“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. Theentireteam. 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.
“You’re getting defensive.”
“Should I?” The smell of pine and rain clung in the air.
“Hell, Bear, we’ve been friends how long? We can be raw with one another. I’m only telling you what you need to hear.”
“With all due respect, I can separate my personal and professional life. I may have fucked up before, but this…well, it’s different.”
“How is it different?” Sharp steepled his fingers.
“I’m doing my job.”
“No one said you’re not. I’m only saying it’s not ethical. You can’t tell Aasia the truth so you’re lying, and if push comes to shove can you decide that’s one hundred percent logical?”
“Are you suggesting that Aasia is involved in Fletcher’s side hustle? Because if you are, maybe you should ask your wife if she can separate emotions from logic when it comes to her best friend. After all, Aasia is herbestfriend.” When Bear saw Sharp’s jaw flinch, he knew he’d hit a nerve. However, he wouldn’t apologize.
“CaDee has nothing to do with this.”
“And neither does Aasia.” Bear didn’t bother hiding his irritation.
“Fletcher is the largest stockholder of the lab. She worked there. We stumbled across some questionable business dealings. Whether you want to face the facts or not, she was there while all this was going down.”
“That’s not what we’re investigating.” Bear slammed his hands to his hips. “We’re here to bust the assholes who gunned Texas Heat down. Not to focus on every damn law being broken in Texas.”
Some of the frustration left Sharp’s features. “You have a point, we’re not interested in Fletcher’s unethical businessdealings, but as we usually say, “where there’s rain there’s a storm brewing”. What is our guy Fletcher hiding? Why did he suddenly pull out of the race? I got wind that the FBI and state police have been sniffing around. I can’t infiltrate myself into their business. Greyson can only get so much intel. He said the case is sealed tighter than a duck’s ass. Fletcher certainly has friends in high places.”
