Reese didn’t hesitate; he put his arms around him. He wasn’t sure when they’d gotten to the point that public displays of affection were okay for Reese, but Brantley wasn’t questioning it.
Brantley held on tightly, giving himself a moment to shut off his brain and simply feel. It didn’t help. While Reese’s embrace held him together, if he let the worst-case scenarios play out in his head, he would split at the seams because he knew Reese was strong enough to keep him from splintering completely.
“I love you,” Brantley whispered, needing to say the words.
“I love you, too,” Reese answered, gently squeezing the back of Brantley’s neck. “We’re gonna find her.”
When Reese said it with so much conviction, Brantley could almost believe him. Unfortunately, there was nothing to back up that claim, hence the emotional overload that was weighing him down.
“Come on,” Reese said, affectionately squeezing his neck again. “Let’s go inside, grab some water, and decide how to proceed.”
Brantley nodded and waited while Reese got Tesha out of the truck. They walked up to the house together. With every step, Brantley’s trepidation grew. He hated the idea of facing Baz without any information. But that was the only choice he had.
A couple of people were sitting on the front porch, bottles of water in their hands. More were standing just inside the house, the room filled with softly spoken conversations.
“Hey,” Brantley greeted his cousin Ethan, who was perched on the arm of the sofa. “Where’s Beau?”
“He’s downtown with Elana, talkin’ to the mayor.”
Luca looked up from his computer screen, a solemn expression on his face.
Before he could deliver the bad news, Reese stopped him by holding up a finger—the silent gesture forjust one minute.Without giving Luca a chance to argue, Reese led Brantley into the kitchen. Baz was leaning against the counter, his father a few feet away.
When Baz noticed him, he didn’t lurch toward him, didn’t so much as move a muscle. Clearly, he wasn’t expecting any good news, which only frustrated Brantley more. He wanted to give the guy something,anythingto go on.
“Wes,” Reese said, reaching out to shake the man’s hand. “Good to see you.”
“Likewise.” After shaking Reese’s hand, Wes shifted and shook Brantley’s. “Wish it were under better circumstances.”
“Yeah, me, too,” Brantley agreed, turning to see his parents sitting at the small dining room table, watching him with wary eyes.
Sometimes it sucked being the man in charge because everyone expected him to have the answers. What sucked more than that was not having any to give.
Reese grabbed two bottles of water from the case sitting on the counter. He passed one to Brantley.
“Thanks.”
Brantley looked at Baz, saw the man’s gaze was pinned on him. This morning, he’d seen a glimmer of hope in those teal-blue eyes. Now, he saw terror. It was safe to say Baz was unraveling. Brantley understood that feeling all too well.
To stall, Brantley downed half the water bottle before blowing out a breath. He was about to ask for the status of the team members when Baz’s cell phone rang.
The man jumped, grabbing it off the counter.
His expression went from surprise to disappointment. “It’s Atticus.”
“Answer it,” Reese told him. “Maybe he’s got somethin’.”
Baz tapped the screen and put the phone to his ear. “Yeah?”
Brantley was watching him, so he saw the instant his eyes turned glassy with tears and his knees went weak as he leaned back against the counter.
Jesus. Please don’t—
“Oh, God, baby. Are you okay?”
No one could hear the conversation on the other end, but it was obvious Baz was talking to JJ.
Before Brantley could think about what he was doing, he grabbed Reese’s hand and squeezed. The man moved closer, squeezing his hand right back.
