Page 78 of Hack
Bryon glanced down at his phone as it dinged again. "You're on a two-thirty flight out. Trenton will forward you the info. Do you need a hotel or a car?"
"Nah, I'll fly into the airport and take an Uber home. I've got my car there. I'm about twenty minutes from Fairfax. When, or should I say if, I find Carter, I'll take him to my place if he'll go. He can stay there as long as he needs to. My place is big enough he doesn't have to even see me unless he wants to." He had several acres of property and an eight-bedroom home to get lost in. "If he can deal with the dust, it's all his."
"Don't get home often?" Bryon raised a brow.
"It's not home to me. It's my parents' old place. I don't know why I keep it. I crash there when I'm in the area, but other than that, it sits empty. I have a cleaning team come in once a month and a landscaper who takes care of the yard. I keep saying I'm going to sell it, but I never get around to it. It'd be a nice home if it wasn't for the memories." Archer hated the place because it was as if his father's ghost haunted it, always reminding him he wasn't good enough.
"As you know, we ran a background on you when Carter brought you over. So I know enough of your history to understand. Your father was a powerful man."
"Depending who you ask." Archer shrugged. "To me, he was a controlling asshole who had to have everything his way." He didn't like remembering.
"If only we could pick our parents, right?" Bryon wiped his mouth. "Okay, so you find and take care of our boy, but keep in touch. We'll be here worrying about him. If you can't find him, then we'll come up with another plan. He can't stay gone forever."
That was a lie and they both knew it.
"I'll do what I can, but if he's not around the cemetery, I have no idea where else to look. He didn't talk about his past much. I don't know of any other friends outside your team." Archer took a bite of his pie, but it was almost tasteless with the mood he was in.
"I don't know of any either. None of us do. He's closest to Trenton and Matt since they work together most of the time, but none of them ever heard him talk about anything that wasn't work related or at least team member related."
"That's my biggest fear. I feel as if he was using the team hoping to find who killed his daughter, and now that he's done that, he's done." Archer shook his head. "I hope not. He does too much good doing what he does, but I don't know what to think. I never expected him to skip out on me, on you guys. He knows how worried everyone would be."
"I'm not sure with the state of mind he's in right now that any of us matter. If anyone does, it's you. You might not think it's been long enough for him to trust you or feel something for you, but I see it in him. You mean a lot to him. More than any of us do, and we've worked with him for years." Bryon took a drink. "This isn't the first issue he's had that's hit him hard. I'm going to let him tell you the whole story when he's ready, but one of our team members was arrested on a sting. Carter blames himself for it. He still does."
"Shit." Archer set his fork down. "That's a life sentence."
"It is, but again, Carter came to the rescue and managed to get our guy out. Granted, he had to leave town and start a new life under a new name, but Carter set that all up for him."
Archer was impressed and hoped that someday he would hear the whole story. "His resourcefulness never ceases to amaze me, but that's why I know, if he doesn't want to be found, we won't find him."
"You're right. We'll keep an eye on his house while you're gone, make sure he doesn't come back and lock himself away there. You call if you need anything, day or night." Bryon slid a phone across the table to him. "Burner phone. Right now, we can claim I hired you to follow my girlfriend around if they question the calls to me, but once you're back there, you'll want to be careful. Numbers are all preprogrammed."
"Thanks." Archer palmed the phone and slid it into his pocket. "I honestly don't think the FBI is going to hunt too hard. They got the girls back, and Lyle won't be hurting any others. They'll have to make a show of looking through the paperwork and play it up for the media, but their heart won't be in it."
"Still, be careful. You might be the only person that can save Carter from himself."
That was a lot of responsibility to accept, but he wanted it. He cared… No, he loved Carter enough that he would do whatever it took. "I'll take care of him if I find him."
"Well, I need to be going. Becca's insisting I go with her to some wedding, and even this shit with Carter isn't enough to get me out of it. I have to head home and put on my penguin suit. I will have my phone on me all day, and should be back at the house by five or six." Bryon grabbed the check off the table. "Good luck."
"Yeah, thanks. Tell the team thanks for their help. I'll update you guys when I land tonight, then as soon as I get out and look for him in the morning." Archer stood, then offered Bryon his hand.
"Good luck."
With a nod, the two of them ended their conversation and headed out. As Bryon paused to pay the bill, Archer went out to his car to head to the airport, praying that he could find Carter. This wasn't the ending he wanted for them, and he'd do all he could to make sure they had a chance for more.
