Reid studies him for a second. “You’d do that for me?”
“Obviously,” Luke says, his tone softening slightly as he runs a hand through his hair again, almost sheepish now. “And… yeah. Sorry about earlier. Walking out like that. I shouldn’t have. It just… hit me all at once.”
“I understand.”
“No,” Luke shakes his head. “It was shitty of me. I thought I had a messed-up family, but… I can’t even imagine what you went through. I had no right to judge you for what happened. For the accident.”
Reid pushes to his feet, the movement slow but deliberate. “You have every right, Luke. Especially since I didn’t tell you before we started all this together.” He gestures faintly around the room. “This business affects you too. You deserved to know.”
He pauses, searching for the right words, his jaw tightening slightly.
Luke shifts, uncomfortable now, scratching at the back of his neck. “Well, I don’t.”
Reid looks at him.
“I couldn’t run this place without you,” Luke continues. “Talon and I would kill each other within a week.” He shrugs.“And honestly? The paperwork alone would finish me off. My ADHD would tap out immediately.”
“I could find someone else to take over.”
“No way.” Luke shakes his head, firmer now. “You are one of the team. It has to be you.”
For a moment, something eases in Reid’s expression. Just a fraction.
A small, almost reluctant smile tugs at his mouth.
Their bond—strained, shaken—starts to knit itself back together. Not fully. Not yet. But enough.
Reid turns to Talon. “Tal? What do you think?”
Talon shrugs.
Luke groans. “Use your words, Talon. Your actual words.”
Talon considers it for a second, then says flatly, “I’m not doing any paperwork.”
Reid lets out a real laugh this time, and I can’t help the small giggle that escapes me, the tension in the room loosening just enough to breathe again.
“Okay,” Luke says, clapping his hands once like we’re suddenly in a boardroom. “Now that that’s settled—we need to talk to Amanda.”
Reid’s expression tightens slightly again. “Why?”
“Because we need her help,” Luke says. “The FBI has been trying to get her husband on racketeering and money laundering for a while, but they haven’t been able to get anything to stick to him. If Amanda knows anything—anything at all—it could be what they’re missing.”
Reid hesitates. I see it—the instinct to protect her. To insulate her from any more pain or stress. But in the end, he knows this is too important, because he gives way. He gives a short nod then turns to leave. “I’ll go get her.”
A few minutes later, Amanda steps into the office. She pauses timidly just inside the doorway, her gaze flicking between all of us, her shoulders tensing as she takes in the atmosphere.
“Am I in trouble?” she asks, her voice small, her hand trembling just a little as she sits down in a vacant chair.
“No,” Luke says gently. “But we might need your help causing some.”
Her brow furrows. “Who?”
“Your husband. The mayor of Yellowbrook.”
The color drains from her face instantly. Her hand flies to her throat, fingers pressing lightly against her skin like she can already feel him there.
“No,” she whispers. “I… I can’t. I mustn’t—he’ll… Please, I can’t talk about anything.”