Chapter Eight
MERCS
As I watch Effa’s face fall, I know instantly something’s wrong. For a split second, I wonder if her headache has worsened, but her eyes aren’t unfocused or glazed with pain. They’re fixed on something in the doorway of the pub.
So I turn.
And there she is.
Fucking Lilah.
My jaw tightens until my teeth grind, and I force myself to swallow the irritation rising in my throat.
I turn back to Effa immediately and rub her back a little firmer, grounding her, reminding her I’m here.
Her gaze drops to her lap, her lips turning down, her expression closing in on itself.
I despise that one person still has the ability to dim her light.
I lean into her side and lower my voice. “Don’t let her get to you. I’m here with you. I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”
She glances up at me and nods, but I can see the tension lingering in her eyes.
“Fuck. You two look serious,” Tank calls from across the table.
“That’s because Lilah walked in,” Kiera announces to the entire group, and I groan while Gran shoots her a warning glare.
“Who’s Lilah?” Kristy asks, already leaning forward like she’s about to enjoy this.
“Kaden’s ex. She’s a bitch—”
“Kiera,” Gran cuts in sharply.
“What? She is.”
“Do I need to kick her ass?” Andi calls out, half-rising from her seat.
“I can remove her if you like?” Raoul offers evenly.
“Yes,” Kiera shouts, almost bouncing in her chair, which earns a soft giggle from Effa despite everything.
“No. Kiera, behave yourself,” Gran scolds.
Donny shakes his head and grins. “Damn. Would’ve loved to see a good old-fashioned escort from the building.” He throws up exaggerated finger quotes. “Maybe she would’ve thrown a tantrum. Arms flying everywhere.”
“Oh yes, my vote is yes. Let’s kick her out,” Kristy adds, far too enthusiastically.
“All right, that’s enough. Calm down. We can’t kick locals out of their own town pub. We are the guests here, and you’d all do well to remember that,” Luke mutters, still staring at his phone.
“Party pooper,” Andi shoots back, sticking her tongue out at him.
Kassidy returns with a tray loaded with bottles of water and more glasses than we probably need. “Here you go. Ready to order?” she asks, and the table erupts into a chorus of “yes” as everyone starts rattling off requests.
While they’re distracted, I glance over again.
Lilah is standing with Jaydin, another familiar face from school. Jaydin looks exactly the same, her black curls cascading around her shoulders, her gorgeous skin glowing under the warm lights. They’re best friends, so I’m not surprised they’re together.
Jaydin notices me first, and she gives me a tentative little wave.
I respond with a short nod.
Then my eyes shift to Lilah, and for a second, we just look at each other. Her blue eyes are distant, almost fragile, like she’s carrying something she doesn’t know how to put down. There’s a softness there that used to undo me.
It doesn’t anymore.
I turn back to the table, shutting that chapter down in my head where it belongs.
Leaning into Effa, I press a gentle kiss to her cheek. “How’s your head?” I murmur close to her ear.
She sighs. “Pounding, but I’ll be fine.”
Seeing her in pain twists something in my chest every single time, and knowing it’s worsened, likely because of Lilah’s sudden appearance, does my head in. A dark thought slips through me.
Did Lilah know we were in town?
Did she come here on purpose?
Surely she wouldn’t be that reckless.
“So, I ordered for you, bro,” Kiera calls out from across the table. “You seemed occupied, and I didn’t want to hold Kass up.”
I glance at her. “Thanks. I assume I’ll be having something tragic like quinoa salad or some ridiculous health experiment?”
She laughs and shakes her head. “Not this time. I’m being nice. Sirloin, fries, and onion rings.”
“God, yes. I knew I loved you for a reason.”
“You’re welcome,” she replies, lifting her chin proudly before clearing her throat. The sound turns into a small cough she tries to hide, and my brows pull together instantly. She waves me off and turns toward Lettie, deliberately ignoring the look I’m giving her.
“What was that?” Effa asks quietly.
“That was Kiera pretending she’s fine,” I reply under my breath. “Between your headache and her acting like nothing’s wrong, I think once we’ve eaten, we head home. Everyone needs rest.”
“You’re really bossy, you know that?”
“Only when it comes to protecting the women I love.”
She smiles. “I’m kidding. I know you’re just protective of what’s yours.”
The corner of my mouth lifts as she leans in and presses her lips to mine, soft and warm. A round of exaggerated cheering erupts from the table, followed by applause that spreads through the pub. I chuckle against her mouth, pulling back slightly as the noise crescendos.
Let them cheer.
Effa’s mine.
And I’m not letting anyone, especially not ghosts from my past, make her forget that.
***
Dinner settles into an easy rhythm after that, and everyone’s getting along.
Gran is deep in conversation with Donny and Lettie, laughing louder than I’ve heard her laugh in a long time. Kiera is soaking up the attention from the crew, and Effa and I sit back for a moment, watching both worlds collide in a way that feels unexpectedly right.
Leaning into Effa’s side, I nudge her gently. “You doing okay?”
She smiles softly. “Yeah. My headache has eased off a little after eating. And seeing everyone happy like this… it helps.”
I nod, glancing down the table at the chaos of overlapping conversations. “Yeah, this is pretty cool.”
Placing a kiss to her temple, I shift in my seat. “I’ll be right back. Duty calls.”
She nods, still smiling, as I stand. No one notices me slip away, too wrapped up in their own conversations as I head past the table toward the hallway that leads to the bathrooms. Tonight has gone better than I expected.
Bringing everyone to Ligonier was the right call.
It might be a small town, but Luminous are all from a country town in Australia.
They understand what tight-knit communities feel like.
And more than that, I knew Effa needed this.
I’d seen it in her. The way she’d been retreating into herself. The way her mind would drift when she thought no one was looking. There was something she wasn’t saying to me, and I was almost certain it was about Jett.
If she couldn’t open up to me, then maybe she could open up to Gran or Kiera.
I’ll admit it was a dick move to eavesdrop when I was supposedly getting the luggage, but I couldn’t help it.
And hearing her tell Gran she thought she might have led Jett on, that maybe she’d somehow caused what happened…
that nearly sent me through the roof. Nothing triggers my overprotective instincts faster than her blaming herself.
I don’t handle Effa blaming herself well because she did nothing to deserve what that bastard did.
Nothing.
The thought of Jett Jones makes my blood spike all over again as I push through the men’s room door. The hallway outside is dim, almost claustrophobic, the light casting long shadows along the walls. It’s quiet back here, removed from the laughter in the main room.
On my way out, my mind is still turning.
I need to let it go.
I need to stop replaying what could have happened.
To what did happen.
But he could have killed her.
The door swings open, and a figure standing just beyond the threshold makes me halt. My body goes rigid before I even fully register who it is.
Lilah.
Of course, it’s her.
“Lilah,” I say flatly, moving to step past her, but her hand shoots out and grabs my arm.
“Kaden, stop… please.”
Every muscle in my body tightens. I glance down the hallway to check if anyone’s coming before looking back at her. “You have ten seconds.”
Her breathing is uneven, sharp, like she’s trying to steady herself and failing. Her eyes flick nervously down the hall and then back to me. “Why did ya’ll bring her and everyone else here?”
I blink once, then let out a short, humorless laugh. “What the fuck?”
“She’s a junkie. And y’all brought her and her drug-infested crew into our town.”
Something inside me snaps.
I yank my arm free from her grip and take a step closer, lowering my voice. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I’m not. Y’all come here shovin’ this sick joke in my face, bringin’ drugs into our peaceful town. What the hell are ya thinkin’? Are you usin’ now too?”
Her southern drawl hasn’t faded, not even after all these years.
I rake a hand through my hair, forcing myself not to explode. “What the fuck are you talking about, Lilah? Those are real people sitting out there. People I care about. No one is bringing drugs into this town.”
Her mouth opens, but I don’t let her speak.
“Effa didn’t overdose because she was using. She was drugged… roofied, by someone else. And if you’d bothered to ask before judging her, you’d know she’s not a drug user.”
Her face falls, but I’m not done.
“I don’t owe you explanations. What you do owe is an apology for assuming the worst about people you don’t even know. They’re not the problem here. You need to take a long look at your own behavior before you start throwing stones.” I go to step around her again, but she grabs my arm a second time.
“I don’t want us to be like this, Kaden. Can’t we sort somethin’ out? Can’t we at least get along?”
A sharp laugh escapes me. “You corner me in a hallway, insult my friends, and more importantly, my girl, and now you want peace? After everything?”
“Kaden—”
“Stop.” My voice drops, controlled but firm. “You’re embarrassing yourself.”
She gives a small, incredulous laugh. “I’m embarrassin’ myself? I’m not the one paradin’ around with famous people thinkin’ it’ll get me somewhere. I don’t know what you think you’re findin’ with her, but it ain’t real.”
That does it.
I step forward and plant my palm against the wall beside her head, not touching her, but close enough that she jolts. I lean in, not in affection, not in nostalgia, but in warning.
Her eyes drop to my mouth.
She thinks I’m about to kiss her…
And she couldn’t be more wrong.
“You think I’d be better off with you, that it?” I ask quietly.
Her chest lifts as she inches closer. “Yes,” she whispers.
I curl my lip slightly. “You disgust me.”
Her face drains of color.
“I will never come back to you. Do. You. Understand. Me?”
Her bottom lip trembles, tears spilling over before she shoves at my chest hard enough to make me step back. She breaks down completely, turning and running down the hallway, sobbing into her hands.
I stand here for a second, dragging a hand through my hair.
Then I feel it.
Someone watching.
I turn toward the hallway entrance and freeze.
Kiera.
She’s standing there, eyes wide, mouth slightly open.
Shit.
I push my back against the wall and swallow hard. I don’t know how much she saw, but any of it is too much.
She walks toward me slowly and leans against the wall beside me. “Well… that was intense.”
I let out a long breath. “How much did you see?”
She bumps her shoulder into mine. “Enough to know you’ve got some serious unresolved anger toward Lilah. I mean, she’s awful, but wow! That was some serious alpha energy.”
I scrub a hand down my face. “Was I too harsh?”
She snorts. “No, if anything, you were restrained. I would’ve slapped her, but I’m allowed to. You, not so much. The stuff she was saying wasn’t okay.”
I glance down the hallway where Lilah disappeared. “Maybe bringing Effa here was a mistake.”
“Absolutely not. Don’t let one bitter ex ruin this for you. The town loves you. They’ll see who Effa really is.”
A reluctant smile tugs at my mouth. I wrap an arm around Kiera’s shoulders and push off the wall, and before we step back into the main room, I scan for Lilah, but she and Jaydin are gone.
Good.
Effa looks up the second I approach. “Everything okay?”
“Everything’s great, baby. How’s your head?” I ask, rubbing her knee under the table.
“Still a little achy. Stop fussing.”
“Have you had enough fun for tonight?”
“Yeah, I’m ready when you are.”
“As soon as Gran’s ready, we’ll head out.”
She nods, then leans down to Luke, whispering something in his ear. He stands with her, and they head toward the bar.
I frown slightly, wondering what that’s about.
Gran turns to me mid-story, smiling. “… and that was when he told me he wanted to leave. I was devastated, but so proud.”
Lettie dabs at her eyes. “When the girls left for their first tour, it nearly broke me. Watching your babies grow up is the hardest thing.”
“But they’re in good hands. Luke looks after them like they’re his own,” Lettie continues. “What happened to Effa wasn’t anyone’s fault. Especially not Luke’s.”
Gran squeezes her hand in agreement.
“Luke’s protective,” I say, raising my voice slightly. “But we all look out for each other, right?”
“Hell yeah,” Tank and Andi call out.
“We’re basically family,” Kristy adds.
“We’re in each other’s space even when we don’t want to be,” Casey mutters.
Gran and Lettie exchange that look only mothers can share.
Effa and Luke return, and Effa smiles at everyone. “The bill’s taken care of. I just wanted to thank you all for coming out tonight and for everything you’ve done recently. It means more than you know.”
Gran gasps. “Oh, sweetheart, you didn’t have to do that.”
I stand, taking the cue. “All right, I’m getting this one home. She needs rest.”
Goodbyes ripple around the table before I take Effa’s hand and glance at Kiera, whose face has gone pale, her eyes heavy.
“Come on, ladies. Let’s get you home.” I slip my arm around Kiera to steady her. She leans into me without protest.
“Sounds good,” Effa murmurs.
We make our way toward the door with Gran following behind and as we step out into the night air, Effa swallows and looks up at me. “So… I couldn’t help but notice Lilah left in quite a state. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”
Fuck!