Plausible Deniability

The free time granted by having no jobs allows Aila to volunteer on Wednesday for both breakfast and lunch. Paisley is already there by the time Aila walks in through the door at eleven, and it’s like no time has passed since Aila moved out of the house. Paisley tells Aila about the goings-on with their friends as they dole out food. Aila’s chest tightens the longer her friend speaks.

She almost wishes she’d never begun living with Niall if only because of the homesickness. She never thought she’d live with anyone other than the women who saved her from homelessness, from heartbreak. From herself.

“Holy Hell, I’m in love.”

Aila’s brows furrow at Paisley then follows her friend’s gaze to the door of the shelter. The man looks familiar—curly brown hair framing a narrow face, cold steel-blue eyes, the loop hugging his bottom lip. Aila swallows thickly. He was at the club. He’d drawn out his knife.

He raises a brow at her, lips quirking so quickly she think she imagines it. Then he turns away to speak to someone at the table closest to him.

He leaves only moments later. Aila swallows as the door swings closed. What is he doing on the Eastside? None of them—Irwins and Horans alike—are allowed to cross the borders. She decides not to tell Niall. It would cause problems, problems she can’t handle right now.

Besides, it isn’t like the man did anything to her.

She shivers at the thought before going back to work. Paisley asks in an undertone why people are staring at Aila as if she’s going to slit their throat. Aila has no answers. So she lies: She tells Paisley they must think she’s someone else.

Vincent doesn’t speak as he drives her from the shelter to Bobby’s two hours later. Aila does her best not to pout. At least Mully has said a few words to her. Hell, even Zayn has changed his mind about her. But she doesn’t try to initiate conversation. If Vincent wants silence, he can have all the silence in the world.

Ivan grins when she steps through the door. A woman raises her glass in greeting then promptly goes back to ignoring everyone around her. Aila weaves her way through the tables to the bar, dropping down onto a stool.

“Good morning.”

He pauses in the middle of pouring a glass of whisky. “It’s evening, sweetheart.”

“Eh, tomato, potato.”

“You’re weird.” He pauses then points a finger at her. “I’m gonna like you.”

She smiles and accepts the drink. He rests his elbow on the bar, launching into a spiel of what her job will entail. She has no experience mixing drinks, so she’s assigned to the role of server. Aila doesn’t mind: It’s a familiar task, and she actually enjoys it.

“Shifts start at six every night, unless you have... something else to do. Jeans and a T-shirt will be fine. You’ll end up covered in drinks by the end of each shift, so why waste your nice clothes? Just make sure your boobs are tucked away at all times.”

Aila gestures at a passing server. “Her boobs are falling out of her shirt. I mean, i’m not exactly complaining. They’re really nice boobs. But why do I have different standards?”

“Kassidy can get by with it because Niall won’t kill me or anyone else for giving her a second look.”

Aila opens her mouth to argue then thinks better of it. What could she even say? Ivan is undeniably right. Shrugging, she asks him what she should do. He points to Kassidy, tells her to shadow her.

The woman in question turns out to be the complete opposite of Tania. Where Tania is cold and aloof, Kassidy smiles freely and nearly bounces as she walks. She asks Aila to call her ‘Kass’.

“Only my father uses my full name, and that’s how I know I’m in trouble.”

Aila learns the woman’s life story through the night, and she wonders why someone like Kass would work in a bar well-known for its mob connections. Halfway through the shift, she gets her answer.

Kass may be bright and bubbly, but she is also tough. A man tucks a few bills into the deep plunge of Kass’s shirt, winking, and his face hits the tabletop before Aila even knows what’s happening.

“Touch me again, and you’ll get worse. Leave.”

The man holds his bloody nose and glares at Kass, but he leaves without another word. She grins as if she hasn’t just slammed a man’s face into hard wood, splitting the cash into two piles. Aila takes it silently.

“Your boyfriend gave us permission to do what we need to when it comes to protecting ourselves.” Kassidy shrugs. “You learn to not hold back if someone fucks with you. Now c’mon, drinks aren’t gonna serve themselves!”

And off Kass goes, chatting cheerily with the patrons and commiserating with the ones who have come to drown their sorrows. All Aila can think is she really, really, really doesn’t want to get on Kass’s bad side.

Thankfully, there are no more displays of Kass’s badassery through the rest of the night. She and Aila make quick work of clearing tables, turning the chairs upside down on top of the tables, and sweeping the floor. Ivan closes down the bar and carries empty bottles through the kitchen to the alley. As Kass makes a call, Aila chews on her bottom lip then crosses to the door behind the bar.

The room beyond is dark, empty without its normal inhabitants. Her mind dredges up the memory from so long ago, when she’d sat right there at Niall’s left with Mully beside her. Yuri stood against the wall. Tania glaring at her from across the table. Aila had demanded the truth that night. She never could have dreamt it would take her being abducted to get the truth.

“He didn’t want you to think he didn’t trust you on your own.”

She turns from the doorway, frowning at Ivan. “What do you mean?”

“Niall. He didn’t come tonight because he wanted you to get settled without feeling like he was hovering over you the entire time.”

“He told you this?”

“No, but being the barkeep gives you excellent eavesdropping privileges, and your friends don’t speak quietly about some things.” Ivan grins, throwing his arm over her shoulder. “Now come on, you have a boyfriend waiting for you, and I have a bed screaming my name.”

“Hey, Ivan? Thanks for offering me a job.”

“I didn’t. Zayn asked on Niall’s behalf. I only agreed to it.”

Sighing, Aila lets the subject drop. Something tells her she should be furious at the lie—the manipulation—but she can’t find the anger. So she stops trying, waving at Kass and Ivan before sliding into the passenger seat next to Louis.

Working at Bobby’s turns out to be better than any job she has ever had, even after only two shifts. Not only does she keep any tips, she becomes fast friends with Ivan, Kass, and Farrah—an older, no-nonsense woman with steel-grey hair and kind brown eyes. Jax grunts his hellos, goodbyes, and acknowledgement of food orders, but he doesn’t speak much.

Aila folds another pair of trousers and sets them in the suitcase. Early-afternoon sunlight streams in through the terrace doors, illuminating the room in a white-gold. The piano in the corner gleams. Despite the bright weather, she lets the dark cloud swallow her from the inside out.

“You really have to go.”

It isn’t a question though it is. Niall sighs, placing a small wooden box between the five pairs of briefs. He tugs on her hands until she sits beside him on the bed, and she lets out a shaky breath as she leans into his side. The silence stretches on, heavy with the impending departure. Everything that will come when Niall is no longer in Primden.

Irwin will know. Irwin will make his move now, she’s certain of it.

“I don’t want to, believe me, darling,” murmurs Niall, pressing a kiss to her hair. “I’d rather stay here.”

“I know. I just... I don’t know. I feel like everything is gonna change now.”

“What do you mean?”

Aila pulls away and shifts to face him. Curling one leg underneath her, she fidgets with the zip on the suitcase and watches the dust motes swirl around his head. The sunshine casts him into silhouette, but she knows the expression on his face. The blue eyes that once frightened her, pressed thin the lips she will never tire of tasting, the small scar in his left brow.

“I mean, you’re telling your parents about us. You said it yourself, he doesn’t like me.”

“Oh, darling, that’s because he doesn’t know you like I do. Like we all do. He hasn’t seen your stubbornness, the way you light up a room. The depth of your love for all of us and those who know you.” Niall squeezes her hands, leans forward to kiss her. “He has no choice but to accept this. Once he does, he’ll love you.”

“Yeah, because ‘oh, my future father-in-law is forced to accept my engagement to his son, yippee!’ is such a great way to start a marriage.”

He groans, head dropping forward, and Aila bites back any further sarcasm. He’s just as displeased with Bobby’s reaction to her as she is. She blows out a breath and reaches for Niall’s hand, murmuring an apology. He kisses her knuckles.

“All I have to do back home is sit in on a meeting with my da and another family, check on some new business ventures, and attend a christening. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“I know,” she whispers. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

They finish packing in silence. If Aila opens her mouth, she will beg him to stay. She doesn’t want to be left alone, not again. There is no promise he will ever come back. But she has to trust him. She has to have the same faith she did during those three nights in the hotel.

She has to believe he will always come back for her.

The foyer is empty by the time she follows Niall down the stairs. He sets the suitcase on the floor and wraps his arms around her. Aila stifles a sniffle as she breathes in the familiar smell she associates with safety. Home.

“Keep your guard up, darling.”

“I’ll be fine, love.” She pulls back to pat his cheek. “I promise to never be left on my own.”

“Better not be. I’ll kill anyone who risks your safety

Her giggle is watery, weak, but it brings a soft smile to his face anyway. “Stop threatening to murder people, or you’ll have no friends left.”

“As long as I have you, what more do I really need?” He huffs out a laugh, and Aila glances over her shoulder to see Harry in the doorway of the dining room. His face is screwed up in affront, and Niall chuckles. “I’m joking, Haz.”

“Well, if you’re done being a wanker, Mully is ready to take you to the airport.”

Niall nods, fingertips pressing more firmly into Aila’s skin, and he leans down to kiss her. Whispering another command to be careful, he picks up the suitcase and steps outside. Aila and Harry stand on the front step, and she leans against him as she watches the car disappear down the lane.

“Think Bobby will let him come home to me?”

Harry snorts and ruffles her hair. “Nialler would kill anyone who tried to stop him.”

It has to be enough.

The sun is barely over the horizon when Aila jerks awake Mera stands at the side of the bed wringing her hands together. Aila sits up, wiping drool from the corner of her lips, and frowns. She hadn’t fallen asleep until nearly three—being alone in the enormous bed made it impossible for her to relax. She misses Niall too much already.

“I am very sorry for the early hour, Miss Aila, but there is business to attend to.”

Even in her half-asleep state, Aila knows what the words mean. She scrambles off the mattress and asks Mera to get her an outfit ready. Mera bustles to the task while Aila bolts toward the bathroom. She readies her toothbrush and grabs the hairbrush from the countertop.

“Miss!”

Aila freezes, stares at her reflection. She’s mixed up the brushes, and a glob of toothpaste hangs from her hair. Cursing under her breath, Aila drops everything and ducks her head toward the sink. The paste washes free, and she thanks Mera for the warning.

“I would’ve continued trying if you hadn’t shouted at me.”

“I aim to serve. Your clothes are on the bed, Miss.”

Aila nods and finishes pulling her wet hair into a low ponytail. Dressing in the skirt and blouse Mera picked out, she rushes out of the room and down the stairs. Robert waits by the front door, nodding once she’s adjusted her clothes, then pulls the door open.

A young man stands on the step. His dark eyes are wide, straw-coloured hair tucked under his cap, and he tries valiantly to hide his discomfort. He fails at it, but she doesn’t mention it. She only takes the envelope he holds out toward her.

11 August, noon. Only the brushing bride, if you please. No need for this to get messy.

Aila glances up at Robert. Her throat tightens, and she barely manages to refrain from shaking her head. “I…”

“Might I suggest requiring a second and at least one guard, Miss? Yuri would be more than willing to go with you.”

Aila nods. Of course Robert would understand. She scribbles down the suggestion, sealing it in the same envelope from before. The courier lights the first message on fire and drops it into the pail at his feet. With a quick dip of his chin, he turns on his heel. Aila watches him leave before turning to Robert.

“Do you think I’m making a mistake, going to this meeting?”

“You best eat some breakfast, Miss Aila,” is all he says in reply.