Page 41 of Invisible Scars
“She’ll never even know you were here, Abe.” His brow furrows at my businesslike tone, arms uncrossing and hands clenching at his sides. “This goes one of two ways—you walk away and never return, or I toss you as far as I can throw you and hope you’re smart enough not to try me again.”
Abe barks out a laugh, then realizes I’m serious and proceeds to double over. “Aw, man, that’s so sweet!” he says between bouts. “Effie’s got herself a waddling whipped boy toy.”
I let my lips curl into a smile, knowing it isn’t the pleasant kind. I’m going to enjoy tearing this man’s limbs off. Abe sobers up real quick when he sees my expression, sweat breaking across his brow.
“Look, gimpy, this is between me and my sister, and I’ve trained in Taekwondo, so don’t get in my way.” When I don’t move or react, his eyes narrow. “Screw this.”
He manages one step, then yelps when I wrap my fingers around his throat and use my grip to bring him to my eye level, his toe tips scraping the ground.
“Let me simplify it for you, Abe,” I say in a calm voice, unmoved by his attempts to free himself from my hold by punching my arm. “If you so much as breathe the same air as Effie, you’re dead.”
“Fuck you,” he spits, and my fingers tighten with a growl.
“You have no idea how badly I want to snap your neck right now.” I inhale, closing my eyes and picturing Effie’s distraught face, forcing myself to see beyond the rage. “When I let go, you’renotgoing to come at me, Abe. You’re going to scurry back to your mommy and tell her Effie is no longer a part of your miserable lives.”
I release my hold, and Abe falls to the ground, scurrying away on the ground while wheezing.
“Shows what you know,” he says in between coughs. “My mother doesn’t know I’m here. She thinks I don’t knowshe’shere.” He finally manages to stand up, and I watch him power walk away from me toward a parked car. As he reaches the car, he pauses and yells, “You fucking limp degenerate!” over his shoulder.
I write the make and model down, as well as the license plates, though I have a hunch those are fake, before returning to my Jeep. Making a U-turn, I find a spot where I can keep an eye on Effie’s house without being seen.
This is going to be a long night.
11
EFFIE
“That was a good session,”Milly says with a smile, dabbing at her nape.
“Yeah, you worked me hard.” I laugh while reaching for my towel and water bottle.
“You gave as good as you got.” Milly takes a gulp of water. “Jonah’s trained you well.”
“He left me no choice,” I say with a short laugh and a shake of my head. “I’m hitting the showers.”
“I’ll be there soon.” Milly drops her towel on the bench, her eyes fixed on Micah, who’s leaning on the doorframe with a smirk and a gaze full of appreciation only for her.
I chuckle and hurry to leave the gym so they can have some privacy, catching him sliding Milly’s engagement ring back onto her finger. On the way to the showers, I decide to go by the pool and rub in Jonah’s face how good the training session with Milly went.
Jonah’s in the middle of a lap to the far end of the pool, and I can’t tear my eyes away. His body effortlessly cuts through the water, each stroke revealing the strength and grace that lie beneath his stony exterior. He moves with such determination and focus as if the entire world fades away when he’s in the water, and he forgets he’s supposed to be broken, instead becoming a force of nature, a beacon of strength and resilience that draws me closer.
The way his muscles flex and ripple with each movement sends a familiar jolt of electricity through my veins. Every part of me yearns to be touched by his hands, to feel his muscular arms envelop me, and to be consumed by the passion that always simmers beneath the surface.
When he notices me, he dives under, closing the distance with remarkable speed.
“Good form, Cadet,” I say when he reaches the pool’s edge and places his arms on the bank, pulling his swimming cap off and ruffling a hand through his hair.
“I’d hope so. Iwasthe swim team captain in high school, after all.”
“Yes, I’m aware.” I laugh. “Nona talks about it all the time. Joe-Joe and his medals, Joe-Joe and his multiple national championship titles, all while maintaining an almost perfect GPA. Hard to miss.”
“I used to be quite the golden child.” He says it with a joking tone, but something dark settles in his eyes.
“Then Zee went and gave Nona the one thing that could dethrone you–a grandchild.” I gasp, hand slapping over my heart, and Jonah’s eyes grow wide, his sullen expression turning into a cautious smile. “So this is how liberty dies—to a thunderous applause.”
Jonah bursts into loud laughter and shakes his head, the wet strands of his hair glistening in the neon illumination from the ceiling.
“How do you do that?” he asks.
