Reese came to a stop, stared at the man. “You can give me some breathin’ room.”
Brantley held up his hands in the sign of surrender and took a step back.
“More than that,” Reese grumbled. “I need some distance. I need the truck keys.”
“They’re in the truck,” Brantley stated, his voice ringing with worry.
“I’ll see you back at the hotel later,” Reese said, marching away without a backward glance.
Reese found the truck unlocked, the keys under the seat where Brantley usually left them.
A second later, he was behind the wheel, pulling out of the parking lot. He didn’t give a shit if he looked like a fucking pathetic loser for walking out or running away. Right now, he couldn’t think straight, and he damn sure did not want to see the pity in Brantley’s eyes.
He’d seen it enough lately.
*
“He good?” RT asked when Brantley strolledback into the tech room.
Brantley glanced at the man who was technically his new boss. “Fine. We’ve been at it too long.”
When RT didn’t respond, Brantley knew Reese’s brother-in-law was as worried about Reese as he was.
He couldn’t blame the guy. Whatever was bothering Reese was now projecting off of him, and Brantley had a bad feeling that it was more than the panic attacks he was currently having. More than likely, it was a culmination of the tension that had been growing more taut between them and his unease with enclosed dark spaces.
“Well, I definitely like the progress they’re makin’,” RT said.
Brantley nodded. “I agree.”
They had come a long way in the six months they’d been training. It helped that Reese had a military background, having been in the Air Force. Baz was a former APD police detective and Charlie a former officer, so they had proper training from a law enforcement agency. Not counting the newbies, the only team member who was out in the field who didn’t have any formal training was Trey. He’d been a security guard, so his training was minimal, but he was proving he could do as good as, if not better than, the rest of them.
As for Evan and Slade, they would have their turn before the weekend was over, and Brantley would get his chance to see their baseline firsthand.
Brantley’s skill set—having been a Navy SEAL—was still above and beyond what the Sniper 1 Security team could provide, but he was utilizing the courses and the simulations to keep his mind and body sharp since he’d been forced into retirement after suffering a career-ending injury.
Brantley exhaled, looked out into the warehouse.
RT stepped up to his side. “Why don’t y’all lay off the simulation this weekend. Maybe try some team-building exercises that don’t require them to snake through container walls in the dark. Might help Reese’s mood.”
If they were lucky.
“Or better yet, don’t work at all. Gather the team, do somethin’ fun. Take a breather.”
A breather.
Unless that was referring to two minutes to collect his thoughts, Brantley didn’t even know what that was. But he wasn’t opposed to trying new things, and right now, he feared forcing this training might be doing more harm than good.
“I think we’ll do that,” he informed RT.
Baz stepped up to his side. “I’m gonna swing by the office and pick up JJ and Tesha and head back to the hotel.”
Brantley informed him of the new plan to leave tomorrow before Baz slipped out of the building.
When Trey strolled out from the maze of shipping containers, Brantley gave him a nod. “Mind if I catch a ride back with you?”
His brother looked confused for a second, glancing around as though searching for someone.
“Reese headed back already,” he explained.
