Page 87 of Liam
Violet slipped an arm around Eleanor’s waist and looked at Courtney. “Everything going okay here?”
“Yeah, I was just saying I might get you ladies to help me paint so we can be up and running again in a week or so.”
Violet smiled. “I’m great with a paintbrush, so that sounds good to me.”
“Me too,” Eleanor said, but she sounded a bit less enthusiastic. She glanced over her shoulder at Carlson, who was already back in the car. “I’d better get back to him.”
Violet gave them a small smile. “I’ll see you guys later.”
The second they were back in their car, Nylah cringed. “I feel bad for Eleanor.”
“He was telling the truth,” Liam said quietly. “He didn’t know the guy was alive. It sounded like it was just a big fuckup on his part.”
So they were back to square one.
CHAPTER25
Music was loud in the bar. Voices and the clinking of glasses. Nylah scanned the space, moving over every person and seeing nothing out of place.
Another week had passed, and in that week, there’d been nothing. No attacks. No shootings. And no sign of Steve. But in truth, she’d barely been anywhere other than home and Blue Halo since the shooting at Courtney’s shop. All the Blue Halo guys and their women had been on lockdown.
Tonight was Courtney’s birthday. She’d insisted she didn’t need to do anything, because she didn’t want to put anyone at risk, but the women had pushed, arguing that she deserved at least a short night out.
The guys, of course, had fought them on it, arguing that it was safer for everyone to stay home. But it hadn’t taken much for them to cave and agree on a quick celebratory drink. Nylah knew part of it was that everyone understood they couldn’t just keep their lives on hold indefinitely.
Courtney, Jason, Grace, Logan, and Cody all stood around the tall bar table with her and Liam, while the others were at the next table over. Every time she looked at her brother, she felt a bit sad, because she knew her time with him was coming to an end. He didn’t want to leave until the danger was gone, but he had a life in Misty Peak. A business to run. He couldn’t stay forever. They had no idea when they’d catch this group.
Liam leaned down, his lips grazing her ear. “I’m gonna get a beer. Would you like anything?”
She smiled up at him, watching the specks of black dance in his gray eyes. “A red wine would be wonderful.”
“You got it.” He kissed the side of her head, and she felt that kiss right down to her toes.
Cody squeezed her arm from the other side, then she watched as her two favorite men crossed to the bar.
“It must be nice having him here,” Grace said quietly from beside her.
Nylah turned back to the other woman. She hadn’t spent a lot of time with Grace, just a few interactions when she’d popped into the café, but so far, she was nice. She was a therapist who ran her own practice in Cradle Mountain, so it was no surprise that when she asked questions, Nylah really felt like she was truly listening to the answers.
“It is. I’m a bit sad that he’ll be going soon.”
Grace nodded. “I can understand that. Does he live far?”
“A little town called Misty Peak. It’s in Tennessee.”
Courtney’s brows rose. “Ooh, near the Smoky Mountains?”
“Yep. The forest runs straight through the town. We’ve even just built a skywalk through a portion of it. It’s pretty cool.”
Grace cringed. “Nope. Skywalks are not for me. I don’t do heights.”
“I think I’d like it,” Courtney said with a nod, like she was convincing herself. “I have fears, but heights ain’t one of them.”
Nylah lifted a shoulder. “It’s not too bad. You just have to trust in the infrastructure.” Her gaze shifted back to Liam at the bar, drawn to him, before turning back to the women. “How have your guys been with everything?”
Concern flashed over Courtney’s face. “Jason’s been worried about what’s coming. He tries to hide it, but I see it.”
“Logan too,” Grace said quietly. “I keep reminding him that whatever it is, his team can handle it, like they handled the shooting at the engagement party.”
