Page 41 of Hack
"Oh yeah, I'm in no hurry. Just wanted to make sure you didn't mind dropping me off."
"I'd rather keep you here, but since we must work…" He grinned.
"Maybe if we're lucky, we can sneak back here before hitting the bar tonight." Carter tossed his cup in the trash.
"That sounds like a plan." But he was pretty sure that wouldn't happen. They were both workaholics and both passionate about finding Lyle. No matter how good the sex was, it wasn't good enough for either of them to forget their goal or the reason they were in Atlanta.
Standing, he grabbed his stuff, pausing to make sure he had the room key in his pocket still before heading to the door. "How are you playing this today? Low profile or are we letting it be known we're around asking questions?"
"Hell, let them know we're here. It will put a little heat on the brothers. If we get lucky, they'll contact Lyle to warn him." Carter followed him out of the room, pausing to make sure the door shut tightly. "I plan on speaking to the brothers tonight anyway if I can. There's no point in hiding what we're here for. Hopefully, someone will hear what we are doing and come forward with information."
They walked down the hallway in silence, pausing for the elevator, then taking it down to the small lobby where breakfast was being served. Neither spoke as they loaded their plates with food and sat down at a table away from everyone else.
"It's so hard to sit here when I know there are answers out there. The brothers know something. I'm sure of it." Carter sighed.
"I know, makes you want to force them to talk, doesn't it?" Archer stabbed a piece of sausage with his fork.
"If only…" Carter met Archer's stare across the table, leaving no doubt that he would be willing to do whatever he could to get answers.
It made Archer wonder again at what Carter did for work. There was something in those eyes that said he'd seen some shit in his life, dark shit that left a haunting mark on your soul after.
"Don't look at me that way." Carter looked away from him.
"What way?"
"Like you're trying to piece together a puzzle, figure me out." Carter tore a piece of bacon in half. "You don't want the answers."
"You sure about that?" Archer asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure. I wouldn't wish that on anybody. What's in my head isn't pretty, and it's safer if it stays locked up in there." Carter tapped his temple. "Some things can't be undone and are best not shared."
That only made him more curious, but he didn't say anything in response. He could hardly talk Carter into opening up to him. He was pretty sure he could handle whatever secrets Carter was keeping, but maybe he was right, sometimes it was best not knowing. What was that saying about curiosity killing the cat? He needed to listen to that. "I'm not asking."
"Not verbally, but I can see it in your stare. Seriously, it's best if I keep my life to myself. It's safer for all concerned." Carter glanced at his phone as if it would distract them from the conversation they weren't having.
Archer let it go. Whatever Carter did wasn't his concern. They were working together to find Lyle, then going their own way. If what Carter was hiding was so dangerous, it was probably best he didn't know about it anyway. He didn't need the added stress in his own life. He had enough to worry about on his own.
The silence grew between them as they ate, both of them in their own minds. That was okay. It wasn't the place to talk, and honestly, what did they have to say that they hadn't already talked about? It wasn't as if they could start dissecting the case over breakfast. For one, they didn't have enough information, and for two, they were better off waiting until they weren't in the public eye.
When he finished eating, he sat back, playing around on his phone, not really doing more than skipping from one app to another to make himself look busy. Carter was doing the same, only he got the feeling that Carter wasn't playing around. He looked serious as he typed out several text messages, read the ones that were returned, and cursed softly under his breath several times.
"You need to get back to work?" Archer asked.
"No, I'm good. They're just updating me on a few things. Nothing I can do to help them right now. It's stuff that will take weeks to work through." He set his phone down. "You ready to get out of here?"
"Yeah. I looked it up. The post office is just a few blocks from the sheriff's office. If you get done earlier than I do, you can walk over or text me and I'll pick you up." Archer stood, making sure he had all the trash off the table.
"I'm good. I need to pull some credit reports and banking info, so I'll just work from the library, it's right next to the post office. You shoot me a text when you get done with the police." Carter dumped his tray in the trash and slid the empty onto the stack of trays above the can.
Archer did the same with his, wondering if it was just him or if Carter seemed as if he'd rather not deal with the police. He didn't get the feeling that Carter disliked the cops, but there was an underlying unease whenever Archer talked about meeting with them. "No problem." He made sure he had his bags before heading outside to the car.
"Ask around, find us a good place for dinner tonight. I'll take you out to eat before we hit the bar," Carter said as they clicked their seatbelts into place.
"You craving anything certain?" Archer asked.
"Yes, but that will have to wait until we get back to the room tonight." Carter grinned over at him.
Archer hated the way his body instantly reacted to the comment. This was more dangerous than he thought if he was going to have to focus on not walking around with a hard-on all day. It was just sex, nothing he couldn't put off until later when they had time for it. "Dessert it is." Archer winked at him before pulling the car onto the road.
The drive to the library took only a few minutes, and before he knew it, he was alone. He didn't like being alone suddenly. He spent his life enjoying his seclusion, hating being around others, but he liked being around Carter, craved it even.
He sighed, trying to force himself to stop thinking about Carter as if they were high school lovers. It wasn't like that with them. Never would be.
To distract himself, he mentally reviewed what he was going to say once he got to the police station. His friend knew he was coming in, but he hadn't been explicit about what information he was seeking. Dan probably knew it was concerning Lyle, it always was, but he had to be wondering what more Archer could want when they'd already been over almost everything. Everything but Lyle's parents' murders. He wasn't sure why Carter seemed to think it was a link somehow, but he'd go with it. No stone left unturned and all that shit.
He'd follow any lead to the end of the earth. They needed this man off the streets, and one way or another, he was sure that with Carter working beside him, the two of them could make that happen.
