“Yeah. About an hour and a half from here. Which is why I’ve got someone diggin’ deeper. If it’s—” Z’s cell phone rang, cutting him off as he glanced down at the screen. “Sorry, I’ve gotta take this.”
Z grabbed his phone and stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind him.
“We could always hop in the truck and head down there,” Brantley told Reese. “Instead of waitin’ for them to get more info.”
Reese shook his head. “If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not go on a wild goose chase. I already feel like we’re spinnin’ our wheels here.”
Brantley understood that. They’d been looking into Toby’s whereabouts for the past five days, and they’d come up with nothing of substance besides uncovering the possibility of him working with the mob and the fact that he had a penchant for investing in rundown cabins. There was a good chance they’d gone too far off course already, and wasting too much time on it wouldn’t help.
“We might have some time to kill,” Brantley said, glancing over at Reese. “Any suggestions?”
“I thought we’d go to the simulation center.”
The suggestion surprised Brantley, but he masked his expression carefully. “You sure you’re up for it?”
Reese nodded. “That’s to be seen, but I think it’s a necessary evil.”
Brantley continued to watch him. A second later, an idea came to him.
“I know that look,” Reese stated, twisting in his chair. “What are you plannin’ to do?”
He leaned over and kissed Reese quickly before getting to his feet. “I just need to find RT.”
“For what?”
Brantley stopped with his hand on the doorknob. “Do you trust me?”
Reese didn’t hesitate when he said, “With my life.”
There was no denying his response made Brantley feel good. He said, “Then that’s what I need you to do,” as he opened the door and stepped into the hall.
“That tells me nothin’, Navy boy,” Reese called after him.
“It will. You’ll see,” he told Reese as he went in search of RT.
Chapter Seventeen
Reese had no idea if the planwas still to go to the simulation center or if Brantley had another idea, but he didn’t care. Getting out of the Sniper 1 office, avoiding any conversations related to the Adorites … as long as he didn’t feel like he was subjecting Brantley to that shit all over again, Reese would gladly go anywhere and do anything.
“Give me a sec, would ya?” Brantley asked when they stopped in front of RT’s office. “Tesha, here. Let’s say hello to RT.”
Confused but a little curious, Reese nodded his head. “I’ll wait by the elevators.”
Brantley gave him a wicked grin, then slipped into RT’s office with Tesha and closed the door.
Reese sauntered toward the front, passing through the bullpen that resembled a ghost town since most of their security personnel who used this space were out in the field, off on assignments. He continued until he was at the plush lobby with its expensive artwork and glossy-wood walls designed to greet their clients and put them at ease by making them believe that success equaled designer decor. Of course, Sniper 1 Security had the reputation to back their design, but he wondered how many other firms could say the same.
“We weren’t expecting y’all to be here until Friday.”
Reese turned away from the bronze wall sculpture he’d been eyeballing and smiled at Jayden Brooks, Sniper 1’s receptionist.
Sitting behind that tall counter, you wouldn’t know Jayden was five foot ten and preferred to wear four-inch heels, making her taller than most of the people in this office. But you couldn’t miss the strawberry-blond pixie cut, her jade-green eyes, or her quick smile.
“We came up early. Workin’ another case,” he told her, resting his arms on the counter, trying to feign a casualness he didn’t quite feel.
“Ah.” She flashed a set of pearly whites. “I hope it’s goin’ well.”
Reese genuinely liked Jayden. During his recovery time, he’d spent many hours here at the office, and during that, he’d had a chance to talk to several people who called this place home between nine and five. Jayden was one of those who liked to chat. And she had no qualms dishing dirt about anyone in the office.
