“Of course I will,” she said with a forced smile. “I just need a good night’s sleep.”
He knew the feeling. A solid eight hours in bed with Brantley sounded like pure heaven right now.
Half an hour later, after he’d hugged his mother and said goodbye to Hugh, Reese was sitting in the passenger seat, Brantley behind the wheel. Tesha was keeping an eye on their guest from her perch in the back seat.
Reese continued to glance over at Brantley because he could tell he had something on his mind. He’d been quiet since they’d left his mother’s house, and the silence was beginning to suffocate him.
“What’s on your mind?” he asked, needing something to take the edge off his anxiety.
Brantley’s gaze cut his way quickly. “You really wanna know?”
Curious, Reese smiled. “When you say it like that, yeah. I wanna know.”
Brantley’s attention shifted back to the road. “Toby needs to die.”
A choked sound came from the back seat. “Wait, what?” Toby’s voice was pitched high. “You’re gonna kill me?”
Brantley chuckled. “I’m thinkin’ about it.”
Reese would’ve been worried if he didn’t hear amusement in Brantley’s tone.
“If you kill me, you won’t get the money.”
“What money?”
“The bounty.”
“Hell, Land. We ain’t in it for the money. Atticus wants it far more than we do,” Brantley said smoothly, winking at Reese before peering in the rearview mirror again. “And it’s in the cards anyway, right? You said it yourself, you’re better off dead.”
“But I didn’t mean it.”
“Itisa foregone conclusion that you’ll be dead within a day,” Reese mused. “Once Hartwood learns you’re in jail, he’ll have someone take you out.”
“Yep,” Brantley agreed. “You’ll get a shiv in the kidney and bleed out on the concrete floor.”
“The guards’ll pretend they don’t hear you beggin’ for help,” Reese added, playing along. “They’ll wait until you’ve stopped gaspin’ for air before they rush in. By then, it’ll be too late.”
“I don’t wanna die,” Toby declared. “I really, really don’t.”
Brantley looked his way once more, and Reese could practically see the plan forming in the man’s mind. “What devious scheme are you cookin’ up?”
“I’ll tell you later. Don’t wanna ruin the surprise for Toby.”
Reese glanced in the back seat, saw Toby’s face was white as a sheet. “Don’t worry, we’ll make sure you don’t feel a thing.”
***
“It’s a text from Reese,” JJ explainedto Baz as she stared at the phone, a smile forming. “They’re almost home. They’ve got Toby with them.”
Her phone chimed as another text came in.
“What else does he have to say for himself?” Baz inquired, patting the couch cushion in invitation.
With phone in hand, JJ headed over and joined him, easing down at his side, welcoming the warmth of his arm as he draped it around her, pulling her against him. She loved how he made her feel safe.
Admittedly, she was glad to be home, back in her own space. No, it wasn’t the new house, but she’d come to find some solace in Baz’s apartment. At least as long as he was here with her.
“He wants me to call Atticus,” she explained. “Have him meet them at HQ first thing in the mornin’.”
