Harley Merlin 12 by Bella Forrest (story books to read TXT) 📗

sharpen his fangs for next time,” Santana retorted. Man, she was on fire tonight.

“Oh, don’t tease me.” I sat back in my seat. “Next time I see that slithery worm, I’ll be in full body armor. He’s not getting so much as a nip, unless he wants to end up as a fancy wallet.”

Santana glowered at me. “I’d say I’m pleased to see you haven’t changed.”

“But?” I prompted.

“But what? That’s the whole sentence. Make of it what you will,” she replied.

I grinned. “I’ve missed you too, Santana.”

“Oh yeah, and I’m Salma Hayek.” A ghost of a smile tugged her lips.

“Alas not, or this would be a much more interesting dinner, and Raffe’s eyes would pop out of his head.” I knew she’d worried about me. But she and I were like oil and water—we’d never quite gel. And we’d never admit to being friends, though in a fight, I knew she’d have my back and she knew I’d have hers.

“We all missed you, Finch,” Raffe said. “And my eyes already pop out of my head whenever Santana’s around. She’s all the Salma Hayek I’ll ever need.”

Santana gazed at him as he reached out and took her hand, all their former irritation gone. At least for now.

“Excuse me, waiter? Could I have a barf bucket with a side of cheese?” I pretended to click my fingers, even though I hated when people did that. Fortunately, no waiter came by, or that would’ve been embarrassing.

Ryann tutted at me. “I think it’s sweet.”

“You would. I bet the Zodiac Killer wakes you up with GIFs of otters holding hands and says things like, ‘You’re my otter half,’ and you get all gooey.” I pushed back the wave of gremlins, trying to keep it Finch. I couldn’t let anyone at this table know I was struggling. They had to believe the façade, or I would fall apart, like Mother Dearest and her oozing cracks.

Ryann gasped. “How did you know that?”

“Waiter, can I have your sharpest knife from the kitchen, too, so I can end it all here?” I joked.

“You need a little romance in your life—that’s your problem,” Santana cut in, fully aware that the woman I wanted to romance had a boyfriend.

I shrugged. “No, my problem is nobody appreciates my comic genius.”

“You’ll have to let us know when you start being funny, then,” Santana fired back.

Raffe rubbed his eyes wearily. “Guys.”

“What? He knows I don’t mean it.” Santana hit me with a disarming smile. It was the friendliest I’d ever gotten from her. Maybe Harley had told her to go easy.

Soon enough, the rest of the Couples Brigade filtered in. Tatyana and Dylan arrived giggling like high school sweethearts, his arm draped over her shoulder in true jock style. Astrid and Garrett came next, holding hands and being a little less in-your-face. I guessed Garrett’s brush with death at the mine had bridged the gap between them, at last. Garrett put a hand on the small of Astrid’s back as he helped her into the large booth.

“You’ve got no idea how good it is to see you, man.” Garrett shuffled past Raffe and Dylan, who let him through, and grabbed me in a hug.

“Likewise,” I replied, with a pointed nod at Astrid. “Looks like the two of you managed to get your act together?”

He beamed at her, radiating happiness. “Yeah, we did.”

“At least one good thing came out of that debacle, then.” I hugged him back, wishing I could feel the happiness I deserved to feel, seeing my friends alive and well. This constant hollow sensation was worse than sadness. At least that would’ve sparked some emotion. But this was just… emptiness, plain and simple. And it hurt.

“I can’t believe you’re actually here.” Garrett squeezed me harder.

I mustered a laugh. “You trying to crack a rib?”

“Sorry, man. We thought we lost you. It didn’t look good, and O’Halloran said we should prepare for the worst-case scenario. Harley didn’t take too kindly to that—she amped up the search parties, determined to find you.”

“Then I’m the one who’s sorry, for scaring you all like that,” I said quietly. For a horrifying moment, I thought I might cry. The tears brimmed, ready to rumble, but I battled to keep them at bay. Flipping between moods like this made my head spin. From hollow, to weepy, to happy, to lost, to angry… it’d drive anyone nuts.

“It wasn’t like you had a choice. Anyone who says different will have to deal with me,” Garrett assured me.

I raised an eyebrow at Santana. “You hear that, Santana?”

For once, she had no comeback. She just sat there, looking at me weirdly. That concerned me. Could she tell how close I was to the edge? Did they all know? Was paranoia on Melody’s list of symptoms? I couldn’t remember. My chest gripped in a vise and panic bristled through me. As Garrett released me, I clung to the red vinyl of the booth and prayed for the wave to pass.

Saskia and Jacob appeared a moment later, giving me something new to focus on.

“Anything you want to tell us?” I asked, covering my inner turmoil with a snappy bit of teasing. “Are you the newest recruits in the SDC’s not-so-covert mating project?”

Saskia shrieked. “Finch! No one told me you’d be here! Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes!”

“It seems I’m the main event.” I smiled.

“And no, Jacob and I aren’t together. It’s purely platonic,” Saskia went on. “The boy needs advice on women, and I’ve accepted the challenge. I’m trying to change his status from ‘lonely loser’ to ‘charming lothario,’ since you men have been woefully inadequate in helping Jacob get a date.”

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with Jakey’s charm. He just had bad luck, that’s all,” I retorted. Of all women, he’d gone for the human minion of my mother. That hadn’t had a rosy ending. Not unless you counted all the blood on the floor. Dark, but true.

Saskia readjusted the straps of her daringly cut dress. “Well, I’m here to change his luck.