Page 72 of The Last Strike

Reed

Reed walked through the Bennett gardens, his eyes alert, his ears straining to hear a noise that shouldn’t be there. He held his weapon in his hand, his finger on the trigger—but tonight, all was calm.

As he finished his perimeter check, he exhaled a sigh of relief. No trouble tonight. They’d been extra cautious the last few days because the longer they stayed in one place, the greater the chance of someone confirming their location and attacking them.

But more than that, Reed—and the entire team—wanted to ensure that Asher and Abi’s wedding night was calm and without bloodshed. They deserved that.

“Perimeter secure,” Reed said, taking one last look, pausing one second longer. Reed trusted his gut instinct and as he stood there, his gaze slowly sweeping over the gardens, he was confident he hadn’t missed anything.

“Copy,” Deacon Thomas said. “Come inside, and we’ll begin escorting guests home.”

“Copy,” Reed responded, instantly wondering who he would be assigned to tonight seeing there were only two guests to be escorted: Alistair and Rachel. He allowed himself to hope for a second, but then shut it down. He needed to be focused right now, and in the coming days there could be no distractions.

Rachel and Alistairhad been taken to the living room for tea while security arranged their escorts and confirmed the Bennett residence was secure. Given the size of the estate and its gardens, it wasn’t a quick process.

Reed walked inside and returned to their makeshift headquarters.

Deacon looked up at him as he entered.

“All good,” Reed said, tucking his weapon into his back pocket.

“Good,” Deacon said with a nod. “You’re escorting Rachel home and then you’re done for the night. Get some sleep.”

Deacon seemed to watch him carefully, but Reed didn’t react—he wasn’t a kid in high school, although his crush didn’t feel all that different.

“Copy,” Reed said and Deacon gave a small smile. “Is she ready to go?”

“She’s in the sitting room,” Deacon said, turning his attention to something on his phone.

“I’ll see you in a bit,” he said, turning toward the door.

He walked through the numerous hallways like he’d lived there his entire life. He’d memorized the floor plan before they’d set foot in the house, and he’d walked them thousands of times since—sometimes on patrol, sometimes escorting Asher or Abi or Emilia.

As he entered the sitting room, Rachel looked up at him, a small smile spreading across her lips. His gaze followed, but only for a second.

Focus, Reed.

“Ready?” he asked, keeping his voice neutral.

Her smile grew. “Ready,” she said, standing and walking toward him.

When she was at his side, he led her downstairs to the garage. He unlocked the car and held open the door for her. She slid into the passenger seat and Reed walked around to the driver’s seat.

He locked the doors, placed his weapon on his lap, and started the engine.

It purred to life and he gave it a moment to warm up. The days were hot in Santina but when the sun fell, it was frigidly cold. It was desert life, and he’d come to love it.

He turned the heat on and put the car in reverse.

“Tonight was great,” Rachel said as they drove out of the garage and toward the gates, which opened for them.

Reed’s eyes were alert, but there was no trouble at the gates. He lowered his foot on the accelerator.

“It was really nice. And calm—calm is good,” Reed said with a grin.

He felt Rachel’s eyes on him, but his gaze was ahead. His eyes darted into every passing car, then quickly returned to the road.

“Deacon Thomas is interesting,” she said.

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