Page 13 of Shadow Justice

He hated that this was the position they’d put her in, even if it was necessary.

Holly turned to him. “And you agreed to this.”

“I did.”

For a heartbeat, he thought she might throw him out on principle alone. He wouldn’t have blamed her. Holly had built this place around trust and the fragile magic of people feeling safe enough to become regulars instead of strangers. Now the FBI was asking her to keep pouring coffee while wondering whether the person across the counter was a target or a killer.

Claire closed her notebook. “We’ve gone over the operational details with Reid. He’ll coordinate with us and Shadow Point as needed, but the public story is that he’s working here. We’ll need copies of available security footage, staff schedules, event calendars, and any customer information you keep through online ordering or rewards accounts.”

“I don’t keep much.”

“Whatever you have,” Emmet said.

Claire put the notebook away. “You’ll also contact Reid immediately if you receive another message or notice anything unusual.”

Reid went on alert. “Message? What message?”

Claire handed him an evidence bag containing a white punch card. “Read the back.”

He did, and everything in him tightened. “This was sent to you?” he asked Holly.

“It was left on the counter,” she replied. “I don’t know who put it there.”

He took one last look at it and handed it back to Claire. “Have you received any others?”

Holly shook her head. “No. Nothing.”

“Don’t confront anyone,” Claire said. “Don’t investigate on your own. Reid will need to work every day, and we recommend close protection after hours until we understand whether you’re being directly targeted.”

Holly’s eyes narrowed. “Define close.”

Emmet’s voice hardened. “Close enough to keep you alive if our killer decides you’re on his list.”

Reid saw her eyes widen. “I’ll sleep outside the door if I have to,” he said. “On the floor.”

She barely gave him a glance, her face gaunt with shock and at least a little fear..

Claire softened her tone without softening the order. “Call it temporary cooperation.”

Claire slipped the evidence bag into her jacket. “We’ll be in touch later. Mr. Fleming has our direct numbers. For now, let him help.”

Holly squeezed her eyes shut. It was obvious she didn’t want his help, but she didn’t have a choice.

Claire looked at Reid, and he read the handoff in her eyes. They’d given Holly the facts. Now it was his job to make the arrangement hold.

Emmet and Claire walked out. A moment later, the bell over the front door chimed, and the agents were gone.

The office should have felt more spacious without them. It didn’t.

Holly remained behind the desk, arms folded, gaze fixed somewhere near Reid’s left shoulder. He knew that strategy. Look near the problem, not at it. Maintain control. Do not give the other person the satisfaction of knowing where they have landed a blow.

He’d used the same technique in courtrooms. He hated seeing her use it on him. “Say whatever you need to say.”

Her eyes slowly came to his. “That could take a while.”

“I’m here. I have time.”

Something flickered across her face. Pain, maybe. Anger, certainly. She seemed to expect more—a defense, a legal argument, or maybe a carefully constructed explanation for why leaving her before dawn after the night they’d shared had been necessary and honorable. They were all lined up in his head, all the words he’d once used to convince himself that walking away made him decent instead of afraid.