"Has Ivan been around?" Six asked, and Aiden shook his head.
"No. I guess with Louisa's lab being shut, there isn't much in the way of research for him to do. I assumed he was involved in this land deal. But the lab has been one hundred percent lights off. What happened to you, Louisa?" he asked.
Louisa explained what she could, and the fear in Aiden's eyes made her feel a little guilty for what she was about to do next. "Aiden. I hate to ask this, but, could you … It would be great if you could see what you can find out from the inside. I don't want you to get into trouble, but trust me, I have good reason to believe that Ivan, and possibly Vasilii, are involved in what happened to me. Any information you might be able to find would be so helpful. Especially anything out of the ordinary. Unplanned trips, reservations, etc."
Aiden stood from his chair and wandered to the window that looked over his street. "I will," he said. "As long as my research isn't compromised. Alzheimer's means as much to me as Huntington's does to you. I can't just abandon my research."
Louise stood and hurried over to him. She reached for his hand, needing to beg. "I completely understand, but please … try your best." She looked in his eyes. They were sweet, but they weren't Six's and never would be.
"For you, Louisa. I will."
* * *
Everything about Louisa felt right. And it wasn't just the sex, which had been a revelation every time. It was so much more. Like the way she was currently asleep draped across him, finally relaxed enough in sleep to forget about her internal walls and turn off all her alarms. Like the way he'd looked at the papers on her desk while she'd showered and found the makings of a business plan for a company called True North Industries with a financial plan that made his eyes water. The woman was smarter than he'd ever be, and clearly wealthier than he'd imagined, given the amount she was planning to invest.
And she was funny, and made him laugh, and didn't let him get away with shit.
Which had all the makings of being in love. He waited for his stomach to turn at the idea, to clutch at thoughts related to settling down. But nothing happened. Except a feeling of inner peace at the mental declaration that his mom would be proud of. He'd texted both his mom and sister and told them to stay away. Of course, he'd played it off as a client staying with him, which was completely true. His mom had always been able to tell if he was lying, even if it was electronically. But he was actually looking forward to introducing her to his family.
Watching her today with Aiden had been odd. For the first time, he'd been jealous of their friendship. It was clear to him that Aiden had wanted a relationship with Lou, but the look in her eyes had told him all he needed to know. The only person she was interested in was him.
He'd been unable to sleep. Cabe was right. It was harder to think clearly about what the right thing to do was because it was Louisa. They were convening at Eagle in the morning, and he'd already agreed to take Lou with him because there was no way she'd accept being left behind, and Louisa was right. She was smart and might be able to help. But part of him wished he could lock her in the house and surround her with a hundred ex-military guys instead. Love and duty made for uneasy bedfellows.
Lou rolled onto her side and buried her head into her own pillow. The sound of metal scratching against metal caught his attention, and he sat up quickly, craning his head in the direction of the sound. If he didn't know better, he'd swear it was the garage door. Quickly, he rolled out of bed, pulled on his shorts, and slipped into his shoes, which were exactly where he'd lined them up.
He pulled his SIG out of the drawer and placed his hand over Louisa's mouth. She woke with a start, but he placed his lips next to her ear. "Shh. Someone's here." Quietly, he slid her drawer open and pulled out the gun he'd left there for her. He handed it, and his phone, to her. "Get in the bathroom and lock the door. Don't open it for anyone but me. Anyone kicks the door in, you fire this straight at the chest like I showed you. You hear bullets, call the police."
Like the smart woman he knew she was, she took both and grabbed her pajamas and sneakers on the way.
Once he heard the lock click, he held his gun out and moved into the hallway. His first job was to keep whoever was attempting to enter the property away from Lou. Which meant they couldn't get to the back of the house. He reached the doorway into the kitchen in time to see the handle at the top of the stairs that led down to the garage turn ominously. He dropped to the ground to the left of the archway, which offered concealment, not cover. Depending on what type of weapons they might have, they could possibly rip drywall to pieces, so his location was less than ideal, but he didn't have the time to run to the other side of the kitchen.