She would be found, Brantley was certain of that. Even if it meant he had to be the one to chase her down. No way was that woman getting away with what she’d done. No one even knew how long Kate had been left alone in that house, secured to that bed. Kate had gone missing on Tuesday, found on Friday. It was possible she’d been in that condition for forty-eight hours. All alone. Had there been a fire…
Shaking his head, Brantley dislodged the thought. She was safe now, and in roughly thirty minutes, she would be in her parents’ arms. He knew Travis, Kylie, and Gage would be waiting at the airport. Were probably there already, fidgeting and pacing, desperate to see their baby girl again.
“She still asleep?”
Turning away from the door, he nodded to Reese. “Yeah.”
After sticking his head in the room to see for himself, Reese came to stand in front of him.
“You did good,” he said softly.
Brantley smiled. “I’m pretty sure it was a team effort.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
Unable to help himself, his gaze shifted to Reese’s mouth. He was about to lean forward when Reese lifted a hand, cupping Brantley’s jaw in a gesture that surprised him. Not that he wasn’t familiar with a man’s gentle touch, but Reese had yet to do anything of the kind.
He found himself leaning in, accepting the comfort because he needed it. Brantley hadn’t expected to be quite so overwhelmed when he found Kate, but there had been something different about this mission. Sure, he’d gone in to extract K and R victims before. Kidnap and ransom was a way of life in some countries and Americans abroad were easy targets. And while the US government did not negotiate with terrorists, that did not mean they turned a blind eye. More than once, Brantley’s SEAL team had been sent in under the radar.
But with Kate … he wondered who would’ve gone to extremes to find her. The police would’ve done their jobs, yes. The overworked detective assigned to the case would’ve added it to his workload, followed every lead, probably even lost sleep over it. He would not have been able to locate her the way they had. With help from Reese and JJ, they’d been able to find her quickly. How many others were there out there? Cold cases that were now frigid because people hadn’t been located. Hell, in Texas alone, he figured there were more than enough.
“What’s on your mind?” Reese asked.
“Just glad we’re takin’ her home,” he said because it was the truth.
“Now what happens?”
Staring into those golden eyes, Brantley knew what Reese was referring to. This thing between them … it might’ve been slow going, but it was going, nonetheless.
“I think that’s up to you, isn’t it?”
Reese’s eyes bounced over his face before lowering to his mouth. When he leaned in, Brantley gripped the front of his shirt, pulled him in so they were chest to chest. Their lips brushed, lingered, and when Reese sought entry with his tongue, Brantley opened for him. They’d had plenty to distract them for the past few days, but he knew that was about to come to an end.
The question was, could Reese handle Brantley turning his full attention on him? Or was it better that they remained as they were, letting things progress slowly, easily?
“We’ll be touching down shortly,” came the voice through the speakers mounted within the aircraft. “Please take your seats and we’ll get this little girl home where she belongs.”
Pulling back from Reese, Brantley smiled. “To be continued.”
“Most definitely.” Reese released his hold, stepped back. “I’ll get Kate so we can seat belt her in.”
Kate was still half asleep when the plane finally touched down. Rather than jar her awake while they taxied to their final destination, Brantley remained where he was, watching her from across the aisle where he and Reese were sitting.
The relief he felt at seeing her there, knowing she was safe, was more than he’d expected. It was perhaps the first real mission he’d tackled where the outcome was personal. Kate was family. No, she didn’t know him all that well, being that he’d only spent the past five months getting to know her, but that didn’t change a thing. Walkers took care of their own, no matter what.
“She’s goin’ home,” Reese said softly.
“Where she belongs,” Brantley commented. Exactly where she belonged.
The door to the aircraft opened, stairs extending to allow people on and off. Feeling a surge of emotion filling his chest, Brantley remained in his seat. The silence only lasted for a few more seconds. Feet pounded up the stairs, into the cabin, toward them.
Kylie appeared first, her eyes wide as they darted around until they landed on Kate. She burst into tears, a mother’s sobs waking the child.
“Mommy!” Kate was instantly alert in only that way kids could do. She threw her arms around her mother and held on for dear life.
