Exhausted as he was, Gavin had a mess to clean up. He might not care about himself, but he cared about what remained of his family and any problems they'd stirred up with the local witches might end up hurting his son. Caden had really fucked up this time so come Monday afternoon Gavin headed to his rented storage space, opened up one of the safes and got out a bundle of cash. Rainy day money. Well it was fucking pouring wasn't it.
He stuffed the bundle in an envelope and drove down to Belladonna Botanical, hoping to catch Reagan Kelly there. He'd only had a couple of drinks that day so he was as good as sober as he walked into the store. He was instantly met with the familiar scent of the kind of clean expensive things he'd thought about buying Charlie the last time he was there and guilt washed over him yet again for all the ways he'd fucked everything up. He spotted Reagan and tried to look less than intimidating, nodding at her once he caught her looking over.
Reagan had a lot on her mind today, which made the work day a bit more difficult to handle than usual. She and Caius would be getting the blood they needed from Sebastian soon, when he was finished with his school day, and she had been going over and over everything they needed, and what to do just in case the bloodletting went wrong. Reagan was confident that everything would proceed smoothly, but it never hurt to have a Plan B, just in case.
She hadn't given a lot of thought to the Lucas family while she was focused on everything else, so when she caught sight of Gavin Lucas in her store, Reagan's chest tightened uncomfortably at the unwelcome surprise. It wasn't that she was scared, but Caden's attack had left her feeling weirdly vulnerable, a sensation Reagan wasn't used to. Her bruises had faded and the pain was gone, but those small slivers of anxiety still existed because of what he had done, and Reagan hated that more than anything else. Gavin had come to her store, however, not her home, and Reagan did her best to ignore the fact that she was handing a shop bag and receipt across the counter to the only customer there. Reagan smiled and thanked the woman, but remained where she was standing as the woman turned and headed out of the shop. As soon as the door clicked shut, her smile faded and she stared at Gavin, one dark brow arching expectantly.
"He got what he deserved," Reagan said simply, her hands folding together on top of the counter. She had no regrets about what Caius did to Caden. Caden was incredibly lucky that Caius hadn't killed him the second he walked in the door, and he should be thankful Caius had shown mercy.
Gavin would have bristled at that if he didn't feel so damn numb. Sure, he knew his little brother was an asshole and yes he probably deserved a lot of the shit piled on him but... They'd taken off his fingers. Gavin wasn't sure what had warranted that kind of extreme lashing back. Reagan didn't look hurt but Gavin knew all too well that makeup could do wonders for a black eye. It was something he wished he didn't know. "I'm not here to retaliate," he muttered tiredly. "I'm here to... Make sure it's done and over with." He furrowed his brows, looking Reagan over. "Is it?"
Any man who raised a hand to a woman deserved a hell of a lot worse than losing a couple of fingers, if you asked Reagan. But Caden Lucas wasn't worth the risk she and Caius would have been putting themselves in if they'd killed him. Gavin's question prompted Reagan to arch a delicate brow as she studied him. "I would say that's up to you both. You both came to me for help. And he came to my house to knock me around a little for unsubstantiated reasons. He was dealt with. As far as I'm concerned, it's over." Reagan paused. "Is it?"
"It's over," Gavin said coldly. He didn't like the way she said it, like the job she'd done for him and the following events were related. He really needed them not to be. "I have another job for you if you'll take it." He hesitated before he went on. "You know my daughter's gone. If there's anything you can do I'll pay you. I need to know if she's alive or not."
Another job. That was surprising, given Caden's reaction to the first one she had done for them. Still, when he mentioned his daughter, Reagan's expression softened and she watched him with a touch of regret. "I can't. A psychometric might be able to do it, but psychometrics are incredibly rare, and as far as I know, none live in Point Pleasant. If I had the capability, I would do it, but I don't. I'm sorry." It was always possible that some sort of blood magic could pinpoint Amelia's location, a spell similar to the one they had used to find a Baron descendant. But Sebastian's use of magic had led them to him. As far as Reagan knew, the Lucas family had nothing special about them.
A psychometric. It sounded like bullshit and if Gavin didn't know magic was real he'd have chalked it up as just that. "Do you know anyone? I don't care how far I have to go to see them." It really didn't matter. Was it a flight to Australia? He'd go in a heartbeat, barely take the time to pack a bag. Money didn't fucking matter when it came to his little girl. He'd settle for knowing for sure if she was dead, even if he never found her body, he just needed to know.
If Gavin had been asking for any other reason, Reagan would have become annoyed with him by now, but she sympathized with him, aware that he was just a desperate, grieving father. Yet, at the same time, he paid her to end a pregnancy. Granted, that was different in more than a few ways, but she had to imagine whoever had loss the pregnancy was also grieving. Sighing, Reagan reached up to push her hair behind her ear before she moved around to the front of the counter. She shouldn't be helping him, considering what his brother had done to her, Gavin looked like death warmed over, and it was difficult to ask him to leave. Reagan could be cold when she needed to be, but she wasn't heartless. "I can check with a few people to try and get a name. But, like I said, psychometrics are really rare, and if they're of the mind to charge for their services, they won't be cheap. Give me a few days to see what I can come up with."
Gavin nodded. He couldn't put a price on finding Amelia. If he had to sell the house, he would. "You uh, just call me at the Back Porch, if I'm not there leave a message with Miles. I don't have to tell you not to talk to Caden." He wasn't really looking at her as he spoke but at this point he pulled out the envelope from his pocket. He took about half of the cash out and dropped it on the counter. "For your trouble," he muttered, though he wasn't specific about whether that meant her run-in with Caden or the work she was about to put in.
Reagan arched a dark brow and glanced down at the money he had just placed on the counter. There was a lot of it, but Reagan picked it up and offered it back to him. "I don't need your money." Whether he was trying to make things right because of what Caden did, or if he was advancing her money for making a few phone calls, it still didn't feel necessary. "If trying to find a psychometric for you does turn out to be a pain in my ass, then I'll allow you to compensate me then." Reagan paused briefly before adding, "I'm really sorry about your daughter." It wasn't necessary to say, and he didn't seem like the kind of man who was comfortable with any kind of sympathy, but she meant it, at least.
Gavin hated taking back money he'd already offered. It always felt like defeat in some weird way so he just looked down at the cash in her hand, frowned softly and then grunted at her show of sympathy. "If they're as rare as you say then it's gonna be a hassle." He nodded at the money, sticking his hands stubbornly in his coat pockets. "That's for whatever expenses you might run into." It also meant he did not want her to stop until she found someone so in a way he supposed they were in a bit of a standoff here.
Reagan didn't feel like she needed to get paid for making some phone calls, whether they led somewhere or not, but she lowered her hand once she realized Gavin wasn't going to take the money back. "I don't intend on running up a bill," Reagan said, and she decided that if she couldn't find who he was looking for, she would take the money to the bar and hand it to whomever was working that night. Even Caden fucking Lucas if need be. Even if she did find someone... she would likely find a way to return his money. As far as Reagan knew, the Lucas family needed cash more than she did. But men could be irrational and stubborn, and it wasn't worth arguing with him. "All right," Reagan said as she folded the money. "I'll call you as soon as I have any news. I can't promise anything."
As long as she tried, that was all Gavin could ask for and he nodded, not feeling all that hopeful for any actual results. At least this way he felt like he'd done something and maybe smoothed over any potential problems between his family and hers. "You can pay me back what you don't use," he muttered dismissively. "But the sooner you find someone, the better." He didn't need to tell her that. Amelia as missing and she was small and defenseless, if she was even alive. "Thank you for trying."
Reagan nodded. Caius probably wouldn't be happy about this, but it was what it was. She didn't get the vibe from Gavin that he liked to use his fists on a woman, and it took balls to come ask her for more help after what Caden had done. Reagan supposed she was thinking more about Gavin's daughter. The young girl deserved to be found, even if she wasn't alive when they found her. "You're welcome," Reagan said simply. There was really nothing more to say. Reagan wasn't the type who would reassure Gavin that she was sure Amelia would be found safe and sound, because that wasn't how the real world worked. All she could do was what she told him she would do, and that would have to be enough. At least on her end.
He appreciated her lack of sentiment, it so often came off as condescending or false when people tried to reassure him his daughter would be just fine. There was no way of knowing that and only a few people had managed to strengthen his resolve using that tactic. "You take care now," he muttered as he turned to leave. There wasn't anything more to be said, at least not by him.