Now Meredith was really confused. Eleven years ago she and Allie had graduated from St. Andrew. Had they known each other from high school?
“Oh, God, you were the smartest kid I knew then, always knew you’d—” Allie stopped abruptly and brought her hand to her mouth. “Crap. But that’s not why you’re here. This is about Darcy. You say she’s missing?”
Okay, getting to the details was important. But it was also important that Meredith knew everything she could about the man she might be hiring to look for her daughter. “Sorry, Allie. How do you two know each other?”
Allie looked at her almost incredulously. Then looked at Travis and back to her again. “Travis. Travis Brennan. You mean you don’t remember him? Our senior year, he was the computer science assistant, even though he was only a junior, because he was freaking brilliant.” She threw what could only be described as a proud smile at Travis. “Braces back then, and—sorry, Travis, but it’s true—a bit of a mullet?”
The computer aide? Meredith searched her memory but the only aide she could remember was a scrawny guy who always spoke to her like she had the intelligence of a monkey even though—
Oh. My. God.
It all finally came back to her. The taunting. The practical jokes. Not some of her best moments by any means. Not when she was on a power trip that last year as the head cheerleader and homecoming queen.
And now she was hiring that same guy whose life she might have made particularly miserable to help her find her daughter?
Fate had a funny way of kicking you in the ass sometimes.
…
Travis could not believe his luck.
When he’d first heard who he was meeting today, he’d tried to tell himself that she couldn’t still be as bad as he remembered. She had to have changed. People mellowed with age, right?
Meredith Sanders sure as hell hadn’t.
Gorgeous, yes. Still had a long, thick mane of chestnut hair that made a man’s hands itch to touch. Long, shapely legs to wrap around his waist, a decent size rack to hold his interest, and dark, mesmerizing eyes that a guy could drown in. Until that razor-sharp tongue lashed out unexpectedly and cut him to the quick. After all these years, she was as mean and as selfish as when she’d first humiliated and taunted him back in high school, a decade before.
Only then he hadn’t had the self-confidence or strength to fight back. He’d been a computer nerd who could barely lift his backpack. But three tours in Iraq and a ten-month op in Afghanistan had given him more than just his strong physique. It had mentally and physically prepared him for battle with forces of all calibers.
Including selfish, mean-spirited girls from high school.
She hadn’t even blinked when she met him. Hadn’t a clue who he was or their history.
And up until this moment, he’d actually liked it that way. Liked the edge it gave him, the advantage over her, which he’d need if he was going to determine whether there was any foul play here or if the rich girl was playing a game with her stepmom. Hell, if Meredith was his stepmom, he wouldn’t stop looking for ways to throw a wrench in whatever plans and ideas she had.
That would make this easier. Finding it all a ruse. Then he could finally get out of town and take that long-awaited vacation in Key West he’d been setting out for when he’d gotten the call from Jace. Having just completed a job up in Idaho and, being native to the greater Salt Lake area, he’d been the logical choice for this job.
But now, seeing the dawning horror hit that pretty face, seeing the moment when who he was and what she’d done to him all came back to her…it was priceless.
Damn. He wished he had his camera.
“Yes. I think it’s coming back to me,” she said in that scary tone of voice she used before she sicced the varsity football team on your ass. He would know. He looked over to see her eyes narrow and her head tilt in that haughty way she had, like a queen staring down at her lowly subjects. “I’m curious, Travis…” Oh, yeah. She was definitely pissed. “…why you didn’t share this interesting little history with me before now. In fact, if Allie hadn’t recognized you, would you have ever told me?”
He shrugged. “If it would have served a purpose.”
As if knowing things were going to get heated and fast, Allie eased in. “Well, I’m glad to see you looking so well, Travis, and in any other circumstance, I’d be picking your brains to hear what you’ve been doing the past ten years, as last I heard you were in Iraq, but you mentioned Darcy is missing? You mean like she took off with some friends or something?”
This sobered Meredith up and she seemed to deflate before his eyes. Interesting. He was surprised she cared so much for someone other than herself. Especially some stepdaughter who didn’t seem to particularly care for her, if what he’d learned so far was any indication.
Meredith dropped her gaze to the coffee table in front of her. “She didn’t come home last night. Last I saw her was around six when she was heading to your place to babysit. Then this morning, she didn’t show up at the library where she volunteers, and now—” Her voice actually seemed to catch at the end before she cleared her throat and finished. “All of her calls go directly to voicemail. She’s not even responding to texts.”
“Have you reported this to the police?” Allie looked back and forth between them. There was obvious panic in those clear blue eyes. Meredith filled in her with the same details she’d provided him earlier, leaving him to his own thoughts.
What he’d said to Meredith earlier was true—his services were in such demand right now he was able to pick and choose those cases that needed him the most. If this was nothing more than just a spoiled rich kid trying to punish her mom for not giving her the attention she wanted, then he’d walk. No matter the price.
Which was why getting other people’s take on Darcy and whether this disappearing act was out of character could help him get a read on the situation. Allie had always been down-to-earth, rational, and pretty smart in high school. He’d respected her, even liked her. She wasn’t going to be prone to theatrics.
“What can you us about last night?” he asked after Meredith finished.