Hide & Seek - Nicole Edwards Page 0,61
if I took a picture of this?” he asked.
“Go right ahead.”
Since she gave him the go-ahead, he took a picture of the page, then several pictures of the entire board.
He hoped like hell it would give them some sort of clue they could follow.
After spending the afternoon talking to the distraught families of the other victims and three of the four friends of Jody Henderson’s from their list, Reese was glad to be at a hotel. He needed time to process what he’d learned, but more importantly, he needed a minute to come back to himself. He’d spent all that time putting himself in the shoes of those women and their loved ones, experiencing the hell they’d been going through for so long.
“You okay?” Brantley asked, stepping out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his hips, steam billowing out from behind him.
“I will be.” Reese peered up. “Does it feel wrong to be sittin’ here? While those women are missin’?”
“Of course it does.” Brantley walked around, leaned against the dresser, crossing his arms over his chest. “But what other choice do we have? Stayin’ up all night won’t get us anywhere. We need to start fresh in the mornin’.”
Yeah, he knew that. He did.
Brantley dropped his arms, planted his palms on the dresser. The move had the muscles in his chest flexing, his abs contracting. There were drops of water trickling down over the planes and angles, mesmerizing Reese momentarily. Funny how he was so easily distracted by this man.
“I told Trey and Baz I’d meet them down in the bar for a drink. You wanna join us?”
Reese forced his gaze to Brantley’s face. “What?”
“Bar? Drink?”
“Yeah, sure. In a little while. I’ll shower, meet you down there.”
Reese could see the concern in Brantley’s eyes, but he simply nodded, then reached for his bag, retrieving clothes. While Brantley got dressed, Reese went into the bathroom, turned on the shower.
He let the hot water beat down on him while he focused on breathing, clearing his mind. It didn’t take long before he felt more like himself. The moment he stepped into the empty room, he realized he really did want to go down and have a drink with Brantley. Hell, he just wanted to be where Brantley was. Especially at a time like this.
The heater kicked on, rattling the metal grate that covered it, and the sound was so loud in the otherwise silent room it made him flinch. He was instantly taken back to a different place, a similar sound that had ground through his brain for months on end. A generator, not a heater. Endless noise. It had run constantly, powering the tents that had surrounded the concrete cell buried partially below ground that he’d been forced to live in. It’d been no more than six by six, and he’d spent months waiting and hoping, praying like hell he wasn’t forgotten.
His brain kicked him back to the present, to the hotel room. Reese took deep, cleansing breaths, forcing the memories away, willing his heart to stop the drumbeat in his chest.
Shaking off the memory, praying a nightmare didn’t follow tonight, Reese snagged clothes from his bag.
After dressing, he grabbed his cell phone and wallet, tucked them into his pockets.
He’d just stepped on the elevator when his phone buzzed. He checked it and a smile instantly came to his lips.
The picture was of Tesha, sitting obediently on the floor, staring up at the camera as though it was a treat. A text message followed: I don’t think she knows what to do without you here. She keeps searching the house like you’re playing a game.
Reese didn’t realize how attached he’d gotten to Tesha until that moment.
His phone buzzed again: I was thinking we should get her certified in search and rescue. Then you’ll have your very own four-legged partner.
The elevator doors opened and he stepped out. He was obviously grinning like a lunatic, because Brantley looked over, his brows furrowing.
They met halfway between the elevators and the bar.
“You look different than when I left you,” Brantley said in greeting.
He held up the picture to show him.
“I should’ve known. And here I thought I was the love of your life.”
“It’s a tie.”
A sharp bark of laughter escaped Brantley. “I’ll take it. But like I said before, only because I’m the one who sleeps with you every night. You want a beer? Somethin’ stronger?”
“Beer’s fine.” He had no intentions of getting drunk. And for some reason, Tesha had managed to soothe those