Aria Graice - 31. Chapter 31

With Aria occupied in the kitchen and Amara dozing at his side, Drew took the opportunity to call Jeff. His friend was unrepentant at his part in the twins’ escapades.

“Call me a romantic,” Jeff said with a throaty chuckle.

“I’ll call you a bloody fool. What were you thinking? Amara could have made himself seriously ill, and Aria needs far more help than I can give.”

The laughter dropped out of Jeff’s voice. “Is he no better then?”

“I don’t know. It’s going to take a long time, Jeff, and expert help.”

“I know, Drew, I know. No one knows better than I do about PTSD. I know enough to be sure that in cases like Aria’s it’s simply wrong to keep him away from someone—two people— he’s so close to, and that’s what they would have done. Can you imagine what harm Amara would have done to himself then? Don’t do that to them, Drew. Please.”

“I have no intention of doing anything. I wouldn’t only have Amara to deal with. Jay would probably murder me in my sleep, and that would be only what my mother left after she’d beaten me half to death.”

“Your mother?”

“You know her, Jeff. She’s already fallen in love with all three of them and is mothering them all over the place. It can only get worse from here.”

Jeff chuckled again. “You know I was only looking out for you, right? For all of you.”

“I know, and even though it was a monumentally stupid thing to do, I’m glad you did.”

“I didn’t do anything. It was all down to that crazy Jay kid. That kid is seriously deranged. You know that, right?” It was Drew’s turn to chuckle at the warm affection in Jeff’s tone. “All I did was go for a hard-earned coffee break. When I came back Aria had vanished. Come to think of it, I may have left a door open here and there as I went.”

“Thank you.”

“How’s it going?”

“I must be out of my fucking mind, Jeff, seriously. How did I get myself into this situation?”

“Tell me what the situation is and I might be able to help you.”

Drew took a deep breath, trying to find the right words to explain his situation, but before he could come up with anything elegant he burst out with “We’re together. All of us.”

“Jay, too?”

“God no.” Drew chuckled. “Don’t get me wrong, they’re a great kid, but they’d end me.”

Jeff laughed out loud. “I know what you mean. For all that they’re a little thing, there’s enough life in there for ten men and they’re nobody’s doormat.”

“That’s for damn sure. We all know who’ll be wearing the trousers—or sequin covered hot-pants—in any relationship they have.”

“They’re a damn good kid,” Jeff said gruffly, a kind of fraternal pride in his voice, which was typically Jeff. He had a tendency to very quickly take people under his wing and forever after treat them as if they were his own children. That’s what had happened to Drew and he thanked Heaven for it.

“So, are you going to keep me in suspense? How is Aria?”

“At the moment, he’s helping my mother make sausage and mash and seems to find the prospect of rolling pastry exciting.”

“Thank the Lord. I knew I was right. You should have had more faith in me.”

“Tell me the truth, Jeff, until a few moments ago how much faith did you have in yourself?”

“Eh, my rock-solid faith in myself never wavers—although it might have wobbled a little bit here and there this time.”

Drew laughed. “Anyway, how goes things there? Any news?”

“Apart from the fact that the whole damn world’s gone crazy over the twins’ “disappearance”, not much.”

“What do you mean?”

“I take it you haven’t been watching the news.”

Drew snorted. “I’ve kind of had other things on my mind.”

“True, but you might want to take a look. The story that Aria’s gone missing from the hospital hit the press this morning. Alicia is doing her best to squash it but coming hot on the trail of the kidnapping, it’s big news.”

“Oh great. That’s all we need. At least no one will think of looking for them here.”

“Just keep them inside for a while. Don’t take them anywhere they’re likely to be recognised.”

“I’ll do my best. It’s not as if they’re easy to hide though.”

Jeff laughed so loudly Drew had to draw the phone away from his ear. “Yeah, good luck with that.”

“I don’t know what you’re laughing about.” Drew grinned grimly to himself. “Last I heard you were Amara’s bodyguard, so you should get your arse down here and guard it.”

“What? Me in Wales? As if that wouldn’t look suspicious.”

“I’m sure you’d manage.”

Jeff paused, uncertainty creeping into his voice. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“Unless something’s happened since I’ve been away, and I trust that you’d tell me if it had, the person responsible for the kidnapping—and Ben—are still out there. For the moment, I’m confident they don’t know where the boys are, but we can’t rely on that for long. Until we’re ready to go back to London I need you here.” Drew’s heart sank as he spoke the words. As cosy as it was there, it was impossible for them to stay, at least for now. They were too vulnerable; too exposed and help too far away. If Ben, or whoever was pulling his strings, were to get wind of the fact the twins were here, it was very possible they might strike again, and that would put not only the boys but Jay, and Drew’s family right in the eye of the hurricane. They’d have to go back to London, and soon.

“You’re not coming back here then?”

“As soon as I can, but Amara’s in no shape to make another journey right now. We’re going to have to stay a day or two.” He stopped when Amara’s hand touched his cheek. Gazing down into Amara’s sleepy eyes, he smiled and willed the strain to disappear from his own.

“I can make it, Drew. If we need to go back to London, I’ll be fine, but I think we should stay for a little while if we can. Aria really likes it here. He’s…different, brighter.”

Drew thought about it and realised that Amara was right. Even given the trauma he’d experienced and the very real damage it had done to his psyche, Aria seemed to have opened up in only a few hours and exuded a radiance that Drew hadn’t seen before. He was…peaceful. Drew smiled, knowing where that peace came from. His mother always had that calming effect on him, too. Amara was right. What Aria needed more than almost anything else was some good old-fashioned mothering.

“I know, and believe me, I want to stay here with both of you for as long as we can, but it’s not safe. Not right now. We can come back. As soon as things settle down and the kidnappers are caught, we can come for a few weeks.”

Amara gazed at him, a frown between his brows. “And if they don’t get caught?”

“Things will die down eventually, and until then we just have to be sensible and stay safe.”

“We are safe,” Amara murmured, stifling a yawn. “We’re safe with you, and if Jeff comes no one could hurt us.”

“It’s not that I don’t appreciate your faith.” Drew gazed fondly at his sleepy bundle. “Sadly, we need more than just faith….”

“Eh.” Jeff broke in. “Faith’s underrated as a protection method. I’ll get down there as soon as I can. It won’t be until morning I expect. Try not to get up to anything too dangerous until then.”

“Dangerous? Are you crazy? I’m in love with the Graice Twins, how much more dangerous could it be?”

Drew disconnected the call to the sound of Jeff’s laughter, to find it echoed in Amara’s gaze. “Do you think we’re dangerous?” he asked, a smiled quirking the corners of his mouth.

“Deadly.”

“How?”

“Well, you did rip my heart out of my chest, squeezed it until it almost broke, then handed it back tied with a pink ribbon.”

Amara’s eyes widened and he seemed alarmed. Then he laughed, catching himself with a hand to his side. The laugh turned into a painful cough, but not even that could dim the light in his eyes.

“Mara, are you okay?” Aria appeared, fluttering nervously to his brother’s side, like a bright humming bird.

“I’m fine,” Amara said, grinning. “Drew thinks we’re dangerous.”

Aria blinked at Drew, tilted his head to one side and frowned for a moment. “I suppose we are,” he said, “to Drew.”

Amara frowned, then shrugged. “I guess. I mean, we did rip out his heart, break it then handed it back with, what, a pink ribbon I think he said.”

Now it was Aria’s turn to frown. “Where did we get the ribbon from,” he asked seriously, then brightened. “Probably Jay.”

Amara sniggered, then looked around. “Where is Jay?”

“Gone somewhere with Drew’s sister. She’s a bit…”—Aria waved his hand vaguely—“enthusiastic. They might get into a fight, but it’s okay because Jay has their kicking boots on.”

“A fight?” Amara’s amused expression switched instantly to something darker. “Where have they gone?”

Drew shifted uncomfortably. “The local club.”

“What’s that? It’s too early for a nightclub.”

“No, workingman’s club, like a pub but run by a committee.”

“What kind of people go there?”

Drew squirmed even more. “All kinds.”

“Not our kind,” Amara said darkly, giving Drew an intense glare that he couldn’t meet.

“No, not your kind.”

“Why did you let them go?” Amara struggled to get off Drew’s lap. Drew tried to hold him, but he had to either let him go or hurt him even more.

“Where are you going?”

“To rescue Jay.”

“What good do you think you’ll do in your condition?”

“Don’t you worry,” Drew’s mother said from the kitchen doorway, “our Cerrian will look after them. She knows her way around, does that one. She won’t let any harm come to them. She knows the harm that will come to her off me if she does.”

“I don’t know,” Amara said doubtfully. Jay can get terribly…” He faltered.

“Fabulous,” Aria filled in.

“Yeah, that’s one word.”

Drew’s mother chuckled. “Over the top, eh? Don’t you worry, our Cerrian can be—”

She broke off when the front door was thrown open and feet pounded along the hallway. A breathless Jay swung into the room and paused, hands on knees. The front door slammed and Cerrian appeared, far less winded, behind them.

“Why the hell did you run off like that,” she demanded. “I had to leave a pint. All I did was go to the bar and when I turned around all I saw was you legging it out the door.”

“What happened?” Amara demanded, his eyes flashing. “Who did what to you?” He glared at Cerrian, who shrugged.

“No one did anything. We were having a quiet drink—well, quiet-ish. No one bothered us. There was hardly anyone there anyway. The dart and pool teams are playing away tonight. There’s tournaments on.”

“Reporter,” Jay gasped. “Someone was…was asking about Drew, where he lives, if he’s home, if he had anyone with him. I watched him. I’d bet my life he’s a reporter.”

“Shit.” Amara limped to the window and peeked through the nets. “Can’t see anything, but there are loads of cars. I can’t tell if anyone’s in them.”

“Darn,” Aria said, frowning. “How did they find us so fast? How did they know?”

Jay snorted. “How did they know? You’ve been on the news every day since before the party. You’re the hottest story around, and you know what lengths reporters will go to for a story.

“No, how did they know we were here?”

Jay shrugged. “Who knows where Drew lives?”

Aria frowned. “Alicia, Jeff, I suppose anyone who can get into Alicia’s office, or hack the computer. Ben could have had it, I guess.” He shuddered deeply at the mention of Ben’s name.

“Why would he?” Drew cut in. “Until you sacked him, he’d have had no idea he might need it or wouldn’t have access to the files if he did.”

“True,” Aria agreed reluctantly, “but he might have looked it up for security or something. I don’t know how things work.”

“I still can’t see it,” Drew said, frowning. “How would he benefit from sending the press after us. Surely it would be better for him to just let the story die down.”

“I don’t know. How should I know how someone like that thinks? It wouldn’t be Alicia or Jeff,” Aria said firmly. “Or anyone who works at home.”

“Amara?” Drew had been watching him. He was white as a sheet and didn’t seem to be listening to the conversation. “Are you in pain?”

Amara shook his head. He took a breath. “I know who it was,” he said, his voice shaking. “It was Mother.”

“Maman? Don’t be silly, Mara, why would she do that?”

“Because she’s an evil cow. Sorry, Mrs. Chance, but it’s true. Apart from Henley, she’s the only one who knows, or thinks she knows, about Drew and us. And have you been on social media lately? People have been talking about what happened at the party. Some of the guests—her friends—have been posting about what she did, why we ran out on our security. Her PR have had to do a lot of firefighting. This would be perfect to deflect. It would put her right back in the spotlight again—How could that awful man take advantage of my babies like that? Stealing them away when they’re vulnerable and sick. Denying them proper treatment. Abusing them.”

“She wouldn’t, ‘Mara. She knows how bad it could be, and we’re not well. She wouldn’t.” Aria sounded doubtful, as if he were desperately trying to convince himself. It didn’t seem to be working.

“I hope it wasn’t,” Amara said, “but I’d be surprised it was anyone else.”

“Never mind who tipped them off for now,” Jay said. “The important thing is what are we going to do about it? We can’t face up to them here. We’re trapped with no security and no way out.”

“Dammit,” Amara cursed with a sheepish glance at Drew’s mother. Despite the situation Drew suppressed a smile. If Amara thought a bit of swearing would upset his mother, he was dead wrong.

“What are we going to do?” Aria asked, his lip trembling. “I don’t like being trapped.”

“Hush now,” Drew’s mother said, wrapping her arms around Aria, pressing his head to her breast while she stroked his hair. Aria stiffened at first, then relaxed with a happy little sigh. “We’ll figure this out. Cerrian, what are you driving?”

Cerrian grinned. “The van. It’s a couple of doors down.”

“I never thought I’d say this but thank God for that. It’s a bloody awful thing but perfect right now. Okay, you figure out where you want to go, and I’ll sort out how to get you there.” She headed back into the kitchen, already tapping her mobile phone. “Cerrian.”

Cerrian flashed them a grin then followed her mother.

“Wait a minute,” Jay said. “When she said van she didn’t mean that thing out in the street—did she?”

“Probably,” Drew said. “Was it old and colourful?”

“You could say that.”

Drew shrugged. “That’ll be her.”

Jay chuckled. “That doesn’t look like it would get us to the end of the street.”

“It got her around Thailand, India and most of Europe. She’s just had it refitted for another Indian pilgrimage.”

“She’s going to drive to India? In that?”

“She’s done it before. I think there’s a couple of them going this time. They’ve been planning for months. It’s not so easy to do these days.”

“I didn’t think you could do it at all. Hmm.” Jay frowned, contemplatively.

“No, no, no,” Aria said, grabbing Jay by the arm. “You’re not going to India. You can’t. I need you here.” There was an edge of panic in his voice that caused Jay to instantly lose the thoughtful expression and replace it with one of concern and resolve. They hugged Aria.

“I’m not going anywhere as long as you need me,” they said earnestly.

“I do need you.”

“We both do.”

“You’re the sensible one.”

“The one who keeps us from completely freaking out and fucking up. Shit.” Amara glanced around and relaxed when he saw Drew’s mother was not in the room.

“I really wouldn’t worry, ‘Mara,” Drew said. “My mother gave up trying to stop us swearing a long time ago. She’s bad enough herself.

Amara’s eyes widened, but he didn’t comment.

“So,” Jay said, “as I’m the sensible one, maybe I should get us thinking about where the hell were going to go. Back to London?”

“We should,” Amara said.

“I don’t want to go home yet,” Aria said, his voice trembling.

“Amara should go home,” Drew broke in. “He’s not well enough to mess about. He needs rest.”

“Which I can get anywhere.”

“You both need security as soon as possible.”

“Jeff’s on his way and we can divert him to wherever he needs to be.”

“He won’t be happy.”

“That’s not your problem, it’s ours.”

Drew sighed. He was very quickly coming to realize that the twins working together for something they were both serious about was a formidable force to be reckoned with and he was going to need to keep on his toes if he was going to keep his place in this relationship—whatever that might be. On this occasion though he didn’t want to fight too hard.

“Okay so where do you want to go?”

The twins exchanged a glance, then grinned at exactly the same moment. “Grandmother,” they said together.

“You have a grandmother?”

“Don’t look so surprised. Everyone has a grandmother.”

“We have two.”

“And a grandfather.

“But we don’t see the ones in France.”

“Maman won’t let us go.”

“She forbade us even asking about them.”

“They don’t speak.”

“But we found the farm.”

“We’ve spoken by email and Skyped our cousins.”

“We’re going to visit in the summer.”

“They said we could.”

“When we don’t have to tell Mother.”

“We don’t now,” Aria said thoughtfully. “We can do anything we want and we don’t have to ask her, or even tell her. So, we’re going to France.” Aria crossed his arms and jutted his chin as if he expected Drew to argue.

Drew couldn’t help but smile. “I look forward to it.”

Aria relaxed and beamed at him.

“But you’re not going to France today.”

“Of course not, silly. We’ll go to our other grandmother.”

“Father’s mother,” Amara supplied. “She doesn’t like us much, but she won’t turn us away, and she despises the press.”

“She lives on an estate in a mansion.” Aria’s eyes glittered. “It’s like a museum. I’m always worried I’m going to break something, but the grounds are beautiful and they have horses, and a studio for me.”

“Really? I thought she didn’t like you.”

Aria shrugged. “She doesn’t, but Father does, and he had the basement fitted out for both of us. It’s like a flat, with its own entrance, so we can keep out of her way.”

“Although she always insists on us having dinner with her.”

“And it’s awful.” Aria sighed. “Oh well. I’ll call Alicia and have her fix it all up.”

“Tell her to have Jeff meet us there.”

“Will do.”

“I’ll make my own way back to London,” Jay said.

“No, please.” Aria paused in making his call. “Come with us.”

“Do I have to? Your grandmother hates me.”

“She doesn’t hate you,” Amara said carefully. “She just…um…”

“She thinks I’m a gutter rat and not good enough to sleep between her Egyptian cotton sheets.”

“Um…yeah, pretty much. She’s a terrible person.”

“She’ll love me then.” Drew said, a worm of unease twisting in his stomach. It appeared he was about to come face to face with what he’d dreaded all along, what he’d expected Aria and Amara to be.

Amara chuckled and sank down on the sofa again. “No, she’ll hate you, but that’s okay, you can keep Jay company in the “not good enough” corner. I’m hoping we won’t have to see her much. I think I can get us a free pass to hide out in the flat, tell her I’m too ill to sit up for dinner in those godawful chairs.”

“They are truly awful,” Jay agreed, with a wry twist of their mouth “As is pretty much everything else. It’s…old. Suit of armour old. Massive family portraits in gold frames old. Think Downton Abbey and their grandmother is the dowager countess, except worse.”

“That bad, eh?”

“Worse.”