Page 25 of Doyle

"Doyle, let's have beers after the meal," Zane said, his voice cutting through my train of thoughts.

"Sure," I agreed, grateful for the distraction.

Dinner passed in a blur of conversation and laughter, but my mind kept drifting back to Michael.

What was he doing right now? Was he thinking about me too?

After we finished eating, Zane and I headed out to the back porch, beers in hand.

The night was calm, the stars twinkling above us. We sat in comfortable silence for a while, sipping our drinks.

"You seem preoccupied," Zane finally said, glancing over at me.

I sighed, staring at the amber liquid in my bottle.

"I can’t stop thinking about Michael. What if he forgets about me? What if he decides he doesn’t need me in his life?" I blurted.

Zane leaned back in his chair, considering my words.

"Michael’s been through a lot. It’s going to take time for him to heal and find his footing again. But from what I’ve seen, you mean a lot to him too. Give him time, Doyle. If it's meant to be, he'll find his way back to you,” Zane said.

I nodded, appreciating Zane's wisdom.

"I just... I regret not telling him how much he means to me. I didn’t want to overwhelm him,” I admitted.

Zane clapped a hand on my shoulder.

"You did what you thought was best. And you’ll have another chance to tell him. Just be patient,” he said.

We sat in silence again. I took a deep breath, letting Zane's words sink in.

"Anyway, I spoke to Venom. His bears finished their report. Apart from Michael, there were no survivors," Zane said.

For a moment, I felt guilty for just thinking about Michael, but then that guilt turned to rage.

"They found remains in the basement. The witches were holding their captives there," Zane continued. "There's... also additional news."

"Let me guess. There's no evidence of Liliana?" I asked, my voice sharp with anger.

Zane nodded.

"It doesn't surprise me she's still out there. She's always good at evading danger," I said angrily, remembering how terrified Michael was when he spoke about her. "Michael was... her personal familiar."

Zane blinked, surprised by that revelation.

"We should have questioned Michael a little more before he left with his father," he said.

I growled low in my throat, but Zane continued, unperturbed, “he might have information we could use."

I forced myself to calm down, realizing this could be my excuse to contact Michael again.

"We exchanged numbers before he left. I could contact him,” I suggested.

"Good idea, but wait a few days. Let him settle down," Zane said. “A few members of Liliana's coven escaped, but I doubt they’d start anything on their own without their leader."

The thought of those black magic users being out there, free to cause more harm, made my blood boil.

Michael didn’t tell me everything Liliana did to him and the other captives, but recalling how long Michael had suffer under her hands made my heart ache.

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