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"How could I not? My family needed me." She linked her arm through his. "Let's get back inside. I'll make lunch while you check and see if there's any news."
"Make me a tuna melt?"
"If we have the stuff." She tugged on his shirt. "Hey, you really okay?"
"As okay as I can be." He gave her a small smile. "As okay as any of us are right now."
She understood that. She'd tossed and turned almost all night worrying and thinking about Trenton. No matter how she tried to distract herself, she couldn't stop thinking about him. It didn't help that the team didn't let her help. Not that she had the skills. She couldn't hack traffic cameras or bar security feeds. Taking care of the team was her job and keeping them healthy so they could save Trenton when the time came. And she had no doubts that the time would come. She refused to believe for a second that they wouldn't find him.
As she was about to turn into the kitchen, Bryon rushed in from outside and used his hand to usher them both to him. He had one ear pressed to the phone, but from the look in his eyes, he'd learned something.
Faith bit her lip from questioning him. She had no idea who he was on the phone with.
"Get everyone in here," Bryon whispered to them.
She didn't hesitate. She ran toward the computer room and pushed the door open. "Bryon needs us all in the living room now." She didn't wait for a response before rushing out and running upstairs to find Noam and Kasey. She knew they were in the guest room napping, but by the moan that came through the door, she knew they didn't sleep. She pounded her fist once on the door and called, "I don't care what you're in the middle of, Bryon needs you in the living room now." She turned and ran back downstairs.
By the time she returned, Xander, Matt, and Becca were seated. Bryon still had the phone to his ear and was pacing behind the couch. She tried to listen to his conversation, but he was saying little. Whoever he was talking to was doing most of the talking.
"What's going on?" Kasey walked in, followed by Noam.
Xander shrugged. "He said to gather everyone. It has to be some news on Trenton, right?"
The hope in Xander's voice matched her own hope. This had to be it. The one break they needed to find him. He had to be okay. She refused to believe otherwise.
It seemed to take forever for Bryon to end the call. They all sat silent, the tension in the air thick as they wondered what was happening.
When Bryon hung up from the call, he turned to them. "We have a lead. At least it sounds like we do. That was Katie. She got a call from a man that was very strange. He called her his Aunt Katie and said he was sorry for missing her birthday. That he'd enjoyed running into her at the store with Trenton and that Trenton had laughed so hard about the funny purse she carried. The man also said Trenton wished he had an aunt like her and was surprised to find out they both knew Xander."
Faith sucked in a breath.
"Does Katie know this man? Did she run into anyone at a store?"
"Nope, and we all know Katie has no nephews. She has two nieces, but not a single nephew. The fact he also brought up Xander's name makes it interesting. He asked if he could drop by or meet with her to drop off a birthday gift tonight." Bryon started to pace.
"Katie, being Katie, knew what was up. She's been praying for Trenton since he went missing. She is positive this man knows something, but can't speak freely. Maybe he's being shadowed or his phone is tapped. I don't know, but she told him she had to work late tonight but he was free to drop by her office around six and visit before her seven o'clock appointment arrives."
"No way." Xander stood. "That puts her in danger."
"She knows that. Which is why we'll be there with her." Bryon stared at Xander. "I want you and Noam to be there by five. Katie has no appointments tonight and the office will be empty by five. You two can go in and hang out until this guy shows and then find out what he's up to. The office is good. A neutral place for a meeting, and if this guy is being followed, it will look as if he is just visiting his aunt."
"You believe this really is news about Trenton?" Matt asked.
"What else could it be? Why would anyone know to call Katie? She's not linked to us in any way. Even if someone had inside information, calling our therapist would be the last thing they'd think of doing. I believe Trenton sent this guy to her to protect the rest of us. He knew Katie has enough cover to not get tangled in what we do. She's our professional therapist and nothing more. Trenton would also know exactly what to tell him to say to her. How else would he know Xander's name? Plus, there was one more thing he said to seal the deal. He asked her how his cousin, Faith, was doing in medical school."
Faith's eyes filled with tears.
Matt wrapped his arms around her. "I want to know who this guy is. I'm going to track his car, run his plates, see where he returns to when he leaves."
Bryon nodded. "I'd expect nothing else. I'm pretty sure this guy will be expecting someone from Trenton's life to be there. Not many people know what Trenton does for a living, so go in there without giving anything away. You're family or friends. Pick a story now and stick to it until you know more."
Xander nodded to Noam. "We'll be friends from college since neither of us is pretty enough to pass for Trenton's family."
Noam flipped him off. "Speak for yourself."
Everyone laughed.
"It's two now. I want Katie's place wired for sound. Whatever you hear, we want to hear back here. Your first priority is Katie's safety, the second is finding out everything this man knows even if you have to use violence. He knows something and I want to know all that he knows. If he seems to be holding back, put pressure on him. He doesn't leave there if you think he knows where Trenton is and he doesn't tell you. You find out how he knew the names to mention and how he learned about Katie. I want everything."
