“You’re thinking a woman kidnapped my daughter?”
“I’m not thinkin’ anything right now,” Brantley said quickly. “But this is what we have. Could be nothing, but I’m gonna follow it until it fizzles out if that’s the case.”
“Should we provide the image to the sheriff?” Reese prompted, looking more to Gage for a response since he was a former police officer.
“We can, but he won’t be able to do anything with it. You have nothing to show she left with that woman at all. For all we know, she was dropping someone off or had some other business inside.”
“Okay, but I’ve asked my brother to run the image in their system. See if they can get a hit on it.”
“Doubtful,” Gage mused. “The image’s too grainy.”
“Right now, even the smallest lead is still a lead,” Brantley declared, his voice firm, as though he needed Gage to hear his intentions. “It’s worth a shot.”
“You’re right.” Gage stepped up next to Travis, their shoulders touching.
Reese had always admired the way the two men were so easy with their affections. Both for one another and for Kylie. Although Travis had hidden who he was for a long time, when he finally accepted what he wanted, he hadn’t tried to keep others from figuring it out.
And oddly, Reese had found himself jealous of Travis a time or two. Not because he was married to a man and a woman—the best of both worlds according to some—but because he went after what he wanted. There were times Reese wondered if the guy was superhuman, lacking the doubt and uncertainty the rest of them were plagued with.
“JJ’s back at my house doing some more digging,” Brantley offered. “I figure we’ll head back there, see how we can help.”
It was then Reese saw the fear in Travis’s eyes. The man was hanging by a thread. Not surprising because his daughter was still missing and the only thing they had to go on was a fucking grainy image of a blond woman who no one recognized.
“Sheriff Endsley get anything?” Reese asked.
“They’ve gotten an influx of calls in response to the Amber Alert. People claiming they’ve seen Kate. Nothing’s panned out yet.”
“We’ll keep looking,” Brantley assured him. “Anything you need, call me. I don’t care what time it is. I don’t sleep much as it is.”
Reese watched as Travis easily hugged Brantley. It was a testament to how close their family was. Which was another thing Reese envied about Travis. He had the love of his family and they were all there, nearby at all times. Something that wasn’t the case for Reese. Hadn’t been for a long damn time.
“Let me know if you hear something,” Brantley stated, then shook Gage’s hand.
Reese said his goodbyes to both men, then stuck his head in the kitchen, noticed all the women and men crowded around Kylie. She looked as though she was hanging by a fragile thread, too, and any minor tug would send her spiraling. He couldn’t imagine how hard this was for her. Hell, Kate wasn’t his daughter, but his own fear was prevalent.
Not wanting to interrupt, he returned to see Brantley had stepped outside. He found him waiting, leaning against the chrome grille of his big Chevy. When he saw him approaching, Brantley pushed off the truck and headed for the driver’s side.
Neither of them said much during the few minutes it took to get from Travis’s to Brantley’s. Once the truck came to a stop, Reese quickly got out, feeling the need to move around. He wasn’t sure what it was but being in a confined space with Brantley was … it was getting to him, that was what it was doing. Every second he was with Brantley, he was wrought with confusion.
“All right, Tavoularis. What’s up with you?”
Reese spun around to face Brantley. “What are you talkin’ about?”
Brantley sighed, putting his hands on his hips, his T-shirt stretching over his chest muscles. Probably not something Reese should’ve been noticing, but he was. Again.
“Ever since you snooped in my phone, you’ve been … upset.”
“Upset?” He snorted. “Why the fuck would I be upset?”
“You tell me.”
Frowning, Reese mirrored Brantley’s stance, facing off with his hands on his hips.
“You have somethin’ to say to me?” Brantley prompted.
“About…?”
“I don’t know. Maybe the text messages you read.”
For a brief moment, Reese considered denying the accusation, telling Brantley he’d done no such thing. Problem was, Reese wasn’t one to lie. Certainly not about shit that meant nothing.
He sighed, dropped his arms. “I just didn’t realize you and Cyrus were … so close. Took me by surprise. That’s all.”
In the twilight, Reese could see the smirk on Brantley’s face, the glitter in his eyes as he took a step closer.
“What makes you think we’re close?”
“He’s your booty call, Walker.”
That fucking half smirk tilted the corner of Brantley’s mouth, his dimple winking back at him. “And this bothers you?”
