March 10, 2021
I heard you were gonna be in my neck of the woods. Thought maybe you’d want to grab some dinner while you’re in Dallas. It would be nice to catch up. I’ve missed you, Reese.
March 13, 2021
Are you really going to ghost me, Reese?
Not ghosting you. Been really busy lately.
Too busy to type back a simple acknowledgment? :) So, is it true? Are you working in Dallas from time to time?
Training with Sniper 1 Security. Every few weeks we make it up that way.
Who’s we?
Me and my team.
Ah. So not a girlfriend? That’s good to know.
No girlfriend, no.
I wish I could tell you that didn’t make me happy to hear that. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the past lately and you’re a big part of those thoughts.
March 16, 2021
I just looked back at my last message, noticed how it probably sounded to you. I promise, I’m not hinting at anything. I would really like to see you though. Catch up in person.
One of these days, I’d like to do the same.
Really? Wow. Now my heart is fluttering.
Don’t read anything into that, Reese Tavoularis. I’m not coming on to you. I promise.
Ok, maybe I am. A little. Can you blame a girl?
April 21, 2021
Well, it’s been a month and I just learned you and your team were in town this past weekend. No calls? No texts? I don’t bite, Reese.
Sorry. I meant to. Just have a lot going on right now. Transitioning to a new company and all. I promise when I have time, I’ll let you know.
So does that mean you’d like to see me, too?
Yes, Madison. I would like to see you.
*
Reese continued to stare at the screen, skimming the messages for the months following. There weren’t all that many, and yes, that was mostly his fault because he’d come up with one excuse or another as to why he couldn’t meet up with Madison while they were in Dallas.
If he was honest with himself, he wasn’t sure he wanted to. Not because he worried what he might do. He would be faithful to Brantley for as long as they were together. That wasn’t something he questioned. However, he wasn’t sure he wanted to risk what might happen when he saw her again. The feelings that she might evoke.
Again, it wasn’t that he’d been in love with her, but Reese had loved her. More importantly, he’d been attracted to her. Possibly more so than any other woman from his past. What happened if he saw her again, and it stirred those old feelings? Namely, lust. For a woman. Would that be enough to conjure up the insecurities he’d had when he’d first gotten together with Brantley? Would he begin to question everything again?
On the other hand, Reese wondered if that was something he needed to know. Did he still have the ability to feel something for a woman? Was this thing with Brantley temporary? A curiosity that needed to be sated?
He glanced back down at the phone, found the start of the last thread they had between them.
*
September 8, 2021
I think I’ve got it figured out. Looks like you come to Dallas on the third Friday of every month. That means you’ll be here in a couple of weeks, right?
Yes, I’ll be up there on the seventeenth.
Oh, wow. Barely over a week. Does that mean you’ll have some free time while you’re here?
I expect I can, sure. Why? What did you have in mind?
Dinner. My treat. A chance for the two of us to catch up.
Where?
You really are committing to this, huh?
I’d like to see you, too, Madison. And I can’t say no to dinner. Where did you have in mind?
Jason’s Deli.
Why did I know you were gonna pick that place?
Because it’s my favorite and we used to have a good time just sitting around and talking while we were there.
We did have a good time.
So that’s a confirmation you’ll meet me? What time?
I’ll let you know when my schedule’s clear.
Don’t you dare ghost me again, Reese.
I won’t. I promise.
*
Reese had no intention of ghosting her this time. Although he knew it was wrong that he was going to meet with her, he knew it was important.
If for nothing else than the future of his relationship with Brantley.
He needed to clear up the uncertainty, and until then, he wasn’t sure he was even capable of moving forward.
Chapter Sixteen
Thursday, September 16, 2021
For the first time in a long time, Brantley didn’t lead the charge on the case. Rather, he allowed his personal thoughts and his mood to get in the way of progress, so he kept a safe distance and let the team work their magic. They’d spent the entire day yesterday outlining everything they knew and searching various places they determined might be a good hiding place for Nancy Wright, to no avail. After two full days on this case, nothing had turned up and he knew the team was growing more frustrated by the second.
Brantley didn’t blame them. He’d been keeping the governor apprised of the situation, so he was feeling the heat from all angles. Their case had gone from one missing person to two and though Brantley believed they were related—find one, you’d find the other—it pissed him off that they couldn’t catch a break.
While they hadn’t been able to pinpoint Nancy Wright’s location yet, they’d made some progress on tracking her recent activity, which just so happened to coincide with Annie Hawkins’s and Mallory Jacobs’s activity. Although there was still the chance they wouldn’t find Cedric Hawkins alive, they had compiled quite a bit of evidence that would help Detective Mathis with an arrest. Or three, as would be the case here.
When he woke up a couple of hours ago, he’d gone on a solo run, leaving Reese and Tesha behind, although he knew they would’ve both joined him if he’d asked. Ever since their encounter on Wednesday night, Brantley had felt off. That good mood from last Friday, the one he’d thought was a precursor to upcoming events, was nowhere to be found. In its place, a shitload of insecurity and doubt. Oh, sure, the intimacy they’d shared had been beyond anything Brantley’d experienced in his life, but there’d been something missing. Something he was sure had been there in the beginning.
Now as he ventured out after a quick shower in the guest bath, he found Reese in the kitchen, cutting up cantaloupe. Neither of them spoke although their eyes met briefly. Between them was a boatload of shit that needed to be discussed, but neither one of them was going to be the first to bring it up. Work was a much safer subject.
“Anything new on the case?” he asked in an effort to make small talk.
“Not that I’ve heard. Darius and Trey have been at it all night. No luck. JJ and Baz got in half an hour ago. They went home for a quick nap and showers sometime last night.”
“Anyone else here?”
“Luca was asleep on the couch in the loft when I looked in on them a little while ago. Elana, Slade, and Holly got in early. Evan and Jay weren’t far behind. Darius arrived with kolaches and donuts, so I’m sure JJ’s wired for sound.”
“Anything from Charlie or Becs?”
“Becs called, said she was on her way. I haven’t heard from Charlie yet.”