Max snorted.
“You can drop the pretense,” Brantley said before Max could offer a denial. “We work with your wife, not to mention her family. We know full well what you’re involved in, and it’s none of our business. The only thing I’m interested in is finding Tobias Land, and right now, this is the only real lead we have.”
Max seemed to consider this for a moment before glancing over at Courtney. When she nodded, Reese figured that was her way of saying they could be trusted.
With a sigh, Max reached for his coffee mug. “It’s my understanding Hartwood works for Sabrina Moroso.”
Well, fuck.
“Sabrina Moroso?” Brantley’s tone was hard. “The woman who hired those men to kidnap your sister? The two men who shot Reese?”
Max waved a hand. “They were hired thugs.” An eye roll followed, as though the two assholes who’d shot him were nothing more than cockroaches to be exterminated. Max’s eyes hardened as he met Brantley’s stare. “And I assure you, they’ve been dealt with.”
“At leastsomejustice prevailed.”
Reese frowned, glancing over at Brantley, surprised by the approval in his tone, not to mention the bitterness he harbored for Max.
“How’s your case related to Hartwood?” Max inquired.
“He owns the Red Room Revue, a strip club down in Austin.”
“It’s nothin’ more than a front,” Max muttered.
“For?” Reese asked, curious as to what all the man was into.
Max took a sip of his coffee. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out sooner or later.”
Reese had expected him to be evasive. When they said there was no honor among thieves, they hadn’t met Maximillian Adorite. He was synonymous with discretion. Perhaps that was the reason the Feds had never been able to pin anything on him.
Brantley spoke up. “We believe that’s where Toby Land met him. We don’t know the nature of their business dealings, but Toby owned a travel agency, and we suspect it’s tied to that somehow.”
“And Toby Land?” Max glanced between them again. “How’d he get on your radar?”
“He’s a friend of my family,” Reese answered. To avoid having to elaborate on the subject, he said, “He skipped bail, and we’ve been asked to find him.”
“Bounty hunting,” Max mused. “Sounds interesting.”
“It’s not,” Brantley stated firmly. “However, it’s our job to hunt him down, and our efforts thus far lead us to believe he’s either gone into hiding or he’s dead. Either way, we need to find him.”
Max’s gaze lingered on Brantley for a few heartbeats before shifting to Rock, who was standing sentry in the doorway. He gave a clipped nod toward the man.
“I’ll make a few calls,” Rock stated, then disappeared.
Brantley’s gaze remained on the empty doorway for a moment before he turned back to Max. Reese was watching him, which was how he knew whatever came out of his mouth wouldn’t have anything to do with Toby.
“He’s your go-to guy, huh?”
Max’s dark eyebrows lowered. “You could say that.”
Brantley’s tone was thick with hatred when he said, “He the one who came to Madison’s rescue the night Reese was shot?”
Max didn’t respond, which was an answer in itself.
“So he’s the one who left Reese for dead?”
Reese put a hand on Brantley’s arm. He could feel the tension, the way his muscles were coiled as though he might leap across the table and strangle Max with his bare hands.
“He had one job,” Max stated, his tone hinting at defiance.
