Full Domain (Nice Guys 3)

Since Mitch had first asked for his help, something about this entire case needled at him. Aaron couldn’t tolerate injustice, bigotry, or hatred in any form, and the fact that this case had hit so close to home for Mitch had an effect on Aaron as well. Those few minutes after Cody had been shot were some of the most frantic of Aaron’s life. He’d shown his true ability, hacking into everything as he’d desperately tried to find answers for Mitch.

At the time, Aaron’s belief in the justness of a situation had overpowered any reasonable thought. He wanted the best for the world, especially for those who couldn’t fight for themselves. Cody shot in the chest… Mitch trying to get to him… No one getting Mitch the answers he needed… Yeah, there was nothing fair in any of that at all.

More than anything, Aaron hated bureaucratic bullying. The arrogance of that act just pissed him the hell off. Life should have buffers in place to protect people from Big Brother beating them down and stalling the process for their own gain. They could have gotten Mitch his answers, but hadn’t, and that wasn’t right. Life should be nothing more than moment after moment of peace, love, and rock and roll—or some shit along those lines.

Aaron finally manned up, found a break in the traffic, and began moving again. He made his way to the long line waiting at the food kiosk, and took his place at the end with the rest of the hungry patrons. He looked over the menu board and groaned in frustration when he found absolutely nothing good to eat. He could choose from an extensive list of foot-long hot dogs or, for an exorbitant price, he could upgrade to sausage. His arteries hardened at the thought.

“I heard it’s turning to snow outside.”

He looked over his shoulder to see who had spoken the first kind words he’d heard since arriving in Atlanta and found an older couple behind him.

“Snow? Really?” he asked, just to be nice. At this point, he didn’t give a shit. He needed food and to get to the hotel and unpack. He’d planned for colder weather in DC, but left Miami in his standard attire of walking shorts, T-shirt, and a CTFxC hoodie.

“Yes, they’re calling for snow, maybe up to an inch. They’re saying the highways are backing up already.” Those words actually caused Aaron a slight panic. He needed to get moving.

“Thanks,” he said absently before he broke from the line, braving the pedestrians bustling toward the exit. He absolutely wasn’t getting stuck in this airport overnight; he could go hungry until he arrived at the hotel. He’d live. He shoved his way through the corridor until he spotted the closest exit. He pushed through the doors and the biting wind took his breath. Nothing but more chaos awaited him on the other side. People were packed three deep from the curb, waiting for any way possible to get out. The airport shuttles were filling to capacity and the taxis couldn’t stop fast enough to pick up passengers.

Aaron pushed his way to the curb and called out to a guy lifting a trunk lid to load his luggage inside a Checker cab. “Where are you going?”

“Downtown,” the stranger yelled back, never really looking up from his task as he scrambled to load his baggage. An upturned suit jacket collar and keeping his head bent in were the man’s only defenses against the biting wind and heavy snow.

“I’ll pay the fare if you let me ride,” Aaron offered. The slush hit his uncovered legs and feet, causing him to shiver as the freezing temperatures registered with his body.

The guy finally looked up at him, eyeing him closely before he replied, “Sure.”

Aaron tossed his backpack with his laptop in the backseat and went for the trunk. The driver stayed inside the taxi with the heater blowing, offering zero help. Aaron pulled the hood of the hoodie over his head, slid the zipper as high as it would go, and reached for his suitcase. At that exact moment, another taxi came barreling past. The taxi splashed the length of the left side of his body with slushy ice water. The shock of the cold attacking his body caused him to lose his grasp on his suitcase, which then tipped over but, luckily, landed intact on the wet pavement.

There were only seconds of relief as another car ran over it. The Samsonite held together until the third car. After that, it didn’t stand a chance. He watched in horror as four cars hit his suitcase before an attendant could get involved and direct traffic away from all his belongings being spread across the parkway. With no other choice, Aaron trudged through the ice and falling snow in his sandals and gathered all his now-ruined clothes as everyone watched from the safety of the covered sidewalk.

As he worked, the taxi started honking. The guy he was riding with took pity and jumped out, tossing Aaron’s drenched, dirty clothes into the trunk. By the time they finished, Aaron felt like his clothes looked: frayed, inundated, and completely wrecked. He was soaked and shivering as he finally got inside the taxi. The driver pulled out before he was able to get the door fully closed.

“Here,” the guy said, shrugging out of his coat.

“It’s okay.” Aaron was surprised he got the words out, his teeth were chattering so loudly. The older man didn’t pay him any attention, draping the warm, dry coat over him.

“You should take off those wet sandals,” the guy suggested. Aaron did, rubbing his feet together when he noticed they were completely numb.

“Where are we going?” the cab driver called out as he merged into traffic. At least the driver had positioned all the vents to point in his direction, pushing the warm air back on him.

“The Drake,” Aaron called out first, fighting against the cold chill gripping his body. “Do you have a place to stay?”

“I was going to the Holiday Inn.”