Reed (The Love Family Series Book 4) (2 page)

Reed relaxed in her embrace. The hold on his wrists tightened. “Don’t make me pull my knife, sweetie. Just tell me what I need to know.”

“Avery, dinner’s done. Be a good girl and invite your young man to stay,” Nonnie hollered up the stairs.

“Okay, Nonnie, we’ll be down in a minute,” Avery yelled back. She never removed her gaze from his face. “I have three weapons in this room, all within reaching distance. Start talking, Love.”

“He called me because I was the only one that could help him.”

“How?”

“He had an encrypted file that he needed me to crack.”

“And did you?”

Reed nodded.

“What was on it?”

“Pictures and a ledger.”

“Where are they?”

He shook his head. “We find him together, or I don’t give them to you.”

“Even knowing what I can do to you?”

Reed nodded. “I can help.”

“You’ll just get in the way.”

“You need me, just like Landon does.”

“You could die,” she said with a straight face.

“So could Landon. I
need
to help you.”

Her gaze searched his. Her skin smelled of salt water and was warm like the sun. If they’d been like this for any other reason, he’d flip her and kiss her until she agreed. If he could, and she didn’t snap his neck.

Her lips twisted as though she were trying to hide a smile. “You’re a good brother.”

Reed’s brows rose. “That’s debatable. A good brother would have found Landon long before now and dragged his sorry butt back.”

She leaned down and pressed her lips to his in a quick kiss before she climbed off of him. “Come on. Let’s go eat.”

This woman was mental. That was the only explanation he could come up with. Reed lifted up on his elbows and watched as she ran her fingers through her wet hair. “Why did you kiss me?”

“Because I wanted to.” She turned and waited while he climbed off the bed. “Don’t you ever do anything just because you want to?”

Reed shook his head. “No.”

“Let’s go before Nonnie comes up looking for us with her rolling pin. You do not want to be on the other side of that woman’s swing. Trust me.”

“What about my brother? I can’t just sit down and enjoy a meal.”

“Yes, you can. If I know your brother, which I do, then he’s already disappeared.” She grabbed his hand. “We’ll eat, then you’ll show me what he sent, and we’ll leave first thing in the morning.”

Bipolar much? They trampled down the stairs. “You never did tell me how you know my brother.”

“We work together,” she whispered, walking toward the kitchen. “Now don’t be rude; come eat my Nonnie’s cooking. It’s amazing.” 

Reed ate, as requested. He complimented Nonnie and hated to admit Avery was right about the food, pushing aside the guilt he should hunt his brother instead of sitting in their company.

Avery walked Reed to his car and she hopped on the hood. “Let’s see it.”

Reed pulled out the envelope, rested his hip next to her legs, and handed it to her.

“Should we be doing this out in the open?” he asked.

“Sure, it’s a nice evening breeze, don’t you think?”

“My brother is missing, and you’re feeding me pasta and talking about the breeze?”

“Relax, Reed. I’m going to find him,” she said, lifting the tab of the envelope. She pulled the documents out a few inches before shoving them back inside.

“Don’t you mean we? We’re going to find him.”

“Yeah. Isn’t that what I said?” she asked, hopping down off the car.

“No.”

“Hmm. Must have been a slip.” She patted his arm and lifted the envelope. “Go get some rest. We’re out of here by sunup.”   

Chapter 3

Reed tossed and turned in his bed all night long, unable to get comfortable. They were wasting valuable time. He was up and dressed at 6 AM, before his alarm clock even went off. He had his things packed and ready by the door, waiting. That was what comprised his life, waiting.

When eight o’clock rolled around, and there was still no sign of Avery, deep down in his gut, he knew that he’d been left behind.

“Okay, you want to play games?” Reed mumbled to himself and pulled out his computer chair. “Let’s play.”

Reed logged into social media and pulled up Avery’s page. Just one look at her picture and he’d be able to access whatever the hell he wanted. He started with her bank accounts, looking to see if she’d purchased a plane ticket, and came up empty. He moved to her home and cell phone records, to see if she’d made any calls. Nothing. He pushed away from the computer and stared at it as if it was a foreign object. “I’ll find you. I’m not giving up yet.”

He spotted the phone number his brother had used to call him and remembered the Texas location. “She had to get off the Island.”

Reed grabbed his bag, hopped into his car, and drove back over to Avery’s house. He rang the doorbell and could hear someone inside.

Nonnie opened the door. “Yes?”

“I need to talk to Avery, please. We were supposed to meet for coffee.”

“She’s not here, but she did leave this for you.” Nonnie grabbed the same envelope that he’d given Avery yesterday and handed it to him. Reed pulled out the note inside.

I’ll bring him back.

“Do you know where she went?”

“I never know with that girl. She’s constantly up and leaving in the middle of the night, but come in and let me make you a cup of coffee.”

Reed’s heart dropped into his stomach. She’d played him. Leaving in the middle of the night was nearly impossible, especially since neither the ferry nor the airport had flights departing. “Thanks.”

Reed followed the woman back into the house, and his gaze darted around, looking for anything that might give him a clue to where or how she’d left. 

“How do you like your coffee?”

“Black, please,” he answered and slipped onto the bar stool. “She was supposed to come meet my parents today.” Reed lied through his teeth.

“Oh.” Nonnie’s eyes lit with delight. “I’m sure she just forgot. She said she’d only be gone a few days. She mentioned something about surfing before she left for the hangar.”

Surfing and the hangar. Now he was getting somewhere. “Do you think you could call her? I’d hate for my parents to set an extra plate if she’s not going to be able to make it.”

“Sure, dear.” Nonnie picked up the phone and Reed watched the number she dialed. He memorized it, surprised to find it wasn’t the one she had in her records.

She held out the phone to him as it rang.

“Hey, Nonnie, what’s up?” Avery said by way of hello.

“Forget something?” Reed asked, and the line went quiet.

“What are you doing at my house?”

“I was just telling Nonnie that we had plans to meet for coffee, and how disappointed I was that you didn’t show up, and now you won’t be at our family lunch. My parents are going to be so disappointed.”

Nonnie was wiping the counter, as if not listening to their conversation, but he watched the grin on her face.

“Oh….that’s just low, Love,” she growled into the phone.

“I know. I was really looking forward to our
date
.”

“She’s standing right there, isn’t she?”

He glanced at Nonnie and grinned. “Yep.”

“Reed, you know those hundred ways I said I could kill you? I think I’ve picked just the right one. I’m going to—”

Reed cut her off. “Sure I’ll come to you, baby.”

“You did
not
just call me baby with her listening.”

“Yep, and if you threaten me again, I’ll tell her to plan the wedding,” he whispered into the phone before raising his voice. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Reed—”

He hung up on her before she could say anything else.

“Thank you for the coffee, Nonnie, but I’m afraid I’ve got to run and tell Mom the bad news.”

“Anytime, dear.” She walked him to the door. “I hope we see you around,” she said as a statement instead of a question.

“Me too.” He kissed her check and whistled while crossing the street to get back in his car. He pulled out his laptop, used his hot spot to log onto the internet, and pulled up the phone carrier so he could track her location.

Sure enough, the cell was pinging off the same cell towers as his brother’s had been.

Reed shut the laptop, grabbed his cell phone, and dialed the one person that could help him.

“Hey, Reed,” Reed’s brother-in-law, Luke, answered.

“Luke, I need a favor, no questions asked.”

“Okay, what do you need?”

“I need to borrow your private jet to fly to Texas, specifically Riverdale, Texas, and I need you to not tell my sister.”

“Of course you can borrow the jet, but not telling your sister isn’t an option. I don’t keep secrets from Sky. Reed, what’s going on?”  

“Landon is in trouble, and I need to go find him.”

“You know this how?”

“It doesn’t matter. Can I borrow your jet?”

“Yeah.” His answer was hesitant. “Keep it as long as you need. Henry, my pilot, is at your service. Just tell him where you need to go. I’ll have him waiting at the hangar.”

“Thanks, Luke. I owe you big time. The whole family does.”

“Reed. If you need anything else, you call me. I’m not going to tell your sister unless pressed. It might send her into labor, but you call Declan or me. Do you promise?”

“I will. Thanks, Luke.”

“And be careful.”

“Thanks, can you make that call now? I need to leave as soon as possible.”

“Sure. He’ll be ready by the time you get there.”

Reed hung up and glanced at the page of the ledger he hadn’t given Avery. His hold on the steering wheel tightened as he shoved the car into gear and pressed the gas pedal.

****

Reed stepped up to the counter of the B&B in the Riverdale district and glanced around the small establishment. Finding Avery had been a piece of cake when he’d searched all of the area hotels. Just pulling up their websites, with his ability, he had access to their entire database, including their reservation system. This little mom and pop place had been a piece of cake to hack and was in need of stronger security. A quick search of the registered guests, and the dates they’d checked in, and he’d found Avery. Reed signed the registration book and handed over his credit card to the little old lady behind the counter.

“You’re smarter than I thought,” Avery whispered into his ear.

Reed grinned and glanced over his shoulder. “It wasn’t hard, Gidget.”

Avery’s smile grew wide. “What can I say? I’m a fan of the oldies.”

The lady behind the desk slid him back his credit card, and Avery swiped his hotel key from the counter. “Okay, you’ve proved you can find me. Come on, Love, let’s get you settled so we can get to work.”

Reed followed Avery up the stairs and into his room. He walked to the window, shifted the curtains, and looked down at the sightseers and tourists below. A group of tables with an array of different colored canopies covered the small street.

“Isn’t this a little too out in the open for you?” He dropped the curtain and turned to find Avery relaxing on his bed.

“This is where the action is.” She licked her lips.

Reed watched the way she seductively crossed her toned legs on the bed. His mind raced quickly to the gutter. “Uh huh, I’m not falling into your trap. You’ll leave me again, only this time tied to the bed.” He gestured to her body. “You’re a pro at seducing men, aren’t you?”

Her lips quivered, and she patted the bed next to her. “I have my moments, but that’s not why I’m in your bed.” She turned on her side and rested her cheek in her palm. “I’ve already done recon, and we’ve got a few hours to kill. It’s going to be a long night. I just thought you might like to relax.”

Reed leaned against the dresser and crossed his arms over his chest. “What? So you can wait until I fall asleep and stab me with a knife? I don’t think so, doll. Where are we going tonight?”

“To a club.” She glanced at his bag and slid off the bed. “You did bring more clothes, didn’t you?”

She unzipped his bag, not waiting for an invitation and riffled through his clothes. “These won’t do.”

“What’s wrong with jeans?” He grabbed the T-shirt out of her hand, refolded it, and put it back into his bag.

Avery let out a hefty sigh and stood. “Nothing, if we were going to the farm or a bar, but we’re not. We’re going to need to blend into a place the wealthy use as their playground.” She tilted her head. “The man in the picture you gave me is scheduled to attend.”

“And he’ll know where Landon is?”

“No.” She smiled again. “I already know which direction he headed, but in order to help him, we have to figure out why he ran.” She slipped a picture out of her pocket and handed it to Reed. “And that man is going to give me answers.”

The picture was of a sharply dressed man in a suit, with sunglasses covering his eyes. He was flanked by walls of muscles.

“And how do you plan to get past his bodyguards?”

Avery batted her eyelashes. “I have my ways.”

Reed glanced down at the picture again. With all of the training his brother had given him, he might be able to handle one guy, but there was no way in hell he could fight off two.

Reed shook his head. “I don’t know…”

“Trust me.” She grabbed his arm and the card key and pulled him out of the room. “That’s not the security we’re going to need to get past.” She pulled the door closed behind them. “If you’re as good as Landon says you are…”

Reed grabbed her arm, stopping her at the top of the stairs. “What has Landon told you?”

Avery crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head. “He told me enough. He told me that you’re the best at what you do. He told me about your family and what you’re all capable of. What he didn’t tell me is how you work; how it is that you were able to decrypt a file that no one could open. You weren’t the first one to try and crack those files, but you were the only one that succeeded.”

“Who are you?” he asked and stepped back. “And which branch of the government do you work for?”

“None. Your brother and I were recruited by a private organization for our unique assets. Landon, because he can exploit feelings and uses that to help him gain what he needs. Me?” She shrugged. “I’m just good at what I do.”

“And what is that?” He narrowed his eyes, wondering just what alternate universe Lan had pulled Reed into.

“Whatever’s necessary,” she answered and started down the stairs.

“Whatever’s necessary to do what?” he asked, grabbing her arm and stopping her again.

“Whatever’s necessary to keep your brother alive. He helped me out of a sticky situation once, and I owe him. So if you’re done with your questions, we need to go.”

Avery started back down the stairs, and Reed followed. He digested the information he’d just learned. Landon trusted this woman since he’d divulged all their family secrets, but the question was, why? Why would he do that and just where was he hiding?