Free The Trap (Agent Dallas 3) by L. J. Sellers Page B

Luke wrapped up his blog quickly and uploaded it to their shared files. He messaged Aaron to have him route the blog through various proxy computers until it reached Jason DeSpain, the director of JRN. Luke never contacted Jason directly. They were friends, but he would never compromise the legal political movement by bringing law enforcement attention to Jason.
    He reached for a piece of paper. The next letter was harder to write:
Dear Son. I hope you had a wonderful summer. I wish we could have gone camping together or just hung out at the public pool.
    Things he’d never done with his father.
    I know you’re back in school now, and I want you to study hard. Do the math, even if you hate it. Please say hello to your Mom for me. I think about both of you every day. Someday, I hope you’ll make the choice to see me and we’ll make up for lost time. Love, Dad
    He kissed the letter, folded it into an envelope, and addressed it, using a post office box for a return location. The kiss was for luck because he didn’t know if Harlan received any of his letters. His mother might have moved again. She might not ever give them to the boy. He hadn’t seen Molly since that day he’d walked into court and given up his life. Luke had learned he had a son after his release when he’d run into an old high school friend. Yet another loss. For himself and the boy. He would mail the letter the next time he went into town. They didn’t send or receive any mail at this address, and he didn’t put his name on paperwork anywhere. The utility bill was still in Hana’s name, paid automatically from a holding account. Luke had considered an alias, but it would have made him feel like a criminal and a fugitive from justice. He wasn’t either of those things. Never had been. He knew there was some risk in contacting the boy, but he and his mother were in another state now, and Molly probably tossed the letters as soon as she received them. As far as he knew, the feds weren’t looking for him…yet.
    Back in the house, he went to find Abby. She was in the dining room, hemming a skirt. The sewing machine had been in a closet when they moved in, and Abby had taught herself to use it out of boredom. She was a city girl at heart. He walked over and waited while she finished an edge.
    She looked up. “Hey, Luke. Did you send the blog to rally protestors?”
    “Yes. It should be up by this evening, and the first protest will happen Tuesday afternoon.”
    “I think we should take advantage of it.”
    “We will.” He sat down, so he wasn’t towering over her. “Can we go somewhere and talk privately?”
    Abby blinked and her face tightened. “Should I be worried?”
    “No, of course not.”
    “Then let’s talk here. Everyone is in their own rooms. Except Tara. I think she’s out wandering around.”
    Luke lowered his voice. “We should stop hooking up. We said from the beginning we didn’t want to be a couple, and we can’t let that dynamic hurt the group.”
    Abby’s eyes blazed. “This is about Tara. You want to fuck her.”
    This would be challenging. He hated to lie, but he didn’t want to hurt her either. “It’s about keeping us all on the same footing and keeping the personal drama to a minimum.”
    “What drama?”
    “I sense you’re a little hostile to Tara, and it’s because of me. So we should step back from each other. You and Tara need to be able to work together.”
    “You want her,” Abby accused. “I think it’s why you brought her in.”
    “We all brought her in. She has the right skills and commitment.” Luke kept his voice low and calm. He needed Abby to be okay with this. “You know we needed another person, so I can hang back, then post bail or continue the work if everyone goes to jail.”
Or was he just afraid of going back to prison
? Another stab of guilt. But keeping him out of the field had been Abby’s idea and everyone had agreed.
    She was silent, her eyes crushed, yet calculating. “If