Page 2 of Liam
“Always. Call if you need anything. And when I say anything, I mean—”
“Anything. I know. Thanks for being such an awesome twin.” And hewasawesome. He’d bowed out of the military six months before their father’s health had taken its final turn for the worse, and he’d been everything the family needed since.
“I love you, Ny.”
“Love you too.”
The moment the call ended, she wanted to call Cody back again. She should be used to being apart from him after his time in the military, but this was different. He wasn’t off saving the world. He was back home, in Misty Peak. And she wasn’t.
It was strange, this tug for independence that battled with a love for family and home.
But this was what she wanted.
With a straightening of her spine, she slid her cell into her back pocket and slipped out of the apartment. Paisley’s condo was cute—two bedrooms, two bathrooms, bright and clean. The living areas were small but cozy, and the surrounding woods made for a lot of peace and quiet. Exactly what she needed.
When she reached the parking lot, she unlocked Paisley’s Ford Maverick pickup and slid behind the wheel. It wasn’t until she was driving to the event center that a certain set of gray eyes flashed in her mind, causing a shiver to run through her.
Liam’s gray eyes.
She cringed at the memory of bumping into the stranger earlier today. She’d literally walked straight into the man’s back as she’d been setting up for the function, dropping about half a dozen glasses to the floor in the process.
The embarrassment had only lasted for, oh, about two-point-five seconds before her gaze had collided with his. Then, of course, she’d lifted a piece of broken glass and promptly sliced her finger. The second he grabbed her wrist, she’d felt his touch down to her bones, and she’d thought her heart would pound right out of her chest.
Just her luck, she’d see him again tonight. Because he was part of Blue Halo Security, and this engagement party was for one of the guys on the team.
Her belly did a little flip.
She pulled into the event center’s employee lot, then jogged to the back door, which led to the kitchen. She was so damn on time, she was bordering on late. Crap.
She was about to step inside when a man barged out, and she almost ran into him.
Nylah jumped back. “Sorry!”
He gave her a tight smile that didn’t reach his eyes—so dark brown, they seemed black—before continuing on his way.
She frowned. Not even a “that’s okay”?
Shaking her head, she entered the busy kitchen. The cooks were scurrying around, setting tray after tray of cocktail food onto a long counter, while the servers helped arrange the food and set up trays of drinks.
Music drifted in from the ballroom, the steady flow of voices already loud.
Quickly, she slotted her bag into a cube before clocking in and lifting a tray of king crab leg bites. She smiled at her boss as she passed, a middle-aged man who had a fatherly way about him, then stepped into the ballroom.
A band played at the front of the room, while a bar was set up in the back. It was still early, so the room wasn’t completely packed, but the number of military men in attendance made it feel more crowded than it was. God, they took up all the space.
With slow steps, she moved further into the room.
Having five military brothers, she could pick them anywhere. They held themselves differently than others. Scanned their surroundings like they were constantly looking for a threat.
She recognized several of the guys from online news reports. They’d been all over the media when information about Project Arma was leaked to the public a couple of years ago.
She couldn’t imagine going through what they’d endured. Kidnapped. Given experimental drugs. Having their DNA altered, and in effect, their lives irrevocably changed.
Busy scanning faces, she almost ran into a cocktail table in her path—would have, if strong fingers hadn’t wrapped around her forearm and tugged her to a stop.
With a gasp, she looked around, finding those beautiful gray eyes she’d been thinking about all afternoon.
“Hey! You again.” The words came out too breathy.
