“Good.”
“And you’re sure you’re all right with this?”
“I don’t see as I really have a choice.”
“That’s why Simon came to you,” Brantley answered defensively.“If you didn’t want him doin’ this, you should’ve told him.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t want him doin’ it,” Travis growled roughly.“I want the truth.Whatever that might be.Plus, what’ve I got to lose, Brantley?Huh?My wife’s dead.That’s not gonna change.”
Brantley swallowed the knot that formed in his throat.Although Travis had never come out and said so, Brantley got the feeling his cousin blamed him for Kylie’s death.He didn’t blame him.Hell, he felt responsible.If they’d found Juliet Prince before she made her way back to Coyote Ridge, they could’ve stopped it from happening.
Not that hindsight did anything more than add heaping amounts of guilt to the already exhaustive pile.
“I would appreciate one thing, though,” Travis stated.
“Sure.Name it.”
“You keep me apprised of what’s goin’ on.”
Nodding, Brantley said, “Yeah.Sure.I can do that.”
“Good.Anything else?”
“No.”
“I’ll talk to you later, then.”
Travis didn’t even give him a chance to say goodbye.The call ended, and Brantley was left wondering whether they would be better off letting this one go unsolved.
Reese looked up when he heard Brantley’sfootsteps on the stairs.He noticed the crease in his forehead, the one that appeared when he had something on his mind.As soon as Brantley noticed him watching, the crease disappeared.
Hmm.Reese wondered how often the man masked his expression for his benefit.
Brantley nudged his chin in Tesha’s direction.“You wear her out already?”
“She gave up first,” he said, smiling over at the dog now curled up asleep on her bed.
“Yeah, well.I can attest it takes effort to keep up with you.”
Reese grinned.“I thought it was the other way around.”
“Did you decide on a movie?”
Definitely something on Brantley’s mind if he was changing the subject so quickly.Especially with an opening like that.
“I was thinkin’Wrath of Man.”
“Jason Statham.”Brantley smiled.“You know how much I like him.”
He did know.
“Popcorn?”
“Maybe later,” Reese answered, patting the couch cushion.“Sit.”
“Let me grab some water.”
Reese shifted on the couch so he could watch Brantley in the kitchen.“What’s wrong?”
