Page 35 of Reid

“Reid, sorry I missed your calls. Is everything okay?”

Reid heard the exhaustion and worry in his friend’s voice and hated he was about to add anger to the mix. “Yeah, just wanted to give you an update. Did you finish the job?” He was stalling, and he knew it.

“All done, another asshole is off the streets for a while. How’s Callie?”

“She’s great. I brought her to Hereford where we have more protection and back-up. We’re working the case from here and London.”

“All of you?” Clay asked, surprised.

“Yeah, it seems this might be linked to some trouble the team is having internally. I can’t say what, but the entire team is working this now.”

“Is she safe?”

“Never been safer, man. You know I’d cut off my left nut before I’d let anything happen to her.”

Clay laughed. “I’ll cut off the other if you touch her.”

Reid’s gut filled with bile at his friend’s innocent threat—at least until he knew the truth. The silence down the line must have tipped Clay off.

“Reid, tell me you haven’t fucked my baby sister.”

He could hear the warning in his best friend’s tone and was glad that at least he could answer that honestly. “No, I haven’t had sex with Callie.”

“But you want too.”

“Fuck, Clay, it ain’t like that. I like her, I like her a lot.”

“And I like Nutella but only in short bursts, and not every day. We both know you don’t do relationships, and I don’t want her getting hurt when you realise you can’t do long term.”

“What if I can?”

“What are you saying, Reid? You want to marry my sister?”

Reid pushed his fingers through his hair in frustration. “No, I’m not saying that but one day? Maybe. I don’t know. All I know is like her a lot and want to see if this can be more. For the first time in my life, I want more. She’s different, Clay. I don’t just want something physical, I want to make her laugh, hear about her day. Walk the damn dog with her.”

His candour must have gotten through to Clay. “Wow. I have to say I wasn’t expecting that.”

“Neither was I, but it’s the truth.”

“If you hurt her, there will be no place on earth I won’t find you.”

“If I hurt her, you won’t have to look for me.”

“Fine. I have some leave due, expect a visit soon.”

“Be good to see you, man.”

“Now, tell me about the investigation so far—or at least what you can.”

Just like that, Clay trusted him with a woman he loved. Him, a man with no history of relationships. His own father had run out on his wife and kids and his job, which put her at risk. Reid didn’t know what he’d done to have Clay in his life, but he thanked the day he’d met him.

Reid filled him in, and Clay asked to be kept up to date and promised a visit very soon. He finished by saying he was going to call Callie next.

Reid ended the call as Blake stepped into the room. “You ready for the cold, darkness of Iceland?”

“Yeah, man, Iceland is beautiful, but I’m more ready to find out what the fuck is going on with Gunner.”

“You think he was blackmailed like Decker suggested?”