Page 56 of Protect Thy Enemy

“Luna—”

Luna shakes her head quickly, her lips pressing into a tight line. “Don’t.” Her voice is soft but firm, cutting through the noise around us.

“I didn’t mean—” I say, but she interrupts.

“I know.” She picks up her glass, her eyes fixed on the amber liquid swirling inside. “Let’s not... do this here.”

I nod, swallowing down my apology. We sit in silence for a beat, the space between us heavy with words neither of us is brave enough to say.

“I saw her mom earlier today,” she says suddenly, her voice light but forced. “She cornered me in the grocery store. Told me I should call her.”

I pause, unsure of what to say. “And did you?”

She snorts, a humorless sound. “What’s the point? Tavia doesn’t want to talk, and her mom just wants to meddle. It’s easier this way.”

“Easier isn’t always better,” I say softly, hating how hypocritical I sound when I’ve been dodging my own feelings for weeks.

Luna doesn’t reply. She stares at her glass like it holds the answers to questions neither of us knows how to ask.

“What about you?” she asks, her voice carefully neutral. “How’s the new job going? You seem... more tense than usual. Agent Hottie still giving you problems?”

I open my mouth to deny it, but her look stops me short. “One, don’t ever call him that again. Two, I never said he was hot,” I say instead, the lie tasting bitter on my tongue. “And three, it’s just… a lot. This is just the adjustment period. It’ll pass.”

She arches a brow. “Adjustment period? That’s what we’re calling it?”

I glare at her, but she just smirks, the tension between us easing slightly. “I’m serious. It’s fine. Nothing worth discussing.”

“Right. Because you’re the poster child for emotional stability,” she quips, earning a half-hearted laugh from me.

I’m about to retort when a familiar figure catches my eye from across the room. My heart lurches as I duck behind Luna.

My plan was to use her as a human shield and hope that he didn’t see me, but Luna, never missing a beat, ducks with me.

“Arden, what the hell? Why are we ducking?” she whisper-yells, eyes wide.

“Why areyouducking?” I hiss back.

“Becauseyouducked!” she says like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“That doesn’t mean you should do it too!” I peek up from behind the bar, my heart strumming a fast beat. I release a slow breath when I see the man who looks like Ezra has moved on.

She peeks over her shoulder, her gaze scanning the crowd. “Who are we avoiding?”

“No one,” I mutter, sitting up.

Luna follows where my gaze was, and much to my dismay, they’re still there, just farther left than before. Her eyes narrow when they land on Agent Beckett and someone else standing near the bar.

The someone else is Agent Park, which surprises me. I didn’t know he and Agent Beckett were good enough friends to go out with each other. I guess I don’t know much about Park outside of work.

His tall, broad-shouldered form radiates with the kind of intensity that most could deem off-putting. His sharp features are softened only slightly by the dim lighting, and his dark blue tee fits him a little too well.

“Who’s that?” Luna asks, her tone curious.

“Theo Park,” I reply, watching as he leans casually against the bar, his gaze scanning the room.

Luna’s lips curve into a slow smile. One I know all too well. “Theo, huh?”

“Don’t,” I warn, but it’s too late.

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