Add to that the trauma JJ had endured back at the first of the year when her ex-boyfriend had attacked her in her own home. Reese knew she was still dealing with post-traumatic stress. Not that she’d said as much, but Reese had come to understand her in the short time they’d been friends. Plus he knew firsthand what the signs were. After all, he suffered from PTSD himself.
“What do I get out of the deal?” he asked.
JJ looked up, wagged her eyebrows playfully. “I dunno. What’d’ya want?”
“Sex,” Brantley answered for him. “He wants sex. From me,” he tacked on when she wagged her eyebrows again.
Reese laughed. It seemed like forever since he’d seen JJ relax enough to joke around. The past six months had been hell on the task force, everyone attempting to find their new normal. Although rationally they knew they weren’t responsible, they each carried the guilt of Kylie Walker’s death on their conscience. They’d been after Juliet Prince, the woman who had kidnapped Kate Walker, for months, and because they hadn’t found her, the woman had circled back around and taken them by surprise. Because they hadn’t done their job and located her before then, she’d killed someone close to them, and their lives would never be the same.
But with the help of some very resourceful, not to mention ruthless people, Juliet Prince had gotten exactly what she deserved, and she was no longer a threat to anyone. The bullet to her brain had ensured that.
Since then, the members of the task force had focused their efforts elsewhere, trying to pick up the pieces and move forward. Between their monthly trips to Dallas for training and the cold cases they had agreed to keep when the governor disbanded them, they were working hard but had little to show for it.
“At the very least,” JJ noted, “I think I should be invited to breakfast every Friday.”
“I’m sure that can be arranged,” Reese told her.
“If you eat, you take your turn cleanin’,” Brantley added.
JJ’s lips pursed as though she was considering it. A second later, she was shaking her head. “Maybe the diner’s a good place to go on Fridays.”
Reese laughed, watching the interaction between the two friends while he finished off his breakfast of eggs and bacon. He’d caved to Brantley’s demands after that wicked bout in the shower despite the fact he’d feel sluggish for most of the morning thanks to the heaviness of his choices. But he couldn’t deny the smile he’d been gifted with when he agreed to cook Brantley’s favorites was worth it.
“Whyareyou here so early?” Brantley asked JJ.
“Baz had to run an errand. I asked him to drop me off first.”
That familiar crease formed between Brantley’s eyebrows. “What errand?”
“Don’t know,” she muttered, picking up her coffee. “Didn’t ask.”
Which meant it had to do with Molly.
Hoping to avoid a meltdown, Reese changed the subject. “How’re we doin’ on the new hire positions? You get the ball rollin’?”
Brantley looked between them. “What ball?”
JJ sighed and peered over at Reese. “Does he really think we just snap our fingers and everything happens? Or is this just an act?”
Reese smirked, pushing to his feet and carrying his empty plate around to the sink. “I don’t think it’s an act.”
“The paperwork for the new hires,” JJ explained to Brantley, her tone laced with amused frustration. “You know, all that pesky stuff that goes on behind the scenes.”
“We haven’t nailed down the logistics,” Brantley noted.
“Maybe notofficially. But I know you, B. I know exactly who you’re gonna hire.”
“Do you?”
Reese was intrigued, watching the interactions as he washed the dishes. They’d started with a rather extensive list of potential candidates and had managed to narrow it down, but not without significant effort. Everyone had their own opinions, and it wasn’t always easy to incorporate them all. Eventually, they’d had to determine the most qualified and focus on those. Their final list included a variety of computer specialists to a tenured homicide detective.
“I do,” JJ confirmed. “I can even tell you who you’ll pair together.”
“I’ll bite.” Brantley leaned a hip against the counter, sipped his coffee. “Who?”
“You’ll put Trey with Evan Vaughn because Evan’s gonna be one of our strongest people, and Trey’s eager to continue learning. He’ll get the most from working side by side with a former homicide detective.”
Reese glanced over his shoulder, saw Brantley cock an eyebrow, his lips twitching as though he was impressed.
