“I’ll have the calls come here,” he offered.
Brantley shook his head. “Not a good idea. Then we’re dealin’ with secondhand information. If you want to do this, I’d rather we take the calls directly.” He sat up, leaned forward, his eyes hard. “I just need you to know that we will stop at nothin’ to find her, so whatever you think’ll help make that happen, we’ll gladly adjust our strategy.”
Travis considered it, then said, “Five hundred thousand dollars.”
Brantley exhaled heavily. “I know you said money’s no object and there’s no amount you won’t pay. We get that. Really. But I suggest we start out with fifty or a hundred. Something reasonable. Like I said, we’ll be inundated with bullshit that we have to sift through. The more you offer, the more crazy you invite.”
“One hundred, then.”
Brantley nodded. “Okay. Now the next issue we need to deal with is the press is gonna want a statement. I talked to RT before we came over here, and he suggested we have Sniper 1 represent you and your family. They’ll take the lead. They’ll make the public announcement regardin’ the reward and they’ll field any questions.”
Travis immediately shook his head. “I should be the one. That way Juliet sees that I’m not takin’ this sittin’ down.”
“Actually, we were hopin’ to do the opposite.” Reese’s stare was intense. “We believe Juliet has remained in the area because she’s not finished with you yet. Based on the profile that was done, it’s believed she has developed an obsession with you. By givin’ her access to you on live television, it’ll play into what she needs.”
“I don’t see a problem with that,” he told Reese.
“If we can keep you out of reach, unavailable to her, we’re hopin’ it’ll draw her out. At this point, that’s our best option.”
“Before you ask,” Brantley added quickly, “we’ve got agents placed throughout Coyote Ridge. They’re keepin’ a close eye on your parents, your brothers, their SOs, kids. We’ve even got a pair stayin’ across the street from you. Like I said, RT pulled out all the stops for this.” His voice lowered and Travis heard the pain in it when he added, “She won’t get another opportunity to hurt anyone else.”
He could tell they expected him to say that she never should’ve had the chance in the first place. Yes, it was the first thing he thought about every fucking day. And while he had laid the blame right at their feet during the first couple of days, Travis knew it was not their fault. Brantley and Reese had saved his daughter; they’d done something no one else was able to do at the time. He would not allow his anger and his hatred to get the best of him. They didn’t deserve to be accused of something they had no control over. And ultimately, placing blame wouldn’t make Travis feel better.
“We’ll do things your way,” he conceded. “Under one condition.”
Based on Brantley’s expression, he’d been expecting a stipulation.
“When you get the lead that zeroes in on her … I’ll be right there with you when you go after her.”
Neither of them said anything.
“Otherwise, I’ll do this on my own.”
And he didn’t have to tell them what that meant, because as far as Travis was concerned, Juliet Prince was as good as dead already.
*
Brantley had known from the moment Travis said he wanted to offer a reward that he was inserting himself back into the investigation.
Granted, he’d always expected Travis would be there for the takedown. Problem was, Brantley remembered Travis’s comment about needing an alibi. His cousin hadn’t been bluffing. Not the day JJ’s house blew up and not today. They could either include him when it came to it or he would go rogue. And anyone who knew Travis understood the repercussions of letting the man go off on his own.
Brantley needed to ensure that didn’t happen.
“Once we have valid intel that leads us to her, you’ll be the first to know,” he promised, getting to his feet.
“You need to talk to Gage,” Reese said as he slowly stood. “Don’t leave him out of this, Travis. He deserves to be included.”
Brantley was surprised by Reese’s statement. More so by Travis’s reaction. At one point in his life, Travis would’ve told Reese to mind his own business, probably with a couple of f-bombs in there for good measure. Would’ve told anyone that, in fact. Instead, Travis was staring at Reese as though the advice was warranted.
“We’ll keep you in the loop,” Brantley said, nodding for Reese to lead the way.
They headed back through the resort and out to the parking lot. It had started to rain, just a light drizzle for the moment, and it seemed to fit the mood. As though the gloomy weather had found the spot over the resort and settled in. It was still hard to grasp the fact that Kylie was dead, that the Walkers had lost someone so special to them.
Because his career had kept him away from Coyote Ridge for so long, Brantley wasn’t particularly close to most of his cousins. Sure, he’d interacted during family functions when he was able to get home for them. But in the past few years, many of his cousins had settled down, gotten married, had kids, and Brantley hadn’t been around. Even in the six months since he’d been back, he hadn’t spent much time with most of them.
The same could not be said for those who’d remained in Coyote Ridge. His mother and father, brothers and sisters… they were all close to the rest of the family. They spent time with each other, at family gatherings, in town, at church, and whatnot. They’d all had a personal connection with Kylie, and he knew it was as much for them that he was determined to find Kylie’s killer as it was for Travis.
But that didn’t mean Brantley wasn’t aware of what was going on. Nor did it mean he hadn’t developed friendships since. He’d spoken to Kylie a few times at Curtis and Lorrie’s. She was kind and funny, with a positive outlook that had been refreshing. Her loss was felt by all.
“You’re worried about him.”
Brantley glanced at Reese as he climbed in the truck. “I am, sure. I think everyone is.”
“He’s strong.”
Yeah, Brantley knew that, too. Didn’t mean the man could go it alone. “You think we should give Gage a heads-up?”
Reese shook his head. “We have to trust Travis to do that.”
Fair point.
Three hours later, Brantley was standing shoulder to shoulder with Reese, alongside Baz, JJ, Charlie, and Trey. They had invited Luca and Holly to join them, but Luca had insisted on being available to take calls once they started coming in, and his sister had wanted to help out.
The task force was joined by other members of the Sniper 1 Security team, as well as Mayor Bianca Stewart and Sheriff Jeff Endsley, all backing RT, who was standing behind a microphone in front of a handful of reporters.
When Brantley had first mentioned Travis’s desire to offer a reward for Juliet Prince, he’d had his concerns. Even now he knew it was a risk, but in all fairness, it was the best option they had for finding the woman. There were only so many of them, but a reward would increase their numbers tenfold by bringing the public into the investigation.
After a lengthy discussion, RT and the team had agreed it was the best avenue to pursue, so he’d gotten some people in place to man the hotline that was being set up and started the process of gathering the press.
Brantley was grateful RT had agreed to speak. The man had a way of articulating that brought people together, had them rallying for the common goal. He listened as RT outlined the events that had taken place, the tragedy that had impacted the Walker family and the community as a whole. He spoke of the kidnapping of Kate Walker, then outlined the devastating loss of Kylie.
While he spoke, Brantley watched the cameramen, the media correspondents, and the few onlookers who’d gathered. He had to wonder if Juliet was watching this live, if she was stalking the town the way she had been for months. He hoped so. Brantley wanted her to see they were stopping at nothing to find her. And he wanted her to see that
Travis wasn’t giving her the time of day.
“With that said,” RT continued, “the Walker family is offering a one-hundred-thousand-dollar reward for information that directly leads to the arrest of Juliet Prince.”
That announcement set the press in motion. Questions were lobbed at RT, who handled them brilliantly. He seemed to have an appropriate response prepared and Brantley admired him for it. The guy was definitely good at what he did.
Now it was time for Brantley’s team to prove they were good at what they did, too.
*
Juliet glared at the television screen.
At all of them, in fact, since she was currently standing in the electronics section of a Walmart watching what was evidently the biggest news story in five counties.
With her sunglasses and ball cap on, no one was going to recognize her, even if there’d been more than three people in the store at the moment. This small hick town didn’t have many people to begin with, and at one o’clock on a Monday afternoon, they apparently had better things to do.
One hundred thousand dollars.
She snorted, taking her cart and pushing it toward the beauty department. She’d come into this godforsaken store to pick up a few extra pairs of clothes, although she felt sick at the idea of having to wear such crap. She’d been stupid to leave the clothes behind at the motel. She’d spent good money on that stuff and hadn’t been able to wear half of it. Now she was stuck in this shithole of a town, and the Walmart was the only store they had, so she had to make do. Temporarily, of course.
Now that she’d scrounged a few pieces that were relatively decent, she needed something that’d help alter her appearance a little more.
The thought of putting cheap hair dye on her hair had her stomach cramping, but Juliet knew the days of salon highlights and coloring were out. At least until she figured out a way to start over, to change her identity for good. One day, she would get back to the glam life, of that she was certain. She had even started her list of potential husbands. There were several she knew who had bank accounts worthy of her. It was just a matter of getting through this debacle and reinventing herself. At that point, she could marry money one more time and live happily ever after.
As she skimmed the rows of boxed hair color, she couldn’t help but wonder where Travis Walker was. He hadn’t been part of the group backing the guy who’d stepped up to the microphone and made the big announcement. Juliet had expected Travis to be the speaker, but at the very least, she thought he would be standing in the background.
No. It looked as though Travis Walker couldn’t be bothered to show up.
So where was he? At home, cuddled up to his husband, maybe? Juliet wouldn’t doubt it. The guy was disgusting. A wife and a husband? Who did that? Was he too good to settle down with just one person so he grabbed one of each?
It sickened her to think about. Maybe Travis Walker had already moved on. Maybe the reward was his family’s way of avenging the woman’s death.
Now that she thought about it, most of what she’d ever read was about Travis and the husband. Rarely was the wife even mentioned. Could be he hadn’t wanted the wife in the first place.
Had she done him a favor by offing that bitch?
Juliet felt her face heat with her anger. Had she killed the wrong person? Was that woman of so little importance to Travis that he couldn’t be bothered to offer a reward himself?
She grabbed a box of red hair color, threw it in the cart, and stomped toward the register.
If Travis Walker couldn’t be bothered for Kylie, then Juliet would find someone else to eliminate. Someone whose death would bring that asshole to his knees once and for all.
But first, she would have to find a place to go for a little while. Somewhere to hide until the heat died down. The reward would have people actively looking at her. It raised the chances of her being caught.
As much as it pained her, she knew she would have to leave the area for a little bit. Not too far though. Juliet liked knowing Travis Walker was close.
Mexico wasn’t ideal but it would take little effort to get there. Only a few hours from here.
Then again, crossing the border on her own would likely result in her being caught. She would have to get creative, which meant a little more time.
Nope. Not Mexico. Not yet.
A touristy spot might work. Somewhere along the coast. South Padre? It was close to Mexico. That way, if it came down to it, maybe she could make a run for it.
As she scanned her items through the self-checkout lane, Juliet came up with a new plan.
Chapter Twelve
Three weeks later
Thursday, February 11, 2021
Reese had known that offering a reward to the public would result in an overabundance of crap sightings of Juliet Prince.
What he hadn’t expected was to have spent the past three weeks chasing one lead after another only to come up with absolutely nothing. Every single time they had what sounded like a legit sighting, they investigated. And so far, they’d done nothing more than harass innocent people.
The calls had died down significantly in the past couple of days. They’d been prepared for that, too, realizing there would be a heightened sense of awareness in the beginning, when the story was hot, but eventually the buzz would wear off. With each passing day, people were forgetting about the reward, moving on with their lives. Eventually they would stop looking for the woman whose picture had been flashed on the television and social media for several days, asking for any information leading to her whereabouts.
If he was being honest, it pissed him off.
Now as he stood in the shower, his head down, the heat of the water beating over his tired muscles, Reese tried to relax. He needed to regroup, to come up with a new plan. Juliet Prince was out there. It was just a matter of pinpointing where. No one could hide forever, regardless of how determined they were.
He must’ve been so lost in his own head that he hadn’t heard Brantley come into the bathroom, because it wasn’t until he felt the man press up against his back that he even realized he had company.
“You’ve been in here a long time,” Brantley said, his arms banding around him, palms flattening on his chest and pulling him back.
Reese leaned into the hard body, letting Brantley keep him upright.
“You’re thinkin’ too much.” Brantley’s voice was low, guttural. “I can help with that.”
“Can you?”
The hands pressed to his chest slid lower, gliding over his stomach, down, down.
Reese groaned softly when Brantley teased and tormented before finally fisting his cock. His touch was featherlight but more than enough to awaken every nerve ending in Reese’s body.
Tilting his head to the side, he gave Brantley access to his neck as warm lips caressed his skin.
He let himself be touched, enjoyed the attention, admired the confidence he felt in Brantley’s movements. The man could bring him pleasure unlike anything he’d ever known. He found it interesting how the rest of the world could fade away, even if only for the briefest of moments. Nothing else existed except for the two of them. Right here. Right now.
Reese turned in Brantley’s arms, needing to solidify the connection. He palmed Brantley’s head, pulled him closer until their lips fused. Leaning into the tiled wall, he let that kiss take him to new heights, enjoying the way Brantley explored his mouth. Always seeking, always searching, as though there was something new to find.
Reese’s hands wandered, gliding over slick skin. He was content just like this, although his body was prepping for more, his cock throbbing incessantly, the need for release igniting.
Brantley never pushed, his hand continuing to stroke Reese’s cock. Up, down. Slow, steady. It was enough for Reese’s heart to beat harder, faster, his breaths rasping in and out of his lungs.
Then the kiss broke and Brantley’s forehead rested against his, but his exquisite touch never disappeared.
“Co
me for me,” Brantley whispered as they both watched what Brantley was doing to him.
Reese groaned, his fingertips digging into Brantley’s hip as he held on, fought the insurmountable pleasure for as long as he could until…
“Fuck,” he groaned low in his throat, knees turning to jelly as his release barreled through him.
And then Brantley’s lips were back, his tongue leisurely sliding into his mouth as he came down from that incredible high.
“I love you,” Reese whispered, needing Brantley to hear the words, to know he meant them.
Brantley pulled back, their eyes met, and what he saw sated Reese on a different level.
“I love you, too,” Brantley whispered. “More and more every single day.”
Those words … they were his anchor, even when he didn’t realize he needed one.
*
Not wanting to go home to an empty house, Trey decided to go to Moonshiners. It wasn’t that he necessarily cared for a beer, but it seemed a better option than going to the diner alone. It sucked to eat dinner by himself, whether at a restaurant or at home.
He’d spent the better part of the day with the task force, listening as they berated themselves for not being able to find one woman despite all the information they’d received in the past few weeks. He felt their frustration, mirrored it even, but for the life of him, Trey didn’t know how to fix this. He didn’t know how to get them what they needed so they could end this once and for all.
Then Brantley had suggested everyone go home and sleep on it. To get some rest so they could come back tomorrow with renewed purpose.
Trey knew sleep wasn’t going to happen because it had eluded him for weeks now. He was running on adrenaline and fucking hope, neither of which was sustaining him.
So this was the only option.
When he walked in, he saw Mack was behind the bar, and the familiar face relaxed something inside him. It seemed Mack was working less and less these days, shifting responsibilities to Rafe Sharpe. Sure, Trey liked Rafe, but he wasn’t the man they’d come to expect to be there, the one who would listen to their bitches and moans because that was his role as the small town’s bartender.
Alibi (Brantley Walker: Off the Books Book 5) Page 11