Brantley looked at Baz, noticed the man was smirking, his expression saying, “She does make a good point.”
Reese sighed. “Fine.”
Brantley added more coffee to his mug while Reese proceeded to fill JJ in on the hunt for Tobias Land. He gave her the details of his fleeing from bad guys and crashing into a police car, the drugs found in the trunk. He explained how the guy had skipped bail and how Reese’s brother had asked him to help out.
At a high level, it sounded relatively simple, Brantley figured, which explained the confusion that contorted JJ’s pretty face.
“So who is he to you?” she asked when Reese was finished with the basics.
Reese busied himself sipping coffee, and Brantley knew he was trying to avoid going down a rabbit hole. He probably could’ve helped the man out and given her some bullshit explanation, but he was enjoying this a bit too much, so he kept his trap shut.
“We’re just doin’ my brother a favor,” Reese said, unable to look directly at JJ when he said it.
Brantley smiled, but he didn’t bother hiding it behind his cup this time, which earned him another glare from Reese.
This was turning out to be a damn fine morning, weather notwithstanding.
***
Reese had hoped he wouldn’t be havingthis conversation with anyone else. It was bad enough he’d had to tell Brantley about the relationship Toby’d had with his mother.
Unfortunately, three days of searching had proved futile, and he was growing genuinely concerned for Toby’s safety. Not to mention his mother’s. The one thing he had done was dig deeper into Johnathan Hartwood, the owner of the Red Room Revue and the guy Toby was evidently running from. Although Reese would classify him as a wanna-be gangster and not the real deal, he was bad news. He was also determined, which meant, based on the laws of motion—for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction—Hartwood would eventually find Toby as long as he continued to look and would do so for as long as Toby continued to evade him. It was inevitable that their paths would cross again, and Reese wanted to intercede if at all possible.
“So I take it you know this guy personally?” JJ asked.
“Would you like some orange juice?” he offered.
“You can change the subject all day long; I’m still not gonna give up,” she countered, then plastered a beaming smile on her face. “But yes, orange juice would be lovely. Thanks.”
Reese busied himself with getting the orange juice from the fridge and a cup from the cabinet. He purposely stepped into Brantley’s space as he did, forcing the man to move each time. Although Reese was motivated by irritation, he got the impression Brantley found this amusing.
“He was friends with my parents,” Reese said when he turned around and found JJ staring at him expectantly.
“Good ol’ Uncle Toby,” Brantley chimed in. “Long-time friend, part-time criminal.”
“What am I missing?” JJ asked, glancing between them.
Reese grabbed his coffee and leaned back against the counter. “Toby was a”—he cut his gaze to Brantley—“goodfriend of my parents.”
“Good?” JJ’s expression turned to one of intrigue. “That sounds juicy. Why does it sound juicy?”
As he sipped his coffee, Reese reminded himself that she was likely his best option in finding Toby quickly. He’d tried things his way and had failed, which meant he had no choice but to go this route. He only hoped he could make it through this without bursting into flame.
“He had a … relationship of sorts … with my parents.”
JJ’s eyes danced over his face, and Reese knew she was translating that into a million different meanings.
“You mean somethin’ like what Kaden, Keegan, and Bristol have.”
She didn’t phrase it as a question, and Reese hated himself all the more at that moment.
“Yes.”
“Are you sure? Or was it like Travis, Gage, and Kylie…”
JJ trailed off, her expression reflecting sadness at the thought. Although it had been a year since Kylie Walker’s death, the memory still caused a dark cloud to descend.
“Sorry.”
