Breakfast that morning was quieter than usual.The haunted house had closed late the night before, which meant most of the guys had slept in.Lost had coffee going, because Lost always had coffee going, and Pearl had somehow made breakfast burritos big enough to qualify as weapons.
McKayla sat at the table across from me, picking at the corner of one with her eyes half-focused on the laptop beside her plate.
I reached over and closed the laptop.
Her gaze snapped to mine.“Excuse me.”
“No.”
“No?”she echoed.
“No footage during breakfast.”
“I wasn’t watching it.”
“You were thinking about watching it.”
“That is not a crime.”
“It should be.”
Shay laughed from beside Prime while Pearl slid into the chair next to Anchor.
McKayla pointed her fork at me.“You are very bossy for a man who claims not to be holding me hostage.”
“You need a break.”
“I need to find my sister.”
The table quieted a little.
That happened whenever Erin came up.Nobody knew what to say, and I hated that because I didn’t either.
I leaned back in my chair and studied her.“You need a break so you can keep finding your sister.”
Her mouth pressed together.She looked away first, which I counted as a win.
I needed a damn break too, but I didn’t say that.Spending four days staring at footage with her had started doing something strange to my head.I was used to watching threats.Watching crowds.Watching exits.Watching brothers’ backs.
I was not used to watching one woman tuck her hair behind her ear twenty times an hour or rub at her temple when her headache got bad or smile to herself when she caught some tourist doing something stupid on camera.
I was noticing too damn much.That was a problem.
Pearl took a bite of the burrito and groaned.“Pearl, this is amazing.”
Lost grunted from behind the bar.“It’s eggs and meat in a tortilla.”
“Still amazing.”
“It’s food,” Pearl laughed.
McKayla lifted her hand.“As someone who lived on gas station snacks for way too long, I would like to formally disagree.This is art.”
Lost glanced at her for a beat.“You need higher standards.”
“She did willingly stay in that motel,” Shay said.
“I am a PI who needs to be close to what she is investigating,” McKayla reminded her.“That motel was better than sleeping in my car.”
