“Yup,” Spike agreed. “Come on, let’s go see what we can find out about your brother and Isabella.” He held his hand out to her…and something extremely satisfying flashed through him when she took hold and let him help her stand.
This woman was so far out of Spike’s league, he had no idea what her words meant earlier. Or who Stefan-Boltzmann was, or what the hell his law had to do with math. Didn’t matter. The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to know.
But first…they needed to find Woody. Then he’d worry about the fact that he was more attracted to Reese Woodall than he’d been to any woman in a very long time.
CHAPTER FOUR
Reese was having a hard time keeping her mind on the task at hand. All she could do was stare at Gus’s ass as he walked up the stairs to Isabella’s apartment in front of her. Not only was the man built like a brick house, he was funny. And considerate. And when he’d put his hand on her leg as she was comforting Tiny, it had taken all of her strength not to lean into him.
It was also refreshing that he didn’t seem to be turned off by her intelligence. So many other men in her past had claimed that her knowledge didn’t bother them, only to turn around and say or do something that belied their words.
But now wasn’t the time or place to get giddy and girly about a man like Gus paying such close attention to her.
Looking around, Reese shivered. This neighborhood wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t the worst either. She just had a bad feeling that she was being watched. She’d felt the same way when she was here before, but it seemed worse now. She was grateful for both Tiny and Gus’s presence. They made her feel much safer.
She wasn’t thrilled with Gus telling her she’d have to stay at the hotel if things got intense, but she also didn’t want to be a liability. The truth of the matter was, Tiny, Gus, and Woody were all trained to be badasses when the shit hit the fan. Tiny may have been a Navy SEAL, but she figured he was just as capable as her brother and Gus.
But she, on the other hand, was hopeless. Just as she’d told Gus, when Woody had tried to teach her how to get out of handcuffs, she’d failed miserably. It was just after he’d gotten out of the Army, and he’d been determined to teach her some advanced self-defense moves.
She hadn’t been able to get out of his hold when he’d grabbed her, no matter how hard she tried or how many tricks he’d shown her. The zip-ties had bruised her wrists, and she hadn’t been able to get out of those either. In the end, after hours of practice, he’d simply told her she’d better not get into any situation where she needed to physically defend herself, or she’d be screwed.
She was pissed at the time, but he was right. She was much better at using her brain to get out of situations than brute strength. So if Gus and Tiny thought they might be getting into some sort of dangerous situation, she was more than okay with staying behind while they did the physical stuff.
Not that it made her happy thinking about Woody being in danger, but she knew her limitations.
“Stay close,” Gus said softly as they neared Isabella’s door. It was obvious he felt the tension in the air. Reese wondered if he felt the eyes on them as well, and figured he likely did.
He knocked on the door, and no one answered. Same as Reese had experienced a few days ago. But in contrast to her visit, Tiny took something out of his pocket, stepped close to the doorknob, and popped it open within seconds.
“What…how?” she stuttered as Gus put his arm around her waist and ushered her inside the apartment.
“Stay here,” he ordered, before he and Tiny stalked through the apartment. That was the only word she could find to describe how they were moving. Neither had a weapon, but it was obvious they were being very cautious and could probably disarm anyone they came across.
She looked around while the guys were gone. The place was small and tidy. But not sterile. It looked lived in…cozy. There were a few pictures scattered here and there. A pair of shoes on the floor, probably where someone had kicked them off when they’d arrived home. A small TV sat on a table against the wall and there were a few DVDs stacked haphazardly to the side. A rumpled blanket sat on an old light brown couch. The kitchen had some old appliances on the counters, but there were no dirty dishes in the rack next to the sink.
All-in-all, Reese got the impression that the people who lived here weren’t rich, but they’d made a comfortable home with what they had.
Gus and Tiny returned to the living area.
“Are they here?” Reese asked reluctantly. Because if they were, it wasn’t good.
“No, the place is empty,” Tiny answered.
“Breathe, Reese,” Gus said, stepping into her personal space. They were almost eye-to-eye, and she did her best to relax her muscles. “They aren’t here. We’re going to search the rooms more thoroughly and see if we can find anything that will lead us to where they might’ve gotten off to.”
Taking a deep breath, Reese nodded.
“We probably don’t have a lot of time,” Tiny observed. “It’s highly likely we were seen coming in here.”
“You felt the eyes too?” Gus asked.
“Oh yeah.”
“So did I. More so than the last time I was here,” Reese told them.
Gus nodded. “Something’s up. I don’t know what, but there’s an edginess in the air. As if the residents are scared and waiting for something to happen.”
“So let’s get searching and get the hell out of here,” Tiny suggested.
“Reese, you take the kitchen and living room, and Tiny and I will search the bedrooms,” Gus decided.
For a moment, she was surprised he was letting her help, but then she straightened her shoulders. Why couldn’t she help? She was here, and she knew her brother better than anyone.
Gus gave her a look, and for a second, it seemed he wanted to say something else, but he simply nodded at her and headed back down the hallway leading to the bedrooms.
Ten short minutes later, Reese was already frustrated. Both rooms were small so her search was quick, and she hadn’t found anything that would be any use in figuring out where Woody and Isabella might have gone. All she’d discovered was spoiled food in the small fridge and a disconcertingly empty pantry. She’d been under the impression that Isabella was doing all right for herself. She had a good job with the government and, from what Woody had already told her, was making decent money for the area.
But looking at the food in the kitchen and even the sparse furniture in the living room, it seemed that wasn’t the case. She heard Tiny and Gus talking down the hall as she gave one more look around the room.
And something caught her eye.
Walking over to the corner of the living area, she bent down and picked up the broken watch on the floor. It was Woody’s. She’d bet everything she owned on that. Their dad had bought it for him when he’d first become a Delta Force operative, and her brother had worn it every day, saying it reminded him of family.
He’d been here—and something had to have happened for him to leave it behind.
Examining it closer, Reese saw that the band had been broken. The pin that held it to the watch face had popped out. On the surface, it didn’t mean much…but she was still worried.