“We’re still goin’ for best outta seven,” Brantley reminded him when the game attendant took a step back.
Oh, yeah. There was no way he was going to forget that bet. And since he only needed to win one more round to be the ultimate champion, Reese figured he needed to focus.
“You ready to lose your ass?” Brantley cajoled.
“I’m always rea—” Reese’s phone rang, interrupting the game. He would’ve ignored the call, but he recognized the ringtone as his brother’s.
He set the toy gun down and took a step back.
Brantley stood tall, watching him closely.
“Hey, what’s up, Z? I thought for sure you’d come down here with RT to enjoy—”
“We’ve got a problem, Reese,” Z said, his voice a bit too high, his words coming way faster than usual.
Reese’s body tensed and he could tell Brantley recognized it.
He moved farther from the crowd, lowered the phone, and hit the speaker button. “What’s the problem?”
“Remember the software we’re runnin’? The one we set to look for Juliet Prince?”
“Yeah.” A cold chill slithered down his spine as he held Brantley’s gaze.
“We got a hit from one of the toll road cameras down near you. Problem is, the report’s delayed.”
“By how long?” Brantley asked.
“The time stamp on the photo is eleven seventeen this mornin’.”
Brantley looked at his watch. “It’s almost fifteen hundred, Z. That’s more than three hours.”
“I know.” Z’s tone was filled with apology. “We don’t know what caused the delay, but I’ve spent the past half hour havin’ a couple of my guys verify it.” Z exhaled heavily. “It’s legit. Juliet Prince was just a few miles from where you are now.”
“Son of a bitch,” Brantley grumbled.
Instinct had Reese scanning the area, as though he might find Juliet Prince lingering nearby.
“Trust me, I know,” Z said. “But I had to be sure. I didn’t wanna get you all worked up if it wasn’t real.”
Reese remained where he was, breathing steady, trying to determine what they should do. Did they alert Travis and Gage? Tell Curtis? Bring the sheriff into it?
“How positive are you, Z?” Brantley asked.
“Ninety-eight point seven percent. Which is about as good as it gets. Like I said, we’ve confirmed. I called RT and Hunter, told them to turn around and head back. The more eyes lookin’ out, the better.”
“You said it was on the toll road. You show her exiting?” Reese asked.
“The booth camera snapped her pic as she was exiting Highway 79,” Z explained. “We’ve got a call into TXDOT, requesting the make, model, and plate of the vehicle. Our software doesn’t look for that. It might take some time.”
“Fuck.” Brantley brushed his hand over his buzzed hair.
Reese knew what he was thinking: If Juliet Prince took the Highway 79 exit, it wasn’t a damn coincidence. It was the exit one would take to get to Coyote Ridge.
“What do you need from us, Reese?” Z offered.
“Unless you can hack all these cams and see if you can find her, there’s not much you can do.”
Z chuckled. “I’m not a miracle worker, but I’ll see what I can do. I’ll keep you updated, but I expect you to do the same.”
