Is this destiny?

~ Los Angeles, Cliffside Villa ~

Tuesday, January 28

8:01 AM

Sarah smiled before opening her eyes, because she knows that the warmth around her is from Aiden. He woke up from his three months long slumber and he is back, and it's real.

Aiden shifted slightly but didn't let her out of his embrace.

Sarah was not sure if she interrupted his sleep, or maybe they are so much in sync, but he opened his eyes few seconds after her.

He tightened his hug and wished her a good morning before saying: "Four months."

"What?", she didn't understand.

"We have four months to find that meadow in the mountains."

She blinked few times while her eyes shifted… and she understood that he is talking about the meadow filled with wildflowers, surrounded with a forest and mountains… the one from her dream… where they will get married. "What if we don't find it?"

"Then I will make one. Six months from now, you will be officially mine, forever. And everyone will know that."

Sarah smiled and buried her face in his chest. She would think that he is joking about making that meadow if she didn't go to the private island where he recreated a live version of the landscape from her VR experience. He is amazing like that.

She asked him what his plans are for the day.

Aiden pursed his lips while thinking. "I want to spend time with you… and check my emails to see if I missed anything important… Ouch! … What is with pinching?!"

He rubbed his aching waist while thinking how he is lucky that she used her right hand. He remembers her crushing his chair, and it has a reinforced frame! On the other hand, knowing that she is crushing things because of the climax he caused makes him feel good. Yup, he is awesome like that. But this is no time for gloating, she is angry for some reason.

"You reminded me…" Sarah narrowed her eyes at him. "Why did you make such a disastrous deal with Mr. Patel?"

Aiden paused and spoke in a small voice: "How did you…"

"He called and requested a job!", she interrupted him impatiently.

Aiden confirmed that she is angry. And considering that he woke up after three months yesterday, and she is scolding him already, it must be serious.

"What does he want?", Aiden asked reluctantly.

 "To rule India… the mobile part of India, at least."

"What?"

"The details are on our share." She stopped him from leaving the bed. "It's not urgent. Not anymore. The job is done. I used job tickets that we earned from Viper and Phoenix during the security conference… and I cleared the contract with Mr. Patel. I made this large job to be worth two, so we don't owe him anything else."

Aiden smiled and extended his arms to hug her. "That's my girl."

Sarah slapped his hands away, indicating that he didn't get out of his predicament. "When are you going to stop doing things behind my back? How many more secrets do you have? I know that your intentions are good, but it frustrates me when these things just pop out unexpectedly. Why can't you be honest from the start when you know that I will find out about everything anyway?"

"Sometimes is better to ask for forgiveness than for a permission.", he responded matter-of-factly.

"You…" She was about to scold him, but just one look into his eyes melted her fighting spirit away. "You are lucky that you are so handsome."

Aiden extended his arms and grinned when she didn't reject his hug. He is forgiven. How he sees it, one pinch and two minutes of scolding is better than trying to convince her for who knows how long so that he gets her permission.

He nuzzled her cheek with his nose. "What are your plans for the day, my love?"

"My day is yours." She leaned into his embrace. "As for the evening…", she thought for a second. "Today is the opening of our club."

"We own a club?"

Sarah confirmed.

Aiden had so many questions, so he picked one: "It's Tuesday. Don't clubs usually open on weekends?"

"It is an underground fighting club. I don't think that customers have full time day jobs that they need to attend in the morning."

"I see. You added this as a part of the plan to find additional fighters?"

"I didn't plan for it in advance. It just happened.", Sarah admitted. "On the first week how the army of Chaos became active, we seized one apartment building. Few days later, a local gang tried to take it away from us. We repelled their attack and took what they have. It was not much, but the thing that stood out is a club in Boyle Heights neighborhood. It was a strip club where local thugs gathered. Remodel is completed and tonight we open. It is done similarly to the White & Black club in Austin."

"I see. Do you think that you will have enough customers?"

Sarah confirmed. "Yes. There are areas bursting with local gangs and thugs. This will give them a chance to join a bigger cause. About a month ago we released news that Chaos nightclub will be open soon. You should read the reports: we are very popular. At the same time, we will use this club to remove any spies lingering in the area. I'm confident they will gather there because they can't find our base."

"How much they know about you?"

"Nothing useful. We use masks, our attacks are swift and unpredictable. With Eve monitoring them before we attack and then cutting off their communication when we approach them, real-time news about us do not exist. By the time they realize we hit them, we are out of the area. The only truths about us available are the ones we allow to leak. Another thing that is confusing them is that they are all expecting a huge force, so when they are searching for our hideout, they are looking for big properties."

"Do you trust the soldiers?"

Sarah thought for some time before answering this question. "This is not a simple yes or no answer. There is a certain pride they hold for being members of Chaos. And they all are in this for more than the money… you will understand this point when you go through their personal files. Also, they appreciate that we are not random plunderers and that we stick to a code of behavior. In terms of missions and executing on their tasks… yes, I trust them but not enough to put my safety in their hands. They are performing well when they have the upper hand, however, I'm not so confident that they will not sell me out if they are captured and tortured. Out of regulars who are staying in the compound, only Noah knows who I am. Generals always wear masks, so not even Noah knows them."

Aiden approved. Sarah did amazing. She executed his plan better and faster than he anticipated, and she is considering her safety. Aiden is looking forward to learning more about the Chaos organization and what they did so far so that he can actively participate and help take some burden off from Sarah's shoulders.

"Tell me, what is the plan for tonight, and how can I help?"

Sarah smiled. She has a good plan, but everything will be so much better with Aiden around.

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