A different kind of frustration bubbled against my skin. The urge to kiss her, to coax her mouth open and drain the tension from her body, hit me.Unexpectedly.
Shit.
“It’s all right,” I grunted and returned to my text, watching in my periphery as she moved a few paces away.
I quickly tapped out Brandon’s name and sent it through to Callum. After two years of working with me, my brother knew exactly what information I needed and just how to get it.
When I looked up, Lara had started a slow 360 spin, scanning the parking lot like there were clues to be found if she just looked hard enough.
My gut clenched. Was this what everyone who hired me felt like while I worked? Or was it only her because she was here with me now?Whatever the answer, I didn’t like the heavy yoke of helplessness settled on her shoulders. I more than didn’t like it. I felt a sear of anger burning through me, like I’d do anything to stop it.
So I did.
“Lara,” I called before I could stop myself, and a second later twin green orbs glittered at me. “The security cameras—the brand, the model is cloud storage only, which holds footage for a maximum of two weeks, so whatever they captured would’ve already been overwritten.” I cleared my throat, not used to having to explain my process, let alonewantingto. “To store anything older, they’d need a dedicated physical server in the diner.” Which they clearly didn’t have.
There wasn’t reason to say more except her strain started to ease. Her shoulders softened and she looked at me with the same swell of gratitude that had propelled her to hug me. And like an itch that needed to be scratched, I wanted to push her to that place again.The place where she couldn’t stop herself from reaching for me.
“I sent Brandon’s information to Callum,” I continued. “He’ll be able to find any vehicles registered to him, including the camper.”
“What about the police? Are you going to call and find out what they were talking to Brandon about?”
My cell started to vibrate, and I gave her a single “hold on” finger as I picked up the call.
“Hey, Callum,” I answered, feeling Lara get closer to my back.
My brother’s terse voice sped through the information. “Brandon Westman has two vehicles registered to his name. A 2008 Ford pickup and a Timberleaf camper. The Ford was tagged a few weeks ago for an expired registration.”
“Got it. So police flagged him for the expired tags on the truck,” I confirmed loud enough for Lara to hear.
“Yeah ...” Callum grunted; it wasn’t like me to repeat information back to him, but he wouldn’t ask. For once, I was grateful for the dismal interest he held in anyone’s life. “I also checked permits, and he paid for one three weeks ago at Bridger-Teton; his license plate registered asentering the park the day after it was flagged by the police as expired. The permit for the camper expires in three days, but he still hasn’t upped the registration on the truck.”
I hummed in thought. With expired tags, it was a safe bet Brandon would linger in the park as long as he could before renewing the registration or risking a fine rather than a warning from the police.
“Great. Thanks—”
“Calder, that wasn’t the only permit that came up.” Callum caught me as I turned back to Lara, about to hang up. “He also paid for a hunting permit for the park.”
Shit.
“Got it,” I replied flatly, holding Lara’s increasingly narrow stare. “Anything else?”
“Don’t go looking tonight. There’s a storm coming.” If Callum was warning me about it, then it was serious; he hadn’t earned his nickname, the Daredevil, for nothing.
“Thanks—” The line went dead.
“What is it? What did he say?” Lara asked as soon as the phone vacated my ear.
“Brandon’s plates on his truck were expired. That was what the police were arguing with him about.” And thanks to Callum, I didn’t need to make a second call to the precinct to find out more.
“Does he know where it is? Can he track it?”
“The model is too old for GPS, but Callum found a permit request to camp in the park, and a record of Brandon’s license plate entering Bridger-Teton the day after Rachel called you.”
“So he’s in the park? They’re in the park? Where do we—”
“His truck and camper entered the park,” I interrupted, keeping my tone level in hopes it would steady hers. “His permit is good for another few days, which makes it likely he’s still there but not a guarantee.”
“But if he is . . .”
