“But you do snore.”
Atticus grinned. “So do you.”
“Only when I drink,” Carson defended.
“I’ll have to take your word for it.” Atticus looked toward the front door. “I hate to run out, but we’ve got a case, and there’s a plane waiting for me.”
Carson set his coffee mug on the small table beside him, then pushed to his feet. “Thanks for drivin’ me home last night.”
Atticus nodded. He didn’t want this to be weird, so he started toward the door.
“And for givin’ me your phone number.”
Atticus stopped and turned. “I didn’t.”
Carson’s smirk was slow and wicked. “Not yet.”
Atticus pulled his phone out of his pocket. “What’s your number? I’ll text you so you have mine.”
Carson rattled off the number, and Atticus entered it into a text message. He sent an emoji, then tucked the phone back in his pocket.
“I guess I’ll see you when I see you.”
His hand was on the doorknob when Carson grabbed his arm. Atticus pivoted slowly, then found himself up against the door, Carson’s lips sealed to his. Relief was sharp and potent, surprising him. He hadn’t realized how much he hoped last night was real. That Carson had been serious about seeing him again.
“Text me when you get a chance,” Carson told him, nipping his lower lip. “And I’ll see you when you get back to town.”
Atticus nodded, smiled, then opened the door and slipped out. He smiled all the way to the airstrip.
Chapter Nine
While Brantley rounded up their weapons, Reesepacked the rest of their things.
He grabbed enough to get them through four days, figuring that would be plenty. If not, they’d figure out what to do at that point. Reese knew Brantley preferred to pack light, and now wasn’t the time for Reese to worry about the piddly shit. From the instant his brother had informed him that Decker Bromwell was officially MIA, a switch had been flipped on. And while he wanted to explain away Deck’s absence as a result of his lack of maturity, he couldn’t brush it off. He recalled all too well what it was like to be captured and held prisoner, wondering if anyone was even looking for him. No way would he leave Deck to wonder, regardless of where he was or what he was doing.
Brantley appeared in the bedroom doorway, phone to his ear. “You want to bring Tesha or leave her with JJ?”
“Bring her.”
“We’re gonna take her with us, JJ,” Brantley said, turning away.
Reese made a mental note to grab Tesha’s fresh food from the refrigerator, along with her go-bag, which he kept stocked and ready with everything she might need. Although he didn’t mind leaving Tesha with JJ from time to time, he preferred she go with them, and now that she was undergoing advanced training, it benefited her to get some field action.
Forty minutes after the call ended with his brother, they pulled into the private airport with Tesha riding in the backseat. Sniper 1’s private jet was waiting for them. Reese wouldn’t pretend this wasn’t his preferred method of travel. It allowed them to bypass the rigorous security as well as giving them the ability to take their weapons along with them. He figured the only thing that might’ve been better would be if he were the one in the cockpit. There were times he missed navigating the sky.
“There’s Slade and Becs,” Brantley announced as they parked the truck inside the private hangar. “Let’s hope Atticus—”
Reese pointed toward the plane’s nose, where Atticus was talking to one of the maintenance workers. If he had to guess, Atticus was unabashedly flirting because that was what the guy did. The only upside was that it kept the kid from flirting with Brantley. Which healsodid unabashedly. And yes, it appeared he wasn’t as cool with it as he was pretending to be.
“You ready, girl?” Brantley asked Tesha as he opened the driver’s door.
Reese got out and went to the rear of the truck while Brantley got Tesha out of the backseat. He opened the tailgate and grabbed their bags from the bed, shouldering his and Brantley’s, then passing over Tesha’s when Brantley came around for it.
The three of them made their way to the plane, with Slade and Becs falling into step with them when they neared.
“Any word?” Slade asked, glancing between them.
Reese answered with a shake of his head. JJ and Luca were already working on it, and he figured they would have plenty of information once they were in the air. At least enough to give them a foundation to build on.
