Chapter Thirty-One #2
“Y’all have fun,” she called after them.
“How is it you can look like that and always be eating?”
“Good genes.” Archer grinned. “And CrossFit. Did you know there’s a training center here? I mean, it’s in someone’s old barn, but it’s possibly the nicest facility I’ve been to.”
“I don’t even know what CrossFit is,” he admitted.
“I’ll take you sometime. They’ll kick your ass, but you’ll love every second of it.”
Atticus continued around to the driver’s side, wondering if Archer’s good mood could be attributed to that muffin. The guy seemed extra chipper today.
“Did Brantley say what he wanted to talk about?” Archer asked when they were both in the truck.
“No. And I didn’t ask.”
“Well, I guess we’ll find out in roughly two minutes.”
That was about how long it took to drive to the diner. It took just as much time to find a parking place because it was packed, the lot filled with trucks, many of them carting trailers behind them.
“Ranch hands get breakfast early,” Archer said as they were walking to the restaurant doors. “It clears out closer to nine.”
Atticus laughed. “I take it you spend a lot of time here?”
“I like the food.”
Smiling, Atticus opened the door and walked inside, Archer right behind him.
He wanted to pat himself on the back for managing to pretend he wasn’t still thinking about that kiss, or the conversation they’d had afterward.
His only reprieve from his wandering thoughts had been sleep, and only because he was exhausted.
Now, in the light of day, he was going to abide by the rule that partners are off limits.
“Did you know Travis was gonna be here?” Archer asked as they started toward the table.
He shook his head and kept a smile on his face, praying that Travis’s presence wasn’t going to add unnecessary stress to the morning.
They made their way to the table, greetings being tossed around as they approached. Before their asses hit the seats, Brantley was signaling the waitress over.
“Give ’em a second,” Reese told Brantley. “Maybe they need to look at the menu.”
“You need to look at the menu?” Brantley asked, glancing between them.
“Nope,” Archer said with a grin.
“I’m sure I can wing it,” Atticus replied.
And that was just what he did when the waitress finished taking Archer’s order.
“If there’s anything left when you’re done makin’ that, I’ll take exactly half of what he’s gettin’,” Atticus told her.
“Just give him the same,” Brantley told her. “He can take the leftovers to go.”
“Done,” she said with a smile before walking off.
He could feel Travis watching the interaction while he ate pancakes.
As soon as she was gone, Brantley’s expression went stern, his gaze sliding between him and Archer. “What did you find last night?”
A man who could kiss like a god.
He managed not to say that aloud, choosing instead to go with, “The house is set back from the road, but we were able to see people moving around.”
“What house?” Travis asked, wiping his mouth.
“He’s up to speed,” Brantley added.
“Terry Berry. He’s—”
“Martin Calloway’s right hand,” Travis filled in. “I’ve done my homework.”
Brantley ignored Travis, asking, “Security?”
Archer nodded. “Looked to be. We stayed out there for a couple of hours. From what we could tell, they make a pass every forty-five minutes.”
“One guard each time,” Atticus added.
“I think it’s safe to say they’re worried about somethin’,” Brantley mused, his attention on Reese.
“We thought we’d go back during the day, do some recon of the area, see if we can get a better vantage point,” Archer told him.
Brantley looked defeated. “It might be our only option.”
“Did you have somethin’ else in mind?” Atticus asked.
Reese was the one who answered. “We thought we were meetin’ Allison Bogart.”
“Why would you think that?” Travis asked.
“She called. Said she needed to talk. Acted like it was urgent.”
“Where are you meetin’ her?”
Brantley waved a hand. “Supposed to be here. I don’t think she’s comin’.”
“She didn’t give an exact time,” Reese clarified. “She said two hours. We’re at least half an hour past that at this point.”
“Did you try callin’ her?” Travis asked.
“The number she called from came up blocked. I tried the number we have for her, but the phone’s off.”
“Maybe she had to stop for gas,” Atticus said, trying to be positive.
Reese didn’t look hopeful. “Yeah. Maybe.”
“Any word on the DNA results?” Archer asked.
“Haven’t heard yet,” Brantley answered, leaning back when the waitress offered more coffee.
“I’ll give Z a call when we’re finished here.”
Atticus was as anxious as everyone else to get the results back.
The blood they’d found in that house belonged to someone.
And while he hoped there wasn’t a reason for Kylie Walker to be bleeding, he did hope the results would give them the answer they wanted.
Knowing for sure one way or the other would help determine their next steps.
Obviously, if she were alive, the main objective was to find her and bring her home. If she wasn’t, they needed to drill down and find a way to dismantle Censorious once and for all.
“Has Evan been able to get any more out of Meredith?” Brantley asked after the waitress delivered their food.
“No. And I’m not sure they will, either,” Atticus explained. “He’s convinced they’re hidin’ something.”
“I’m sure she is,” Travis muttered. “I don’t even know why she bothered to show up.”
Archer held up a finger as though signaling he needed a moment while he finished chewing, then said, “I know this might sound harsh, but have you considered using Meredith as bait to draw Calloway out?”
Brantley looked at Reese, then at Travis. Atticus could tell that some silent communication was taking place.
“We’ve got a large enough team,” Archer continued. “We can keep her safe if we can control the environment.”
“It’s not a terrible idea,” Atticus said, not sure why everyone had clammed up all of a sudden.
“It’s also not necessary yet,” Reese stated.
Based on Brantley’s expression, he’d already had this conversation with Reese and got the same answer.
But Atticus had to agree with Reese. They had leads to follow. Putting a woman’s life in unnecessary danger was a last-ditch effort. They weren’t quite there yet. And if they were lucky, they wouldn’t need to take drastic measures.