Page 16 of Liam
“What?”
Nylah pulled the phone from her ear in an attempt to save her eardrum. God, when Paisley got loud, she reached whole new decibels.
“I’m okay. The Blue Halo and Marble Protection teams killed the bad guys.”
“But you got hurt?”
She swallowed. “Just a bruised knee.”
“Nylah…”
“Okay. And a black eye.”
This time, her friend gasped. “Jesus, Ny! Are you okay? I know physically you said yes, but in every other way? Do you need me to come home?”
“No. I’m fine.” She wasn’t sure how true that was, but this trip to Bali was big for Paisley. No way was she forcing her friend to cut it short.
“You should tell your brothers,” Paisley said quietly.
“No. Absolutely not. They’ll force me to come home, and I’m not ready for that.”
“But Ny…being around those guys, or even in that town, can be dangerous. This isn’t the first time danger has found them since they got out of Project Arma. Hell, a few months before I left, a woman was held at gunpoint in a bar.”
She swallowed. “There could be danger in any town I go to. I need to do this. This is about…”
“Your freedom,” Paisley finished when Nylah couldn’t.
“Yeah.”
Paisley blew out a long breath. “Okay. But if there’s any more trouble, you tell me. Okay?”
“Of course.” Even if she didn’t want to, her friend would probably squeeze it out of her.
“Are youreallyall right?”
The sudden softness in Paisley’s voice was so swift, it made Nylah’s breath catch. She absently touched the bruising on her cheek, the man’s eyes flashing in her head again.
“I don’t know,” she finally admitted.
Her phone dinged with a text, but she ignored it.
“Oh, Ny. I can come home for a few nights at least?”
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “No. I’m okay. Last night was just a lot, and I need some time to move past it.”
“Of course you do. But if that changes, call. Because you know I’ll be there within a second’s notice.”
“I know, Paisley. That’s why I love you.” It was one of themanyreasons she loved her best friend.
“I love you too, Ny. Youwillcall if you need me, right?”
“Yes. I promise.”
When she ended the call, Nylah lay back on her pillow, ignoring a buzz from her phone. Probably one of her brothers—again.
She was working on blocking out the memories from last night when a knock came at the door.
She frowned. Who could that be?
