Page 66 of Building Courage

“Confiscating phones won’t help them. Whoever’s doing this would be stupid to use his regular phone. He probably has one of these handy.” He raised the burner phone in his hand. “There has to be two guys at least, and one has to be support personnel.”

Sam laid a hand on his shoulder. “We don’t have the resources to solve this ourselves, Tucker. They do. You have personal things you have to deal with right now. Do that, and we’ll see what comes next.”

It was good advice, but it didn’t do anything to ease his frustration.

At home, he made the calls. Savannah and Jordan’s mother, Katherine, were the toughest; their grief stretched through every word. He was glad he didn’t have to speak to his dad.

Rob, Jordan’s brother, was holding it together by a thread. He left them his temporary number and got off the phone.

Tucker took out his dress whites. How long had it been since he’d worn them? At least a year. They were still covered in the dry cleaner bag from their last use. He looked them over to ensure they were clean and wrinkle-free, then inspected his shoes, a pair of white and a pair of navy. Both looked good.

In the laundry room next to his weight room, he shook out his duffle bag and put his cammies and underwear in to wash. He always thought of his grandmother when he did laundry and sat down to call her. He gave her his temporary number and asked her to share it with his dad. “I’ll call you when I get my phone back so you’ll know everything is back to normal.”

“You’re sure you’re alright?”

“Yeah. I’m fine, Gran. Just the phone issue.” He thought of something that would cheer her up. “I’ve been teaching someone to scuba.”

“You have. Who is she, and how is she doing?”

He laughed. “She’s doing great. She’s a professional photographer for a magazine and does all sorts of graphic design. Her name is Brynn Barrington.”

“I bet she’s beautiful.”

“Yeah, she is. We’ve been dating for a few weeks.”

“Good, I’m glad. I worry that you’re alone too much.”

“I’m with the guys eight or ten hours a day, Gran. If anything, I’m not alone enough.”

“Having a woman in your life keeps you from turning into a grumpy bear. You release some of that testosterone in your system with a little…”

God, he hoped she wasn’t going to say sex.

“…bedroom play, and you just level right out. By the way, your father’s seeing someone, and he’s leveling out just fine.”

He struggled not to laugh. “I’m glad he’s seeing someone. When are you going to find someone to level out with?”

She laughed. “There’s not a man alive who can handle me. Your grandpa struggled something fierce and gave it a good try, though. I’m staying in fighting shape, though, just in case. I’m doing chair yoga down at the church every Thursday morning.”

He had to laugh at that one. Damn if he didn’t miss her.

“When are you going to come for a visit?”

There was just a hint of demand in her tone. “I don’t know, Gran. Things here have been a little hectic. But the first opportunity I get, I’ll fly your way.”

“Good. And you can bring your Brynn home with you.”

“We haven’t exactly gotten to that level yet, Gran.”

“Sure, you have. You told me you were seeing her, and that’s the first time that’s happened.”

Damn.

When he hung up, he felt better. He picked up the phone to call Brynn.

Chapter 20

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