58 - LIABILITY

KYLE’S POV

“I think I’m ready to find my father’s killers – ” she said, the words bounced off my brain as I was unwilling to understand a large part wished I hadn’t heard it but then she added

“Would you help me?”

My chest tightened with the overwhelming allure of guilt. I looked into her eyes unconsciously, and they were filled with some kind of hope that felt impossible to diminish. Only then did I pull my eyes away, only just properly the weight of her request when somehow the truth was just sitting before her. I shook my head instead and pulled her closer by her hands

“How about we make sure you’re okay first” I said instead hoping it will derail her thoughts even if it was just for a little bit.

“I’m fine, I – ”

“No you’re not, and we’re dropping by the hospital first” I said cutting her short and her instantly went up to her face to touch a gash the struck across one side of her face with with dried blood plastered around it.

How could she still look so beautiful even in the most tortured state? How did she seem so delicate and fragile like the most expensive figurine that my mother ever had and I wasn’t allowed to touch? I stretched my hands out to caress her face but my fingers barely grazed her skin, barely touching but the hairs on my own skin stood alert. She shivered and I pulled her closer to me, while she still waited for my response about finding her father’s killers. But what was I going to say? What could I say?

“Dr. Haverts will see you now” the young receptionist whispered to us and I watched Aria go in and a couple of moments later she walked out and side eyed me.

“I told you I was fine” she said

“No you’re not, you have a bruise on your face and that’s not fine to me”

“You have one on your face too” she bantered back and it infuriated me most times when she was being stubborn just like now.

“It’s not the same thing, different circumstances. You’re delicate flower that shouldn’t be touched and I’ll kill whomever laid their hands on you Aria, I mean it” I said now and her mouth fell open with no words forthcoming, her eyes suddenly looked glazed like she was going to tear up just until the Dr. Haverts peeked through his office door and I pulled my gaze away from her and went to him.

“She’s fine” the doctor said before I could even get any words out of my mouth “Prescribed some medication and she’ll be okay”

Aria shot me an ‘I told you so” look and I rolled my eyes at her “You’re still going to see a therapist” I said now as we walked outside to the where my fleet of cars where parked waiting for us and she turned around to face me, immediately blocking my path and I watched her curiously.

“I don’t need to see a therapy, what I need right now is to find my father’s killers” she had her eyes set in stone as she drilled them into me.

“Why?” I simply asked.

“Closure I guess, a sense of fulfillment and to get rid of the guilt that consumes because I backed out of the case when it happened. I didn’t want to know the details” and then she cast her eyes down before speaking again “I wasn’t grieving my father then, I was grieving something else, someone else and - ” I watched her lay an unconscious hand across her belly, so subtle that I had barely caught it but the longing was there and it caused an ache in my chest.

“It’s not going to change anything Aria, it’s not going to bring him back” I knew what I was doing and I hated myself for it.

“I know – it’s just – it’s just – ” her voice cracked, the glazeness returning to her eyes “He deserves the justice, he was a good man Kyle, he was a good dad and he tried the best he could, he didn’t deserve any of that and it haunts me everyday that I couldn’t do anything for him, I couldn’t even greive him properly because I had lost something else – ” she could barely finish her words before the tears began to flow and I pulled her into my arms, allowing her melt into my skin in a bid to protect her and soothe her aching heart. But how could I do that when I was the cause of her heart ache, when my own heart was aching to. How could I protect her when I was the one she was searching for, standing right before her and cradling her in the soothing way that she craved.

“Would you – help me?” she cried into my shoulder and I stayed quiet, unsure of what to say and avoiding making promises I couldn’t keep.

“Let me take you home, I told Shawn I’d bring you back safe” I said instead and she pulled away from me, the surprise evident on her face as her eyes searched mine and she nodded.

“Fine”

I took Aria home and it was hard to watch her go into the embrace of another man, when it should have been just been, but the familiar weight of guilt pressed down me to give me a not so friendly reminder that that could never be me, not while this dirty secret still hovered over my head.

Shawn glared at me but I kept my eyes relaxed, I was too tired to go into an alpha duel with him. He won, he got the girl doing nothing after I played hero so yes I wasn’t going to glare back at him.

“I don’t want her involved in whatever shit you have going on, I’m not scared to reopen that case”

“Oh give it a rest Atticus Finch” I rolled my eyes. Then, Aria gave me one last look before she went in, a look that I couldn’t describe or interpret but it shone in her eyes. Was it disappointment? Remorse or a silent plea? I couldn’t tell but she turned around with Shawn before I could say another word.

I turned around too, heading towards my car with one thing in mind – Spider! He worked for me now but firstly, he’d have to pay for ever laying his hands on Aria.

“Hello Spider” I walked into the warehouse where he was being kept, shirtless, nearly battered but still had that resolute look in his eyes, what he didn’t know was that he no longer had a choice.

“Tell me everything, why Aria?” I asked and honestly, I wasn’t expecting a quick answer but it came through and I groaned at how easy it was.

“Your father wants her out of the way – he sees you as a liability”

That’s not a surprise now, is it?