Page 27 of Complicated Past

“If you want some scrambled eggs and ham, you can crack the eggs. I’ll take four. Sorry if the phone call woke you.”

“Clara or the police?” She started cracking eggs into a bowl.

“I wish. The Shulers. They’re taking Jalen to church, so we’ve got the morning free.” He opened the package of country ham. “The water in the pot is for your tea.”

“Thank you.”

The smile she aimed at him would normally have him taking things in a more romantic direction, but he wasn’t going to risk moving too fast. Even though her tantalizing mouth tempted him to taste her, he settled for the slow burn of anticipation.

After she poured water into a mug and added a tea bag, she hunted in Dev’s pantry for spices and seasoned the eggs while he cooked the ham. It’d been a long time since he’d cooked breakfast with a woman he hadn’t slept with. Kendra had the kind of positive outlook and restraint that countered and complemented his disposition, but her family wouldn’t approve if they dated. There was no point worrying about that yet.

He’d ended his last relationship when Tayshia started pushing for their fun, no-commitment arrangement to become more. Before he deployed, she’d invited her parents to meet him, telling him after the plans were made. Her parents had been on board with him being military, even Special Ops, but things got uncomfortable when her mother began asking about his parents and family. Something that he and Tayshia hadn’t even discussed yet. It became clear they envisioned different futures, and she wanted things he couldn’t commit to.

He’d made it into the elite Delta unit because of the men who helped mold him for that. But how could he be a good husband and father with no role models? He shouldn’t waste mental energy on that when he needed to focus on finding Bri.

“I’ll call Clara to see if she knows anything more and let her know which grid I plan to search today,” Linc said as he carried his plate to the sink.

“I’ll clean up here while you call,” Kendra offered.

The line rang twice before his call was redirected to voicemail. A message popped up on his screen.

Can’t talk now. Call you shortly.

At least she wasn’t totally ignoring him.

The weight on his shoulders and in his chest grew as he opened his laptop to the map. Fayetteville wasn’t a big city, but even spending hours canvassing yesterday, they’d barely covered a fraction of the city. He had no idea how many license plate readers the local police had. If the guy had swapped out plates, they weren’t going to get leads that way. This might be their best shot at finding Regina. But he couldn’t count on her having any information on Bri’s location in Mexico. They needed the guy who took her.Hewould know where they were.

By now, the police might have found a hotel reservation for Tawnya. He could leave Jalen with the Shulers and be in Mexico tonight.

With the clock ticking down, if the police hadn’t learned anything, it was time to call in reinforcements. Ask Angela Hoffman to see what she could dig up.

“I’m going to get dressed so I can head out.”

“I will too,” Kendra offered without him asking.

He’d just emerged from the bathroom to wait for Kendra when his phone rang. “Wondered if you had any updates,” he greeted Clara.

“We caught a break and think we have a location. We’re waiting for a judge to grant a warrant now.”

“How long will that take?”

“I don’t know. It’s Sunday.”

“Just give me the location.” He didn’t need a warrant. Adrenaline pumped through him as he reached for the notepad.

“Leave this to law enforcement.”

“My team and I are some of the bestin the worldat what we do.Thiskind of mission isexactlywhat we train for and execute—successfully. If it were Kendra or someone else you cared about, we are—I am—who you’d want going in to get them out.”

“We’re trained as well.”

“Trust me, it’s not the same.”

“I understand you wanting to help, but you’re too personally involved. This isnot your mission. You are not deployed?—”

“I have credentials allowing me to operate on US soil.”

“You’re not listening to me. At this point, we don’t know that the van is there or that it’s the right location.”

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