Chapter Fifteen
MERCS
“So, will there be much involved with Effa’s testing on Monday?” Gran asks.
Exhaling, I shrug. “Not sure, she was told it’s mostly blood work over the phone. We won’t know anything definite until we get there.”
She nods slowly. “And how are you coping with all of this? Being worried about Kiera is one thing… but having Effa sick as well? That’s something else entirely.”
I lift a brow. “Me? This isn’t about me.”
She chuckles softly. “It’s as much about you as it is her, my boy. She’s part of you. If something’s wrong with her, it affects you just as much. I see how deeply you care… how you worry. Don’t tell me the possibility of something serious isn’t eating you alive.”
Swallowing hard, I look away. “It’s the not knowing that’s the worst. She’s got symptoms, that much is obvious. I just don’t know what they mean.”
Gran loops her arm through mine and sighs. “You’ll get answers. And whatever they are, you’ll face them together.”
“What if…” My throat tightens. “What if she’s sick. Like Kiera.”
Gran stops walking. Her face hardens as she turns to me. “Stop that right now. Kiera is going to be fine. Effa is not sick like Kiera. She was in a coma, Kaden. For goodness’ sake, that doesn’t give someone cancer. You’re spiraling.”
“I’m not saying cancer. I just…” I drag a hand through my hair. “I can’t lose them both. Fuck! I don’t want to lose either of them.”
Her expression softens. “I know you don’t, sweetheart. But Kiera’s a fighter, and the treatment is working. And whatever is going on with Effa, it isn’t terminal. They would have found something like that when she was in the hospital. She will be fine.”
“Yeah…”
She nudges my arm. “Stop borrowing trouble. Go have a night out with your friends, and don’t think about Monday.”
“Right,” I mutter as we reach the pub.
It’s quiet inside. Locals chat over drinks while the band sets up on stage. Effa and Kiera move ahead of us, heading straight for the booth at the back where the others are already seated.
A roar goes up when they spot us.
“Hey,” I call, sliding in beside Tank and Jay. Gran takes a seat next to Donny and Lettie, while Kiera settles beside Raoul. He wraps an arm around her without hesitation.
Dammit.
She looks too pale.
Too tired.
She shouldn’t be out.
But she insisted.
So I swallow the protective instinct and lean into what Effa told me earlier… ‘Be the supportive brother, not the controlling one.’
Tank nudges my ribs. “This town, huh? Seems to be bringing out the best in everyone.”
“It does that.” I glance at him. “How are things with you? Feels like we haven’t talked properly in ages.”
He grins, flicking his gaze to Andi before returning to me. “Good, brother. Really good. She’s back to herself. Not so fucking angry all the time. Said Effa helped with that, so thank her for me.”
I nod slowly.
“She finally admitted she swings both ways,” he adds casually. “And weirdly? It’s like she’s even more into me now. Don’t ask me how that works, but I’m not complaining. Occasionally, there’s an extra body in the bedroom… I’ll take the win.”
I snort. “So… you two official?”
He shrugs. “No idea. With Andi, you don’t push. You ride the wave.” He says it so calmly, it’s impossible to tell how deep he’s in.
Jay suddenly leans forward. “I need to find a decent Ligonier girl. Haven’t had a proper lay in days. I’m getting twitchy.”
Tank and I look at him.
“Jay, you sound like a sex addict,” I tell him.
“Shut up. On tour, there’s ass everywhere. Here? Slim pickings. Two months without a fuck and my balls are going to shrivel.”
“Sounds dire,” I deadpan. “Jenny will be here tonight. She’s the town bike, give her a spin, but wrap it up. Everyone’s had a ride… except me.”
Tank and Jay both raise their brows.
“Inside intel. I appreciate that,” Jay says, scanning the room already.
I shake my head and turn back to Tank. “How’s the Inn?”
“Solid. The staff is good. Guests aren’t weird with the girls. It’s… normal. Nice change from the usual bullshit we have to put up with.”
“Good.”
Cheering erupts, and we all look toward the stage where the band steps into position.
I recognize every one of them.
Fort Affliction.
“Hey, hey… Ligonier!” Nix calls into the mic, voice deep and confident. “You ready to rock?”
Even back in school, his voice had girls melting in hallways. I always knew he’d end up fronting a band. We used to joke that I’d run their lighting rigs when they hit it big.
Looks like I left town before they did.
Tyler settles behind the drum kit. Blond hair falls in his eyes before he pushes it back. He kicks the bass, brings the snare in heavy. Jesse’s guitar slides in sharp and electric, and Brooks follows with a thick bass line that vibrates through the floor.
Music—this is where I breathe easiest.
Seeing Tyler stirs something I’ve been pushing aside. A loose thread I need to pull. I have to find a moment with him tonight to see if I can fix what I broke.
Nix steps to the mic, and the first line of the song hits the room.
Effa’s reaction is immediate.
Her eyes light up, and she leans into Alana, whispering something. Alana nods, grinning.
The pub transforms while locals flood the dance floor, and energy spikes. Even Luke looks up from his phone, watching with interest.
I bump Tank’s shoulder. “Well?”
“They’re fucking good. You know them?”
“Went to school with them. Good guys. Bit chaotic, but solid. I’ll introduce you after the set.”
“I think the girls will like that,” he mutters, watching them openly admire the band.
I hope this opens doors for them. If Luke sees potential, maybe I can nudge something into motion. Small towns don’t hand out opportunities.
The set tightens as they go. Their harmonies lock in, and lyrics hit harder than I remember. They’ve grown.
When the halftime break hits, drinks start flowing more heavily, and I make my way to Effa.
She looks up as I approach. “Mercs, do you know these guys?”
I sit on the stool in front of her. “Yeah, school friends. They’re killing it, right?”
Her smile is blinding. “Why didn’t you tell us about them?”
“Honestly? Haven’t heard them in a while. Didn’t know they’d gotten this tight.”
“You’ve got to introduce us,” she insists.
“After the set,” Kristy calls out. “Let them finish before we scare them.”
Effa nods. “Yes, I want to hear everything first.”
I study her face.
She looks happy.
Truly happy.
And after the week we’ve had, that’s everything.
Luke taps my shoulder from behind. “Can I grab you for a minute?”
I stand. “Everything okay?”
He glances toward Fort Affliction, then back at me. “How well do you know them?”
“Well enough.”
He nods slowly. “Good. Because I might need your help with something.”
***
Fort Affliction’s set finally winds down, the pub still buzzing as if the amps are humming even after the last chord fades out. Bodies are pressed together on the dance floor, laughter spilling over the music’s echo, and our crew stays tucked back in the shadows like we’re not here at all.
I can’t relax.
Not properly.
Luke’s plan sits heavy in my gut, twisting there with the other thing I can’t shake—the conversation that needs to happen before the night gets away from me.
Nix thanks the crowd, and the locals roar back as if they’ve been handed something rare. The boys start packing up, beers already being shoved into their hands by people who have known them forever. I stand and roll my shoulders, cracking my neck like that’ll release the tightness under my skin.
Time to move.
“Let me go up to the guys first,” I tell the crew over my shoulder.
“Give me a few minutes, then follow me, yeah?” I don’t wait to see who nods because I’m already weaving forward, cutting through the noise, heading straight for Tyler before he can slip away or worse, before Luke opens his mouth and drags everyone into a conversation that’s going to get real complicated, real fast.
Tyler notices me first, and for a second, his face blanks, like his brain needs to catch up. Then his eyes bug out, and he whistles loud enough to turn heads.
“Kaden fucking Mercury!” he bellows, barreling toward me with that same unhinged energy he had back in school. “Heard you were back in town, you son of a bitch. How the hell are you?”
Jesse, Nix, and Brooks swivel toward us, grins spreading, recognition snapping into place as they close in around me like I never left.
“Long time,” I say, clapping Tyler’s shoulder. “You killed it tonight.”
Tyler’s grin turns knowing. “Yeah, we did. We always do.”
Jesse smacks him across the back of the head. “Cocky shithead.”
Nix laughs as he starts wrapping his guitar lead around his arm. Brooks shakes his head like he’s used to this, like he’s been babysitting the whole band for years.
I let the reunion breathe for half a second, then shift my stance so Tyler can see I’m not here to talk shit and reminisce.
“Last time we spoke on the phone…” I say, keeping my voice low, “… we talked about a certain app.”
Tyler’s face changes immediately with just a flicker of awareness, a tightening around his eyes. “Sportshark,” he says. “Vex’s thing. How’d you go? He runs a tight ship, but he pays out winners.”
Jesse’s expression hardens. “You’re still messing with that Vex guy?” he barks, punching Tyler’s arm. “I told you to cut him loose.”
Tyler shrugs like it’s nothing. “I did. Took my winnings and bailed. I only told Kaden because…” he flashes me a grin “… help a brother out, right?”
“That’s the damn problem,” I snap, stepping closer, letting Tyler feel the edge in me. “You told me Trixabell was a sure thing. I took a twenty-grand line of credit from Vex because you said it couldn’t miss.”
Tyler’s grin drops. “Ah, fuck…”
“The horse didn’t even finish the race.” The words come out like glass. “Now I’m twenty grand down, plus interest, and Vex is riding my ass for his money.”
Tyler looks like someone’s punched him. He drags a hand over the back of his neck, swearing under his breath.