JJ continued when he paused to take a breath. “A lot of people tend to overshare on social media, and these are scammers who’re capitalizing on it. You’ve got people pretendin’ to be your neighbor, offerin’ to help out in any way so they can get close. Whether it’s so they can steal from you or whatever. But the biggest problem lies with the ones who’ve set their sights on kidnappin’ kids.”
Becs looked like she was going to lose her breakfast. “You mean, they’re gaining trust, offering to help, and then…”
“Exactly that,” Baz confirmed. “There’ve been a couple of attempts across the nation, starting with one in Washington State. The news is spreading, but not nearly fast enough.”
“And it’s difficult to know who’s the potential scammer and who’s legit,” JJ inserted. “I mean, why wouldn’t you believe Cindy Smiles-a-lot isn’t who she says she is? You’ve interacted with her for a few months, read stories about her kids, about their school, about their sports, now you’re in a bind and she offers to pick up your kid. So why not?”
“That’s when they take the kid,” Baz added. “Luckily, the one time they knew it happened, they were able to get the boy back quickly and unharmed. However, since we’ve started looking into it, there’ve been numerous reports of failed attempts. They’re getting bolder, moving faster.”
“And this is somethin’ we’re actively pursuing?” Slade asked, looking cool and confident as he peered over at Brantley.
“Yes. Because we cover missing persons, and if we want to prevent them in this instance, we need to tackle the underlyin’ problem.”
“Makes sense.”
“Nothin’ will ever be enough as long as someone’s missin’ or murdered, but we’ll contribute,” Reese added. “If a specialized unit comes in and tells us to cease our efforts, fine. We’ll pass over what we have and they can deal with it. Until then, we’ll do what we can.”
Brantley nodded for Baz to continue.
“JJ and I have created some anonymous profiles and identified active community groups across the state,” he informed everyone.
“You said this is nationwide?” Becs inquired.
“Correct. But at the moment, we’re not, so we have to start somewhere. Our resources are limited, so we focus where we can.”
Brantley nodded to JJ, so she picked up with, “With Luca’s help, we’re monitoring these groups on the back end. I’d like to add more, watch more closely—”
“I can help with that,” Holly offered, her voice somber, expression, too. “Whatever way I can.”
“That’d be great,” Baz told her.
“It’ll certainly help, but what we need are people who can follow up on them,” JJ noted. “Once we’ve identified questionable activity, we need to be loggin’ into the groups, doin’ deep dives into the people who are offerin’ to help.” JJ was quick to add, “Yes, we might violate some privacy, but it’s for the greater good. If we can verify they’re real and they have a right to be engagin’ in such a manner, we’ll back off.”
“Everyone will pitch in,” Brantley decided. “JJ, you can work up a schedule so we can log some hours monitoring.”
JJ nodded. “Will do.”
He glanced around the room. “If you find somethin’, you’ll let Baz and JJ know. They can determine at that point who and how it’ll be handled. Charlie, you’ll work with Baz to help with some of the footwork.” Brantley looked at Baz. “If she needs someone with her, you’ll go.”
“Not a problem,” Baz agreed.
“As for everyone else, I want us focused on the few cold cases we’ve kept.” He looked around the room. “And if anyone needs anything, just holler. We’ll do what we can to help out.”
“Also, once you get settled in here”—Reese motioned around the space—“you can determine what setup works best. Rearrange as needed.”
Brantley watched the new hires’ reactions, attempting to gauge them.
He liked that they had a diverse group of people, and he was curious to see how it played out.
Later that afternoon, Brantley found himself back at HQ. Not because he particularly cared to be but because all those diverse people he’d hired? Well, they were now in a tizzy—Reese’s word—over how they were going to set up the barn.
He got the feeling it had occurred because Allison Bogart had surprised them today, coming in shortly after their morning meeting to let them know she was ready and able to work, having been released from her temporary position she’d been in. While he got the feeling Allison was going to be a tremendous asset to the team in the long run, he realized she was going to be the point of contention in the beginning. Starting with the layout of the barn.
Truth was, Brantley didn’t give two shits what they did, where they sat, but he did not want to hear bitching and moaning about furniture placement when they had far more important things to deal with.
He stood beside Baz, both of them hovering near the exit while Reese, brave and foolish man that he was, decided to step forward.
Across the room, Slade looked up, watched with what appeared to be curious amusement as Reese headed into the fray.
“There’s a reason I never wanted to work in an office,” Baz muttered at his side.
Brantley knew the feeling.
When Baz’s phone rang, he cursed but did what any smart man would do. He stepped outside to answer, leaving Brantley to fend for himself.
Brantley ventured over to Slade’s desk, perched on the edge, and watched along with the other man. “You ever see anything like it?”
“My office has been my car for most of my adult life,” Slade noted, glancing up at him.
“Fair enough.”
Slade laughed. “But no, I haven’t.”
For some reason—God only knew what—Becs and Allison were snipping at one another, arms flailing in an animated fashion. Something about a desk, a corner, not enough light.
Brantley watched as Reese walked right up to the group, barked a couple of commands for them to shut up, and managed to get every single person’s attention without having to raise his voice too much.
No reason to deny it, the man was fucking hot, and Brantley’s body stirred at the sight. He’d known from the beginning that Reese was a complex man. While he appeared to be laid-back, non-confrontational, and all that, beneath was a steely reserve most would never see.
He watched, fascinated as Reese took control, laid out options, and waited for the others to get on board.
They did.
“It might be wise to keep him here for a while,” Slade muttered with a chuckle.
“Or better yet, wiser if all of us were out in the field.”
“Good point.”
The ruckus started to build again, drawing Brantley’s attention. While he didn’t mind watching Reese work, there was only so much he could handle. Rather than wait for Reese to rein it in again, he raised his fingers to his lips and whistled. The high-pitched noise cut right through the arguments and debates, all eyes shifting to him.