Page 2 of Complicated Past

His calls after dinner and an hour later went straight to Bri’s voicemail. It wasn’t like his sister to have her phone off for an extended period. Along with what she’d said and the other woman’s voice, Linc couldn’t let this go, especially when each unsuccessful attempt sent his thoughts to darker and darker places. He tried a fourth time, then pulled up the website for the dealership and connected to the number for the service department before they closed for the day.

“Can I speak to Bri Porter?” he asked the man who answered.

“She’s not in. Do you need to schedule service?”

“Has she left for the day or . . .?”

“I think she’s out this week.”

“I needed to talk with her.” It’s not like she had to run plans past him, especially with him being deployed, but her being out for a week didn’t sound like Bri, even if she had been on better financial footing since starting this job. Combine it with her saying she’d done something stupid, and the unease tickling the back of his neck sunk its claws in to hold on tight. “Put me through to her voicemail.”

Bri had updated her message to say she’d be out of the office for the week. The message sounded normal, which eased his mind that Jalen was all right. But Bri reaching out if she was in trouble, despite him not being there for her in the past, left Linc with few options. He left her a message on her work line, then set an alarm, hoping to get hold of her in the morning.

Linc managedto get some sleep but woke in the night twice due to nightmares. He hadn’t had a nightmare this bad since before their mom and Bri’s dad died. Still no texts, calls, or emails from her. He didn’t care if he woke her calling at nearly eleven her time. Better to piss her off and know she was okay so he could focus on his mission here.

The call went to voicemail again. She wouldn’t have blocked him. Not after that initial call. Unless she’d really screwed up and wanted to get her head on straight before talking to him.

He waited until the rest of the team woke before tapping Devin. “Can I borrow your phone? I want to make sure she hasn’t blocked me.” His buddy handed over his phone without hesitation. Linc tapped in the number, hoping for different results.

Voicemail.

“Shit.” He hung up and handed the phone back rather than listen to the message.

“Still haven’t connected with your sister?” the chief asked.

“Not yet.”

“Play the message for me,” Lundgren requested.

Linc pulled out his phone. Getting non-biased feedback could give him some peace of mind and direction. The team crowded around in the kind of support he needed. He hit play, closed his eyes, and listened to Bri’s voice rather than study his friends’ faces. He clung to the hope that he was overreacting. Though replaying Bri’s message still made his muscles tense, knowing his team had his back helped him breathe.

“Play it again,” Tony Vincenti requested. Vincenti did most of the team’s undercover work and excelled at reading people and situations. “She’s speaking low like she doesn’t want to be heard, and I don’t know her, but the distress in her voice is real. Do you know the other woman talking?”

“No clue who she is.” The woman sounded young, maybe mid-twenties. Despite the southern accent, her harsh, unprofessional tone didn’t sound like a co-worker or Bri’s boss, who Linc recalled being male.

“Does she sound under the influence to you?” Vincenti asked.

“No. Just scared.” If she were high, she wouldn’t have called him to confess when he was deployed.

“I agree,” Dev said.

The heads bobbing in agreement lessened his fears about her using drugs but didn’t banish his gut instinct that Bri was in trouble.

“Let me know if you needanything.” Chief Lundgren held eye contact until Linc gave an affirmative nod.

“If Stephanie can call the preschool and make sure Jalen’s there and go by Bri’s apartment, I’d appreciate it.” He hadn’t anticipated this with how well Bri had been doing.

After breakfast and four hours of training, where Linc struggled to concentrate, the men broke for lunch. Linc waited for Chief Lundgren to finish a conversation with a Ukrainian officer before he approached. “Any word from Stephanie yet?”

“She called the school and managed to get confirmation that Jalen’s in class. Then she went by Bri’s apartment. No one was there, and nothing seemed off.”

Between the message Bri had left Linc and not being able to reach her, this news wasn’t enough to reassure him.What’s going on, Bri?“Would Stephanie mind going by again tonight?”

“I can ask. There’s also a flight back to Fort Liberty leaving at fourteen hundred hours. I’ll sign off on emergency family leave.”

“I’d hate to leave the team short-handed, but?—”

“No buts. It’s family. You’re all she’s got.”

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