Page 150 of Shattered Veil

“You didn’t hear?” Garrett piped up as he set my new whiskey down before me, and Shawn’s focus whipped to him. “In an alley in downtown Roanoke. Few days ago, right?”

“Thank you,” I mumbled, clarifying the story that I knew Luke and Claire had planted for me, “Yeah. Few days.”

Shawn’s attention stayed on Garrett for a beat, as if his presence had momentarily rendered him a deer in the headlights, and he shook his head rapidly before pressing, “So…you weren’t sick?”

Garrett questioned with a cock of his head, “You were sick?”

“No—”

“Wait, no,” Shawn backtracked, “if you got mugged when you started taking off work, your bruises wouldn’t be so fresh.”

“Was.” I rapidly clarified the lie, “Was sick. Took off work. Wasn’t sick anymore. Got beat up in a goddamn alley for my credit card and a spare twenty.” Turning to Cassie, I simpered, “I forgot, I can’t buy that first round…still waiting for my card’s replacement. You wanna get my drinks for me, Darlin’?”

She smiled wide. “Chivalry is genderless, I suppose.”

Claire threw her head back, incredulously murmuring, “Darlin’?” to the ceiling.

“What are we talking about?” Zoey’s dainty voice chimed in as she and Liam arrived and slid into their seats.

“Pet names?” Liam guessed with a smirk that seemed extra lopsided.

“Wait, do you know?” Claire asked Liam.

Luke muttered, “How could he not?”

“Know what?” Liam returned.

“Is the bell above the front door broken?” I griped, not answering their ponderings as I grabbed my glass. “I mean, shit.”

“You’re distracted,” Cassie quipped quietly.

Garrett pointed at Cassie first, stating the past events in chronological order, “Whiskey stealing,” he moved to me, “tongue down throat of said whiskey stealer—”

“James!” Liam admonished me, though it held little to no weight, and he maintained his smirk throughout it. “In public?”

I thanked my lucky stars that I had already swallowed my sip, for I knew I would have choked otherwise, and my face heated alongside my throat.

“He knows,” Claire monotonously deduced.

“That my sister’s a gravedigger?” Liam innocently asked Claire, and Cassie shrieked:

“LIAM!”

He ignored her. “Yeah,” he noted with a wide grin as Claire and Zoey tried to keep their laughter under their breath. “I know.”

Garrett chuckled, inserting himself back into the conversation as he shifted his finger to Shawn, “Asking about Jay’s face,” and Shawn assumedly smiled at the recognition.

“Oh,” Zoey told Shawn, “mugged—he was mugged.”

“Yeah,” he replied with a heavy eye roll, “I got that.”

“And,” Garrett moved his focus back to me. “Darlin’.”

His alarmingly white, straight-toothed smile remained, and I was surprised to see no hint of jealousy or contention in his eyes.

Reluctantly softening toward him, I sighed, “I think ya covered it, Garrett. Thank you.”

“I’ll be of service any time,” he remarked. “Liam—amber. Zoey—cider?” They both nodded, and Garrett set his eyes on Shawn. “Shawn?”

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