I drop back to walk with River. “Careful, your jealousy is showing.”
His face stays blank. “Nothing to be jealous of. She’s mine.”
I raise a brow. “Ours.”
“Ours,” he reluctantly concedes.
I shake my head. “Possessive bastard.”
He smirks at me. “Don’t worry, I’ll share.”
I feel myself start to harden at that. The idea of all of us taking Freya together. “Fuck, yes.”
We join Freya, Eli, and Oz at the table. Luke is already here, sitting across from Freya. She introduces us all and I settle back in my seat, happy to just watch as Freya catches Luke up on everything. She tells him the whole story, her voice only cracking when she gets to her sister.
“River found her a place in a secure psychiatric unit. It’s good there. She’s safe. She’ll have a trial, but the doctors are pretty sure she’ll qualify for the insanity plea.”
Luke lets out a low whistle when she’s done. “I knew you were keeping secrets, Freya, but geez.”
“There’s one more thing.” Her hand finds mine under the table and I give her fingers a squeeze. “I’ve been offered a job with the FBI.”
A smile breaks out across Luke’s face. “You did it,” he says.
Freya smiles back. “Yeah, I did it.”
“I’m going to miss you.”
“Me too.”
“Drinks?”
“Hell yes.”
Luke waves over the bartender. He brushes his hand across the back of the bartender’s leg as he places our order. The guy’s cheeks blush deeply and the second he’s gone Freya squeals.
“Oh my god, you totally slept with Josh!”
“Shh.” Luke chuckles.
Freya sobers. “Please tell me this isn’t a one-night stand or a fling to you?”
“It’s not.” Luke’s face softens as he watches Josh behind the bar. “We’re... taking things slow. He’s different.It’sdifferent with him.”
Freya smiles. “I’m happy for you.”
“Yeah,” Luke says, “me too.”
The drinks arrive and the subjects turn to less serious stuff. We exchange our craziest case stories and Luke’s actually pretty good company. Even River stops sulking eventually.
We’re two rounds in and Freya’s freckled cheeks are flushed pink from the alcohol when her phone rings. We gave it back to her after we’d been to Maxwell’s place. She slips it out of her pocket and glances at the screen.
“I need to take this.”
I slide out of the booth to let her pass and River nods at me to follow. Freya’s no longer wearing the tracker but we’re all too aware her father is still out there. She’s not going anywhere without our protection.
Freya heads to the corridor with the toilets and I stop a few meters away, making sure she knows I’m here.
She brings the phone to her ear. “Hi,” she says. “Yeah, I’m good.”
