Page 140 of Unbroken

But on the opposite side of the bar, I spotted a familiar face I hadn’t seen in ages. I strode to his end of the bar and waved when he noticed me walking toward him.

“Blakely Warrier-West in this bar once again. I can’t believe it,” Grady crooned. The tall, older man lifted the bar flap and held open his arms. I had no choice but to step directly into his embrace. Not that I’d want to do anything different anyway.

He’d been my mentor when I was the manager at Murphy’s. That felt like a lifetime ago, but his embrace was still a balm to my heart. He was always kind and gave out advice like it was candy on Halloween. He wanted to spread the wisdom he’d learned in his old age. Or at least that was what he’d told me.

He stepped back but kept his hands braced on my shoulders, giving me a once-over. “We’ve missed you, kid. But you look good.Happy.”

I smiled. “You look good, too, Grady.”

He waved me off and returned to his spot behind the bar. Retrieving the towel that was permanently stuffed in his back pocket, he began wiping down the already clean surface.

“I’m an old man, lookinggoodas you so nicely put it, is behind me. But it is a treat to get old.” He gave me a fond, warm smile, then pointed toward the back of the bar. “Your posse is over there. Playing darts or something.”

“Nice to see you, too, Grady,” Devon mumbled, pretending like he was offended by Grady’s lack of attention.

As expected, Grady gave him an unamused look and shook his head. “I see you almost too often, Devon. But I am happy tosee you two finally together. You know this man has been pining after you forever?—”

“Okay, thanks, Grady,” Devon interrupted. “We all know now, but I appreciate the reminder.” He intertwined his fingers with mine and tried to lead me away from the bar, but I dug in my heels.

“Pining, huh? Is that what you would call it?”

“Yup, the worst pining I’ve ever seen. He was a mess without you. Probably wouldn’t have made it much longer,” Grady said without missing a beat.

Devon sighed loudly behind me, and I turned to look at him. He was massaging his forehead and shaking his head, but I thought Grady’s sentiment, although probably dramatic, was sweet.

“You were a mess without me?” I asked quietly. Devon’s hand dropped, and the frustration marring his expression, heavy between his brows, morphed into sincerity.

His hand squeezed mine, and his chest rose and fell with a deep breath. “Every day, sweetheart.” His voice dropped, and warm, hazel eyes met mine.

“Too freaking cute,” Grady murmured, breaking the moment with all his usual grace.

Devon tugged me to his side and wrapped an arm around my shoulder, steering us toward the corner with our group of friends. “We’ll see you later, Grady,” he called over his shoulder. And I hid my smile against his chest.

“Better late than never,” Luke said by way of greeting, and I cocked my head in confusion at what he was wearing. Or, better yet,who?

“A baby in a bar? Really?” Although it was an odd sight, that didn’t stop me from peeking into the carrier strapped to Luke’s chest. Josie was quietly glancing around the room, big, brown eyes trying to take in everything around her all at once.

“I know, but our babysitter got sick, and finding someone atthe last minute is impossible,” Hazel explained from where she was sitting on Luke’s other side. “So, it was either one of us miss hanging out with everyone or bring her with for at least a little while.”

I tapped Josie’s nose and made a face that was only acceptable when trying to make a baby laugh. Her lips tilted up just a touch, which was a win in my book, and any embarrassment I felt immediately disappeared.

“We’re doing the same thing we always do,” Amanda chimed in. She had to push up onto her tiptoes to see in the carrier Luke was wearing and brush her hand over Josie’s head. “It’s not like you would have missed anything.”

“What are you talking about?” Josh asked. “This is thrilling.” Reed, who was seated right next to him, nudged his husband in the arm and shook his head.

Seated at the same table, Ivy shrugged, lifting James’s hand that was resting on her shoulder. “I agree with Josh. And Josie should learn sooner rather than later that she’s likely going to be spending a lot of time in this bar.”

“She’s the new Murphy’s Law mascot!” Amanda exclaimed. “You and Zach will have to share the spotlight, but I don’t think he’ll mind.”

They all descended into conversation about…well, I honestly didn’t know, I wasn’t truly listening. I was more concerned about the fact that I was standing in one of my favorite places—my happy place—with my favorite people.

In my darkest moments, when I was in that basement and I’d lost track of the days or when my stomach felt like it was caving in on itself because I hadn’t eaten in days, I would think about this. I would close my eyes and think about Murphy’s Law and my friends. I swore I could hear their laughter over the steady thump of music and smell the nostalgic scent of beer and fried food.

The image in my mind was so vivid, I could make out therips on the seats of the old barstools and the exact placement of the signs lining the walls. It was my comfort when there was only pain.

Yet, in the end, I’d been the one to dole out the last bit of pain. So entrenched in my rage, I didn’t think about the aftermath of my revenge. How it would feel to know that I’d inflicted punishment without remorse. How I would react knowing that it feltgoodto watch Jeffrey cry and bleed and beg.

While I was carving that word—unbroken—into his skin, I swore it was Valerie sitting in that chair. I would look up and his face would morph into hers, then back again. Her venomous smile and hateful words garbled by the sounds of her plea-filled sobs. I imagined that it was her sitting in that chair, and I was not only enacting retribution for myself but for everyone else she’d hurt. For everyone else standing around me in that bar.

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