Brantley said, “Tell me there’s coffee,” at the same time Holly said, “Did you see JJ?”
She directed Brantley toward the small kitchen with a point of her finger, clearly understanding Brantley’s priorities.After he passed, she turned her attention to him.
“We did, yes.”Reese perched on the corner of Evan’s desk, which was closest to the door.“She’s doin’ as good as can be expected.”
Holly chuckled.“King of the understatement.”
“He is that,” Brantley called from the kitchen.“She’s losin’ her mind.”
“Wouldn’t you?”Holly shouted back.“She’s been there for nine days.”
“You’d think it was nine years,” Brantley shot back.
“Technically, she chose to stay there,” Reese reminded them.
“Only because she doesn’t want a stranger in her house.I’m gonna go up there at lunch,” Holly said, using her inside voice once again.“Baz wants to come in for a while.I figured I could update JJ and work from there this afternoon.”
“We have any new hires comin’ this week?”Brantley asked Holly when he returned, carrying two to-go cups of coffee.
“Thanks,” Reese said as he took one.
“Baz and Darius decided they’d have ’em start next week.On Monday.Baz is worried he won’t be here and doesn’t want to overload Darius.”
“He’ll be fine,” Brantley stated.“He’s quiet but more than capable.”
Reese was glad they had another week at least.He wasn’t sure now was the right time to onboard a bunch of new people.Not without confusing them more than was necessary.
Nodding his understanding, Reese asked, “Anything hot come in?”
Holly shook her head.“We got a call from Corpus Christi PD.They said they’re lookin’ into a missing tourist and might need our help.They’re stretched thin, and the woman’s family is puttin’ pressure on them to drop everything.Her dad’s a government official.They didn’t say who or what, but they’re thinkin’ they might get a ransom demand soon.”
Reese nodded.Unfortunately, they’d seen a lot of those cases lately.Most of them occurred during the summer, when college students went to the beach.Due to the proximity to Mexico, they saw a lot of kidnappings for ransom because it was likely easy money for the cartels.But because people were willing to shell out the dough to get their loved ones back, the bad guys weren’t seasonal.
“If they need us, just holler,” Brantley told her.“In the meantime, I’ll be in my office.”
“Me, too,” Reese told her.“If Simon and Archer show up here instead of the house, send ’em over there.”
“Archer Halligan’s comin’ here?”Holly asked, her mouth falling open.
“Close your mouth, girl,” Brantley joked.“He’s not your type.”
“And why not?”
Brantley looked at Reese and smirked before responding.“I’ll let you figure it out when he gets here.”
Reese stood, grinning at Holly’s confusion.Rather than explain, he followed Brantley out of the barn and over to the house.As they were walking, the beeping sound signaling a large truck backing up could be heard.
“You know if we don’t get in the house quick, they’ll target us to help them unload those desks,” Brantley mentioned as they headed for the back patio.
“Shit.”Reese shook his head.“We really should help ’em.”
“No.We really should let ’em earn their paycheck.”
“I’m pretty sure movin’ furniture is not in their job description.”
“Their job description is anything I choose it to be.”
Reese chuckled.It was only funny because it was true.
