“What do you want us to do next, boss?” Slade prompted, clearly eager to keep looking.
Brantley was, too, although they’d pushed themselves hard throughout the day. With every passing second, he felt as though they were getting farther from answers than when they began.
“Why don’t I make burgers,” Reese offered. “We can take a breather, regroup after.”
“I won’t turn down food,” Baz said with a grin, his gaze sliding to JJ as though they shared an inside joke.
Brantley was glad to see things were still going well for them.
“Come on, then,” Brantley said. “Let’s move this to the house for a little while.”
A short time later, after they’d rehydrated and scarfed down burgers and fries—which Reese had picked up at the grocery store on his way back from Embers Ridge because his online order hadn’t had enough food for a full army—Brantley was sitting at the kitchen island looking at JJ’s laptop screen.
He knew he should’ve been paying attention to what she was showing him, but his mind kept wandering to Reese. Namely, to an image of Reese bent over this very island. He couldn’t deny he’d been shocked to shit when Reese had kissed him by the truck. It had taken every ounce of willpower he possessed not to launch himself through the window and take the man right then and there.
It had been the first time Brantley had kissed anyone in a public place. Not that he’d been ashamed to do so, but he’d never been much for public displays of affection. When he’d been in the teams, he’d kept his sex life on the DL for proprieties sake. Then again, he’d never been with a man he’d cared to take out in public, much less kiss in front of others.
Meaning Reese had been his first.
“Hey, B? Please tell me you’re not thinkin’ about gettin’ Reese naked right here in this kitchen.”
His head slowly turned, his gaze pinning JJ in place. “What?”
She motioned with her hand, drawing a ring around his head. “This right here.” She laughed.
Brantley rolled his eyes. He knew that was her subtle attempt to get him to open up about the status of his relationship with Reese. She’d been dropping hints the past couple of days, her curiosity like a lighthouse beam, drifting over him every time he came into the room. She was nosy, that one.
JJ leaned in closer to him, lowered her voice. “Just tell me one thing.”
He cocked an eyebrow.
“Is it good now?”
Brantley’s gaze shot to Reese, who was sitting on the couch talking to Evan and Luca. “Yeah. It’s good.”
She squealed. “Sorry. I’m happy for you.”
“Yeah, well, you should be focused on the case, not my love life.”
Her smile made her eyes bright. “I’m rather good at multitasking, thank you very much.”
“So you say.”
Headlights through the front windows washed over the living room, drawing all conversation to a halt. A minute later, Trey and Magnus strolled in, Adira on their heels.
Brantley got to his feet to ensure Tesha’s water bowl was filled, but Reese beat him to the punch.
“Any news?” Baz asked the two men, coming to stand behind JJ.
“No,” Trey answered, his tone ripe with disappointment. “She’s not out there.”
At least not where they’d been looking, Brantley thought to himself. There was far too much ground for them to cover, even if they had a dozen teams. Dead Heat Ranch was three thousand acres, the surrounding ranches significantly smaller but still vast. It would take them a month to cover it all.
He was willing, of course, but he knew the team was beginning to feel the effects of days of searching. They needed to rest and regroup, although not a single one of them would admit it.
“The sheriff closed down the county road,” Magnus informed them. “He posted deputies out there to stop anyone who attempts to go that way and to keep an eye out in case Ava is out there.”
“Anything on the cameras?”
