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Hunter’s voice had lowered in a rage that was impressive and rarely heard. Oh, he was filled with plenty of bluster, but most of it was all show. Not that he suffered fools. He only really showed his softer side when it came to his wife. But he was furious, and Curt knew it was his fault. His focus was shot to hell.
Curt placed his hand on Cady’s shoulder. “Sorry, honey. Didn’t mean to scare you.”
“You didn’t.” She scowled up at Hunter. “But I do wish the two of you wouldn’t yell in front of the baby. She’s going to come out thinking her daddy is always angry.”
“He won’t think any such thing,” but Hunter lowered his voice as he stared down at his wife and her impressive baby bump.
“The doctor said it’s a girl, Hunter. You’ve got to get used to that fact.”
“The doctor is wrong. They get things wrong all the time.”
“I don’t think they could miss something dangling between the baby’s legs.”
Curt knew Cady was trying to diffuse the heated situation with a familiar argument between her and Hunter. Hunter seemed to think denying that he was having a daughter would make it true. Curt knew a man running scared when he saw one. Bad enough to have a fragile, helpless child dependent on him for everything, but for it to be a girl added a whole other level of pressure. Pressure Curt had once welcomed, but had been taken from him in the space of minutes. He pushed that memory away.
“I think we should all just sit and take a breath for a moment, all right?” Gray said calmly. He looked at Curt then Hunter.
“I’ll grab your chair,” Cady offered.
“You’ll stay where you are,” Hunter barked. “Let him get his own damn chair.”
Curt winked at her, grabbed his chair, and sat with a sigh. Fuck, what was he doing with his life? Did he want to lose the only reason he had for getting up in the morning? The only thing that stopped him from drinking too much? Because all he had left was this job and the way he was going, soon he wouldn’t have that. Then what the hell would he have to live for?
“As Hunter was saying, Travis has asked for a meeting,” Gray said in a low, calm voice. “He’ll be here in ten minutes.”
“What’s it about?” Lacey asked with a frown. Travis was her cousin, but she seemed as clueless as the rest of them.
“I don’t know,” Gray said dryly. “He’s being mysterious, as usual.”
“Asshole,” Hunter muttered. It was common knowledge there was no love lost between the two of them although they seemed to be playing nice ever since Lacey got involved with Gray.
“He said he has some information about an old case we might be interested in,” Gray said. “I don’t know what he’s talking about, but it must be important for him to fly down here.”
“We haven’t worked on that many cases with Raptor,” Josh mused. “There was that one with Lacey and another one earlier this year and the one involving Jenna Jasons.”
Curt stiffened at the mention of Jenna’s name. No, Travis wasn’t coming here because of Jenna. That case was over. There was nothing left to talk about.
Unless Travis had a lead on who’d taken her.
“If it’s about Jenna’s case, I want in.”
“Oh, so you are still awake,” Hunter said sarcastically. “I was about to call a medic to check your pulse.”
Curt managed not to snap back. Barely. He knew Hunter was having a hard time with Cady getting closer to her due date. Plus, he was just an asshole. He did have a point about Curt not really having his head together, though. That had to change. They talked about a few of their other jobs, nothing Curt was that interested in.
When the door to the meeting room finally opened, and Ella ushered in Travis and Jace Andrews, Curt was on edge. Is this about Jenna’s case? But why would it be? As far as he knew that was closed. She was taken by extremists for money. End of story.
But that ache in his gut just wouldn’t go away. The one that said this wasn’t over.
Travis gave Ella, the new receptionist, a gentle smile. The girl blushed slightly. Curt had never seen her even smile. She was timid, jumped at shadows, and couldn’t look any of them in the eye. Sometimes he wondered what had possessed Gray to hire her. Gray collected strays, as Hunter liked to say. Thank God, because otherwise half of them probably wouldn’t be here. They all had their own personal shit. Gray had brought them together and made them a family of sorts. And he’d been failing his family. Too stuck in his own head to be much use to anyone.
Yeah, shit has to change.
“So, what’s this about, Andrews?” Hunter barked. “Better be good, we’ve all got other stuff to do.”
“What, you missing an appointment with your manicurist?” Travis asked.
Hunter growled.
