Chapter 19

URIAH

Bryce was calm as we headed toward the hospital. Cade and a couple of his men escorted us the entire way there.

Everything that happened at the bar left my thoughts completely. All I did was focus on making sure that Bryce was all right. He was checked in quickly and the doctor gave him an exam. Thankfully, they didn’t find anything wrong with him. Bryce remained in his room while the doctor recommended I give him a chance to rest.

I stepped out into the waiting room and Cade walked up to me.

“How is he?” he said. “What’s wrong?”

“He’s fine,” I said. “Doctor said he got a little light-headed because he was in a stressful situation. It’s usually not a good idea to get stressed out when you’re pregnant. The doctor just wants him to rest.”

Cade breathed a sigh of relief. As soon as he did, he narrowed his eyes at me. But I knew that he wouldn’t try anything. Not after what just happened and not in the middle of a hospital waiting room.

“We need to talk,” I said.

“We ain’t got nothing to talk about.”

“We do. Trust me. You’ll want to hear this.”

Cade looked back at two of his men then toward me.

“All right,” he said. “Say what you gotta say. You know I’m only giving you a chance because it’s what Bryce would’ve wanted.”

“That’s fine. Just let me say what I need to. Then you can do whatever you want to do.”

We moved over to the side of the room to make sure that nobody else could hear us.

“The DA is mounting evidence against Rivera,” I said. “They get enough, they’re going to press charges. Even a man like him won’t be able to escape a conviction. The man’s got dirt on him in every city he’s been to. Snow Falls is going to be the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

“Do you know how many men Rivera has working for him? Hundreds. I doubt the police are going after everybody. It’d take too much work to track everybody down. And by the time you’ve already gotten enough evidence, I’ll already be long gone. They won’t be able to trace anything back to me.”

“Wrong.”

I shook my head and pulled my phone out. I searched for the video I recorded and played it back for him.

“That’s you,” I said. “On record. Your face. Your voice. Clear as day, making a deal with the man we’re trying to take down. The district attorney might care more about Rivera but they get their hands on this video, you’ll be dealing with the cops. You’ll need a lawyer. Plea bargains. Probation. Fines. You might not get what’s coming to Rivera but there’ll be a lot of red tape you have to get through if anybody sees this.”

“Anybody sees this? What are you saying—”

“Nobody knows this video exists except for me. And now you. And don’t try taking this phone away. I’ve already got the footage backed up.”

Cade looked away from me and sighed in frustration.

“Look, you’re Bryce’s brother,” I said. “I’m doing what’s best for him—”

“And I’m doing what’s best for him. I’m doing what’s best for his child, your child.”

“Are you?”

He gave me a confused look.

“You’ve been to Brickstone,” he said. “You’ve seen that bar. You’ve seen the type of people who drink there. You’ve seen what kind of neighborhood he works in. Bryce busts his ass every single fucking day. And for what? To live in a tiny apartment, without anything to look forward to, all by himself.”

“Bryce isn’t alone. Not anymore.”

“You’re right. I’m there with him. I’ll always be there. No matter what. Nothing is gonna stop me from making this deal with Rivera. Once I do, I can take Bryce away from all of this.”

“Have you asked your brother what he wants?”

Cade smirked.

“I know my brother better than you do,” he said. “We’ve been together my entire life. He has too much pride to admit that he wants something more. Bryce has a good heart. He takes what he has now because he knows that there are people worse off than him. But even you’ll admit that Bryce deserves more than what he has.”

“Maybe he does. I’ll do everything I can for him. I’ll do everything I can to provide for him.”

“Good. Then you understand I’m willing to do the same.”

The amount of frustration beginning to boil inside of me was getting harder to hold back. I gritted my teeth and breathed hard through my nose to maintain my composure.

“Cade—”

“You do what you have to do, cop. And I’ll do what I have to do. The way I see it, if we’re both doing this for Bryce, then everything will work out for the best.”

“Cade, you’re going to end up in jail.”

He moved close to me, his brow furrowed, and looked me right in the eye.

“I would die for my brother if it meant a better life for him.”

He turned around and started walking away from me.

“Bryce wouldn’t have a better life if you were dead.”

Cade stopped in his tracks. He turned his head but didn’t look at me directly. I waited for him to respond. He didn’t say anything though. He ignored me and snapped his fingers at his men. They left the waiting room without making a scene.

I put my hands on my hips and looked down at the ground. It was clear that there was no getting through to Cade. I couldn’t do it. Bryce couldn’t do it. All I could do was focus on what I needed to do.

I walked back into Bryce’s room. He laid comfortably on his bed. He looked perfectly fine with a big smile on his face.

“Hey,” I said. “How are you feeling?”

“Good,” he sighed. “I was a little light-headed earlier but it went away. Sorry for making such a fuss.”

“You’re not making a fuss at all. If you feel anything, you let me know. I’m not taking any chances with this baby. I’m not taking any chances with you.”

“I know. But I can handle myself. Trust me.”

I took a seat right next to the bed. I took his hand in mine and gently ran my thumb over the back of his hand.

“When you and Cade got into it… I wasn’t sure what to think. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? What are you sorry about?”

“I was torn. You’re my Alpha but he’s my brother. I… I can’t choose sides.”

“Nobody is expecting you to choose sides, Bryce. We both know that you care about both of us. If anybody has anything to be sorry about, it should be me. I should’ve told you I was coming to the bar.”

“Why did you come?”

“Because I had to talk to Cade for myself. I didn’t want you to have to try and convince him by yourself. I wanted… I wanted to show him the evidence I had.”

“Evidence?”

“I’ve got footage of him and Rivera. Footage that would help in taking Rivera down—”

“But take my brother down at the same time.”

I nodded. Bryce frowned and shook his head. I wanted to wipe away the disappointment on his face. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen him look so sad but I could never get used to it.

“What do I do?” I asked.

“What do you mean?”

“What do you want me to do? I’ll do anything you want, Bryce. Even if it means getting off this case or letting Rivera walk. Anything—”

“I can’t ask you to do that. My brother is the one making a mistake here.”

He pulled his hand away from mine and put it up to my face. His touch was gentle against my cheek. It gave me the kind of feeling that nothing else could. He steadied my heart in my chest and made me breathe easier. It was like the weight of the world lifted from my shoulders.

“You’re doing the right thing,” he said. “Keep going. Not for me. Not for our baby. Not for Cade. For yourself.”

We smiled at one another.

“You know, you always know exactly what to say to make me feel better,” I said.

“I’ve got a lot of experience with my brother. This isn’t the first time I’ve had some tough times.”

“If I have anything to say about it, it’ll be the last time.”

I stood up from my seat with a sudden renewed determination inside of me.

“Heading to work?” he asked. “Back on the case, I suppose…”

“I don’t have to be back to work in a little bit. They’re still interviewing new suspects to get more dirt on Rivera. In the meantime, I figure I can do something for you.”

“You can?”

“Since we’re at the hospital, we might as well try out the food here…”

Seeing the grin form on his face made me laugh.

“Now that you mention it, my stomach is rumbling a bit.”

“Not surprising. There’s a baby in there kicking around. Must be starving.”

“I haven’t had breakfast yet.”

“Well, let’s fix that then.”