Page 45 of Rook
Stone didn’t look up right away. He was leaning over a map spread across his desk, marking something with a thick black pen. Only when Rook stopped in front of the desk did Stone lift his gaze.
“You made it fast,” Stone said.
Rook pulled in a breath. “You said it couldn’t wait.”
Stone tapped the map with the end of his pen. “Reapers have been sniffing around the county line again.”
Rook’s jaw tightened. “Same crew?”
“Viper’s boys,” Stone said. “Couple of them got into it with locals outside La Luna last night. Nothing major, but enough to piss off the sheriff.”
Rook stepped closer, scanning the map. “They staying outside town?”
“For now.” Stone’s voice dropped, steady but edged. “Fish and Grim are still running recon. Haven’t seen them cross into our territory, but they’re circling. Testing boundaries.”
Rook exhaled through his nose. “You want me to reach out?”
Stone shook his head. “I’ll handle Viper. One last check-in before we escalate.”
He capped the pen, leaned back in his chair. “But I need you to go talk to the sheriff. Smooth things over. Make sure he knows we’re keeping our shit clean and whatever happened at La Luna isn’t on us.”
Rook nodded once. “I’ll handle it.”
“And pick two prospects to post up at La Luna for the next few nights,” Stone added. “Quiet presence. Nothing flashy. Just eyes.”
“Switchblade and Ghost,” Rook said without hesitation. “They’ll keep it tight.”
Stone nodded. “Good. If the Reapers push any closer…” His gaze sharpened. “We shut it down.”
Rook’s posture shifted, the VP settling into place. “I’ll keep my phone on.”
“You do that,” Stone said. “This isn’t nothing, Rook. Reapers don’t wander without a reason.”
A beat of silence settled between them, the kind that marked the end of club business.
Stone let the map go and really looked at him now, eyes dragging over the dust on Rook’s clothes, the paint on his arm, the tension still clinging to him like he’d carried it straight from the bakery.
“Before you get with the sheriff,” Stone’s gaze sharpened. “You were with her.”
Not a question.
Rook didn’t answer.
Stone set the pen down. “What happened?”
Rook dragged a hand through his hair, pacing once before stopping at the edge of the desk. “Nothing. Everything. I don’t know.”
Stone snorted. “That’s a whole lot of words for you.”
Rook shot him a look, but it didn’t stick. “I shouldn’t have left. She was…we were…” He shook his head. “Doesn’t matter.”
“It matters,” Stone said, voice steady.
Rook leaned on the desk, shoulders tight. “I still care about her.”
Stone didn’t blink. “I know.”
“It’s not just that,” Rook said, quieter now. “I never stopped.”
