Page 32 of Invisible Scars
“I assumed you were making fun of me, but now I think I assumed wrong.”
“That makes two of us,” I say with a snort. “The day you set foot in Peak Securities HQ, I looked at you, and all I saw was a dainty doll—vulnerable and fragile. I wanted to keep you as close to me as I could so I could protect you, and that made me want you to stay the hell away from me.”
“So, you gave me an annoying nickname to ruffle my feathers?”
“Yeah, only you pulled out an impressive set of claws, as the scratch marks on my back will attest.” I flash Effie a smirk, and she rolls her eyes.
“You said you assumed wrong. How so?”
“You arenothelpless.” I caress her thigh. “And, while youaredelicate, you are anything but fragile.”
“Is that so?” she asks with a warm smile.
“It is so,” I answer, cupping her cheek and running my thumb over her jaw. “You have been tenacious in proving that to me.”
“Then you already know I’m strong enough if you ever choose to lean on me,” she whispers before settling against the tub.
I rest my head against her chest, my eyes drifting shut as I let the warmth of the water and the softness of Effie’s body envelop me in a cocoon of calmness. We stay silent for a while, the only thing interrupting the quiet is Effie running the hot water to keep the bath at a pleasant temperature, and as they always do when there’s a void, the echoes of my nightmares creep up on me.
“It was supposed to be in and out, but they were waiting for us, expecting us. Bad intel,” I whisper, keeping my eyes closed as if it makes Effie disappear. “It was a massacre, utter chaos, bullets and yelling and screaming. The sounds are the only part of that day that’s still vivid in my broken brain.” I bark out a short and bitter laugh. “It was like watching hell unfold right in front of our eyes, and there wasnothingwe could do to stop it. If it wasn’t for Sawyer, we never would have taken back control of the situation. None of us would have made it out. He can always see it, the out in a dead end.”
“You really miss him, don’t you?” Effie places a soft palm on my chest, and I nod. “Is that what you meant about him saving your life?”
I force myself to meet her large sapphire eyes that look like they were taken straight out of a Disney movie—big, sparkly, and absolutely misleading as to her true strength. The fleeting notion I should just say yes and move on with my life flashes through my head. But I can’t lie to her.
“No.” I take a deep breath and release it with a long exhale. “Are you sure you want to hear the rest? It only gets worse.”
“Tell me, please.”
“When we thought it was finally over, they set off the IEDs. We knew there was a chance, there’s always a risk, but nothing about the timing made sense. They could have set them off when we were taking back control and gotten the upper hand again.” I shake my head and rub my scar in the water. “Strategically speaking, they missed the window of opportunity to gain the upper hand by a mile. But I guess that wasn’t the point, considering they packed the explosives with nails and glass, and I don’t know what else for maximum damage infliction.”
“That’s terrible.” Effie’s fingers trace the scars decorating my chest from what penetrated my uniform.
“I was on the outskirts of the secondary ring on my way to treat the guys injured in the initial attacks when the first wave of bombs went off. A piece of debris that blew off a structure in the explosion area tore through my right thigh.” My hand instinctively clenches over my injury, the dull ache thrumming at the rhythm of my heartbeat. “I also shattered my humeral from the ground impact.”
“How did you get out?”
“Sawyer and Andrew. They risked themselves to get me out before the second wave of bombs went off. I wouldn’t have had a chance otherwise.”
“I’m sorry for belittling your commitment to Sawyer earlier,” she says, pressing her forehead against mine as a tear rolls down her cheek. “I’m glad they saved you.”
I wipe the tear with the pad of my thumb. “I never want to be the reason you cry, Doll.”
Effie sniffs and nods before leaning down and pressing her lips against mine, soft and slow. And in this moment, when she kisses me with so much emotion pouring through her full lips, I don’t give a damn about my job, my brothers, my scars. Right now, she’s all that matters, and the rest can wait until tomorrow.
9
EFFIE
I’m sittingin Jonah’s kitchen, my laptop open in front of me. The warmth from our shared bath still lingers on my skin, making it difficult to concentrate on my computer screen. The intimate moment we just shared replays in my mind and, with it, the knowledge that it could lead to the loss of everything I fought so hard for.
My gaze travels to the bedroom door, where Jonah’s tucked in fast asleep, and my heart swells with both tenderness and pain. There’s a selfish part of me that keeps thinking how, if circumstances had played out differently, I would have never met him. The thought of a lifetime without this tangible and fragile connection we share is causing turmoil in my thoughts.
Nothing about us is a good idea. Both of us know it, yet can’t seem to stay away.
Lost in my reflections, I’m startled by a knock on the door. Slowly, I approach and click on the screen connected to a camera outside.
“Milly?” I stare at the image of the willowy woman waiting on the other side before shaking off the surprise and hurrying to unlock the door. “Hi.”
