramatic and spontaneous, but tonight really takes the cake,” he said. “I just don’t know what to do with you.”

  “You knew what to do with me earlier,” she said with a wink.

  “You are such a strong-willed woman. Are you ever going to be able to let me into your heart, Carly?”

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “You ran from the feelings between us in high school. Then you married a man that I think, deep down, you knew was trouble waiting to happen. Now, at the first sign of danger, you don’t even trust me as an FBI agent to protect you. How can I take care of you as a man if you won’t let me?” His words were full of pain and angst, as if he was trying to make sense out of nonsense.

  Carly had never thought of it that way. Ever since her Dad had left the family, and probably even before that, she had focused on being independent. She didn’t want to count on anyone because she had found that she couldn’t for so long. Now, that independence could cost her.

  Chapter 12

  Before Carly could answer Aidan, Agent Stemmons radioed him to give him instructions for getting out of the mountain. Ironically, a main road that led down from the mountain was only a quarter of a mile away. Carly insisted, of course, that she could walk it.

  “Tell me if anything starts to hurt, and I will carry you,” Aidan said as they started out.

  “I can walk,” Carly responded.

  “Yes, I know, Queen Independent. You could probably skip out of here or hop on one foot.” Aidan was half joking and half serious.

  They walked in silence the rest of the way. Carly wasn’t sure where her actions left them. Did they have a relationship? Or was it just a one night stand with an old friend? Was he just trying to relive old fantasies of the two of them being together? She was still married, and that came with a lot of baggage, including an upcoming criminal trial.

  When they came to the road, there were two FBI vans waiting for them.

  “Mrs. Caine, I am glad you are okay,” Agent Stemmons said without cracking a smile.

  “Call me Carly, please.”

  “We are ready to take you to the hospital,”
he said ushering her into the van. “Aidan, we need you to ride with Agent Evans to give your account of the shooting.”

  Aidan looked at Carly before climbing into his van. He stared at her for a moment before turning his head and shutting the door. He wasn’t even coming to the hospital with her? When would she see him again?

  ***

  “Carly? Did you hear me?” Detective Cloud asked.

  “What? No, sorry,” she said. Here she was, head stitched and bandaged, sitting in that damn interrogation room yet again.

  “I asked why you ran away like you did.”