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Brook made no move to leave the table. Riggs rested his jacket over one knee as he waited for her to stand, but he might be waiting awhile. She didn’t like games, and she needed to ensure that he understood his role. First, though, she wanted to appease her curiosity.
“What was your question?”
“Did you know that your brother was a serial killer?”
“You wouldn’t have conceded if you believed for a second that I knew my brother was capable of murder from a very young age,” Brook replied evenly as she reached for the two-sided menu that was tucked between the salt and pepper shakers. She stood as she perused the limited contents on the menu. Once she’d chosen the four meals that she and the team would have before the kitchen closed its doors for the night, she placed the menu back into its spot and met Riggs’ stare. “Are we done with this pissing contest?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Riggs replied with a crooked smile. His jacket was too thick to sling over his shoulder, so he just held it in his hands. “I’ll go see if your colleagues need my help.”
Brook simply nodded and waited for Riggs to head for the stairs. Theo and Bit were no longer in sight, so she could only assume that they had been successful in getting the monitor inside the second room. Since there had only been four rooms available, Theo and Bit had chosen to share one. The makeshift office was conveniently attached to Brook’s room through a connecting door, allowing her to come and go without disturbing anyone. She wasn’t much of a sleeper, and she worked all hours of the night, unlike the rest of her team.
“Wyn? Could I please get three cheeseburgers, three sides of steak fries, and one club sandwich?” Brook had sent Erica home to get some rest with a directive that she join the team at seven o’clock in the morning. It would take the rest of the evening for the team to get things set up, and it would take even longer for Brook to draft a profile. It was best to start fresh with a clean slate. “I’ll be back down in thirty minutes to collect them, if that’s okay.”
“I’ll have Allie bring up your meals,” Wyn said as he set a draft beer down in front of a male individual who was eyeing Brook with curiosity. “Anything to drink?”
Brook had already eyed the coffee machine that was positioned against the far wall, but the glass carafe was only half-full. Considering that the rooms didn’t come equipped with anything of the sort, she figured she might as well admit to Wyn her one weakness.
“Coffee. Considering you’re not a doctor and can’t administer it through an IV, I guess I can settle for a cup now.” Brook’s comment garnered a smile from Wyn, but not so much the male subject nursing his beer. “Black.”
“I think I’m going to like having you around,” Wyn said with a hearty laugh. He wiped his hands on a dishtowel before reaching for a white porcelain mug. “I do have a question for you, though.”
Brook was getting the sense that every single resident in Moonshine Valley had a question for her, but she bit her tongue so as not to ruin the moment between her and the bartender. He was technically their host, and his tone didn’t indicate that his inquiry was about any specific topic. Given that she’d learned the hard way that each scenario required a different response, she granted Wyn his question.
“Shoot,” Brook urged him as she did her best not to stare at the coffee being poured into a cup like some frenzied, dehydrated tourist lost in the mountains.
“Is that kid old enough to be in a bar?” Wyn asked skeptically as his gaze traveled toward the staircase. “We can be lenient around these parts, but I don’t want to lose my liquor license, if you know what I mean.”
“You’ll be happy to know that Bit is in his mid-twenties.” A bit of tension eased from Brook’s shoulders. She’d been prepared for many questions, but Bit’s age hadn’t been one of them. Wyn set the coffee mug down on the counter so that she could pick it up by its handle. “Thanks, Wyn. I might just buy a carafe and have you fill it up every morning.”
“I’ve got you covered,” Wyn said as he reached underneath the counter. He pulled out a white carafe, similar to the one that her mother used when guests visited during the holidays. “I’ll have Allie bring you some fresh coffee when your meals are done. Also, feel free to use the coffee pot whenever you want.”
“I knew that I liked you,” Brook said with a tap to the counter. She ignored the man listening in on their conversation. She made a mental note to ask Riggs if there was anything she needed to know about any of the local residents. Considering that Luna Breen was from Virginia, and she hadn’t had any ties to the area, it was probable that the male subject just had idle curiosity about the case. “If I don’t see you before you close, have a good night.”
Wyn nodded as Brook took a tentative sip of her coffee. It wasn’t as hot as she preferred it to be, but the taste of the dark roast was most welcome. She carefully ascended the wooden stairs, still sensing everyone’s gaze on her. Unless they had all just crawled out from underneath rocks, it was a sure bet that they knew exactly who she was and that her brother had recently been sentenced to prison for life.
Technically, several life sentences had been handed down by a federal judge.
“…don’t touch anything. Not a keyboard, not a mouse, and especially not my energy drinks.”
Brook had entered her room, but Bit’s voice had carried through the connected doorway. She hadn’t lied to Wyn when she said that Bit was in his mid-twenties, though she could understand why the owner of the establishment had thought otherwise.
Bit wasn’t like Theo and Sylvie. Brook had chosen the young man to be part of the team for completely different reasons. Bit had never been to college. He’d barely graduated high school. Everything he’d learned regarding technology had been self-taught. He also had no ties to the Bureau, if one didn’t count the interest he’d garnered from several departments inside the FBI, CIA, and the NSA. If the agency had letters, then Bit’s name had likely crossed their desks.
Had Bit blurred the lines of justice in his past to make ends meet?
Yes.
Multiple times, for numerous reasons, and for several parties—Brook being one of them. She wouldn’t apologize to anyone for the lengths she’d gone to in order to search for her brother. It was the reason that she’d agreed to consult as a profiler with FBI for so many years before going into the private sector.
Every connection found, each contact made, with one single goal in mind had eventually come to fruition. Brook didn’t believe for a moment that her brother wouldn’t use every resource himself to get out of the so-called coffin that he’d found himself in, and she would monitor every single breath he took until the day he died to ensure that he didn’t take another life.
People sinned daily, and she was no exception.
Brook could lie to herself and say that the end justified the means, but she would only be giving herself false hope that she wouldn’t end up next to Jacob in the lowest level of hell.
“Everything okay in here?” Brook asked as she leaned a shoulder against the doorway. She took another sip of her coffee. Theo and Sylvie were getting ready to head out the main door to make another trip to the van. Bit was still explaining to Riggs why it wasn’t wise to touch any of the equipment and wires. From the deputy’s expression, he’d gotten the message loud and clear. “Mr. Kendric, I see that you met the rest of the team.”
“Riggs. Just Riggs.” His gaze was drawn to Sylvie, which wasn’t all that surprising. “And yes, I met everyone. I’m just not allowed to touch the laptop.”
