Chapter 24
William
Spending the day with Nairie seemed to make the stress at work more manageable.
I took more breaks and felt less rushed to finish things.
While I took care of business at the inn, she explored more of the grounds with Mum, drew landscapes, and chatted with the rest of the employees.
I liked coming out of my office and seeing her sketching by the window, enjoying a biscuit and tea.
I often fantasized about this being our life from now on, except in my dreams, Nairie was wearing my ring and pregnant.
When I first imagined it, it startled me, not because it scared me but because it didn’t.
I wanted to make a life with her here and make her mine.
Having kids was never something I could see for myself, but with Nairie by my side, it felt right.
I knew she would make an incredible mother, and my lizard brain wanted to see her belly swollen with my child.
But in the back of my mind, I was worried. The dark cloud that Angus always dragged into my life felt like an imminent storm.
I knew if Angus heard about Nairie, he would have more leverage over me. Angus and his crew didn’t take too kindly to me ditching them all those years ago, and my brother could hold one hell of a grudge. It was part of the reason I held back on taking Nairie into town.
I didn’t want to divulge too much information about Angus to Nairie so she wouldn’t stress about it.
I’d let our rivalry go unchecked all these years because I could live with the veiled threats and ominous phone calls.
It was part of the reason I stayed at the inn so much.
I knew if I let push come to shove, I would do something I couldn’t take back.
It seemed like I was avoiding Angus my whole life.
But if I wanted Nairie safe, I’d have to put a stop to this once and for all.
My friends from the service had been investigating Angus and the gang activity for a while.
I’d have to catch up with them and see if we could expedite his arrest. I couldn’t lie.
The thrill of danger was invigorating after years of running the inn and living a civilian life.
Sometimes I felt like a tiger biding my time in a cage.
A small part of me worried I wouldn’t be able to put aside that life once I opened it back up.
I worked hard to maintain normalcy, and I didn’t want to subject Nairie to the anxiety of having a mercenary as a husband.
I’d have to deal with the possibilities as they came.
Right now, I had to make our relationship public in town.
I knew Angus would hear about it sooner or later, and I wanted to do it on my terms at Charlie’s pub.
Charlie, the owner, was in the service at one point, so I knew if something did go down, I’d have backup.
Still, I wore a concealed weapon and kept a knife in my boot for good measure.
Nairie didn’t seem to notice, and we eventually walked to the pub hand in hand later that night.
I was excited to introduce her to the rest of the town and show her off.
She was the most beautiful woman in the room, and it made me proud that she was on my arm.
She wore a red dress that complemented her pale skin and dark hair.
She was covered from head to toe with the long sleeves and tights, but as soon as her scarf came off, she revealed cleavage that had my mouth watering.
I already caught a few men staring at what wasn’t theirs and made sure to give them death glares until they scurried away.
A few people stopped us along the way to the bar until we were finally able to pick up some drinks and settled with a group in the back. A few locals started setting up their musical instruments at a table with a fiddle and guitar.
I went to the bar to get us more drinks and watched Nairie interact with my friends. She fit in so well and gave each person her undivided attention.
A slender hand glided along my upper back, and I stiffened at the touch. I’d seen Shannon from afar here and there. She was still tall and lean, not a hair out of place in her frosty blond updo. Her powdery perfume made my nose twitch.
I looked down at her nails dragging along my forearm and shirked her off me. “We mustn’t touch what isn’t ours, Shannon.”
She tittered in that same annoying way that used to get me excited as a teenager but now sounded like nails on a chalkboard. “It’s been a long time, Will.”
Her green eyes sparkled, and she wore a self-satisfied smirk. I was surprised she was able to express any emotion at all, considering the amount of plastic surgery she’d gotten done to her face. It made her look well beyond her thirty years.
I looked back at Nairie, who was still talking to my friends and another man I didn’t recognize. I’d have to investigate that later.
Shannon was doing her best to keep my attention, but I took a sip of my beer and looked the other way. “What do you want?”
Shannon scoffed. “I just wanted to see if the rumors were true.”
She dragged her eyes to Nairie, which caught Nairie’s attention. She looked confusedly at me and Shannon.
Shannon turned back to me and sidled closer as I inched away. “Really, William? You could do so much better.”
“Just tell me what you want. I know Angus sent you to rile me up.”
Shannon pursed her lips. “Ugh, are you ever going to let that go? We only slept together a handful of times. It wasn’t anything serious.”
“Trust me,” I snorted. “I’m over it. So over it I’m planning on marrying that girl right there.” I pointed at Nairie, and she smiled at me before going back to her conversation.
Shannon’s back stiffened, and she grabbed the hand that was hanging by my side. “Will, this is ridiculous. Angus is willing to forgive and forget if you give us what we want.”
I tucked my hand in my pocket. “And that is?”
“All Angus has ever wanted was for you two to work together. Or you can leave town altogether.”
“That’s it?”
Shannon huffed. “You might have been a solider once upon a time, Will, but we both know there’s a darkness in you.
But you can use that to help your brother.
Gather intel with your contacts and let us know what you know.
” She inched closer to me. “Rough people up the way you used to. You were so good at the rough stuff, remember?”
She trailed her hand along my shoulder, but before I could swat it away, Nairie took hold of Shannon’s forearm and gently placed it aside. Shy, timid Nairie seemed scared of so many things. But when it came to standing up for me, she never backed down. My heart warmed at the thought.
Nairie’s smile was sweet and saccharine, with a hint of menace behind her big brown eyes. “That’s about the fourth time you’ve touched my boyfriend. I’m Nairie. You are?”
I gathered Nairie in my arms in front of me and braced one of my hands on her hip in a possessive way.
I leaned against the bar top, and Nairie relaxed her body against my chest, enjoying my hold.
My fingertips grazed the front of her thighs as I held her hips against me.
I buried my nose against her neck, inhaling the sweet smell of her hair.
Shannon gawked, then reached out her hand. “I’m Shannon, the first girlfriend.”
Nairie cocked her head to the side in mock pity. “And I’m his last girlfriend. That must suck for you. But time heals all wounds. Well, maybe not those veneers.” She grimaced and pointed at Shannon’s face. “And that botched filler.”
Shannon’s eyes turned to slits. “I can’t wait for you to see Angus again. I know he missed you.”
Shannon emphasized the last sentiment, and I knew it was a threat. I banded my forearm across Nairie’s chest from behind so I could cage her in against me. I wanted there to be no doubt in Shannon’s mind that she was under my protection.
I slowly looked up from Nairie’s neck, and my voice took on a deadly calm. “That’s enough now, Shannon. Run along.”
She turned up her nose and walked out of the pub in a huff.
Nairie turned in my hold. “So that was Satan.”
I laughed and squeezed her tighter. “Indeed.”
“I’m assuming there was a point to all this?”
I nodded, but not wanting to be overheard, I paid my tab, and we made our way back home.
Nairie started a fire, sitting patiently at the hearth until I could join her with a couple mugs of tea.
“I wanted somebody from Angus’s crew to see us together so we can put an end to this once and for all.
It would only be a matter of time before he found out about us, and I wanted to do it on my terms.”
Nairie nodded, and I continued. “He’ll probably use you as leverage to get to me. Angus never got over the fact that I left him in the lurch when I was about to be initiated. Bringing me down or running me out of town would be a great display to his higher-ups, too.”
Nairie’s eyes widened. “Is that why you were packing heat tonight?”
I chuckled. “Packing heat?”
Nairie looked toward my side, where I had a gun holstered underneath my flannel.
“How did you know I was carrying?”
Nairie rolled her eyes.
I positioned myself behind her and wrapped my arms around her as we stared into the fire.
“So what now?” she said after a long moment of silence.
“Now we just have to be more vigilant. I don’t want you going anywhere by yourself, and I’ll handle the rest.”
Nairie scowled. “What do you mean by handle the rest?”
“Angus and I need to settle things. I lived with this on my own for as long as possible, but now that I have you, I’m not putting our life on hold one minute longer.”
“Are you going to kill him?”
“If it comes down to it.”
Nairie shivered and gripped her mug closer to her chest. “Can’t we let the police handle this?”
“They’re already involved. They’re still gathering evidence on his operation, and they’ll be doing a raid of the compound soon.” I brushed my lips against her cheek. “Now tell me who you were talking to at the pub.”
“He said his name was Caleb and that he runs the local art gallery. He heard I was an artist from word about town and wanted to see if I was interested in showcasing some of my work.”
I hummed in thought.
She turned and looked back at me. “What?”
“I’ll just have to make sure everything’s on the up and up.”
Nairie snuggled closer and let her head rest against my shoulder. “Is there anything I can do to help with the Angus situation?”
“You’ve always stood up for me when it came to Angus. I’ll always be grateful to you for that, love. But it’s time I settle this on my own. You give me the courage to do that now, Nairie. That being said, I don’t think it’ll hurt to teach you a few self-defense moves.”
“Really?”
“First thing tomorrow morning.”
“We could start tonight.”
I gave her a devilish smile and pinned her against the carpet to demonstrate her first lesson.