Chapter 18 ASSASSIN: KILL AARON
AARON’S POV
I walked into my apartment, quietly taking off my shoes before heading straight to the shower.
Jaxon’s words hit harder than I wanted to admit. One thing I never did and swore I’d never do...was lay a hand on a woman. I didn’t torture them, didn’t strike them. Even when the job required it, I let others handle it. But with Erica… I had lost control. She was too suspicious, too unpredictable.
I sat down in front of my surveillance laptop the EyeNet—the same system I had built years ago to monitor every suspect tied to Celina’s case. When she died, I found out it wasn’t just Giselle and Carter who’d played a part. There were five others. So I spent years hunting them down one by one, devoting every sleepless night to avenging her.
Eight faces filled the screen. Eight cameras. Eight lives I tracked relentlessly, and one of them was Erica....although she wasn't among those who killed Erica she was merely a suspicion.
She knew too much about Celina, her habits, her smile, her pain and that made her dangerous. Or maybe… maybe it made her familiar. That’s why I couldn’t stay away. Why my presence around her was starting to feel like a curse.
I leaned back in my chair, eyes fixed on her room feed. Even in daylight, her space was dim, quiet, lonely. Everytime i watches her, she just sat by her desk, face half-shadowed, scribbling through stuffs and for some reason, the sight made my chest feel weird.
I tore my gaze away and headed for the shower. Letting the cold water splashed over my skin, running down my shoulders like sharp needles. I closed my eyes—And saw her.
Celina.
Her laughter, her eyes. Then suddenly, her face flickered into Erica’s.
My eyes snapped open, that feeling again. That strange, unexplainable pull—like someone you lost forever suddenly walking back into your life with a different name and face.
I stepped out, wrapping a towel around my waist. Sleep had been a stranger for me this past years, but when Celina was alive, I used to rest easily. She had that effect, her smile chased away the loneliness in my head. But now, she was gone, and the nightmares had returned, dragging me into the same pit of rage and guilt every night.
I laid on the bed and shut my eyes, hoping for rest, yet my thoughts drifted far away.
(Flashback- Aaron's home, ten years ago)
Slap!
The fifth one stung the hardest. I didn’t flinch. I just stood there, staring at the marble floor, as my father’s voice roared through the hall.
“Bastard! Be like your brother for once! You’re a disgrace. Weak. Pathetic!”
He shoved me so hard I hit the wall. My head spun.
Then she came—Madame Yvette. She rushed in and pulled me close, her voice trembling. “That’s enough, sir. Please.”
Yvette had raised me since birth. My mother had died delivering me, and my father never forgave me for it. He said I had stolen her life. He wanted me dead too. But Yvette… she became my only family.
My dad scoffed at her courage and walked away, giving her the look if how dead she was later. Yvette noticed but ignored
She led me away to my room, whispering softly, “Come on, child.”
As she cleaned the blood from my cheek, I muttered, “I’m weak.”
She scoffed. “You took a beating and you’re still standing. That’s not weakness, that’s survival.”
Her words were the first warmth I’d ever known. It reminded me of the girl that befriended me out of the blue.
When I closed my eyes, I used to picture Celina’s laughter...bright, endless. I had been just a shy boy back then, a nerd who couldn’t look her in the eye. But she made me want to be brave. Made me believe I wasn’t broken. Made me what to love Ber again.
I smiled at the memory. For a second, it almost felt real again.
I blinked back to the present, staring at the ceiling. The memory faded like smoke.
“I miss you, Celina,” I whispered. Then sleep finally took me.
An Hour Later
A soft touch brushed my chest.
“Is he asleep?” I heard Flame whisper.
Diva’s voice answered quietly, “Yes. It’s been a while since he actually slept.”
Flame exhaled in relief and stepped away when Diva said, “Get me a glass of water from the kitchen.”
The moment she left, Diva’s gaze softened. She touched my forehead, sighing deeply. Her eyes flicked toward the pills on the table—the ones I refused to take. Then her hand slid into mine.
“You should forget her already,” she whispered.
Those words sliced through my calm like a blade. Forget her? How could I? Has she ever loved someone so deeply that their absence feels like suffocation?
Celina wasn’t just someone I loved, she was the reason I could still breathe.
Every night I counted the days since she’d been gone. Every scar on my body was a reminder that I hadn’t saved her. I would avenge her....all of them. The seven who ruined her life would pay.
I would crush their world, one skull at a time.
They touched my woman. Now I’ll burn their paradise to ash.
My eyes opened sharply. Diva froze, her hand still caught in mine, my gaze was dark, sharp, dangerous. She slowly stood, pulling her hand away as Flame walked in.
“Lord,” Flame said, stopping at the doorway, tension thick in her voice. She looked from me to Diva, confusion flickering in her eyes.
“Why are you here?” I asked flatly.
“We called you twenty times, but you wouldn’t answer.”
“Hm.”
I moved toward the door, both women trailing behind.
“Lord,” Flame continued, “the operation’s been delayed too long. We need to—”
“Shh.”
They fell silent instantly. The sound of faint footsteps creaked across the wooden floorboards.
My eyes narrowed. “Were you followed?”
Diva’s expression shifted, realization dawning.
Shit.
Coming here had exposed my location. My identity.
I reached under my desk, pulling out my gun.
“I’m sorry, Aaron,” Diva began, “I should’ve checked the perime—”
Her words were cut short by a bang.
The bullet tore through the skull of the man dressed in black who had appeared behind Flame, thankfully I acted fast! He collapsed instantly, blood spilling across the floor.
I clicked my tongue and turned back to them.
“Apologize later,” I said coldly, sliding another bullet into the chamber.
"Move" I commanded.