Beside me, Hersh went completely still.
Not threatened.
Recognizing.
“Rook,” he said quietly.
The man nodded once from the yard below.
“Blaze.”
The two men stared at each other through the storm like predators deciding whether they respected each other enough not to fight.
Trigger leaned toward Wolf slightly.
“If those two ever punched each other, I think Texas would split in half.”
Wolf didn’t disagree.
Ava exhaled slowly beside us.
“Well… that answers that.”
Hersh’s eyes flicked toward her instantly.
“You know him too.”
Not a question.
Ava nodded once.
“Everybody in certain circles knows Rook.”
Interesting answer.
Not:
works with him.
Not:
trusts him.
Knows him.
The distinction mattered.
Down below, Rook slowly lowered the challenge coin back into his pocket.
“I’d rather not get shot tonight,” he called up calmly.
Trigger frowned.
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“Fair.”
And somehow?
