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I’m about to argue some more when Enzo appears at my side with a bottle of wine in his hand. “There you are, I got the wine, let’s go,” he says, hooking his arm through mine and leading me back to the courtyard.

Once he's satisfied that I'm not about to run back inside, he pours three fresh glasses of wine before settling next to me on the sofa. "This one's on me, ladies," he announces, clinking his glass gently with each of ours. "Whatever is going on, I think we need it, sì."

“What is going on?” Ember asks.

“I’m not sure,” I admit frowning. “But it looked like Jax and Saint were crying. The security buffoons wouldn’t let me past to check on them though."

“That’s weird, I hope they’re ok.”

A loud bang splits the air startling me. Followed by a roar of "Bastard!"

Seconds later, Lennie storms past us, eyes fixed ahead. He doesn't so much as glance our way.

Nausea rises in my stomach. Whatever is going on tonight, it’s clear a storm has broken, and my friends are drowning in the aftermath.

Chapter 36

Jax

The front door clicks shut behind the last member of my security team, and for the first time all evening, the lodge falls quiet. I let out a breath I've been holding since I found out that Saint's Aaron is the same Aaron I watched die.

Jason had insisted everyone stay until they were satisfied there wasn’t any risk. I understood it, they were only doing their jobs, but having a team here for this felt… Unnecessary. Intrusive even. Saint never complained once though. He handled it with more patience and dignity than I would have managed.

Now it’s just the two of us. He catches my eye and offers a tired smile before wandering over to the honesty bar. “I think we’ve earned one."

“I think we’ve earned several.”

He laughs softly as he reaches for the whisky. Our relationship feels stronger now, more honest. We went into the lounge still as strangers and came out as friends. A few hours ago, we were carrying a year’s worth of grief from opposite sides of the same tragedy. Now there are no more misunderstandings. No more imagined villains. Just two men who lost their way via the same tragic accident, trying to figure out what comes next.

He hands me a glass and the amber liquid catches the light between us. I find myself looking at him and smiling. Not because any of this is okay—Aaron is still gone, after all. But somehow, amongst all this pain, we found each other, and somewhere in the finding, we started to heal each other too. It's a strange thing, finding something beautiful in the ashes of something so devastating. We raise our glasses without needing to discuss it.

“To Aaron.”

“To Aaron.” The whisky burns on the way down. And for a moment neither of us speaks—there's just the fire, the glass in my hand, and the quiet weight of Aaron's name still hanging in the air.

I nod towards the courtyard. “So, how do you want to do this?”

He lets out a long breath through his nose. “I suppose I rip the plaster off.”

Before either of us can move, Lennie strides through the patio doors, the energy rolling off him uncharacteristic. He looks like someone's reached into his chest and ripped out his heart.

“Everything alright?” I call.

He stops, blinking as though he’s only just realised we’re standing here. “Going for a run,” he says, slightly out of breath already. “Need to clear my head.” His eyes flick between me and Saint. Whatever he sees on our faces makes his own soften. “You’re welcome to come,” he adds quietly. “I’ll wait five minutes.”

I glance at Saint. He gives the smallest nod. “Go. It looks like he could use a friend.”

I hesitate. “You're sure?”

“Positive.”

I nod once, before turning to Lennie. "I'll be out in five."

He mumbles something about waiting outside before disappearing down the hall.

Turning back to Saint, I smile. "Thanks. I'll find a way to tell him if you want to tell the others while we're gone."

“That would be perfect. Thanks, Jax.”