Chapter 25
“Kyle. Aiden’s bark cut Kyle off mind flow and snapped me out of my confusing reverie..
I looked up to see Aiden standing at the foot of the stairs, arms crossed and glaring at us.! instinctively recoiled as the heat of his gaze burned into us. I felt like I had been caught betraying him and yet that seemed utterly absurd given that I owed him nothing.
Right?
I need you to help me move some more beers in.” His voice clipped. “Now.”
Sighing, Kyle stepped back. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Sure.” I smiled, glancing at Aiden who was still glaring but solely at Kyle as the younger man joined him.
Figuring I’d see what Tammy was up to, I abandoned the pool table and headed into the bar. People were everywhere, talking and laughing, some were even dancing. I wandered around like a ghost, unseen and yet observing as people I had never met before enjoyed themselves. I couldn’t help but wonder if Liam knew these people, if he was friends with any of them and spent time drinking and partying. The thought caused my blood to heat up in annoyance. I was jealous and confused. Why did Liam hide this from me? Why did he feel the need to keep me away? Were these people bad? They didn’t seem bad. They had all been so friendly to me.
I found Tammy talking to another woman about her age with white blonde hair that was cut into a bob. She had sharp features against milky pale skin and dark purple lips.
“Oh Natalia, meet Ellie. Liam’s little sister!” Tammy’s eyes widened with excitement, tugging my hand softly to pull me close. “Isn’t she gorgeous?”
“Wow, yes. So different from the pictures, no?” Natalia smiled, her accent strong, eastern European maybe. Her eyes were like those of a cat, beautiful but dangerous. “It’s nice to meet you Ellie. Liam told us so much about you.”
“Nice to meet you too.” I muttered, the heaviness of jealousy pressing on my chest.
I was quiet and the two older women began talking again. I tried to focus but I felt myself being slowly dragged down into the darkness of my thoughts. All of these years I had been terribly alone and my brother had a whole network to support him. These people knew him beyond the army, they probably knew him better than I did. My throat ached as I fought back the tears burning my eyes. I refused to cry over this even if my chest throbbed, my heart breaking at the thought that I didn’t even know my own brother and that I truly had been alone all this time.
“El, you okay?” Tammy’s voice cut through my darkened thoughts, my eyes focusing on her and the concern in her eyes. “You look upset.”
“I’m fine.” I said as I forced a smile onto my face, blinking away any tears threatening to spill. “I feel a bit warm. I think I’m going to step out and get some
air.”
“Okay, well go out the back, it’s safer and quieter.” Tammy suggested, her eyes still clouded with worry as she rubbed my arm gently.
I just about mustered another smile as I left Natalia and Tammy to carry on talking while I hunted for the door. Thankfully it wasn’t too hard to find and I stepped out onto a small raised space made up of concrete and lined with a small wooden railing. It was probably four feet off the ground with a i leading down into the drive that ran alongside the building to the back. It wasn’t anything fancy and it was obvious this was where deliveries would be coming in.
The cool air hit my naked arms the moment I stepped out and I shivered but carried on forward until I could rest my elbows on the railing and stare out into the darkness. Admittedly there wasn’t anything exciting out here to look at but the cold air helped clear away the heavy feeling that had me feeling dizzy. It even soothed the bitterness settled in me. I felt petty feeling like this. I couldn’t do anything about it. I couldn’t make Liam tell me why he kept a secret life from me. I couldn’t stop my feelings for Aiden. I couldn’t just make Noah disappear like a magic trick.
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