Endurance (The Sin Trilogy 4)

“Will you watch and talk me through doing Leith’s?”

“Of course. I’ve always got your back, baby.”

Ellison goes to the shelves of supplies. “That should be dressed with something besides a filthy towel from the bar until I can clean and close it.”

“This was all Greer could find.”

Ellison spins around to look at me. “Greer?”

“Aye. Greer is Leith’s head barmaid at the bar.”

“I know exactly who she is.” Ellison returns to searching through the medical supplies. “Please don’t say that name in front of Lorna. It’ll upset her.”

“I won’t.”

Ellison opens a package of sterile four by fours and prepares them to dress my wound.

“Leith isn’t fucking Greer. He hasn’t touched her in almost a year. He loves Lorna. She’s the one he wants.”

“He has a funny way of showing it.”

“Leith fucked up with Lorna and he knows it. He’s trying to make things right with her, but she isn’t making it easy on him.”

Ellison narrows her eyes. Boy, she didn’t like that comment. “Is she supposed to make it easy on him after the things he’s done?”

“I’m not saying she should be easy on him but it’s been almost a year. There’s only so much punishment he can take before he says to hell with it.” Lorna can’t keep this up and expect him to stick around forever.

“Is he getting ready to throw in the towel?”

“He’s not giving up on her yet, but I don’t see him holding on much longer if something doesn’t change soon.”

“I agree something has to change. They’re both miserable.”

I hope Leith listens to my advice and takes control of the situation instead of letting Lorna run the show. “Maybe tonight will help. It’s an accomplishment that they’re together for the first time in a while.”

“Lorna freaked out when Sin called. She was shaking like a leaf the whole way here.”

“Good. She needs to feel some kind of emotion for him besides anger and resentment. The fear of losing him might help her get her priorities straight.” The words aren’t out of my mouth before I realize how my statement pertains to our own situation.

“Yeah. You’d think that might help someone get his priorities in order. But it hasn’t.”

She applies two strips of adhesive to hold the four-by-four in place over my wound. “Come on. Let’s go do this.”

Ellison sutures Leith like it’s something she’s done no less than a thousand times. I’m not surprised; she’s great at everything she does.

When she finishes the last suture she looks at me over her shoulder for approval. “Looks good?”

“Perfect.” I continue peeking around her to admire her work. “I think my girl has done a better job stitching you than I would have.”

“Nothing like a woman’s touch.” Don’t I know that? And I’ve missed hers. Bad.

Leith takes a look at his forearm. “I’ve required a lot of these in my life and this set looks better than any I’ve ever had.”

“Glad you approve, Leith.” Ellison grins as she pushes away on the rolling stool and removes her gloves. “Next patient?”

I groan loudly. “I dread this like a motherfucker.”

“Quit acting like a puss.”

“You got three stitches, Leith. I’m getting no less than twelve.”

“Well, good luck with that.” Leith gets off the bed and looks at Lorna. “Don’t have my car. Can I catch a ride home?”

Lorna shrugs. “Yeah.”

“Drinks are on me next time you’re in the bar, lass.”

Ellison’s eyes widen. “Am I allowed to go to Duncan’s now?”

Sin has been very careful about Ellison’s association with the brothers. Until her recent decision to join The Fellowship, Duncan’s hasn’t been on her list of approved places to visit. And I wish it weren’t now. The brothers are going to be all over her.

“Hell, yeah. Anytime you want a drink or a dance, come see me at the bar. I have to take care of the lass who sewed up my arm.”

“Our girls’ night was cut short. If Bleu doesn’t need me to stay with the babies, I think we should come for a visit tomorrow night.”

Lorna shakes her head. “Can’t.”

“Come on, Lolo. It’ll be fun.”

She shakes her head again. “I’m sure Westlyn will be happy to go with you.”

“Maybe next time.”

“Doubt that.” I was right. Lorna won’t step foot in Duncan’s as long as Greer is there.

I give Leith an upward nod in Lorna’s direction as they’re leaving, an unspoken message that conveys stop being a pussy. Take control of this situation. Make her hear you. He returns the same nod and I translate it as his nonverbal communication for hell, yeah.

Maybe.

We move to trauma two and I crawl onto the bed a second time. “I should have had a few more whiskies. Or a bottle. I know this is going to hurt like hell.”

Ellison pulls off the dressing. “This is a big laceration, Jamie. There’s no shame in letting me give you some local. It’s stupid to endure the pain when you don’t have to.”

I wonder if Ellison realizes she used the word endure. “I don’t need it. I can endure the pain.”

“Masochist.”

“I think I could be because there’s no way I won’t be at Duncan’s tomorrow night.” I can already predict that going will mean trouble. But I can’t stay away.

“Why would going to Duncan’s for a good time tomorrow night make you a masochist?”

“Mac, you don’t see it . . . and that is one of the most beautiful things about you.”

She stops cleaning my wound and looks up at me. “What do I not see?”

“My brothers are the moths and you are the flame. You’ll draw them in. They won’t be able to resist you.”

She laughs beneath her breath. “Men I care nothing about can’t resist me, but the man I want and love can. Talk about irony. Fate must be having one hell of a laugh at my expense.”

She’s wrong. I can’t resist her. Not even a little bit.

Ellison straightens as she loads the needle holder. “Are you ready to do this?”

“Aye.”

Endure the pain.

Suffer. Cope. Tolerate.

This will be good practice for what’s to come.

Westlyn and I enter Duncan’s and it’s painfully obvious that we’re the center of attention. Well, I’m the center of attention—just like the night of my claiming announcement. All eyes are on me. And to make it worse, Leith sees me as soon as we enter the bar and calls out, “There’s the bonny surgeon who saved my arm.”

Oh, God. Kill me now.

Leith jumps and slides over the bar instead of walking around it. It’s kind of a hot move. I bet Lorna doesn’t mind watching him do that.

“This way, ladies. I have a special table just for you.”

Leith leads us to the back and pulls out two chairs. The table looks just like all the others so I fail to see what makes it so unique.

“Shite, Ellison. Leith’s giving us the trinity table.”

“What’s the trinity table?”

“It’s where Leith, Sin, and Jamie sit. Always. It’s their table. No one else is allowed to sit here. Ever.”

“You get a private barmaid when you sit at this table.” Leith waves over a tiny blonde. “Greer will bring you anything you want. All you have to do is ask.” Greer. This is my first time meeting this woman but I have an immediate distaste for her. She has caused my friend a lot of pain.

“Give them anything they want. And I do mean anything. If they ask you to stand on your head and spin while you sing ‘I Once Loved a Lass’ then you do it.”

Those aren’t the orders you give to a woman you’re sleeping with. Or have any affection for. I believe Leith when he says he hasn’t touched her in almost a year. I hate that Lorna wasn’t here to hear Leith tell Gr

eer that. I suspect she’d have enjoyed it.

“This is Ellison MacAllister. She’s Bleu’s sister.”

“I know who she is.” Wow. Greer spews acid like Linda Blair in The Exorcist. “What can I bring you?”

I don’t guess I should expect to be welcomed by all Fellowship women. Many of them probably see me as competition. But I’m not—unless they’re after Jamie.

“Hmm. Not sure. Don’t really think I’m in a whisky mood tonight.” I don’t want to go home wasted. Jamie and I are still making up for the two days we lost while we kept the babies.