Chapter 45 #2
“I’m sure this is weird for you, but I wanted to check in, see if you needed someone to talk to.
” He held up a hand. “I’m not sayin’ you don’t have plenty of people to chat with.
I just … I thought maybe you’d like someone who doesn’t look at you differently.
Since I didn’t know you before, I can only look at you one way. ”
I found him adorable. “What way is that?”
“Like an idiot, apparently.” He laughed. “Sorry. This is not goin’ the way I thought it would.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I’m sure it’s as awkward as you expected.”
He chuffed a laugh. “More than I could’ve possibly imagined.”
“Don’t beat yourself up,” I teased. “I appreciate the company more than you know.”
“Really?”
I nodded. “I’m not all that fond of bein’ alone right now.”
He stared and I could tell he wasn’t sure what to say to that.
“I’m sure you know what happened to me.”
“I’ve got the case details,” he said. “So, yeah. I’ve got the gist in that context.”
“But you want to hear my version? To see if it’ll help your case?”
He shook his head adamantly. “No. No, that’s not… I didn’t come by to hear your horror story, Kylie. I swear it. I … shit, I am totally screwin’ this up.”
Yeah, he was definitely adorable. Which was an odd way to describe such a big man. And Archer Halligan was huge. Hell, he made Travis appear small and that was saying something.
“Well, if you don’t want to get details to help the case, maybe you could tell me how it’s goin’.”
Archer’s expression smoothed out. “Not as well as we want it to.”
“You haven’t found Cicily Rose?”
He looked sincerely apologetic as he shook his head.
“You can’t find Martin, either, can you?”
“Yes, and no. We know where he is, but…”
“You can tell me. I’m not nearly as fragile as I look.”
Archer stared at me for a moment and I saw the instant it clicked with him. Whatever came out of his mouth from this point forward would be the truth.
“Martin Calloway’s very … well-insulated is a good way to describe it. Kieran’s been workin’ to take him down for a while, but even with all he did to you, the guy’s untouchable. We’re choosing to keep our distance until we find where he’s keeping Cicily Rose.”
I didn’t like hearing that, but I had expected no less.
“Do you have any idea where she might be?” I prompted.
“Not yet.”
“But you’re still lookin’?”
“It’s the only case that Atticus and I are workin’ right now.”
I peered past him, glancing at the houses, thinking about all the people who’d been completely oblivious to what I’d been going through when they were living their normal, routine lives.
“I want to help,” I told Archer, my gaze swinging to him. “I want to help you find Cicily Rose.”
His eyebrows slowly rose toward his hairline.
“I’m not sayin’ I want to head over to HQ and pull up a chair.” I inhaled slowly, exhaled deeply. “But maybe if we talk about it, you might hear somethin’ that’ll help you figure it out.”
“You sure about that?”
I shrugged. “Are you sure you wanna hear it? It’s not a fun story.”
Archer stared back at me, and I could practically see the wheels turning. But what he said next was not at all what I expected.
“How about we talk … like friends. And when you trust me with your story, you can share it. And if you never want to, I’m okay with that, too.”
I smiled up at him. “Archer Halligan, you’re not like most people, you know that?”
“That’s what makes me lovable.”
He was joking, but I had to wonder how much truth there was in that single statement.
Gage
When I got the alert that a vehicle pulled into our driveway, I thought nothing of it. We got the occasional package or UPS delivery, so it wasn’t unusual.
When I got the alert that a person was on the porch, I didn’t bother to check, figuring it was the aforementioned delivery driver bringing it up to the house.
Of course, my first instinct was to snatch up my phone, but I resisted the urge, reminding myself that I wasn’t checking up on Kylie.
I’d done so the first few times to find her talking with her sister or her father.
It made me feel like I was invading her privacy, and I didn’t like it.
But shrugging it off only lasted so long.
When I got the alert that there was movement in the kitchen, I pulled up the cameras to see what Kylie was up to. I couldn’t help myself. I hated leaving her by herself, but Travis and I agreed that we would give her space. And we were doing that, keeping ourselves busy with work.
Of course, there were people keeping an eye on her thanks to Brantley’s team.
Well, more specifically, Sniper 1 Security.
Reese’s brother, Z, had sent two people down to be lookouts.
They were charged with protecting Kylie at all times, while keeping an eye out for Martin Calloway or one of his goons.
It was honestly the only reason I was able to leave her at all.
And Travis was the same. But the resort wasn’t going to run itself, and since Kylie hadn’t asked us to stay home, we were doing our best not to hover.
Leaning back in my chair, I tapped the camera that was angled into the kitchen. The moment I saw a man with Kylie, I nearly had a coronary.
With phone in hand, I marched down to Travis’s office. I didn’t bother knocking as I stormed inside.
“What the fuck is Archer Halligan doin’ at the house?”
Travis looked up from his desk, a frown etching a perfect crease in his forehead. “I have no idea. I didn’t know he was there.”
“You didn’t get the notification?” I held up my phone.
My husband leaned back in his chair. That look on his face … it was the one that said I was overreacting. I was well aware of that look; however, I was usually the one giving it to him.
Unable to stand there and let him judge me, I reached forward and grabbed his key from the desk, then pivoted. “I’m goin’ to the house to find out what the fuck is goin’ on.”
“Gage!”
I ignored Travis, stomping down the hall and out into the hotel proper. I made a beeline for the doors and out into the breezy October morning. Before I could get to the SUV, Travis was behind me.
“Hold up, goddammit!”
The irritation in Travis’s tone was the only reason I stopped. And not because it worried me. Oh, no. I was beyond that. I was merely content that he was as irritated as I was. I didn’t care that it was for a different reason.
“I want to know why he’s there.”
“Ever thought maybe you could text her and ask?”
I glared at Travis, grinding my teeth together and breathing through my nose. “You are not allowed to be logical right now.”
“It is kinda weird, huh?” Travis teased, smirking.
He was joking, but it really was strange. My husband was far too rational and level-headed these days. He wasn’t the volcano prepared to erupt at any moment.
“Seriously. If you’re worried about it, text her.”
I took a deep breath and stood there, staring at him.
I wanted to argue, but that wasn’t easy when he was being reasonable.
Plus, he had a point. What would Kylie think if I showed up to ask why she had a visitor?
She was allowed to talk to people. It wasn’t that I was saying she couldn’t.
Not at all. But Archer Halligan was the man leading the charge on Brantley’s task force and their efforts to take down Censorious and ultimately Martin Calloway in the process.
What if he was sharing information with her? Information that might upset her?
“Come on. Let’s go back in. If you’re still worried about it at lunch, we’ll swing by when we have an excuse to be there.”
I narrowed my eyes on him. “I really don’t like when you’re bein’ so…”
“Gage,” he supplied.
The tension in my shoulders instantly eased as I huffed a laugh. “Yes. I don’t like it when you’re bein’ so me. Stop it.”
“I’ll do my best.” Travis leaned in and kissed me.
It was just a quick peck, but it settled me even more. I wasn’t sure how long that feeling would last, but I decided to go with it.
For now.