Luke gripped his phone and bent over as his stomach threatened to send his lunch up, leaning on his hand against his knee. They would arrest Aaron.
“Once we get the warrant, we have to set trail cams in the area that will allow us to track their movements. It’s going to take time, because he wants to get as many of them off the street as possible.”
Luke nodded as his pulse tried to drown Gabe out.
“There is another bit of good news, though.”
“What’s that?” Damn did he need it right now.
“Metz said he’d be happy to have you along for the raid, as long as you understand you’re not there in any official capacity unless we discover they’ve been taking it across state lines.”
Relief swamped Luke’s chest and fought with the grief. He could be there for Aaron. “Thank you.”
“No, thankyou. You brought this to us. Plus, if it turns out we do need the Feds, you’ll save us a bunch of red tape.”
“The local cops won’t be happy with me.”
“Yeah, that’s true. They hate when we step on their toes.” Gabe was silent for a moment. “But then, that’s what they get when they tell you something’s outside their jurisdiction, isn’t it?”
He could hear the smile in Gabe’s voice, and he answered it with one of his own. “True. Thanks, Gabe.”
“Anytime. We need to get a beer after this is over.”
“Definitely.”
They said their goodbyes and hung up. Luke took a minute to just breathe against the wall, letting the smells of the diner and the early spring breeze fill his lungs.
He didn’t dare say anything about what he’d done to anyone. Not Maggie, and definitely not Mom. It would compromise the investigation if word got out. But he ached to talk to someone.
Luke wandered into the kitchen and tapped Shorty on the shoulder. “I need a few more minutes. Will you be okay on your own for a bit?”
Shorty must have seen something in his face. His eyes softened, and he gave Luke a sad smile. “Yeah, do what you got to do, kid.”
Luke snorted at the moniker and headed back to Mom’s office. He unlocked it with his spare key and slipped inside.
There on the wall, in an old brown frame, hung the one wedding picture Mom and Dad had taken when they got hitched. It had been a courthouse wedding, a small affair. But they were smiling, happy and in love. And between them, holding both their hands, was a ten-year-old version of himself, just as happy as Mom had been.
He stared at the smiling face of the man who’d raised him and choked. “Dad… I’m sorry I let you down. I failed Aaron. I failed you. And I failed Mom.” He blinked back tears, bowing his head as he regained his composure. “I don’t know how this happened.”
Luke lifted his head and made him a promise. “But I want to make it right. I’ll be there for him as much as I can. It’s not fair he didn’t get as much time with you as I did but I can’t let him keep hurting people. I know it’s not what you would want.”
The photograph didn’t speak, but Luke could feel the warmth of a hug from the man who he called Dad. He pressed his eyes shut, wishing the sensation wouldn’t fade. But he had a job to do. Raising his right hand, Luke did a quicktap-tapover his heart, sending love to Dad’s photo.
“We love you. We miss you. And I’ll do better. I promise.”
More intense warmth, like the squeeze Dad would give him right before he let go, then the sensation faded.
Luke wiped his face and chuckled at himself. He hadn’t cried for his dad in almost ten years.
Gathering his wits, Luke took tissues from the box Mom kept on the desk and cleaned himself up. Just as he blew his nose, a knock sounded on the office door.
“Come in.”
Shorty opened the door, flipping through envelopes. “Mail’s here. And we got a weird package with it. It’s addressed to Maggie.”
The older cook shrugged his shoulders. “I gave it to her; hope you don’t mind.”
Luke’s brows furrowed. Diner workers didn’t typically get mail at the restaurant. “That is strange. And yeah, that’s fine.” Just then, he heard a high-pitched scream. Both men dropped what they had in their hands and bolted for the sound. That sounded like…
