Brooke paid no attention to the drama unfolding around her. She had a new target in her crosshairs. Her gaze snapped to Aiden.
“Andyou!”Her finger jabbed the air in his direction. “Are you really going to let Evan talk to your girl like that?”
Aiden squared his shoulders. He ignored Brooke to look me dead in the eye. “She’s not my girl.”
“Like hell she isn’t,” Brooke fumed. “Like you haven’t been—”
“Didn’t take the hint, did you, Lola?” His mouth flattened into a grim frown. “You listening now? Stay the hell away from me.”
Brooke’s mouth dropped open in complete shock.
Mine didn’t.
Somehow, even though my knees wobbled and my nerves crackled from the threat of confrontation, I still stood tall. I wasn’t the same woman who’d run away three months ago. That Lola had cowered from the constant threat of Chris’s brutal words and merciless hands.
But I was brave now. I’d survived hell. I’d risked everything and escaped.
I was free.
I hadfriends.
Brooke stood proud and defiant. That blonde ball of fury didn’t hesitate to fight for me against a whole pack of men. Even the mysterious Ryan Hollyoak had my back. And when I glancedaround the bar, I saw more faces looking on with concern—with sympathy—for me.
I wasn’t alone. Not anymore.
I turned to Aiden, straightening my spine and squaring my shoulders, just like he had when he’d humiliated me outside the coffee shop. Any affection I’d had for him was gone. All I had left was a glare.
“It will be my pleasure to stay as far away from you as possible, Mr. McKinnon.” My voice was firm. It never wavered. “Life is so precious. I deserve better than wasting a single second of it on someone as two-faced and cruel as you.”
And with my friend’s arm hugged around my shoulders, I left the Old Cellar with new strength fortifying my veins. I wouldn’t settle for being made to feel small. No one would ever treat me like I didn’t matter again.
Not Aiden.
Not anyone.
10
He Saw the Signs of Her Past
Aiden
Richmond was a greyghost.
Fog swallowed the hills, and only the tufted peaks of the tallest trees escaped its chokehold over the valley. There was no hint of the town. Not even a twinkle of lights. Usually, I’d welcome the isolation, but after last night’s disaster, the silence unsettled me.
I dragged the sandpaper along the raw edge of the porch railing. The slow, constant scratch was the only distraction from my thoughts. I’d paint it next. Nothing fancy. Midnight blue to match the rest of the trim. But it was another job to keep me busy. If I stopped, if I paused for a second, the guilt would rush into the cracks in my chest like quicksand and bury me alive.
I should be happy. I’d gotten what I wanted, hadn’t I?
Lola hated me. I’d stayed silent when I should’ve spoken up. I’d discarded her like trash and watched as the vultures tore her apart.
The sandpaper stopped. I screwed my eyes shut, slouched against the railing, and forced air into my lungs. The darkness wasn’t forgiving. The memory of Lola’s eyes always pleaded for me to save her. That look would haunt me for the rest of my life.
Had I ever been…good?Honourable? Not even the shadow of the man in uniform seemed to exist anymore. Why had I been so heartless? So…so…savage?
Why?
The hum of tyres drifted through the valley. I cocked my head, listening, making sure my mind wasn’t playing tricks on me. The rumble grew louder. Someone was coming up the driveway.
