Page 39 of Invisible Scars
I catch her chin and force her gaze back to mine. “I’m not.”
“You won’t lose everything when this thing between us implodes,” she says through soft sobs. “I’m such an idiot.”
“Leaning on me will never be a stupid choice, Effie.”
“I just wanted to feel like myself again.”
“And I’m glad I could do that for you,” I say before stealing a salty kiss. “Don’t ever apologize for letting me make you feel good. There’s nothing I enjoy doing more. Okay?”
“Okay.” Effie climbs off me and back into her seat.
She pulls a tissue from her bag to clean the tear stains off her face, and I get back to mission of taking her home.
The road stretches ahead of us, the streetlights casting a soft glow on the passing scenery. Effie’s silence fills the car, and I can sense the weight of her emotions hanging heavy in the air.
“Talk to me, Effie.” I stroke a thumb over her wrist. “Please.”
“The last straw was Lorenzo Ricci,” she says in a quiet voice. “Abe owed him a lot of money, so I went to take care of it. Usually, I’d cover the debt and figure out what I could give them to make sure they never did business with Abe again. Mostly it was invitations to exclusive clubs or helping their kids get into private schools, but Lorenzo wasn’t interested in any of that.”
“What did he want?”
“Me.” I suspected as much, but hearing it still enrages me. “It was too much. Lorenzo thanked me for paying him and said that if I ever want my brother blacklisted, the offer for one night is always on the table. Funnily enough, he was the only one to react reasonably to my refusal. My family, on the other hand…”
I fight to control my breathing, the fury constricting my lungs. “Fuck, Effie, that’s…” I exhale, forcing myself to get a grip. “You are remarkable, and you deserve so much better than that.”
“And I found it,” she says, turning her head to look at me with a meaningful gaze. “I just need to keep it.”
Effie unbuckles herself the second we pull into her driveway.
“I’ll walk you in,” I say, reaching for my own seatbelt.
“No.” Effie jumps to place both hands on mine before I unbuckle. “We both know what happens if you come inside.”
I frown at her, searching her face. “Nothing you don’t want to happen.”
“That’s the problem, Jonah. Idowant it.” She sniffs and slumps back against her car seat. “I left everything behind for this job, and I found so much more—I found a family, but at the end of the day, they’re your brothers. Nona isyourmother.”
“Zee said he’d choose you over any of us. Convened a meeting and literally said, ‘If any of you assholes ever mess with Effie, I’ll kick you out faster than you can blink.’ Exact quote.”
“I don’t want anyone to get kicked out.” She turns those giant eyes on me. “You need them, Joe, just as much as I do.”
“Tell me what to do, Effie. Whatever you say, whatever makes you feel better.”
“No matter how I turn it in my head, this always ends badly,” she whispers, her words like a knife to my chest.
“I hope there’s a but to that.”
“We can’t keep doing this, Jonah,” she says, lowering her head and sniffling. “I can’t loseeverything.”
“I would die before I let that happen.” My words seem to fall on deaf ears. “Effie, look at me.” My commanding words have the desired effect, and Effie returns her gaze to mine. “I woulddiebefore I let that happen. Do you understand?”
Effie nods, reaching out to trace my jaw with a light touch. “I think I should train with Milly from now on.”
“Okay.” I kiss the inside of her palm. “As long as you’re keeping up your training.”
“And I still don’t think you should walk me in.”
I raise an eyebrow. “I’m walking you, Effie.”
