Page 3 of A Man of Prestige

Aiden: No. It’s urgent. I can come to you.

With a heavy sigh, I type my reply along with my address and set my phone down. I finish my meal and change into something comfortable. I laugh at the fact that I’m changing into comfortable clothes when I spend my days in medical scrubs, the literal epitome of comfort.

The doorbell rings as I pull my hair up into a messy bun. I compose myself before answering the door, checking it’s him on my security camera.

I saw him recently at the Tidal Basin where he handed me some samples. That was hard for me. I could smell his familiar cologne, and I felt the warmth of his skin as he handed me the samples. The memories that flooded my mind were almost too much, too painful. I had nearly said no to agreeing to meet with him, but he sounded desperate. And so, I caved. And now, he’s here. I should have had him meet me somewhere else, but it’s hard to know what places aren’t being watched in this city.

I unlock the door and motion for him to enter.

“Could your apartment be bugged?” he asks as he looks around.

“We can talk out on the balcony, if you like,” I suggest with a raised eyebrow. After my time dating Aiden, and then being in the position I’m in at work, I take my security protocol seriously, but it appears not as serious as Aiden does.

He leads the way as if he’s been here before and opens my sliding door. After looking around again, he walks to the edge of the balcony and pulls something from his pocket. A vial.

“I need this analyzed,” he states as he hands it to me.

“What…is it?” I ask as I hold it up to examine it. But I already know the answer to this. Less than a month ago, he brought me blood samples from a woman who was drugged. He also had an analysis done on the samples taken from a woman he and his friends had found drugged along a trail back in college. I got a cryptic story about how he felt like a drug company was illegally transporting and distributing this drug that wasn’t even being tested in trials, let alone approved for use. It was his explanation that made me want to help. And perhaps it was my deeply buried need to resolve things with him.

He leans against my balcony wall, crossing his arms. I swallow as I look at his arm muscles which bulge slightly from the movement. My eyes follow the length of his right arm to his hand, and I remember all the things that hand used to do to me. I turn away and look out at the Potomac River, needing to focus on anything but Aiden.

“I think it’s the drug, the one you found in the samples I brought you,” he explains.

My eyes widen. “And I’m guessing this wasn’t procured by legal means.”

“Define legal?” he says with a smirk.

I roll my eyes and shake my head slightly. “Should I assume someone will be looking for this vial?”

His smirk disappears. “Yes.”

I crook my head to one side and swallow. “Do I get more details than that?”

“Do you want to know? Because the more you know…the more I bring you into this…the more you won’t be able to get out of it.” He pauses. “I’m not sure you want to entangle yourself in my…life circumstances.” Is he trying to protect me, or is he trying to keep me out of his life?

I don’t know much about Aiden anymore. I know that once upon a time, he was following in his father’s footsteps, wanting to save lives, but not for the prestige of it. He actually wanted to save lives. He’d lost his mother to cancer. It was quick and over before he even knew she was sick. His father had sent him away for the summer instead of letting him say goodbye to his mom. It gutted him and he was brave enough to share his pain with me. He wanted to work on patient trials for cancer drugs, which it sounds as though he’s accomplished.

I also know that his father is a real piece of work. He’s prestigious but only because he’s cut ethical corners. I did my own investigation into him after Aiden mentioned some things.

But mostly, I’m aware of them being part of a fraternity, that seems to have every who’s who in D.C. The more I’ve been around this city’s powerful, the more I’ve noted the tentacles of the organization in every facet of our nation’s inner workings.

I asked Aiden about it once. He’d mentioned something in passing, but then shut down and said I should stay clear of his fraternity, except for his best friends Conner and Sebastian and his other pledge brothers. Last I heard, they were all living in some sort of weird commune-style, gated community. I guess I can understand that; they were always so close, more than just fraternity brothers.

I look back over at Aiden. He’s studying me carefully. He’s too smart for his own good. I know it must have killed his pride to come to me for help with this. But he knows that my lab has the tech and secrecy needed to do what he wants. He was always the master of manipulation.

I frown.

“What?” he asks.

“Nothing. You’re probably right. It’s better if I don’t know. I’ll run some tests on this tomorrow and let you know what I find,” I say as I internally groan at the thought of working on my day off. I haven’t taken a day off in a while. I seem to end back up in the lab even when I don’t have to be there. It’s just been so busy lately.

I watch his Adam’s apple bob as he swallows. “Well, I should probably go.”

I nod as he starts toward the sliding glass door. “Aiden?”

He turns to me. I can see so many unspoken words start to form on his lips, but with each twitch, he presses them together, forcing himself to remain silent.

Guilt boils up from the depths where I have locked it away. “It’s good to see you again.”

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