Veil of Lies: A High Stakes Affair

Aiden's [POV]

There's nothing quite like sleeping on Victorian furniture, and it damned sure wasn't built for a situation as informal as passing out drunk. I woke up with a splitting headache and a crick in my neck, but worse than that, I wasn't alone. There was movement from the other side of the room.

I opened my eyes with a wince, then adjusted my lids to slits so I could peek out and see who was there with me. I didn't remember picking up anyone from the bar, but it wouldn't be the first time I'd brought home a woman and forgotten about it.

"Well, Aiden Joseph Walker, it's about time you wake up." The familiar voice made me cringe, as did the use of my full name. A grown man of nearly thirty should never be called by his full name, and only two people had ever done so in my life as far as I could recall. One was my mother, who'd been dead for over a year, and the other was Mattie Johnson, our family housekeeper who had mothered me alongside Mom my entire life.

"I was beginning to think you were dead. Lord knows there's something dead in this house. Smells like it, anyway." She waved her cleaning rag through the air and then turned to wipe down the family clock that hadn't had the correct time since I was twelve and pulled the pendulum too hard. Mattie had tanned my ass, and Mom had let her.

The only thing dead in the house was my sense of humor. "Shouldn't you be somewhere spending the insane retirement fund I paid you to leave me the hell alone?"

"You shut your mouth. I don't work for you anymore, and Lord knows why I bothered coming here, but I won't have you disrespecting me." The crack of the dishtowel popped about two inches from my ass before she turned around and went right back to wiping down the things around me. The smell of a chicken boiling set my mouth to water, but I wished she hadn't done that. My appetite wasn't what it used to be.

I sat up and wiped my eyes and scrubbed my fingers through my thick beard, giving it a scratch. "I don't understand what's so hard about respecting my wishes."

"Your wishes are getting out of hand. Look at this place, Aiden. It's a pigsty. You might want to grow your hair and beard to look like you haven't got two pennies to rub together, but this home needs attention, whether you like it or not. The grass is knee-deep, and there's a good year's worth of overgrowth out on the hedges."

"Yes, and that's because when I gave the gardener his payoff, he left and had the good graces not to come back."

"So that's it, you want to sit up in here and let this place crumble around you? I've sat on my hands for too long, boy. If your parents could roll over in their graves, the ground would be shaking just knowing how you're handling things around here. Your mother would take a razor to that face in your sleep and your father - he'd be damned embarrassed of you." I pegged her with a hard glare, but she held her chin up defiantly.

"Well, you can stop worrying. They won't be anything. They're dead." They'd died fourteen months ago in a tragic plane crash along with my sister, Ally, and her boyfriend, Shawn Patterson. I hadn't handled things well since then.

"Boy, to hear you talk. I'm glad I don't have to stick around and hear it." She shook her head and kept on cleaning.

"So does that mean you're leaving?" I patted down my pockets until I found my wallet and the key to my bike.

"I'll be leaving when I get this living room cleaned up. I made a good dent in the kitchen already, though I'm going to work on throwing out those science experiments you've got growing in the fridge. You're going to end up in the hospital if you eat that food."

"I'm not eating any of it." My keys jingled in my hand as I opened my wallet and thumbed through my bills.

She turned and shook her rag at me. "Damn right, you're not. I'm boiling some chickens now. I'm going to fix up some of my chicken noodles you used to love so much as a child."

"It's really not necessary, Mattie." I stared into her dark eyes as she narrowed them at me.

"I know what's necessary and what's not, but you'll be thanking me when you've got a full stomach. You look like you've lost a bit of your bulk."

I hadn't lost that much, but she was right. I'd been much bulkier before the accident and hadn't cared much about myself since. Going to the gym hadn't been en route to my destructive life's path, but I certainly hadn't withered away. I glanced down at my abs and was thankful they were still defined, although not as prominent as before.

"You don't have to do anything, much less clean up."

"I'm not leaving until these two front rooms are presentable and there's a hot meal to get you through a day or two. You can argue with me all you want, but it isn't going to change a thing."

"Knock yourself out." I took my keys out of my pocket and went out to the garage to get on my bike. I glared down the line of my parents' cars as I cranked my engine. I wondered if any of them would even crank anymore. Surely the batteries had died by now, but it wasn't like I'd ever drive them.

My father's classic Shelby, which he loved to torment me with and had never let me drive, his 'Vette, which he drove to and from work to compete with Layne's, and the family classic white Rolls, which he kept for Easter Sunday when Mother would force us to go to church. The entire collection had a good layer of dust collecting.

My sister's newer Mustang, which had been towed to the house from the airport along with Mom's Land Rover, was going to waste, but I didn't care. They could sit there until they rusted. I couldn't bear to think of anyone else driving any of them. I thought back to my little sister and the day my father bought her that car. She was in tears as she hugged him, and then I'd had to teach her how to drive a stick before she could use it.

Without another thought, I sped off with the memories of my sister twisting like a corkscrew in my gut.

I hauled ass out to the only place I frequented, a bar called Jay's Pub, and hoped that when I returned home, Mattie would be gone. Deep down, I felt a pang of guilt for talking to her so harshly, but I'd asked the staff to move on and leave me be. So far, she was the only one who still reached out. I didn't think her any amount of her cooking or cleaning would make me feel whole again, but if it helped her, I'd let her do what she had to. But I didn't have to be around to see it.

Aiden's [POV]

I walked into Jay's and headed for my usual place at the bar only to be held up by Meagan, who stepped out in front of me. "I was wondering if you were going to be here later; you're an early bird today. It's not even dark yet."

"I'm here all the time, so I don't know why it is such a wonder." I pushed past her and went to the bar where Glen had just put down a beer for me. Good old Glen, he knew what I wanted before I even had to ask; now if he could only get rid of Meagan for me.

She raked her hand through her stringy brown hair as she narrowed her blue eyes. She was pretty enough for a random lay, but not really my type. "You don't have to be snippy, Aiden. I haven't seen you in a while is all."

Her smile was laced with honey, and she had a gleam in her eye that I'd seen before. The last time though, she'd been on her knees and I'd had my cock down her throat. It was much too early in the night for that, and I didn't have enough alcohol in me to start making promises.

"Well, if I need you, I'll find you. For now, I'd like to sip this beer and talk to my best friend Glen, here." I nodded in his direction as I brought the beer to my lips.

Glen did a double take. "How the hell did I get stuck with the chore of being your best friend?"

The bartender had been more than supportive of my bad habits but had always managed to get me home safe, whether it was calling a cab or driving me home himself. Truthfully, there wasn't much more between us. I'd only known him since I'd started spending more of my free time within the neon closet that he called a bar.

I'd deliberately chosen the dive to keep from having to talk to too many people, but being the professional that Glen is, he'd taken the bartender role to heart. I'd talked to him more than anyone else over the past fourteen months and though we didn't go golfing or work out together or any of that other male bonding type of stuff, he was all I had.

Meagan stepped up into my face. "You're an asshole, Aiden Walker. I'm not going to sit around waiting on you to want me again; I have plenty of other men around here interested."

"Good luck to you." I raised my glass and then took a hearty swig.

Meagan huffed. "Fine, you bastard!" And then she took off across the room to her usual table. I'd had a few good times with her, and I knew she wasn't too upset to have a few more if I wanted. She could be awfully forgiving when she was hungry for sex.

It wasn't like I couldn't go pick up my usual stripper at the strip club, or a few of her friends. Sex wasn't something I was doing without. In fact, I'd had more of it since I'd learned to lower my standards.

After things had settled down that afternoon and the night had long fallen, I noticed Meagan grinding on some poor guy in the back of the bar. He was a burly motherfucker, and the way she kept cutting me glances, I wondered if she was trying to make me jealous. I couldn't help but shake my head and raise my glass. She shot me the finger.

I belted a laugh and then got up to go to the bathroom. All the beer had finally caught up with me, and when I returned to my seat, Meagan's burly friend was sitting in it. The guy wasn't much bigger than me, and I was certainly more defined and probably a hell of a lot stronger.

I could see his lips curl up as he tried to hide his smile and Meagan stood beside him with a smirk. They were hoping for a fight, and who was I to deprive them?

I walked directly over and nudged his shoulder. "Excuse me. You're in my seat."

He stood like he wanted to get in my face, but Glen was one step ahead of me. "Move along, Teddy. You don't want to mess with this one. He doesn't play well with others, and I'd have to call the police." The man's eyes widened a bit, and then he pulled Meagan's hand to lead her away. Before I could take my seat, they were already headed out the door.

"Why did you go and ruin my fun? You could have at least given me one punch." I tilted my glass high for the last swallow. "Give me another."

Glen leaned up against the bar and shook his head. "Listen, friend. I know you've put it to that girl a few times, and I also know she knows who you are and where you live if you catch my drift.

"She's been bragging about your money as if it were her own, and all she needs to get her hands on it is for some thick-headed asshole to pick a fight with you in public or to get knocked up. She's bad news, and he was baiting you; I wasn't going to let that happen. You may not even care these days, but I won't let you ruin your life over a seat at the bar."

Glen knew I was well out of my class and had normal social standing to be hanging around in his bar, but he'd let me pretend I was nothing for only so long. "I'm glad you're concerned. Now, I've got my seat, so give me another beer." I took care not to slur my words, but he shook his head again.

"I'm not serving you anymore tonight."

"One more, Glen. Then you can call me an Uber."

He chuckled. "The last two times, I drove you home myself, but you probably don't even remember that. But if you're going to keep our good buddy Scott in the Uber business, you should just hire him as your personal driver." The guy named Scott had made a habit of staying close to the pub, knowing that I was developing a habit of a usual pick-up.

"Well, at least the two of you are profiting handsomely with my alcohol issues. It's quite a racket you've got going. Now, can I have that beer?"

He let out a long breath and poured me another drink. "I'm doing this against my own good sense." Then he put the beer down in front of me.

"Good man." I lifted the glass and took a heavy pull.

"Take it slow." He narrowed his eyes as he went to the phone to call my ride. My bike would have to be sent for later, but that was the way most of our nights had ended over the past few months. As long as I could drink away my troubles, the world could crumble down around me. I couldn't give a shit.

Lexa's [POV]

I took my bag out of my locker and shut the door as my coworker Kathy approached with her keys in her hand. "I can't believe we lucked out with a day shift. Tonight's going to be wild, but we're out of here while the sun's still up."

"You know it. There's nothing like a full moon and gorgeous weather to keep us on our toes in the ER. This is my last day shift for a while, though. I'll be pulling nights for the rest of the week, and we've still got one more good night of full moon glory before it wanes."

"That turnaround is going to be rough, Lexa. I don't envy you." I didn't mind it so much, but I smiled and agreed with her.

It wasn't like I wanted to have much downtime, anyway. It was lonely at home with Shawn gone, and my parents had been distant since his death. I was afraid if I slowed down I'd start to get depressed again, and that was the last thing I needed. I'd accepted that Shawn wasn't coming back and that he would want me to move on and be strong.

I pulled my hair from the elastic band that held it out of my face, and the long jet-black strands fell like curtains on a stage. Kathy shook her head. "It's not fair for someone so pretty to have great hair, too."

"Thanks. I wish I didn't have to tie it up to work. It's been rough on it. My hairdresser says it's unnatural abuse. I have to remind her it's necessary." I raked my fingers through and massaged my scalp as the tension eased in my forehead.

"Well, if that's abuse, I'll take it."

We walked through the double doors and to the back elevator where we rode in silence until it opened up at the parking garage. We had the same routine each time we worked together, so I walked her to her car, and she waited to get in until I was at my door, then we called across to each other goodbye before ducking inside our cars at the same time. One could never be too safe, and after one of our coworkers had been beaten and robbed, we'd been told to use the buddy system.

I hurried out and made my way to the freeway. I had a dinner date with my parents, and if I were lucky, things would be more upbeat than usual. It had been all doom and gloom and death and blame for months now, with both of them grasping at whatever they could to get by.

I pulled into their long drive and parked, seeing that my father was kneeling in the shrubs out front. Gardening had become one of his hobbies to cope, but his mother had taken up day drinking and going through old photo albums.

Dad stood to welcome me with a puzzled expression as I got out of the car. "Where's Bre? I thought she would be with you." My oldest and best friend Bre was driving in alone so she could bail if things got too bad. We never knew what to expect from

my mother since she'd had a few bad episodes of tears and mourning.

"She'll be along soon. She had somewhere to go before, and we couldn't meet up."

He gave me a warm smile and led me in. Dad had been much more affectionate than Mom, who acted like my brother was the only child she'd ever had. Dad had smothered me as if I might die at any moment.

"So what's this good news you and Mom have for me?" I hoped it was something about them going away on vacation, but I couldn't get as lucky.

"I'll explain over dinner. She wants to be present." He held the door and waved me in, and as he went to clean up, I looked for Mom.

My parent's house, which smelled like baked lasagna, was too big for them, but they'd decided to keep it after my brother and I had left home. Dad found projects to work on, and even though he'd never been much of a handyman, he liked that it filled the time between gardening. The very idea of it embarrassed my mother, and she'd already explained to all the neighbors that it was his grief causing him to act out.

I walked upstairs and found Mom in the guest room staring out the window. It had once been Shawn's old room until he'd moved out. She'd taken over both of our rooms and turned them into guest rooms, taking out all of the personal things we'd left behind. I wondered many times if she had regretted it, and then I noticed she was smiling.

She noticed me walking in and came away from the window. "Did you have a good day at work?"

"It was okay. Nothing too awful. Tonight's sure to be"

"Dinner will be ready soon; I've got everything in the oven." She leaned in and gave me a peck on the cheek and then walked out. I followed but didn't continue what I was saying. She wasn't listening and had never had as much interest in my work as she did in the money it made me.

As I followed her downstairs, the aroma of our dinner became more prominent. "Smells delicious."

"It was your brother's favorite. I had the cook make it before she left, and I'm reheating." She walked over to the sink and washed her hands before she took out a big bowl of salad which she tossed with her hands as if she'd made it herself. That's the way she'd always done it, and I cringed every time. I heard Bre's car and then walked into the other room to greet her.

"Dinner smells amazing, Mr. P. How are you doing?" Bre hugged Dad and then hurried to put down her purse.

"That's new." I walked over and admired the bag as she gave me a quick hug. Her hair was almost as long as mine, but instead of jet-black, hers was more of a purple-toned red and wavy. Bre had always been a bit edgier and had often tried to get me to put color in my hair. Jet black was as brave as I could get, and with my tanned complexion, it worked.

"I hit the biggest sale down at the mall. I tried to call you, but you never picked up. I assumed you were on shift."

"I miss everything." I poked out my bottom lip and then Mom came in to hurry us up.

"Dinner is ready, and I've made a salad." She turned to walk away, and Bre glanced my way, mimicking my mother's hand tossing of the salad. I nodded, and she made a face. She knew Mom well. The woman hadn't made a meal much less a salad in her life.

"Can't wait." Bre threw her arm around me, and we walked to the dining room where my parents were already seated.

We chatted a little, mostly Bre and I, while we ate and then finally I couldn't wait any longer. I needed to know what was going on and what the big surprise was.

"So, are you going to tell me what's going on? What's this big news?" I smiled Dad's way and hoped I could tell simply by the look on his face. He was much easier to read than my mother, but then he gave me a weary look.

"You tell her, honey." He took a drink and wiped his mouth. When I turned to my mother, she had tears in her eyes.

"We've decided it's time to go forth with the lawsuit. We filed the papers today." She took a long pull from her drink, and I was certain it was laced with something stiff.

Bre sat back in her seat and dropped her fork, and my stomach turned. I had hoped that my parents could move along and be satisfied with the insurance settlement, but they'd gone back and forth for months contemplating for the right time and if they should.

"What's changed? Why now?" I reached for some sort of understanding.

My mother swirled her glass, clinking the ice in it. "Well, after paying the house off, there simply wasn't much left for your father and me to retire on, not to mention we'd like to secure your future."

"So this is about money." I knew my parents had blown through the life insurance money, but this was ridiculous. "Don't you think you have enough?"

"There was new evidence found by our investigators. It puts Mr. Walker in the pilot's seat at the time of the crash. He wasn't a licensed pilot," Dad explained. "It's perfectly within our rights, Lexa."

"No, I don't have enough because I'll never see my son again. You're brother meant the world to me, Lexa, and because of some rich prick wanting to show off in the cockpit, I've got to live without him!" Mom threw back her drink and downed it.

I couldn't argue with her. I understood the pain of losing Shawn, but no amount of a settlement would make it right and the man she wanted to punish died along with my brother. There was nothing to gain, and both families had suffered enough.

I'd heard that the Walkers' son, Aiden, Allison's brother, was the only surviving family member. I couldn't imagine him losing his entire family. It didn't seem right to sue someone who'd already lost so much. There was nothing left to gain, and I couldn't help but feel that my brother wouldn't want things this way, either. He'd loved Allison and wouldn't want this.

I only wished I could tell my parents, but I knew they wouldn't understand. They hadn't cared much about my opinions since the funerals when I'd wanted to go to Allison's. I ended up skipping it out of respect for them, but I'd since felt so lonely in the world because neither of them had been there to support me in my grief.

Thank goodness that I had Bre. She sat next to me wringing her hands in her lap, and I knew she was biting her tongue just as hard.