Chapter One #2
She walked to the window and looked out onto the shadowed grounds. “No one knows what’s best for you, darling, like I do. Be grateful you have someone around who cares.”
His cell phone vibrated. He grabbed it from his pocket and read the name on the screen. He turned slightly so his mother couldn’t watch him type in, “Sorry. I’m tied up tonight.”
“I thought we agreed you wouldn’t see him again?”
He jerked his gaze up and met his mother’s glare. “I don’t know what you’re talking about—"
“Save it.” She smirked. “If you want to be treated like an adult, then start acting like one.” She left the window and stopped close to him, leisurely picking off a piece of lint from his sweater. “Nip that in the bud too. Tell Mr. Clark that you’re not available now, and never.”
~*~
Ben “Bear” Lane removed his earbuds and dropped them on the dashboard.
He stared at the grand estate tucked behind wrought iron gates.
The Texas Heat Recon Team had been undercover ranch hands at Creed’s Creek for a year following every piece of data and evidence, both big and small, that could solve who’d ordered the team’s ambush.
They would bring down every traitor in the organization.
What Texas Heat knew so far, the poison seeped into powerful political paths.
Bear had been assigned to surveil all of Jaun “Silver” DeLupa’s—an ex-leader of the Knights Alliance, a notorious drug cartel in Texas—correspondences in prison, including interviews.
While going through files from past interrogations with Silver, Fletcher’s name had been mentioned in passing.
Bear decided to follow the scent. This hit close to home for him.
Getting into the Fletcher house had been easy.
The security team wasn’t worth shit. Disguised as a heating and cooling service worker, Bear’d entered the premises, planted the bug in several locations, and was out before anyone suspected anything.
None of the surveillance led back to Silver or the bastards who ambushed some of the members of Texas Heat. Remembering that day when he’d found out members of his team had been shot and left for dead sent an ice-cold wave cascading through Bear.
However, he learned some information today. Fletcher engaged in money laundering and betraying Aasia.
Bear felt a tug of war.
He pounded his fist on the steering wheel.
Aasia had no idea what Fletcher was up to.
Irritation swam through Bear. They’d been working on the case for so long. Once they uncovered one open doorway they were led through another maze. Why did he feel like Texas Heat was in a cat and mouse game?
His phone buzzed and he swiped it up from the center console. He glanced at the screen and felt a sock to his gut. Aasia had texted…
“Aasia: I feel like you’re distant since…well, you know. I think we should discuss what happened…”
This was the reason why what he found out today about Fletcher felt personal.
Bear and Aasia had become good friends since he arrived in Fin’s Creek. He’d been there for her through all the ups and downs she’d shared with Fletcher, and somewhere along the way Bear had developed feelings for her.
Every tear she’d shed over Fletcher’s mistakes had made Bear hate the man more. Now he knew why he’d never liked Fletcher.
Two weeks ago, Bear had been comforting Aasia through another “Fletcher circus event”.
He’d been holding her, running his fingers through her hair, and she’d looked up at him with those amazing eyes that reminded him of the Caribbean Sea.
Something broke. The walls had lowered. He wasn’t sure who made the first move, but it didn’t really matter.
They found themselves kissing, stroking each other’s bodies, exploring the chemistry they’d been denying.
Then just as suddenly, she pulled away and apologized for allowing things to escalate.
Bear had felt like a dick and why he thought it was best to put distance between them.
As much as he wanted her, up until that point, he’d never allowed himself to cross a line.
Now the line was crossed. He knew what she tasted like.
Blueberries and cream. What she felt like.
Heaven. Her tiny moans of pleasure were now embedded in his every brain cell.
The way she arched her back, silently inviting him to explore her body, haunted him.
Bear moved his gaze back to the house. The office light was now turned off.
Fletcher’s criminal activities didn’t come as much of a shock, but betraying Aasia did. How could any man mistreat a woman like her?
He was only using Aasia. His mom was controlling, and it sounded like the entire Fletcher clan, including the uptight campaign manager, Fitsgerald, had a few screws loose.
Aasia couldn’t have any idea who these people were. Hell, maybe she did and didn’t care. Fletcher had money, a reputable career, as least for the time being, and it seemed like a lot of women, and men, were hypnotized by his good looks.
No…Bear knew Aasia. They’d spent hours talking. Although she was smart, brilliant and her work preoccupied most of her time, she stayed down to earth and treated everyone with kindness. She wanted to help others.
If she knew that Fletcher used the lab for illegal business, she’d cancel him. Bear had an overwhelming desire to charge inside the estate and drag Fletcher out and give him the beating he deserved.
And there came the dilemma.
Bear couldn’t blow his cover. Aasia could never know what a scumbag Fletcher was, at least not from Bear. Aasia getting fired would be a blessing.
Unfortunately, the information Bear learned today couldn’t be used to bring Fletcher down. Not yet. Eventually, Bear would personally see that Fletcher got what he deserved.
His cell vibrated again.
This time it was Echo.
He hit ‘talk’ and greeted his buddy with an energetic, “You won’t believe what I just heard—”
“Silver is dead,” Echo said at the same time. “He was found in his cell this morning. The shank still in his chest. It’s under investigation. We’re headed to Oscar’s to celebrate. Want to come along?”
After a three-beat pause to absorb what he’d just heard, Bear said, “I’ll meet you there” and he clicked off.
This was certainly an unexpected turn of events. Bear couldn’t say he felt sorry for the bastard. He could only be described as evil and dead was where he needed to land.
Bear’s attention navigated toward his phone. He didn’t want to leave Aasia on ‘read’ but he needed a breather to figure out where he would go with the information. It needed to be managed with care, and with this new revelation about Silver it could change the trajectory.