Chapter Twenty-Five
“You’re putting all of us in danger. Not only exposing our covers but the obvious danger.” Grimes slammed his fist down onto the table.
Bear glanced down the two rows of the Texas Heat team.
Everyone but Grimes seemed to not give two flips that Bear was spending so much time with Aasia.
The chill of the air coming through the open barn doors didn’t cool the tempers brewing between the two men who never could seem to see eye-to-eye, enunciated by the ambush that occurred over a year ago.
“I don’t remember anyone having a hair up their ass over Sharp and CaDee, or Hawkeye and Margo.
” He knew it wasn’t a good idea to pull his friends into the argument but since they were all sitting around the table and the rest of the team sat quietly, Bear felt he had every right to defend his relationship with Aasia.
“Look, I think we all need to pipe down a tad,” Sharp said. “Tempers are running hot because we want to catch all the assholes who had a hand in the ambush. Patience can be stretched when we’re all out here working long hours on top of chasing down leads. It’s easy to forget why we’re doing this.”
“I agree so then why are some of us,” Bear gave Grimes a side glance then continued, “focused on things that are neither here nor there?”
“She’s the girlfriend of Bentley Fletcher, remember him, who we’ve been surveilling.
He’s in the gawddamned newspaper every other day, especially now that he’s pulled out of the race and every person and his brother is spreading rumors.
Hell, the man is sitting down and interviewing with every news channel.
He’s more popular now than he was when he was running.
How easy would it be for media to sniff around and start putting their noses where they don’t belong here at Creed’s Creek Ranch?
You’re right, we’re all forgetting what the fuck we’re doing here.
It’s not about building barns and riding horses.
We don’t need one careless mistake to shut this operation down,” Grimes said through thin lips.
The dusty, sharp smell of hay hung heavy in the air, so bad that Bear could almost taste it. Dust moats floated in the sunlight flowing in through the dirty windows. It shone upon Bear who sat at the end of the scarred oak table. “She’s not his girlfriend,” his voice held fury.
“What? Since five minutes ago?” Grimes said, the humor of his words didn’t hide the tremor of his anger.
“What the fuck has you all turned inside out over my acquaintance with Aasia?” Bear asked.
“We all like Aasia,” Hawkeye interjected quickly. He looked a bit uncomfortable. “Are you sure she’s done with Bentley? Margo has said that they’ve been on-again and off-again a few times.”
“She’s done,” Bear said without hesitation.
“That’s good enough for me,” Echo said with a shrug.
“Yeah, I’m good too,” Hawkeye said with the other men nodding in agreement.
Sharp had his chair leaning back on two legs. “Me too.”
“Is anyone thinking clearly?” Grimes growled. He lifted his chin to look over at Bear, his hostility radiating. “Can’t you keep your cock in your pants until the case is over? Is that too much to ask?”
Fury ripped through Bear like a forest fire.
He stood, clenching and unclenching his hands at his sides.
“That’s none of your fucking business.” His growl rattled dust off the rafters.
He was the younger of the two and didn’t doubt that if it came to blows Grimes would give Bear a fight, but that didn’t matter to him.
He wouldn’t allow anyone to speak about Aasia as if she was… what? Just a fuck? A conquest?
Sharp stood and came around the table, offering a wall between Bear and Grimes. “We need to reel it back in. This is getting out of hand.”
Bear noticed that Sharp’s eyes were on him. “Why are you looking at me? I didn’t start this shit.” Bear’s chest rose and fell with each breath.
“I’m talking to both of you,” Sharp swiped his gaze from each of the men.
Grimes chuckled, a harsh grating sound, his gaze burning into Bear. “Why are we dancing around the truth? We both know Bear gets sidetracked with every skirt he meets. This is no different. Who’ll be taken down this time? Maybe Aasia?”
Bear shot across the short distance as quick as a whippersnapper, the heavy thudding of his boots echoing like a shot through the dim space.
Before he could reach Grimes, Sharp lunged forward and several other cowboys had jumped out of their chairs to aid in keeping Bear and Grimes separated.
Sharp had his hands pressed against Bear’s chest while Hawkeye and Echo had their grip on Grimes’ shoulders.
Sin was standing near, buddy-slapping Bear on the back. “Take a breather, dude.”
“This isn’t happening,” Sharp said. “We’re all still a team and we’re still going to act like it.”
“You know what I think the problem is here,” Bear gritted through his clenched teeth. “I think you’re upset that Aasia wants me and not you.” He looked Grimes up and down in disgust. “Now I see rejection has caused you to be butt-hurt.”
“What the fuck?” Grimes’ eyes narrowed.
“Don’t act like we haven’t seen it. You tried but she shut you down.” Bear’s logical side warned him to tread carefully but his anger got the best of him.
“That’s far from the truth.” Grimes’ body was tense, his chest still puffed waiting for a possible fight.
“Really? Because if I remember correctly, I’ve heard you say not once, but a few times that you wished she’d break up with Bentley.” The air crackled with their mutual hatred and disrespect for one another. “You can’t handle that she wants nothing to do with you.”
Grimes took a short step but met Hawkeye’s chest like an iron wall.
“Whoa, whoa…,” the men said in unison.
“Step back,” Hawkeye said firmly.
Grimes squinted but listened and fell back. “I think we’ve all had about enough of you doing anything you want and not caring where the shrapnel might fall.” He tore a hand through his hair.
“If there’s one more word said I’m going to send you boys into a locked room and let you stay there until you work it out.
Got it?” Sharp said, anger turning his features red.
He’d become a father and had mellowed, but he still had a streak that no one wanted to mess with.
“I’m still the leader here and I make the decisions.
I decide what’s best for this team. Bear, you stay.
The rest of you, you’ve got things to do. ”
The air thickened and the quiet room filled with the sounds of grunts, scraping of chairs on the planked rough floorboards, and the scuffling of boots.
Sharp looked straight at Grimes who was hesitating. “Go! You and I will talk later.”
His shoulders slumped, Grimes headed for the barndoor. Before he reached the outside, he barked in Bear’s direction, “This ain’t over. Mark my words.”
Bear chuckled.
Just as soon as he and Sharp were alone, they faced each other.
“What the hell?” Sharp jerked off his Stetson and gave it a toss down onto the table.
Bear gritted his teeth. “You tell me?”
Sharp scraped his hands down his face, looking tired. Recently, they’d placed his father in a nursing home and Sharp had seemed preoccupied lately. “Why the hell are you two going at each other like first graders fighting over the football?”
With an indifferent shrug, Bear said, “You should be asking him.”
“But I’m asking you.” A muscle twitched in Sharp’s tight jaw.
“I’ll take a stab. He blames me for the ambush, at least Echo getting shot. No one feels worse than I do about not being there, having his back. He was new and he was my responsibility. I take accountability, but this is different.”
“What’s this about Aasia? What am I missing?”
“CaDee hasn’t mentioned anything?” Bear was shocked. He thought Aasia, Tansy, Margo, and CaDee were as thick as thieves and told each other everything. With Sharp’s head shake, Bear said, “It’s true that Aasia and I have been hanging out.”
“Hanging out? Is that code for having sex?”
“If I knew what exactly we were doing I’d tell you.”
Sharp dropped down into the worn chair behind the massive desk. “I don’t have the time or the energy to be a referee,” he groaned.
“I’ve tried to keep the peace. Grimes can come at me with guns blazing all he likes but I’ll protect Aasia. She hasn’t done anything.”
Sharp laid back into the chair. “One thing at a time. As far as the ambush and Echo getting shot, we can agree you fucked up, but we’ve squashed that.
We all fuck up. Grimes has had his moments too.
You were set up by a Honey Trap. You might not have been shot, but something tells me the Dirty Harriet got spooked before she could finish the job of erasing you. ”
“Doesn’t change the fact that I allowed myself to be put in that situation. Hell, I get why some of the team are worried. This probably does look like a repeat, but it isn’t.” Bear sighed in frustration.
“Right, but you are part of Texas Heat. You pull your weight and more. I can speak to Grimes but whatever the fuck is happening has got to stop. We have plenty of other enemies out there and we don’t need to pick fights among each other. We’re brothers.”
“Once again., I’ve tried to keep the peace.” Bear remained calm.
“I wouldn’t be doing my role as leader justice if I didn’t mention the issue with Aasia—”
“She’s not an issue,” Bear set adamantly.
Sharp turned curious. “She’s not?”
“You think she is?”
“Hell, I’m not one to cast judgment, but playing devil’s advocate here, Grimes has a point that can’t be ignored. You’ve been assigned to track Fletcher. That could be considered a little too close for comfort in any of our books.”
“And you think I’m not being careful?”
“That’s not what I’m saying. But my interest is for everyone. The entire team. I don’t need to explain to you that we don’t make the best decisions when our dicks are involved.”
“I think I’m responsible enough to decide what’s best for me in matters of the bedroom,” Bear said.