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“You ok?”
“Yea. She’s pissed I didn’t tell her Vera was visiting.”
“How do you feel about her visiting?”
He runs a hand down his face and glances behind me. “Probably the same way you feel about Luke visiting.”
“Would it help if I yelled at you for not facing your feelings about Vera?”
He smirks. “Nah. That would be rude.” He flings his arm around my shoulders and guides me back to the coffee shop. The remaining tension between us evaporates and I have my brother back.
“Are you going to be ok?” I ask.
He pulls me in for a hug as we reach the door. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
I return the hug, then narrow my gaze at him. “You’re lying. But I love you.”
He smirks and we both look over as the door opens and Dylan appears. “She still loves me more.”
We both laugh and join the group inside. We finish our coffee, then head back to the cars. I catch Luke stuff a hundred-dollar bill in the tip jar at the counter. The woman glances and does a double take, her eyes wide as she watches Luke leave. I smile at him as he holds the door open for me. “Can I talk to you for a second?” he asks as I pass.
I glance at Dylan, who raises an eyebrow. I sigh and take a seat on the bench nearby. We better get this over with.
Everyone else crosses the street and heads towards the SUVs across the square. Luke sits next to me, keeping a few feet between us.
“There’s some stuff I never told you that I should have.”
That’s an understatement, but I keep my mouth shut and he continues.
“Right before you and Mark were attacked in the parking garage, we found evidence that my mom was murdered. She wasn’t just an innocent bystander like we thought.”
He stares at his hands that are clasped between his knees as he leans forward.
“Luke, I’m so sorry.” I reach over and squeeze his wrist. He rests his other hand over mine. I can’t imagine the pain it must have caused him. Pain he hid from me.
“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to add to your stress. The people who killed her are the ones who were pulling Scotty and Amber’s strings.”
The information hits me like a wrecking ball. No wonder he was so scared for me. “You could have told me.”
He takes a breath and nods, squeezing my hand. “I know. I should have.”
He lifts his eyes to mine. “A few days ago, Fox found a video my dad left for us. He said a lot of things, but he confirmed Mom was murdered. And that he was, too.”
My eyes widen and I bring his hand into my lap. “Oh my God, Luke.”
He rubs his thumb over mine. “The people who killed my mom were after him, too. They threatened me and Skye. But he created tech to protect us, even after his death. They used the same tactics to get information from me by threatening you.”
My mouth hangs open as I stare at him. My eyes burn.Jesus. I scoot closer to him.
“Whatever they were after, my dad destroyed. But they don’t know that. There’s some stuff in play that’s working to keep them away from us, and I’ll tell you the details if you want to know them. I won’t make the mistake of keeping information from you again.”
“I can’t imagine what you’re going through.” He turns to me and takes both of my hands in his. Turmoil rages in his eyes.
“I’m angry at him. So fucking angry. He says he kept me in the dark to keep me safe, but it didn’t work. And then I did the same thing to you by not telling you what was going on. I’m so sorry,” he says. His voice cracks and I wrap my fingers around his. He squeezes as he takes a calming breath.
“But I’m here because he also told me to keep you close. He knew that if I ever fell in love with someone, I’d push them away, just like he did to me. I let my fear of losing you take control and made a terrible mistake. Dad made me realize that the control I thought I had wasn’t real. I was never responsible for my parents’ deaths, or what’s been happening to us. There’s only one thing I can control.” He composes himself, bringing our joined hands up to wipe at a stray tear. My heart breaks for him.
“I can control my actions. So, I’m here hoping you’ll give me another chance, as much as I don’t deserve it. It means I’ll be bringing more danger to your doorstep, but this time we’ll be a united front. We’re stronger together, Liv. I’m sorry it took me so long to figure it out.”
