The woman had left Hunter at the altar, sure, but according to her, she’d had good reasons. Turned out, she was an Adorite who’d been planted in their family by Max’s late father, Samuel, in order to get dirt on Casper. From what they gathered, Samuel had been planning to take down the Kogans because Casper had dated Max’s mother back in the day.
The whole situation was a convoluted, twisted heap of shit. Samuel had sent someone to spy on the Kogans, and Casper had sent his own daughter to spy on the Adorites, though neither knew of the other.
Fucked up was what it was.
But they were past that now. Since Danielle had come out with who she really was and what her agenda had been, Bryce thought the family had opted to forgive her. Evidently Hunter wasn’t on board that train just yet.
A knock sounded and then RT stuck his head in. “Everything good in here?”
That seemed to pull Casper from his trance because he forced a smile and nodded.
RT glanced between the two of them suspiciously but then closed the door and disappeared.
“You still think this is a good idea?” Casper asked Bryce when they were alone again.
Good, another whiplash-inducing subject change. Just what Bryce needed.
Bryce had been pondering that exact question since he’d reluctantly decided to assign both Ryan and Z to the art case. Ever since he had received the call from Jericho Ardent, their new client, Bryce had been contemplating this very scenario, but it hadn’t been until the ride into work with Casper that morning that he’d come to the final conclusion, thanks to a little encouragement from his friend.
“You don’t?” Bryce asked Casper, getting to his feet and walking over to the window. “Think it’s a good idea, that is?”
“I think you’re too worried about it.”
Bryce smiled, then glanced back at his business partner. “You think?”
“Yep,” Casper answered casually, leaning back in the guest chair and pointing his amused expression at Bryce. Looked as though Casper had moved on from the subject of Hunter.
“I know why he holds himself back,” Bryce muttered, thinking aloud.
“I assume we’re still talkin’ about RT here.”
Bryce nodded.
“Because of Kevin?” Casper inquired.
He frowned. Kevin Fischer. To this day, Bryce still detested the guy for what he’d put Ryan through. And to think, if Bryce hadn’t hired Kevin in the first place, it all could’ve been avoided. “That shouldn’t have happened,” Bryce replied.
“No, it shouldn’t. But we can’t change how people react,” Casper said, his tone reassuring. “Kevin put a lot of lives at stake. We couldn’t keep him on merely because he was dating RT.”
Bryce fully agreed. Kevin had been an employee of Sniper 1 Security for nearly five years before they’d fired him for endangering the lives of his counterparts. The fact that he’d been dating Ryan at the time hadn’t played into their final decision, but somehow Kevin had turned that around on Ryan. Turned out that Ryan and Kevin had been having problems, their relationship already on rocky ground, and RT had been about to break things off even before the disaster that had nearly gotten Trace and Z killed. Whether or not that’d been the reason Kevin had become such a loose cannon, Bryce still didn’t know.
Nor did he care. What Kevin had done was unforgivable. It was luck that no one had been killed that day.
“He put Ryan through the ringer,” Bryce said, though he knew Casper knew that already.
“Suing the company for sexual harassment’ll do that to a person.”
Yep, that’d been the kicker. The son of a bitch had turned things around and then sued Sniper 1 Security, claiming Ryan had lured him into an unreciprocated relationship. Luckily, they’d managed to beat that rap, but barely. Regardless, Ryan had been fucked up at that point, refusing to get close to anyone. Bryce assumed it was fear of the situation happening again.
“Z’s not like Kevin,” Casper stated.
Not by a long shot, but that clearly didn’t matter to Ryan.
“This is a risk,” Bryce said, turning to face his friend. “I’m not the type to play matchmaker, and certainly not with my own children.”
“But…?”
Bryce sighed. His best friend knew him better than anyone. Well, anyone other than Bryce’s wife, maybe. “Ryan wasn’t going to give in any other way. And I’ve seen the way those two act around one another. They’re like magnets, doing their best to keep from colliding. I thought for sure something would’ve happened while they were down in Coyote Ridge.”
“Who’s to say it didn’t?” Casper inquired.
“RT’s much too professional for that,” Bryce said. “He learned his lesson.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Casper told him. “We can all agree that RT’s hesitant, but those two… What’s going on between them doesn’t happen to everyone. Even if it did, they weren’t on a sanctioned op. That was personal business they were taking care of.”
“True,” Bryce agreed.
Neither of them said anything for a moment.
Casper grunted, then got to his feet. “I think it’ll be fine. They’re both professionals. They know how to keep their business and personal lives separate.”
Bryce nodded, moving to his desk and lowering himself into his chair. “Let’s just hope Z can teach Ryan how to compromise. If not…”
“No harm, no foul.” Casper laughed. “They’re grown men. They’ll figure it out or they won’t. But maybe this’ll keep the rest of us from being incinerated when we’re in the same room with them.”
Bryce smirked. It was true; there was some serious chemistry between those two men. Not that Bryce made a habit of setting his children up, but when it came to Ryan…they all knew the man had the willpower of a fucking saint.
Which meant he needed a little push.
At least once.
“Let’s just hope it doesn’t come back to bite me in the ass,” Bryce told Casper as his business partner reached for the door handle.
“That’s all we can do. And in the meantime…we need to figure out how to make this op successful. Those two are good, but without a plan, they’re simply going to the beach for a vacation.”
Casper had a point.
A very valid point.
NINE
THE TRIP DOWN TO PORT A was about as interesting as going to the dentist for a routine cleaning. Not a trip Z particularly cared to repeat unless absolutely necessary. After all, that was the same reason he made a trip to the dentist only once every six months. Necessity.
Six and a half hours, three stops for gas and food—and RT’s surprisingly weak bladder—and they’d finally made it. Somewhat grateful to be standing on solid ground without the rumble of a powerful engine between his thighs (or his ass being numb), Z still found himself bursting at the seams with energy.
Perhaps it was the miles and miles of smooth, straight, open road that had given him the adrenaline rush. Possibly, hitting one fifty on the bike had spiked his blood.
Or…
It was because he’d spent the last half-dozen hours with RT’s edible body directly in front of him while they hauled ass down to the Texas coast in order to pull off the impossible—but first they had to figure out how exactly they would accomplish that feat.
“This is where we’re stayin’?” Z asked in disbelief after they’d dismounted their bikes, as he eyed the gi-fucking-normous monstrosity standing before him. Stilts kept it off the ground, but that didn’t change how big the place was.
Beachfront house. Right. Looked more like a beachfront mansion. On steroids.
“It’s the right address,” RT confirmed, slowly ascending the steps and taking in their surroundings the same way Z was. “Is it me, or does this place seem a little…showy?”
“My thoughts exactly. But hell, I don’t care what it is, as long as there’s a comfortable bed for us.” Z realized his mistake instantly. “Shit. I meant two beds,” Z clarified. “Two comfortable beds.”
Okay, it was official; he’d been ogling RT for far too long. His thoughts were free flowing right out of his mouth.
RT didn’t even look at him. Luckily, Z didn’t need a response to his clusterfuck of a comment, nor did RT, because he merely unlocked the door and stepped inside, leaving it open for Z to follow.