Chapter 25 " Kyle . Aiden's bark cut Kyle off mind flow and snapped me out of my confusing reverie .. I looked up to see Aiden standing at the foot of the stairs , arms crossed and glaring at us . ! instinctively recoiled as the heat of his gaze burned into us . I felt like I had been caught betraying him and yet that seemed utterly absurd given that I owed him nothing . Right ? I need you to help me move some more beers in . " His voice clipped . " Now . " Sighing , Kyle stepped back . " I'll be back soon . " " Sure . " I smiled , glancing at Aiden who was still glaring but solely at Kyle as the younger man joined him . Figuring I'd see what Tammy was up to , I abandoned the pool table and headed into the bar . People were everywhere , talking and laughing , some were even dancing . I wandered around like a ghost , unseen and yet observing as people I had never met before enjoyed themselves . I couldn't help but wonder if Liam knew these people , if he was friends with any of them and spent time drinking and partying . The thought caused my blood to heat up in annoyance . I was jealous and confused . Why did Liam hide this from me ? Why did he feel the need to keep me away ? Were these people bad ? They didn't seem bad . They had all been so friendly to me . I found Tammy talking to another woman about her age with white blonde hair that was cut into a bob . She had sharp features against milky pale skin and dark purple lips . " Oh Natalia , meet Ellie . Liam's little sister ! " Tammy's eyes widened with excitement , tugging my hand softly to pull me close . " Isn't she gorgeous ? " " Wow , yes . So different from the pictures , no ? " Natalia smiled , her accent strong , eastern European maybe . Her eyes were like those of a cat , beautiful but dangerous . " It's nice to meet you Ellie . Liam told us so much about you . " " Nice to meet you too . " I muttered , the heaviness of jealousy pressing on my chest . I was quiet and the two older women began talking again . I tried to focus but I felt myself being slowly dragged down into the darkness of my thoughts . All of these years I had been terribly alone and my brother had a whole network to support him . These people knew him beyond the army , they probably knew him better than I did . My throat ached as I fought back the tears burning my eyes . I refused to cry over this even if my chest throbbed , my heart breaking at the thought that I didn't even know my own brother and that I truly had been alone all this time . " El , you okay ? " Tammy's voice cut through my darkened thoughts , my eyes focusing on her and the concern in her eyes . " You look upset . " " I'm fine . " I said as I forced a smile onto my face , blinking away any tears threatening to spill . " I feel a bit warm . I think I'm going to step out and get some air . " " Okay , well go out the back , it's safer and quieter . " Tammy suggested , her eyes still clouded with worry as she rubbed my arm gently . I just about mustered another smile as I left Natalia and Tammy to carry on talking while I hunted for the door . Thankfully it wasn't too hard to find and I stepped out onto a small raised space made up of concrete and lined with a small wooden railing . It was probably four feet off the ground with a i leading down into the drive that ran alongside the building to the back . It wasn't anything fancy and it was obvious this was where deliveries would be coming in . The cool air hit my naked arms the moment I stepped out and I shivered but carried on forward until I could rest my elbows on the railing and stare out into the darkness . Admittedly there wasn't anything exciting out here to look at but the cold air helped clear away the heavy feeling that had me feeling dizzy . It even soothed the bitterness settled in me . I felt petty feeling like this . I couldn't do anything about it . I couldn't make Liam tell me why he kept a secret life from me . I couldn't stop my feelings for Aiden . I couldn't just make Noah disappear like a magic trick . 1/2