Dragging his duffel from the closet floor, Brantley proceeded to shove all his shit inside. If he left anything behind, he figured Reese would grab it for him.
Maybe.
Then again, it was possible Reese was off to rekindle a romance with his long-lost love and he wasn’t going to give Brantley a second thought.
Fine. Perhaps that was a bit overdramatic. After all, Reese worked for the task force. At the very least, he’d give his notice if he wasn’t coming back, so there would be at least that chance for them to have an open, honest conversation about why Reese decided to throw away a damn good thing to go back to a woman he’d admittedly never loved.
Brantley gritted his teeth, swallowing down the anger and hurt.
He retrieved his gun from the holster on his hip, released the magazine, and checked to make sure there wasn’t a bullet in the chamber. He preferred not to go through the hassle of checking it in at the airport, so he opened the case he carried it in, placed it inside, then locked it up, then opened the wall safe and tucked it in alongside Reese’s.
Alongside Reese’s. That was strange. Why had Reese left his weapon behind? That wasn’t like him. They were both usually armed whenever they were out. It was second nature, a part of the job.
Brantley frowned, then closed the safe and locked it.
Once he was packed up, he grabbed the pen and notepad that was on the small desk and scribbled a note to Reese.
Caught a flight back tonight.
I hope you found the answers you were looking for.
BW
He tossed the pen down on the paper, stared at it for a moment.
No, he wasn’t going to dwell on it. He just wasn’t that guy.
His cell phone chimed, signaling his car had arrived. Shouldering his bag, he left the key card on the dresser and stepped out into the hall. He took the stairs and made it outside without encountering another soul.
Once he was situated in the backseat of the little compact four-door, his bag at his side, he considered making a call to Trey to let his brother know where he was going but decided against it. He really wasn’t interested in a lecture tonight. He knew Trey would give him shit about running away from his problems, and he would’ve been right. Brantley simply wasn’t in the mood to listen to it.
He should’ve known his time with Reese had been too good to last. Although they’d endured their fair share of bumps in the road, they’d been going strong for ten months or so now.
At least he’d thought they had.
Apparently their relationship had surpassed its expiration date.
In Reese’s defense, Brantley had known he’d never been with a man before. And since they’d gotten together, he’d never caught so much of a glimpse of Reese checking out another man. Not with an approving eye, anyway. It was time Brantley accepted the fact that the guy wasn’t gay, he was curious, and now that his curiosity had been sated, he was going back to what he knew.
And since Brantley had no chance of competing in that arena, he was better off cutting his losses now.
If he thought about it rationally, Brantley would admit it was his own damn fault. He was the one who had pushed for the relationship, asking Reese to move in with him after dating for only a month. He should’ve known better. Considering he’d never had a serious relationship—not since his teenage years, anyway—it made more sense for him to stick to what he knew, too.
With a heavy exhale, Brantley focused his attention out the window.
At least it had been fun while it lasted.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Twenty minutes after he’d left the hotel, Reese was pulling into the restaurant parking lot. It was busy for a Friday night but not too bad. There were half a dozen spots available, so he selected one that faced the front of the building.
Once he was parked, Reese sat in the truck, staring out into the night, wondering once again what the hell he was thinking.
He’d contemplated turning around half a dozen times during the short drive but hadn’t. Although he knew this was a mistake, that seeing Madison again wasn’t going to gain him anything, Reese knew it was necessary. If not for him, then at least for her. He needed to show her he’d moved on, and he figured face-to-face was the least she deserved.
Taking a deep breath, he forced himself out of the truck and across the parking lot. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d come to one of these little delis Madison liked so much. Personally, Reese preferred eating at home, something he had in common with Brantley. One of the many things he had in common with Brantley.
Reese exhaled slowly, shoved away the guilt. No sense dwelling on it now. He was here, and he fully intended to follow through.
Once inside, he told the hostess he was there to meet someone, and she nodded for him to go back. He found Madison sitting at a table along the wall of windows—exactly where she shouldn’t be sitting—with a dozen or so other people scattered throughout. She smiled when she saw him. If he hadn’t been frustrated with the fact she was being so cavalier about protecting herself, he would’ve smiled back.
There was no denying Madison Adorite was a beautiful woman. Stunning was probably a better word for it. Her long, nearly black hair was board-straight and shiny; her dark brown eyes glittered with mystery. There was an air of class and sophistication about her, something he’d always admired despite the fact it made him feel inept.
When she stood to greet him with a hug, he figured why the hell not.
“It’s good to see you,” she said softly, her voice still raspy and sweet.
“Same.” He wrapped his arm around her in a friendly hug, inhaling the soft scent of lavender and vanilla.
She still smelled the same.
Reese waited to see if he felt that stirring of longing or lust he’d previously felt when he was near her. It never came. Not so much as a flutter.
He forced himself back and waited until she took her seat before pulling out the chair across from her.
“You’re here alone?” he asked, glancing around briefly, hoping to see a couple of guys watching her back. Reese knew her brother employed a number of enforcers hired to do the heavy lifting as well as to take a bullet for the Adorites if it ever came to it. And it had. A couple of times, in fact.
“I am.” She laughed softly. “I don’t need a bodyguard, Reese.”
He didn’t bother telling her that was bullshit. He knew Madison was well aware of the danger she was in simply by being the sister to Maximillian Adorite, the boss of the Southern Boy Mafia. Just sharing the same last name put her, as well as the rest of her siblings, in imminent danger.
Not that anyone could tell Madison that. She’d always been fiercely independent, insisting she lived her life by her own rules, even if she assisted the family when it came to certain legal matters. Since her older brother Victor was also a lawyer and took on the brunt of the family’s legal business, Madison was able to pick and choose so that she could keep herself separate as much as possible.
At least that was what she claimed. To be honest, Reese didn’t know much about what Madison did. She’d always made a point to keep her family matters close to the vest. Probably one of the main reasons Reese had never truly fallen in love with her despite the fact he had wanted to. He’d never actually felt as though he knew her.