Page 60 of Hack
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Carter sat back, taking a deep breath as he stretched his shoulders and stared at the pile of printed sheets he had in a neat stack on the chair beside him. A quick glance at the clock told him it was just after two in the morning.
"Shit." He stood and as he did his bladder screamed, reminding him he hadn't bothered getting out of the chair in hours. He had taken one quick break since he'd brought Archer to the house, and that was just to pee and grab a drink. He hadn't even seen Archer at the time, after Trenton had let him know Faith had kidnapped him to play video games.
Guilty because he'd abandoned him, but glad Faith had stepped up and kept him entertained, he had turned his focus back to gathering information on the case. What he'd found was some serious shit. He wasn't sure how to even process it all.
He stood, trying to get blood back into his legs after sitting for so long. Pacing the area in front of the computers, he continued to stare at the screen where he had the satellite image up again. He hadn't seen signs of any more people than he had at first, but that didn't mean more wouldn't show up later. He needed to keep a constant eye on things until he was ready to go in.
He hated he would be clear across the country when he went in and unable to keep an eye on things himself. He wasn't used to being on this side of things.
Unable to handle the pressure any longer, he left the office and headed down the hall to the bathroom. The relief was instant, and as he leaned a hand against the wall behind the toilet and relieved himself, he wondered how mad Archer was at him. He'd brought him here, then ignored him, leaving him with a group of hostiles who he didn't even know. He was sure the guys would be respectful, and there was Faith, who would always jump in and make someone feel welcome, but it didn't justify the fact that he'd all but forgotten Archer as soon as he'd sat down at the computers.
After washing his hands, he made his way out to the living room, finding Archer asleep on the couch. He frowned, going over to him, and kneeling down. "Hey." He brushed his fingers softly down Archer's cheek.
Archer slowly opened his eyes. "Hey, yourself. You got what you need?"
Carter shook his head. "Not yet, but I've got enough for tonight. I'm sorry I left you alone with everyone."
Archer sat up. "They're a good group of people. They care about you a lot, that alone makes me like them." He rolled his head around, then his shoulders.
"Didn't they tell you there were bedrooms?" Carter laid his hands on Archer's thighs as he knelt in front of him.
"Yeah, but I was fine here. Bryon left with Becca. He said to call him before you do anything." Archer yawned and stretched. "Did you find anything?"
"A lot, but not enough yet. It's him. I'm sure of that, but I need to know every inch of that land, that house, before I go in. I also need to make sure you're safe. The last thing I want is for you to be linked to any of this."
"I'll be okay. I want to be there with you. Even if I don't go in with you, I want to be close in case there are any problems." Archer covered Carter's hand with his own. "It's dangerous."
"I know, but I do this for a living." Okay, so that wasn't true. He sat behind a computer for a living, but he knew what to do. He watched the team do this night after night.
"Promise me you'll talk to Bryon before you act on this."
Carter sighed. "It's not their problem."
"No, but they care about you so it makes it their problem, just the same way it makes it mine. We're in this together. If I can't help you, then let them." Archer raised a brow as if he dared him to argue.
"We're not getting into this tonight. I'm nowhere close to ready. It's going to be a few more days at least. I promised I wouldn't get myself killed. That still stands." He hoped it was a promise he could keep, but he was aware that something could go wrong at any minute once he was inside. "You want to head home? Get some sleep, grab a shower?"
"You sure you're okay leaving?" Archer asked.
"Yeah. I've done all I can for tonight. I just wanted to get the main stuff printed. I'm going to need sleep or I'll make mistakes. Besides, we both need showers and to rest after that flight. I should have gone home first, but I wanted to find out for sure we had the right place. I needed to know." Carter had a lot of explaining to do with the team, and he would do that as soon as he could get them together, but he had no regrets that he'd brought Archer here with him.
"I know. It was important to both of us. I'm glad we have the right place. Hopefully, we'll have those girls safe soon."
Leave it to Archer to think of the girls. What did it say about him when all he could think about was killing Lyle? The girls were a secondary thought to him. That wasn't how it should be. The girls' safety should be his first concern. If he was any kind of man, he'd have called in what they found out and get those girls out of there right now, but his bloodlust was too strong. "This has to be hard for you, not calling the police."
"It is, and if we don't get this done in a few days, then I will, but I respect your need to do this. I understand your need to face Lyle one on one. I don't like it, but I understand it." Archer linked their fingers. "I can't let this go for long. Who knows when he'll decide to kill again, and the fact that he could be raping any one of those girls right now is almost too much to even think about, so whatever you're going to do, get it done fast."
"I need at least another day on the computer, then I'll be ready. I promise I won't wait long." Carter stood, tugging Archer up with him. "Let's go home and get some sleep. Then we can come back here tomorrow and start planning. I need to go over the maps with you. Today, I got lost in my work, but tomorrow, I want you by my side and helping me plan this."
Archer nodded. "They told me you get this way with every case you work. No wonder you have no life."
Carter laughed. "I don't think I'm that bad." It was a lie. He was a control freak and there was no denying it. He had to make sure he knew everything that was going on before letting the others help. It was something he hated about himself, but didn't know how to change. He was sure that he'd offended Matt and Trenton when they started because it seemed as if he didn't trust anyone. It wasn't about the trust though. It was just the need to know everything and make sure he had all the information.
"It's how you are. I knew that not long after we met. The moment you took the files I brought and started working in your home office, I saw it. I respect it." Archer followed him outside. "You up for driving? I'm still fuzzy from waking up."
"Sure." Carter turned and caught the keys that Archer tossed his way. "I would have just joined you in bed here if you'd used a bedroom, but I'm glad we're going home. I need to step away from temptation, and being that close to my computers would keep me from sleeping much."
