Page 6 of Invisible Scars
My stomach does a little flip, as it sometimes does when I forget this is all a big game, and I beat down that part of me that’s whispering how that soft gaze is just for me. I can never allow myself to believe it’s true.
I can’t afford to fall for Jonah Peak.
* * *
JONAH
I could get lost in those large sapphires for days. But there are more pressing matters to address than this thing with Effie that isn’t really a thing at all. More like a silly game we both enjoy playing but sometimes forget is just that—a game.
I turn my gaze back to Candy and take a seat near the stranger, who seems to have relaxed at the change in my attitude.
“I’m listening.”
“I drove almost non-stop for two days to get this to you.” Candy rummages through her backpack and hands me both halves of a broken-off dog tag.
Too many emotions to distinguish swirl around in my chest, though I make sure none show on my face.
“He found her.” Candy nods with a sad smile. “Are they okay?”
“Sawyer seemed fine enough. He was a bit tired, maybe, but he was strong and healthy, from what I could tell. And he was sharp enough to notice the tail he’d picked up along the way.” A sense of relief washes over me at her words. “But Maddie had one hell of a journey before she found me. I don’t think many people understand how hard it is to be alone on the run, to hide with no one at your back.”
“And you do?” I ask.
Candy’s eyes disclose more than her words ever could, and she nods.
“I was married to a dirtbag who I helped put in jail. I made a lot of enemies by doing the right thing.”
“You’re wit-sec.” Effie takes the seat on the other side of Candy. “And you risked disclosing your identity to help Maddie. Why?”
“I sacrificed a lot for my choice—having kids, a career, having close friends. It was my penance for looking the other way whenever I’d see a red flag.” Candy scoffs and shakes her head. Her gaze turns hard and wary the more she exposes the burden painfully visible in her brown eyes. “Maddie was on the run for the same reason—choosing to do the right thing. But she didn’t get there by making the wrong choice. She deserves to come out the other side and live her life.”
“What’s your name?” Effie asks in a soft voice, and Candy’s eyes fill with tears.
“Gianna Milanesi. Gia.” She sniffles and runs shaky fingers over her hair. “I haven’t said that out loud in over twenty years.”
I catch Isaiah’s gaze, and he nods.
“Do you have a place to stay, Gia?” I ask, and she shakes her head.
“I’ll just jump into the car and keep driving if it’s all the same to you.”
Fear is a strong agent of human choice, and right now, we need Gia’s fear to keep her put rather than send her running. Zee stares out the window before turning to us.
“I think you should stay in one of our safe houses, Miss Milanesi,” he says, taking a step forward. “You said Sawyer was being followed. It isn’t a stretch to assume Daniel Harlow will be looking for you.”
Emotions war behind Gia’s worn-out gaze.
“Aren’t you tired of living in hiding, Gia?” Effie places a gentle hand on Gia’s forearm —nice touch— and I can see the resolve crumble in the woman’s eyes.
“Okay.” Gia finally nods. “If Maddie trusts you, I trust you as well.”
Isaiah turns to Elijah. “Eli?”
“I’ll get a couple of guys and take care of it.” He pushes off his chair and walks out of the room.
“Nowthatis a lot of man.” Gia smiles a bit of a dirty smile that makes me feel exceedingly uncomfortable.
I shoot Micah a look when he stares at me with silent laughter. He loves pulling this crap, knowing I hate all this PDA bullshit, always have. Although it was never an issue. From high school through my years in service, I managed just fine with the ladies without getting all touchy-feely in public. Enlisting at eighteen without having a high-school girlfriend prior to that meant I never got around to having a real relationship before almost dying at twenty-two, though.
