“If he’s watchin’, he’ll have to be close by,” Reese said.
“What else is around it?”
“It’s in the same parkin’ lot as Walmart. Across the street, you’ve got Starbucks and Taco Cabana.”
As soon as Reese mentioned Walmart, Brantley knew right where it was. It was a small retail center positioned in between two vast residential areas. Highway 79 bisected the area, with the Missouri Pacific Railroad running parallel to the highway for miles through numerous towns.
“Pull in here,” Reese said as they approached the rear entrance of Walmart.
Brantley slowed and pulled in, turning left beside the service center.
“Let’s go in on foot,” Brantley told him as he reached the Walmart parking lot. They didn’t know where Sonny was, but he wasn’t looking to draw attention to themselves.
“You go on foot,” Reese told him. “I’ll pull the truck up to the restaurant. Less suspicious that way.”
Brantley didn’t argue. He stopped the truck and got out, moving along the bushes that ran along the edge of the parking lot.
There weren’t many vantage points that were conducive to watching the restaurant. It wasn’t a big place, so for Sonny to still keep an eye on Molly, he would have to be close. This meant he was probably hiding in the bushes or near the gas pumps directly behind Whataburger.
Brantley headed for the gas pumps, pretending it was completely normal to be walking through the parking lot at the ass-crack of morning.
He kept one eye on Reese as the truck pulled into the parking lot. Reese got out, opening the back door to let Tesha out. Brantley was impressed. It wasn’t terribly obvious that Reese was scoping out the place. At least not to an untrained eye.
Brantley spotted three different people, none of which were a redheaded asshole, so he kept looking, scanning the shadows around the gas station. He knew he would only have the element of surprise until the sheriff arrived. At that point, Sonny would know they’d been made.
“Where are you, you fucker?” Brantley mumbled, pulling his phone out and pretending he was looking at it.
He paused when he saw movement in the shadows around the dumpster near the gas station. With his head angled toward his phone, he watched that area until he saw movement again.
“Gotcha.”
He tucked his phone in his pocket and turned toward the gas station, whistling as he walked, hoping Sonny would think he was simply out for a pre-dawn stroll.
It might’ve worked if he’d been wearing something other than cargo pants and a T-shirt. Since more than one person had told him he dressed like he was still a covert operator, Brantley wasn’t surprised that Sonny made him.
“Sonny!” Brantley shouted when the kid stood up.
A second later, Sonny turned and bolted.
“Sonuvabitch.”
Brantley took off after him.
***
Reese walked into Whataburger with Tesha athis side, pretending he was interested in the menu when really he was keeping an eye on the blonde girl in the corner.
“What can I get you, sir?” the man behind the register asked.
“Two large coffees,” he told him, pulling out his wallet.
It took a couple of minutes for the guy to prepare the coffee and pass it over. Reese picked up both cups and carried them to a table near the door Molly was closest to. He sat with his back to her so he could track her through the reflection in the glass. He didn’t want to risk her seeing him. He’d never seen Molly, only photos, but he wasn’t sure if she’d seen him. The last thing he needed was to have to chase her because she got spooked.
She was on the phone, presumably with Baz, too engrossed in the conversation to notice anything else. Hell, she didn’t even look up when Sonny ran by the window with Brantley chasing after him.
Sonuvabitch.
Reese split his attention between Molly and the two men racing across the highway. Thank God it was early. There weren’t too many cars on the road, but it would only take one hitting either of them.
