“Because my brother couldn’t.”
Taking a long pull on his beer, Brantley waited for Reese to elaborate. It didn’t take long before he did.
“Z has a congenital heart defect that kept him from going into the military. It was always his dream though it was just out of reach. I looked up to him, thought he walked on water. Still do, most of the time.”
“So you figured you’d let him live vicariously through you?”
“Somethin’ like that.”
“You said you were in for eight years?”
“Yeah. A couple of tours in Iraq, one in Afghanistan. Saw more action than I cared for, figured I’d do it until I no longer wanted to. One day, I woke up, realized I was done with it. Completed my tour, came home. Haven’t really thought much about it since.” Reese nodded his chin in Brantley’s direction. “What about you?”
“I wanted to be a SEAL,” he said easily. “The best of the best. My brothers harassed me, said there was no way I’d make it. At that point, I had to prove them wrong. To be a SEAL, I had to enlist.”
“What’d your parents think?”
“They supported me.” Brantley smiled. “Maybe not completely at first. I think all parents have fears about their children going into the military, but they didn’t try to talk me out of it.”
“And your brothers? They eat crow when you didn’t ring out?”
Brantley laughed. “Oh, yeah. I gave them shit for the longest time. Still remind them.”
“You’d still be there if…?”
Nodding, he took another swallow of beer. “Yeah. Thought I’d be there until…”
He let the sentence trail off, not wanting to dampen the mood. Truth was, Brantley had figured he would die in the line of duty. He was a SEAL at his core, a man who needed to complete the mission, to fight for the country he loved. He honestly hadn’t considered what life would look like after, until he’d been forced to.
“And now?” Reese asked, drawing Brantley out of his thoughts.
“Now what?”
“What’re your plans?”
Brantley glanced around. “No idea.”
“You like chasin’ the bad guys.”
Since it wasn’t a question, he didn’t respond.
“You’re good at it, too.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.” Brantley finished off his beer. “If I’m bein’ honest, JJ’s the one who uncovered all this. She found the image of the blond, located her, uncovered her truths.”
And ultimately broke the case, provided they weren’t going down a rabbit hole. There was still the possibility Juliet Prince had no part in Kate’s kidnapping and they’d get to the end of the line and find themselves back at square one.
“Ever thought about being a PI?”
Brantley chuckled, shaking his head. “No. Definitely not.”
“Why’s that?”
“I’d shovel shit for a livin’ before I’d arm myself with a camera to catch some asshole cheatin’ on his ol’ lady.”
“Well, when you paint it in that flattering light…”
Shifting forward, Brantley pulled his wallet out of his pocket. Before he could retrieve his credit card, Reese snagged the leather folder with the bill in it.
“I’ve got this. You can buy breakfast.”
Smiling, he leaned back, relaxed. “Two-dollar sausage biscuit sandwiches at McDonald’s. You’re on.”
“You better make good on those promises, Navy boy.”
An hour later, Brantley was walking out of the bathroom, the steam from his shower drifting out behind him. His damp towel was wrapped securely around his hips, but not for long. Although he had company, he had no intentions of changing his sleeping habits, which consisted of no clothing. The less restriction, the better as far as he was concerned.
He found Reese propped up in the bed closest to the window, the remote in his hand. He’d changed into shorts and a T-shirt, his feet bare, legs out long over the comforter, looking as relaxed as Brantley’d ever seen him. Well, except for the man’s shoulders. They were tense, as though he was gearing up for an attack but not quite sure where it would be coming from.
Rather than join him, Brantley dragged back the comforter on the other bed, flopped down into it, kicking his feet out as he grabbed his cell phone. If he hadn’t been watching Reese out of the corner of his eye, he would’ve missed the relieved breath he’d released.
Yep. The man was still strung tight, despite the orgasm he’d had earlier.
Not that Brantley expected anything less. Hell, he’d been surprised when Reese had offered to share a room provided there were two beds. He figured it had more to do with saving money than wanting to be in close proximity, but whatever. The man was nearby, close enough Brantley could keep an eye on him, yet far enough away to strip away the temptation.
Mostly.
He took a few minutes to type out a message to Travis, let him know what they’d accomplished tonight, who they’d talked to and what his plans were for tomorrow, promising to keep in touch along the way. Once that was done, he hooked the phone to the charger and set it nearby.
