Page 29 of Missing Pieces (Brantley Walker: Off the Books #12)

Brantley took in the information relayed on the wall and tried to see it from Archer’s perspective.

He had to agree that the man had a point.

At the very least, they needed to weed out the information that didn’t matter to see if there was a pattern.

As much as it pained him to admit, he had a feeling Holt and Simon were on to something.

He wouldn’t deny—at least not yet—that there was something here.

What, he had no idea, but there was only one way to find out.

And it wasn’t by standing around arguing back and forth.

Clearly, Holt and Simon had given serious thought to what they had uncovered.

Perhaps it was only fair that Brantley do the same.

“Y’all really want our help?” he asked, turning to look at Simon.

“We really do.”

Brantley fished his phone out of his pocket and pulled up his contacts. Once he found who he was looking for, he stabbed the screen to dial.

“Hey, Darius. I need you to get over to Shelf Help.”

“I can do that. Do I need to bring anything?”

“Yeah. Somethin’ to digitize a whole bunch of information. You might wanna bring Elana or Holly to help.”

“Okay,” Darius said hesitantly.

“Simon and Holt are lookin’ into a case, and they need our help on it. Figure it’ll be easier if we consolidate the information. Once we have it in electronic format, Simon will need access to it.”

“Easy to do.”

Brantley explained where the apartment was and how to access it, then informed Darius that they would leave the key with Violet, the bookshop owner, and asked him to stop in there to get it.

When he disconnected the call, he turned to Simon and Holt. “Let’s grab some food and talk about next steps.”

The two men shared a glance before Holt said, “I think I’m gonna sit this one out. Thanks for the invite, though.”

“You sure?” Reese asked.

“As curious as I am, I can’t let myself get too far off track.” He smiled sheepishly. “As it is, I’m supposed to be holed up in the apartment working on a chapter.”

“Writer’s block?” Simon teased.

“It’s a living, breathing thing. I shit you not.”

Brantley chuckled, although he had no idea what writer’s block was like. He’d never dealt with anything like it, and if he were lucky, he never would.

“You and Archer then,” Brantley told Simon. “The diner.”

“I’m game!” Archer shouted from the next room where he’d disappeared as soon as he was no longer needed. He got the feeling the guy really liked dogs.

“If they serve food, the guy’ll come runnin’,” Simon joked.

“He’s not wrong!” Archer added, his voice booming.

Simon turned to leave. “I’ll take the key down to Violet and meet y’all there.”

Brantley nodded, then followed Reese out of the room.

Archer got to his feet as they approached. “Mind if I hitch a ride with y’all? I left my Harley at the B and B.”

“Sure,” Reese told him as they headed for the front door. “You’ve got a motorcycle?”

Brantley listened to Archer talk about his Harley as they stepped outside, making their way to the truck. Tesha had an extra spring in her step, although Brantley got the sense she was trying to hide it. Part of her training, he figured.

Their conversation finally died off a few feet from the truck, so he figured it was the perfect opportunity to pick their brains before Simon joined them.

“What’re your honest thoughts about all that?” Brantley asked as he was climbing inside.

“You want my insight?” Archer said, buckling his seatbelt.

“Both of you, yeah.”

“As an outsider who doesn’t know the history, I think there’s a story there,” Archer answered. “I think it involves the Southern Boy Mafia and some corrupt FBI agents.”

“What about Meredith Prescott?” Reese asked. “Where does she fit in all this?”

“That one I don’t know. If she witnessed the hit, then I think it’s as simple as they want her to testify.”

“Isn’t there a statute of limitations?” Reese asked.

“Not on murder,” Brantley and Archer said at the same time.

Archer added, “But they’d have to want her pretty bad if they’re still stalking her family.

It’s been fifteen years, and the Southern Boy Mafia hasn’t lost its stronghold on the territory.

Not that I can tell, anyway. Surely they could’ve come up with something else to take them down.

I mean, seriously. Max Adorite isn’t made of Teflon. ”

Brantley grinned. He liked that analogy.

Expecting a chuckle from Reese, he looked over at him.

The man was quiet. Too quiet.

He drove toward the diner, trying his patience on for size. They lasted relatively well. Right up until he was turning the truck into the diner parking lot.

“Reese?”

“Hmm?”

“Where’d you go?”

He swallowed, then shifted in his seat, facing Brantley more fully. “There’s some stuff I haven’t mentioned.”

Brantley frowned. “About?”

“I honestly don’t know. Just some stuff the team uncovered back when we went to New York.”

He pulled the truck into a space, put it in Park, and turned it off. “What kinda stuff?”

“Little things. I specifically told the team to put it away until after the wedding. I knew if you got wind of it, you’d start lookin’ into it, and we had too much goin’ on at the time.”

Brantley wasn’t sure he liked where this was going. “Little things like what?”

“For starters, we found a connection between Decker Bromwell and Kylie. They went to the same high school.”

He would admit that was interesting information, but Brantley wasn’t sure it had much to do with anything they’d worked out.

“JJ’s the one who found it,” Reese continued. “I told her to put it away until after the wedding.”

As much as he hated the idea of Reese—or anyone, for that matter—keeping things from him, Brantley understood. To a degree.

“And you were holdin’ off until…?”

“I wasn’t. Swear. We just hadn’t gotten back to it yet. With JJ at the hospital, the babies, us creating a plan for the new hires…”

Brantley could feel Archer’s gaze following the conversation. He appreciated that the guy didn’t interrupt.

Reese continued. “Now that we’ve got all this new information, I think it might be worth mapping out a timeline, seeing where they intersect. If one has to do with another, there will be a nexus.”

Brantley didn’t disagree. Reese was correct. There would be an intersecting point.

“Is your brother still in town?” Brantley asked.

“Yeah.”

“Good.” Brantley tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “Text him and let him know I want to meet with him later today if possible.”

“You think his brother’s somehow involved?” Archer asked.

“In a way, probably.” Brantley chuckled. “But I’m invitin’ him because he’s our boss.”

“Ah. Sniper 1 Security?”

“Yep. Stick around. I’ll introduce you.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

Reese glanced over. “RT, too?”

“He’s welcome to join us,” Brantley told him. “If he doesn’t know what’s goin’ on, it’s probably time someone fills him in.”

While Reese did that, Brantley pulled out his phone and shot another text to Darius.

—Get that data digitized ASAP. I need access to it in a couple of hours.

—Will do, boss. I’ll shoot you a text as soon as we’re done.

Feeling like an ass for not filling Brantley in before now, Reese got out of the truck and helped Tesha out. With her leash in hand, he started toward the diner. He intended to fall a few steps behind and let Brantley and Archer talk while they waited for a table, but Brantley had other plans.

“I know you’re gonna kick yourself for not mentioning it to me beforehand, but don’t.”

Reese looked at Brantley. “I honestly was gonna tell you.”

“I know.”

His phone buzzed with a text. Reese pulled it out and checked the screen. “Z said they can meet us at the house later this evening.”

“Perfect.”

Brantley opened the door and waited for Archer and Reese to file inside. He followed.

“It’s just kinda been a whirlwind since the wedding,” Reese explained, picking up the original topic.

Brantley smiled, lightly touching his hand. “I know.” He tipped his head toward the server moving toward them. “Let’s get some food in us, and we’ll talk about next steps, and you can fill me in on all the little details.”

Reese nodded, feeling a little better. He knew Brantley wouldn’t hold a grudge, but that didn’t mean the man wasn’t disappointed. He wouldn’t show it, but Reese would know.

“Will this work?” the server asked, gesturing toward a four-top table.

“This really is the go-to place, huh?” Archer asked as they took their seats.

Reese grinned. “It’s convenient, and you can get your variety if you need it. Plus, the service is pretty damn spectacular.”

“They should hire you for their advertising team,” Archer said with a smirk.

Brantley laughed, which Reese took as a good sign.

Once they were situated, the server returned to take their order.

Reese opted for a salad while Brantley ordered a cheeseburger and fries.

Archer ordered for himself and Simon—two burgers and three orders of fries, insisting that growing boys gotta eat.

The restaurant was slow, but that would change in the next hour or so when the early dinner rush came.

“All right,” Archer prompted. “I have to know how long you’ve had Tesha.”

“It’ll be two years in November,” Reese answered.

“Where’d you get her?”

“It’s a funny story,” Brantley said with a laugh.

Reese listened while Brantley told the story about how Reese had rehomed her after finding her chained up in a backyard with no food or water in sight. Looking back now, perhaps it was somewhat amusing that he’d taken it upon himself to save her, not caring one fucking bit what her owners thought.

“Just walked right back there, unhooked her and carried her out,” Brantley said with a grin.

“I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

“And her training? If her previous owners were neglecting her, I can’t imagine they invested money in training.”

“No. That’s all Magnus. He owns Camp K-9, which is exactly what it sounds like. A daycare for dogs. But he also specializes in training search and rescue dogs.”

“I’ve seen the signs somewhere.”

“They’re relocating to some land they bought across the street from us,” Brantley explained. “Magnus, Ava, and my brother, Trey.”

“Do they have any that might need a good home?” Archer asked hopefully.

“Tell you what,” Reese said. “As soon as we get some time, I’ll run you by there and introduce you.”

Archer beamed. “That would be great.”

They’d just gotten their drinks when Simon walked in.

To Reese’s surprise, Z and RT strolled in right behind him.

“Z’s here,” Reese told Brantley.

Brantley looked up. “Maybe we can get this outta the way now.”

“I ordered for you,” Archer told Simon when the man took his seat.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t thank me yet. You don’t know what I ordered.”

Reese was laughing when Z and RT walked up to the table.

“Hey, man,” Brantley greeted. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Feels like it was just yesterday,” RT joked. “Or maybe that was today. It’s all crowding together at this point.”

Reese knew exactly what he meant.

“Z just told me y’all invited us to stay in town for an extra day or two.”

“We did.” Brantley nodded. “Got some things to talk about. Thought you should be here to hear it. Y’all wanna join us.”

Z looked at RT, who nodded.

Brantley raised a hand, signaling their server. “You think we could take that table too? Maybe move ’em together.”

“Of course.”

When she started to lean forward to do it herself, Brantley and Archer took over. RT, Z, and Simon stepped back, waiting until they’d rearranged the chairs to accommodate.

“Let me introduce you,” Reese said, gesturing as he spoke. “RT, Z, this is Simon Jennings and Archer Halligan. Simon, Archer, this is my brother, Zachariah Tavoularis.”

Simon and Archer stood to shake hands.

“Call me that, and you’re fired,” Z stated, only partially joking.

Reese continued, “And this is Ryan Trexler. RT owns Sniper 1 Security.”

RT snorted. “I’m one of many owners. This guy just likes to give me shit.”

Reese smirked. It was true. “He’s my brother-in-law. I’m allowed.”

“Nice to meet you,” RT told Simon as they all took their seats. “I’m a fan of the podcast.”

“Thanks.” Simon gestured to Z, then Reese, then Brantley. “Is it in the water down here?”

“The asshole thing?” Z quipped, causing everyone to laugh.

“I was referrin’ to how big y’all seem to grow ’em down here.”

“Since you brought the biggest one to town, maybe we should ask you that question,” Brantley told him, grinning at Archer.

Reese listened but didn’t contribute much. He was still kicking himself for not talking to Brantley about the information they’d uncovered. The conversation continued with random topics—weather, Formula 1, Dallas Cowboys—until the server delivered more drinks and their food.

Once they had everything situated, Brantley explained Holt’s theory to RT and Z.

Reese watched their expressions, namely his brother’s.

Neither seemed surprised by the news, which made Reese wonder whether they knew something he didn’t.

It would make sense that they did, considering Z had sent them on a wild goose chase in New York a few weeks ago.

“And you’re gonna do a podcast on it?” RT prompted.

“I am,” Simon confirmed.

“You have information that might tie it together?”

Reese noticed his brother wasn’t contributing. In fact, the man looked as though he was willing the floor to open up and swallow him.

Not for the first time, Reese wanted to blast Z with questions. All of them pertaining to the case they’d taken in New York. The one that involved finding Decker Bromwell, although Reese was pretty damn certain Deck hadn’t been lost.

As though sensing what Reese was thinking, Z looked up and met his gaze. He held it for a few seconds before giving a subtle shake of his head.

Z didn’t want him asking those questions right now.

That acknowledgment only gave Reese many more.