Had it not been for the fact everyone was insisting he remain here—no doubt inspired by his father—he would’ve been the one tracking down this lead. But rather than galivant across the country, Gage was holding him to his promise to sit tight. There was nothing to say that this wasn’t a fool’s errand. It could be a simple coincidence that this woman had been at the state capitol at the same time Kate disappeared.
Which meant, if Brantley was wrong, they could be dealing with another situation altogether. Something random and the thought of that … it was terrifying.
“Hey,” Reese greeted as he approached.
Brantley’s phone rang and suddenly everything seemed to stop, including the birds in the trees. It was as though the universe was waiting for answers the same way they were.
Travis watched as Brantley took the call and turned away from them, pacing toward his truck.
“Brantley filled me in,” Reese said, as though clarifying why he was there. “I figured I’d go with him to check out the residence. See what we can find.”
Travis glanced at the man who’d become one of his closest friends over the years. He had depended on Reese, asked him to do things he didn’t trust others to handle for him. And not once had Reese let him down. So it made perfect sense that he would want to help in this matter.
But what didn’t make sense was what Travis sensed going on between these two men. He’d noticed the way Brantley’s eyes had trailed Reese’s movements when he approached. Even now the man seemed to be quite enthralled by Reese’s appearance. Though he was on the phone a few yards away, he was keeping a close eye on Reese.
Had Travis not had more pressing things on his mind, he probably would be able to put the pieces of that puzzle together. Unfortunately, nothing mattered right now except bringing his baby girl home.
And he prayed that was what was going to happen. Soon.
***
Reese stood with Travis, Kylie, and Gage, waiting for Brantley to end the call. He was doing his best to keep his eyes from wandering over to Brantley, but it wasn’t easy. From the moment he’d pulled into the drive, he’d been fixated on the man.
Not that Brantley looked any different than he had when Reese left him a few hours ago. Well, aside from the sheer intent he could feel coming off the man in waves. Didn’t surprise him since it seemed Brantley and JJ had come up with the first real lead that might bring Kate home.
Reese got the feeling that was normal for Brantley. When the man set his mind to something, he didn’t stop until he’d accomplished his task, no matter the cost. The guy was a SEAL after all. They were an intense bunch. And even as a civilian, no longer in the Teams, Brantley wouldn’t have lost that ingrained instinct to complete the mission.
No one would’ve guessed the guy had been laid out flat with a brain-searing headache the night before. Reese remembered the way Brantley had moaned during the night, his pain a tangible thing. It had been enough to have Reese feeling helpless. Not something he was familiar with when it came to other people. It was the reason he had stayed, remained close, eager to get Brantley through the worst of it.
Or so he continued to tell himself.
Yep, and he was definitely back to the denial phase of his new realization. He was once more refusing to believe he had stayed because he’d wanted to sleep in a bed with Brantley, to remain close for his own comfort. No, he was not thinking along those lines because they made absolutely no sense.
“JJ’s gonna send you the contact numbers she came up with,” Brantley told Travis when he returned to their side, disconnecting the call on the way. “She’s also got several addresses, including his Austin residence. He lives out off of Bee Caves.”
Reese peered back at Travis, waiting to see what the man wanted them to do. But it wasn’t Travis who spoke up.
Gage’s voice was deep and commanding when he said, “While we work to get in touch with him, see if he can give us his ex-wife’s information, you two go to his Austin house. If she’s hidin’ out there…”
“Then we’ll find her,” Brantley said quickly, accepting the orders easily. “We’ll keep you in the loop.”
Reese was surprised when Brantley spun around and headed for his truck without waiting for more information. Then again, he’d gotten his orders, so evidently, he didn’t need to know the other details. They’d be forthcoming.
Because he knew he’d be left standing there otherwise, Reese said a quick goodbye and strolled over to the passenger side. He’d managed to make it into the truck before Brantley was shoving it in reverse and heading out.
