Luke gave a faint smile that held no amusement. “Blackwood exploded the moment those SUVs pulled into our driveway.” He brushed a strand of hair back from my face, his fingers lingering briefly along my jaw. “Lorne being locked away isn’t the worst outcome. He’s dangerous and can turn on people without warning. What matters now is what happens next.”
“And what do you think happens next?”
Luke looked out across the dark stretch of ocean beyond the town lights. “People start protecting themselves.”
A chill trailed down my spine. “Which means?”
“Which means anyone involved in whatever Lorne was doing inside King Enterprises will start moving quickly to distance themselves from him.”
“And that’s bad?”
Luke turned his head slightly toward me. “It’s dangerous.”
“Why?”
“The truth has a way of surfacing whether anyone wants it to or not,” he explained calmly.
Luke shifted his arm around my waist and drew me in until I was tucked securely against his side. The warmth of him grounded the moment in a way nothing else could.
I tipped my face upward, studying him in the faint glow of the town lights. His jaw was still tight from everything he’d witnessed that night, the tension sitting just beneath the surface of his calm. “Are you worried?”
Luke studied me for a long moment before answering. “No.”
“Not even a little?”
He brushed his thumb along the curve of my cheek. “I’m cautious.”
That answer felt far more honest than reassurance would have. I leaned forward and pressed my lips gently against his, my hand lifting to the back of his neck. The kiss started softly.
Then his hand threaded into my hair and deepened the kiss, pulling me closer against him as the tension of the entire week spilled quietly between us. His other arm wrapped tighter around my waist, anchoring me against him as if the rest of the world could wait a few more minutes.
For several seconds, everything disappeared—the investigation, the arrests, the quiet war unfolding around us. There was only the warmth of his mouth, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath my palm, and the familiar strength of his arms holding me close.
When we finally broke apart, I rested my forehead against his.
“Whatever comes next,” I whispered, “we face it together.”
Luke’s fingers gripped gently at the back of my neck. “Always.”
The word carried the same quiet certainty his promises always did.
We stayed on the roof a while longer after that, watching the town lights flicker across the dark stretch of ocean until the pressure around my chest loosened just enough to breathe.
Eventually Luke walked me back to my car. The drive home felt calmer than the one earlier that evening.
But the moment I stepped inside the house, I knew Mom and Edwardo had been waiting. They sat at the kitchen table with the lights dimmed low, both of them turning toward me as the door closed behind me.
Mom looked up from the table as I stepped into the kitchen. “How’s Luke?”
I pulled out the chair across from them. “He’s fine. He told me what happened from his side,” I replied quietly. “The agents showed up right before he got home. They walked Lorne out in front of everyone.”
Mom’s expression flickered. “That must have been… unpleasant.”
Edwardo remained still beside her, his attention fixed on me. “How did the family react?”
“Luke said it was quiet. No shouting. Just… final.”
Edwardo nodded, absorbing the information.