Chapter Twenty-Three
“That was JJ,” Brantley informed Reese whenthe man came out of the bathroom, no longer naked. “She wants us to meet her at Sniper 1.”
Reese picked up his wallet, tucked it into his back pocket. “She find somethin’?”
“She didn’t say. Somethin’ about wantin’ to do some research.”
“We should look into Patrick O’Brien.”
Brantley agreed. He’d been thinking about the Irishman Max had mentioned. He wasn’t sure the guy played any part in this case, but he figured it was worth checking out since they didn’t have much else to go on.
“Send his name to Holly,” Brantley told Reese as they were heading for the door. “See what she can dig up.”
Reese nodded, pulling his phone out and tapping on the screen as they made their way down to the main floor and outside.
Fifteen minutes later, they were parking in Sniper 1 Security’s underground garage. Neither of them had said much on the drive from the hotel, but Brantley figured words weren’t necessary. They’d said plenty back in the room. Reese’s revelation about what had happened that night—more specifically, his feelings and why he’d done it—had left Brantley with a sense of peace he hadn’t realized was missing. When he’d told Reese the past was the past, he truly believed it. That’s how he lived his life, and it worked for him. Or so he’d thought, anyway. He hadn’t realized how much he’d needed to hear the things Reese had revealed.
They took the elevator up to the Sniper 1 offices. As soon as they stepped out, Jayden informed them that the team was waiting in a conference room.
“You call them in?” Reese asked as they headed in that direction.
“Nope.”
The team had settled into one of the bigger conference rooms, everyone gathered around the large table, laptops in front of them.
“Oh, good, you’re here,” JJ said when he reached the open doorway. “I think we might have somethin’.”
As soon as they stepped into the room, Tesha got up and ambled over to Reese, nudging his hand with her head to get some attention.
“Please tell me it’s the whereabouts of Toby Land.” Brantley wanted to get this done so they could get back to Coyote Ridge.
“Unfortunately, no, but I’ve got Charlie and Jay doin’ some research on that front,” she explained.
“Did Adorite have anything useful?” Evan inquired from his spot at the table.
Brantley perched on the highboy near the door since there were no other chairs to be had. “A little.”
He went on to explain what Max had told them about the Irish Mob and the possible ties to Sabrina Moroso. As soon as he mentioned Patrick O’Brien’s name, Baz’s head snapped up.
“What did you say?”
“Patrick O’Brien,” he repeated. “You know him?”
“I knowofhim, sure.” Baz frowned, leaning back in his chair. “The APD vice unit was working with the FBI a few years back. I remember hearing his name come up.”
“Do they have anything on him?”
Baz shook his head. “I don’t think so. I just remember them bein’ impressed because he’s elusive. Whenever they thought they were onto him, they’d come up empty. And I mean, like, Sahara Desert dry. They don’t even know what the guy looks like.”
Brantley wasn’t sure how that was possible. How’d they get onto the guy in the first place?
“I think I might know why,” JJ announced, looking up from her computer screen.
Brantley crossed his arms over his chest and regarded her. “Whatcha got?”
“I was talkin’ to Baz at lunch,” she explained, “and I started thinkin’ about all the businesses Toby’s owned. Then I realized they all have one thing in common.”
He cocked an eyebrow, encouraging her to continue.
