"Yes. He was aware that you'd grown up in Chicago, that you and I were friends in our youth, and that Kyle had filed a complaint against you."
She raised an eyebrow. "That's a lot of information for a detective from organized crime to have, especially since he had just come on the case."
"I thought so, too. I told him we reconnected when you came to interview my niece."
"Did he mention my relationship with Johnny?"
"He did not, and I didn't bring it up."
"Thanks for that."
"No problem. My impression of Benedict is that he's slick and smart. I don't like the timing of his entrance into the case, and I don't think we should underestimate him."
"I agree. I'm sure the bureau will share my relationship to Johnny with the police and with Benedict."
"And he'll tell Johnny."
"If he doesn't, the bureau probably will. They're going to interview him tonight."
"Without you?"
She nodded, anger in her eyes. "They think I would be emotionally compromised."
"I know you hate that idea, but it's probably true."
Her mouth tightened. "Maybe it is. I can't say that I'm not personally invested in the outcome of this case. Hayley is my daughter—my daughter," she emphasized, as if she were still trying to believe it.
"And you love her. That's why you're compromised. You'd do anything to get her back."
"I would," she admitted. "I'd even talk to Johnny."
"He's not going to be surprised when the FBI tell him about Hayley and their belief that she is his daughter with you. He already knows. He's not in the dark on this, Bree. He can't be. Baker had to be working for Johnny. I don't care what Benedict said. We know their past relationship. We were there."
She nodded. "I'm not arguing with you."
"That's a change. Usually, when Johnny is in the conversation, things get heated."
She made a face at him. "I'm not defending Johnny. And I'm not scared of him anymore. If I have to go through him to get to Hayley, I will."
He saw the steel determination in her eyes and had no doubt about that. "Any more photos come in?"
"Not since the third one. The agency let me keep the phone, because it's the only connection we have to the kidnapper." She paused. "I did, however, disable the GPS before I came here."
"So, they don't know where you are?"
"They could do some call triangulating if I get on the phone, but for the moment, I feel free. Not that they probably couldn't just guess I'm with you," she said with a wry smile. "But I need a little time to regroup, and it felt like I was taking back a bit of my power when I disabled the GPS. Silly, huh?"
"Completely understandable. While you're regrouping, do you feel like eating? I picked up some Chinese on my way home from the hospital."
"Chow mein and chicken fried rice?"
"You know it," he said, smiling as she named her long-time favorites. "Mongolian beef and potstickers, too."
"That sounds awesome, but right now I'm enjoying the fresh air. Maybe in a few minutes?"
"Sure. We'll have to heat it up anyway."
"You're being so great, Nathan. I didn't have a chance to say that earlier, but the way you handled yourself at the silos, taking care of Mark, dealing with the police, and then supporting me with Lindsay at the hospital. The past few days, you've listened to me ramble on and on about every new theory that comes into my head. You've gone above and beyond, and I feel a little guilty at how entangled you are in all this."
"Don't worry about me. I want to find Hayley—for her, for you, for the Jansens, for Josie, and for Grace, whose heart is still breaking for her friend." He took a breath. "I also want to help you, Bree. You don't deserve the gaslight treatment you've been getting. I want to help you find whoever is threatening you and make them stop."
"Thanks. It feels good to talk to you, Nathan. You always make things seem manageable. I was working myself into a lather on the way over here, furious with my agency for treating me like a criminal, irritated with myself for not handling the situation at the silos better, being unable to figure out the kidnapper is tied to Johnny, and being led astray by Emma instead of realizing that Hayley is my daughter until today. You saw it yesterday."
"Only because you couldn't bear the idea that your daughter had been kidnapped. Emma was a safer choice. You saw her as being okay, being part of a con, not being held captive."
"I guess. I know there is more coming Nathan. I told the agency that the game isn't over. He has more plays, and I need to be able to act. But they've taken me off the investigation. I can't even use agency resources anymore. They cut off my access, took away my security clearance. Because I'm the biological mother of the kidnap victim, I'm vulnerable to blackmail. I understand it, but I feel isolated, angry, frustrated and overwhelmed."
He could see that she was quickly working herself into another lather. "You can't do anything but live in this moment, Bree. You can't stop the thunder. You just have to let it roll over you. And then when it's done, you get up and keep going."
A smile suddenly spread across her lips. "Oh, my God. You just gave me a Nathanism."
"I'm afraid to ask what that is," he said warily.
"You used to have all these sayings that would make me and Josie feel better. We called them Nathanisms. You said that one about the thunder when we were at the shelter. I remember huddling with you and Josie in the downstairs room when the lights went off, and thunder was rocking the building. You sat between me and Josie, and you held our hands, and said, 'We'll get through this. We'll be okay. Just let the thunder roll over us and go on its way.'"
"I don't remember that," he lied, some self-protective instinct kicking in. In truth, that was the first night he'd ever held her hand, and he'd never been able to forget it.
"Well, I do. You were good for me. For a while, I was good for you, too."
"More than awhile. And we'll get through this round of thunder as well. You may not be officially on the case anymore, but I know that isn't going to stop you from working it, and I'll be there to help you. Tomorrow we'll get back on it. Or before tomorrow, if you get another clue."
"It seems to be taking a long time. I don't know if the kidnapper got put off their game because of what happened at the silos, but it's been hours since I received that third photo. Where's the next one?"
"Maybe they're afraid you're getting too close."
"Or they just want to drive me crazy for a while longer."
"You still don't want to call the kidnapper, Johnny, do you?"
"I know there were two people at the silos, and I'm guessing someone was left behind with Hayley, so right now I have to say they. Maybe Johnny is in charge, but I don't know if he's the actual kidnapper. I can't see him going into Hayley's school and grabbing her."
"No. That sounds like a job for one of his minions. He would have been somewhere else that night, with a perfect alibi ready to go."
She frowned but didn't say anything, turning her gaze back to the view.
He didn't know where she'd gone in her head, but from the set of her jaw, he could see it was nowhere pleasant. "You may be getting pulled back into the dark past, Bree, but you won't go under, you won't get trapped there. You won't let that happen and I won't let that happen. We're strong now. Stronger than we've ever been, and stronger because we're together. Johnny is no match for us. I don't care how big his army is now."
She turned her head, her tension easing. "You're right. And we don't just have each other. My agency may not be thrilled with me, but they will be there if we need them." She paused. "Do you mind if I hang out here? I don't want to go back to my hotel."
"I want you to stay. I was actually going to insist on it."
"Okay then. I'll stay."
As their gazes clung together, the air between them started to crackle and sizzle. He knew he should say something, but he had no idea what. And Bree, likewise, seemed to be suddenly speechless.