Brantley waited until the room settled, and all eyes shifted their way.“I’d like to introduce you to Archer Halligan.”
A hush fell across the room.
“Hey.”Archer looked from one face to the next, not sure if Brantley expected him to launch into some sort of verbal résumé.
No one responded, and he could see the curiosity beginning to burn brighter and hotter in the eyes staring back at him.Luckily, Brantley didn’t put him on the spot, forcing him to resort back to his high school days when he was cast as the Stage Manager inOur Town.It had been a horrific ordeal, considering he never auditioned.It was then he learned he suffered from debilitating stage fright.
“Let’s start with introductions.”Brantley pointed toward the man closest to the door.“Archer, meet Evan Vaughn.He’s a former police detective, originally in Florida, then with Round Rock PD for a beat.Next to him is his partner, Slade Elliott.”
Pretending not to recognize the name, Archer nodded in greeting.Sothatwas Spencer’s brother?
“Slade’s a former bounty hunter.Next, we have Atticus James, who shares the same former occupation as Slade,” Brantley told him.
“That’s not all he shares with Slade,” someone muttered.
“Hey,” Atticus said, propping a hip on one of the desks.“You comin’ on board this train?”
“We haven’t talked nuts and bolts yet,” Brantley told him.
“I hope you do,” Atticus said, holding his stare.“I’m tired up to my eyeballs of lookin’ at applications.”
Archer chuckled.
“Atticus is our newest team member,” Brantley explained.“He was a bounty hunter we encountered when workin’ a case up in Dallas.”
Atticus smirked.“A glamorous job, I know.Why would I ever give it up?I’d probably still be doin’ it, but”—Atticus patted his hip where his weapon rested—“the big guy took one look at me and thought it’d be best to arm me and send me out into the world.”
“Don’t worry,” Brantley said.“We trained him to use it first.”
“Mostly,” Baz added with a smirk.
“That desk right there belongs to Holly Switzer,” Brantley continued.“She’s the one who walked you over.She came on as JJ’s assistant but shifted into an analyst role.She’s currently at the hospital keeping JJ company.”
“She’s gonna be so sad to’ve missed this,” Evan said with a laugh.
Brantley didn’t miss a beat.“But you probably remember the woman keepin’ her chair warm.Elana Buckley.”
“Hey, girl.”Archer tipped his chin in greeting.“Nice to see you again.”
“I love the podcast,” she said breathlessly.
“I think Simon deserves all the accolades for that one.He’s the brains.I’m the brawn.”
Her gaze shifted downward, and Archer pretended not to notice the approval glittering in her eyes.
“Elana’s technical title is JJ’s assistant, but don’t let that fool you.She handles pretty much anything these people throw her way.JJ, Elana, and Baz man the fort from up there.”
Archer glanced up at the loft that covered the back half of the barn.
“This is Jay Hernandez,” Brantley continued.“He works on special projects.He partners with Charlie Miller”—Brantley gestured toward an empty desk—“who’s not here right now.She’s takin’ care of some personal business.”
“Nice to meet you,” Archer told Jay.
“Likewise.”
“And the redhead back there … that’s Rebecca Richter.She goes by Becs.She’s one of our analysts, and she’s got some experience out in the field with us.”
“Jack of all trades, huh?”Archer said with a smile.
