They could have killed her.”
He doesn’t realise they could have done more than kill Lily; they could have killed their unborn child.
“He’s right, Jaxon. We can’t do anything tonight. Lock that USB up and tomorrow we can go through it,” I order.
“And I think, for the time being, we need to hire some security. Ours is tight but having the extra help wouldn’t hurt. I’ll speak to Liam in the morning,” Eli announces.
“I could kill him,” Jaxon seethes after Maddox has left, and I know he’s talking about Black.
“Let us deal with this, Jax. You need to take care of Lily. She’s going to need you,” I tell him, flicking my gaze to the others.
Luke and Isaac have remained quiet, but it isn’t because they don’t have anything to say, rather they are seething on their triplet’s behalf. That doesn’t mean they aren’t paying attention. They are.
“Lily’s fine though, right?” Eli asks, watching us closely. It’s up to Jaxon to tell them, not me, and by the expression on his face, he wants to keep it to himself. Most likely until Lily has told her family.
“Yes, but she was shaken up. I’m going back home. Her mum and dad are with her right now. I didn’t want her to be alone.”
“Then go,” I order, before turning to the others. “I’m going to jump in the shower then head over to The Ginn Inn. Who’s coming?”
They all grumble a yes, and I grin, wanting to get smashed. After today, it’s well deserved.
Maybe after a few, I can get rid of the image of Evie’s haunted expression.
*** *** ***
Getting Evie out of my mind is going to be much harder since she’s sitting at a table in the centre of the bar. This is the last place I would have thought she’d go to, but there she is, in the flesh, sitting opposite another female.
Maybe she really did forget she had somewhere to be.
My back stiffens when I notice her puffy, red eyes. She has been crying. Why that bothers me so much, I don’t know. Before I can go and see what is wrong, Eli is grabbing my arm and dragging me towards the bar.
“You don’t want to go over there,” he assures me, quickly peeking over my shoulder at them.
My eyebrows draw together. “Why?”
“Because it’s girl time, and whenever a bloke gets involved in girl time, it only ends badly.”
Realisation hits me. “Is this about the time Isaac interrupted those girls chatting so he could flirt, and you were forced to sit for an hour listening to her rip guys to shreds?”
“Fuck you,” Isaac snaps. “She was so pissed she began to give me pointers in bed. Me!”
Laughing, Luke slaps his brother across the back. “Was that the chick who told all her mates you couldn’t get a boner?”
Eli, having ordered our drinks, bursts out laughing. “Holy crap! Was that true?”
Sulking, Isaac snatches his pint off the side, spilling some over his hands. “You would lose all feeling down there if you had someone snapping orders at you. If she fucking relaxed and went with it, she might have woken up with a smile on her fucking face.”
I lean my back against the bar, smirking when Evie pointedly avoids eye contact. Her friend, however, doesn’t have the same qualms when she glances over her shoulder, giving me a smirk and a small wave.
“God, she’s gorgeous,” Eli breathes, and my jaw hardens as I glare at him.
“Stay the fuck away.”
Taken aback by my sharp tone, Eli turns to me, smirking as his eyes go round. “I’m not talking about Evie. I’m talking about her friend.”
Her friend?
I turn back to the table, taking a closer look at her friend. Yeah, she’s alright, but she doesn’t hold a candle to Evie. No one could. She is pure beauty.
“Looks like we’re not the only ones looking,” Luke muses.
Finding what he’s talking about, I down half of my pint before taking in a deep breath. Two guys are sitting at a table in the corner, both foaming at the mouth as they ogle the girls.
“Not a fucking chance,” I mutter, before turning back to the bar. “Yo, Jim, do us some shots and another round of drinks for that table.” I point to where Evie is sitting, and he gives me a nod in confirmation.
Eli, on the other hand, groans. “This is going to end badly.”
I shrug, giving him a quick glance. “You can either sit there all night or join me.”
Evie’s eyes go round