Page 51 of Strike Fast

Reid stayed glued to her, his face pressed into the crook of her neck as he shook his head. “It was Ruiz. One of his guys took her,” he said, his voice cracking.

“I heard,” Tess murmured, meeting Zaid’s eyes.

Zaid reached for Reid’s shoulder, pulled him up and spun him around to steer him back into the apartment. “Come on, man.”

Reid sucked in a shaky breath and shoved the heels of his hands into his eye sockets as Zaid walked him through the kitchen to the living room and sat him on the couch. Her heart sank when she saw the open bottle of Jack Daniels and the glass on the coffee table. It still had liquor in it. How much had he had?

Without looking at her, Zaid picked up both the bottle and glass and handed them to her. Tess took them, catching the shame that flashed in Reid’s eyes.

“I didn’t drink it. I shouldn’t have bought it in the first place, but… Fuck, I just didn’t know what the hell else to do,” Reid said, his voice breaking on the last word as he dragged a hand through his hair.

“You should have called one of us,” Zaid said, a hard edge to his voice.

Tess carried the bottle and glass straight to the kitchen and poured every last drop of the whiskey down the sink. Without pause, she checked the cupboards and drawers in the kitchen, the bathrooms and his bedroom for good measure. She found nothing.

Zaid met her gaze as she walked around the corner with empty hands and she shook her head to let him know she hadn’t found anything. He was perched on the edge of the wooden coffee table facing Reid, his forearms braced on his splayed thighs.

In the quiet, the sound and scent of brewing coffee came from the kitchen while Kai rummaged through the cupboards gathering mugs. Tess stood still and focused on Reid and Zaid as they stared at each other from two feet apart.

“Talk to me,” Zaid said.

Reid drew in a deep breath and collapsed back against the couch cushions with a soft groan, not meeting his teammate’s eyes. Tess walked over and sank down beside him, wrapped an arm around his shoulders and snuggled into his side, offering what comfort and support she could. He didn’t return the embrace, but he didn’t stiffen or push her away, either.

“Look, I don’t need a goddamn lecture about my drinking,” Reid began in a warning tone.

Zaid raised a dark eyebrow and stared him down. “You sure as shit do, my friend. Not only did you almost fall off the wagon tonight after years of fighting to stay sober, you were about to do it when you could get a call at any moment that an actionable tip’s come in, and then you’d be too out of commission to act on it.”

“I know,” he muttered, looking away, anguish and self-disgust etched into his face. “That’s why I didn’t drink it.”

“But you wanted to.”

“Yeah, I wanted to.”

This was uncomfortable as hell, but there was no getting around it, and under the circumstances Tess agreed with Zaid’s tough love approach. They had to be clear with Reid right here, right now. “No more alcohol, Reid,” she said in a firm tone. “Promise us. It’s only going to put a temporary Band Aid on this, and make it a hell of a lot worse for everyone after.” Wanting to soften the harsh words, Tess rubbed his upper arm with her palm. “Autumn needs you to stay sober.”I need you to stay sober.

He closed his eyes, his head sagging forward as though it was just too heavy to hold up any longer. “God dammit, if anything happens to her, then I don’t wanna be here,” he rasped out, and Tess’s chest constricted.

“You can’t give up on her,” Zaid said, his voice hard. “You fuckingcan’t. Understand? Giving up is not an option. Not for any of us.”

Reid turned his head and shot Zaid a lethal glare. “You think I’m giving up on her? Fuck you, Zaid. You were right next to me the night we found Victoria Gomez. You saw what they’d done to her. And now that sick fuck’s threatened to do all that to my baby—” His voice shredded and he glanced away, his jaw flexed so tight Tess could all but hear his back teeth grinding.

“Still not giving up,” Zaid said, his voice level but firm.

“Me neither,” Kai said, carrying a mug of coffee in and thrusting it at Reid. “So drink up, brother. You gotta be ready when they find her.”

Reid shot him a searching look. He snatched the mug without saying anything and brought it to his lips.

Zaid got up and walked around the coffee table to take the easy chair opposite Reid, easing the tension in the room. Kai brought her and Zaid mugs of coffee before seating himself on the loveseat arranged perpendicular to the couch, his big frame making the heavy piece of leather furniture look almost dainty.

“Who sent you guys, Taggart or Hamilton?” Reid said dully.

“Taggart talked to Hamilton, and Hamilton texted all of us,” Kai answered. “We volunteered to come over. So yeah, we all know the gist of it.”

Reid grimaced and lowered his mug. “Yeah? Well you didn’t hear the part where Sarah started screaming and hitting me when she heard the news about Ruiz.” His fingers flexed around the mug handle, a restless motion that screamed his agitation. “Said it’s my fault. That my job had not only destroyed our family, but now it’s destroyed our daughter, too.”

Tess winced and squeezed his shoulder, the muscles iron hard beneath her hand. “She was upset. I’m sure she didn’t mean that.”

Those deep blue eyes drilled into hers like a laser. “That’sexactlywhat she meant. And you know what? She was right.”

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