Chapter Fourteen
Bryce had shared an amazing night with Tanya. He knew that they had an undeniable attraction, but had no idea what being with her would do to him. Everything about her set him on fire, and even now, out in the office, he still couldn't get his mind off what she did to him.
That was more than a little awkward, considering he now had Tanya’s brother sitting across from him discussing plans to take down a dirty arms-dealing cop.
Bryce remembered what Reece had said the night before, but worries about his friend’s feelings still lingered. In truth, he wondered if his friend and partner might actually be hiding his true feelings because it might cause tension.
In the end, Bryce was nearly fifteen years older than Tanya. By all rights, Reece had a right to be mad. He’d have no good arguments if the other man ended up objecting.
"Did you even hear what I said?" Reece asked.
Bryce shook himself from his own thoughts and frowned. He had been so consumed with his worries that he hadn’t even noticed his friend had started speaking again.
"I… um…."
Reece sighed loudly and leaned back in his chair. He tossed the pencil he had been using onto a folder containing all the information they needed.
"Okay, let's get this over with," Reece said with a shrug. "You are with my sister now."
Bryce cleared his throat and glanced towards the open door to the office they were using. He didn’t particularly want his business known by everyone in the firm.
"We, um, might be starting a relationship," he said, even more uncomfortable than when he thought his friend might be angry.
Reece shrugged. "I’m cool with that.”
Bryce raised a brow. Reece might be an asshole to Tanya at times, but he was still very protective of his little sister. There was no way he was going to just be cool with it. He had to be hiding something more.
"You're okay with me dating your sister?"
Reece leaned forward and picked the pencil back up. He stared at his friend across the table.
"You like her, and she likes you. You’re the best guy I know, and if you’re crazy enough to want to be with her, I’m cool with that.” He paused for a moment before staring sternly at Bryce. “But treat my sister right. I don't want to have to kick your ass.” He pointed the pencil like it was a knife. “And don’t think I won’t.”
Bryce chuckled. It wasn't the response he had expected, but he'd take it nonetheless. Last thing they needed was one more thing working against them.
"Now if we could stop thinking about the grossness of you fucking my sister, I’d love to get on with this case," Reece said, and made a few gagging noises.
Bryce rolled his eyes. "We have the information that Dalton sent over. It seems like the buy is going to happen tomorrow night. His informant gave him the specific time and place.”
Reece looked over to him. They were thinking the same thing on the matter. It wasn't often that an informant would just hand over all the information that quickly. Usually they held something back for themselves, unless handing over all the information served their purpose.
He still wasn't certain what exactly that purpose would be, but there was a chance Dalton was right and the informant didn't want to see the area get too rowdy.
It seemed unlikely, but Bryce didn’t want to rule it out. It didn't seem all that crazy to think that someone would care about the place where they lived. Although none of the Los Malos had proved to be all that forward thinking in the past, it didn’t mean they couldn’t be, especially with newer local recruits.
There was also the possibility that the informant was pulling a criminal version of Dalton’s promotion scheme. Maybe he was using the cops and Bryce to clear out some of his competition. Bryce wasn’t sure he cared as long as they stopped the guns.
"Ryan hear anything yet?" Reece asked.
Bryce shook his head. The large man had been strangely quiet the last few days, which either meant he was undercover or trying to dig out some information from his contacts without making waves. For now, they’d just have to wait to see what the other man found.
"Nothing yet,” Bryce said, “but hopefully he will get back to us before it goes down.”
Reece flipped the folder closed and sighed. "You're not doing this alone. I don't care what Dalton has in mind. We do this as a team. You let him lead you around before without backup, and it didn't work out in your favor.” He slammed a hand on the table. “That's not the way we roll."
Bryce nodded. He was glad to have someone watching his back. Especially someone he trusted like Reece.
"Besides, I don't bring you back alive, my sister will have my nuts in a vice,” Reece said.
Bryce laughed as he stood. "Speaking of," he said, glancing at his watch. "I need to pick her up from the salon. She was meeting with the glass installers, and they should be done by now."
Reece nodded and stood as well. "Let's meet tomorrow for one last run through before heading to the job."
Bryce clapped him on the shoulder. "Thanks for having my back.”
Reece gave a firm nod. "We'll catch the fuckers tomorrow.”
Bryce made his way out of the office and down the stairs to his car. He didn't know exactly what would happen tomorrow, but that was just the way things were. For the moment, he would live in the here and now. And just be happy to be there.