Mission: Without a Trace - Nicole Edwards Page 0,46

limp, forced some steel into his spine, and headed for the refrigerator to get another bottle of water.

Trey was sitting on a stool at the island, watching him closely.

“Why’re you really here?” he asked, downing half the bottle of water in one pull.

“Cyrus told me. About the nightmares.” Trey gestured toward the ceiling. “The storm.”

Brantley nodded, looked away from Trey. “Cyrus shoulda kept his fuckin’ mouth shut.”

As it was, Cyrus was the only one who’d witnessed one of Brantley’s nightmares. The night he’d learned of them, Cyrus had woken up with Brantley’s hand around his throat. Thankfully, his weapon had been secured at the time, otherwise… No, he didn’t want to think about what might’ve happened if he’d had access to his gun.

And though they didn’t talk about it, he knew Cyrus remembered it well. Brantley damn sure did.

“Where’s Reese?” Trey inquired, watching him like an animal on a frayed leash.

“Don’t know. Don’t care.”

If he said it enough, maybe it would be true.

***

Reese sat at the bar at Moonshiners, his phone faceup in front of him, his gaze continuously scanning the screen as though that might possibly make the fucking thing ring.

“Problem?”

The gruff question came from behind the bar, drawing Reese’s attention to Mack.

“No problem,” he answered, tipping his beer bottle to his lips.

“Then why’re you avoidin’ him?”

“How do you know it’s a him I’m avoidin’?” Reese shot back, wincing as soon as the words were out of his mouth. “Sorry, Mack. I’m just…”

Truth was, Reese didn’t know what he was. Confused seemed to be the adjective that could explain it all away, but having a diagnosis didn’t seem to be solving the problem.

“Figured it had to be since you shrugged off the last two ladies who attempted to catch your eye.”

Reese stared back at the man. “It’s not supposed to be obvious, Mack.”

The older man stood tall after dragging a rag over the bar top. “It’s not. Even if it was, why’re you worried about it?”

Million-dollar question.

“I’m not.”

“Keep tellin’ yourself that, boy. But until you start livin’ for your own happiness, you’ll just be miserable.”

Speaking from experience, Mack was.

Reese took another pull on his beer, glanced at his phone once more.

It would’ve made more sense for him to go home, get some sleep. He was exhausted and the storm raging outside would’ve made it easy for him to hunker down on his lumpy couch and drift off into the ether.

Instead, he was keeping this fucking barstool warm, listening to the din of conversation, the clack of pool balls from the tables in the back, and George Strait crooning from the jukebox.

“Well, fancy seein’ you here, cowboy.”

The familiar voice had Reese glancing over. JJ stood at his side, her elbow resting on the bar, a smile as big as Texas on her face.

“Hey,” he muttered, turning his attention back to his beer.

Evidently taking his response as an invitation to hang out, JJ grabbed the stool on his right, hopped up on it. She waved Mack over, ordered a beer.

“You doin’ all right?”

Frowning at his beer bottle, Reese nodded. “Good as can be expected.”

“I saw Brantley today.”

The admission had him looking over at her. It was then he saw the concern glittering in her eyes. He wasn’t sure what she expected him to say, so he didn’t say anything.

“I know what it’s like,” JJ said softly.

“What?” he asked, digging his fingernail under the label on the bottle.

“To want to be with someone, but not want others to know. Mine was a little different than yours, and way in the past, but the feelin’s all the same, I figure.”

He cut his eyes her way. “Is that what you think it is?”

“Isn’t it?”

Reese huffed a laugh, took another pull on his beer to finish it off. “I don’t know what it is, JJ.”

“If it’s any consolation, he’s just as fucked up.”

“It’s not,” he countered hotly. “I didn’t mean for this shit to happen.”

“What shit is that, Reese? To fall for him? To not know how to deal with those feelings?”

“Christ Almighty,” he bit out, turning toward her. “I don’t wanna talk about this.”

“Maybe not. But I do,” she declared.

It was the first time he’d ever heard her raise her voice. JJ was one of the most laid-back people he’d ever met. The kind who eased into any situation, blending as though she belonged. Sure, she was feisty, quick to joke, tease, pick on someone, but it was always in fun. He liked her, he really did, but right now, he didn’t need someone