Page 9 of His to Save

“Hey, whoa!” He holds his hands up, backtracking. “I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just… weird.”

“Yeah, well, Scar thinks so, too.” I shift my shoulders, trying to shake off my growing frustrations. “But with how Dad’s been acting, I need all the help I can get.”

Ellis looks thoughtful as he takes a sip of his drink. “Still haven’t heard from him?” he asks, after he swallows.

“Nope. He’s beenoffsince Grace died, like more so than usual, and now…” I trail off as I try to find the right words. “He’s not exactly a warm guy on the best of days, and on the worst, he’s an outright asshole, and Nora’s so small and her mom was all she had, and I guess I’m just…fuck.” I sigh, unable to articulate my concern.

“You’re worried, man, and that’s okay.”

“Yeah, I am. I just can’t shake the feeling that something’s wrong. I was actually going to ask if you could do a welfare check?”

“Yeah, of course.”

His easy agreeance instantly has me feeling ten pounds lighter.

“Thanks, man.” I hold my fist out toward him, and he bumps his knuckles to mine.

“It’s what friends are for.”

I turn to Callie, feeling slightly embarrassed, having just spilled all of that in front of a virtual stranger. “Sorry about that…”

She smiles and knocks her shoulder into Ellis’s. “No apology needed. Promise.”

Ellis quirks his brows at me and then leans down to press a kiss to Callie’s temple. “She’s a good one, man.”

“Seems like it.”

“Aw, am I interrupting a moment?” Scarlet asks, thrusting the pitcher down onto the table. A little beer splashes over the side, but Callie grabs a napkin and sops it up before I can.

“Just catching up,” I tell her, pouring myself a glass.

“Catching up?” She blinks and then laughs humorlessly. “You live together, what is there to catch up on?”

“Scarlet—” I start, but the sound of a loud guitar riff cuts me off, stopping our fight before it can even start as the band takes the stage.

“I’m so excited!” Callie shimmies in her seat. “I’ve heard they’re so good. C’mon, El, let’s dance.”

He slides out of the booth and extends a hand to her, which she readily grabs, and together they head out onto the packed dance floor.

Scarlet still looks sour, but maybe once the music starts and she’s had a few drinks, she’ll forget all about being upset with me.

I top off her drink as the band’s frontman addresses the crowd. “What’s up, Fortune, Georgia? We’re Iron Resurrection, and we’re fucking stoked to be here tonight!”

The bar erupts into cheers, as the drummer counts them off, launching straight into their first song.

“Don’t be mad, Scar.” I damn near have to shout for her to hear me.

She turns to face me, hurt and fury all over her face. “I heard you, you know?”

“Heard me what?” I rack my brain trying to think of what she could be talking about, because unless she can hear my innermost thoughts, I can’t imagine what she could have heard to have her this pissed off.

I swear, this whole fucking night feels like one step forward and two back.

“Talking about Nora and how worried you are about her because she’s so soft and delicate.”

“What?” I cock my head to the side, trying and failing to get a good read on the situation. “You’re mad that I’m worried about my stepsister?”

“I just think it’s interesting that she’s all you’ve been able to think about tonight. Like, what the fuck, Atlas?”

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