I couldn’t argue with that one, but apparently Jaymes thought he could.

“You’re one to talk. How often are you around? You don’t know anything about us.”

“Oh, you think I don’t?” Bryce cut him off, closing the distance. I put my hand up to his muscled chest, my back to Jaymes as he spoke over me. “You think just because your sister and I aren’t up each other’s ass that I’m not keeping tabs? The Ricco situation? You think I don’t know about all that?”

“What is he talking about?” My head snapped behind me to Jaymes.

I was surprised to hear that Bryce had been keeping tabs on him. I wouldn’t have been surprised to hear him checking up on me once in a while because he was always a bit of a creep like that, but Jaymes?

Low key, Bryce hated my brother, and I honestly couldn’t blame him.

“Nothing.”

Bryce smirked, looking entirely too satisfied for someone who was apparently keeping secrets too. “That’s what I thought.”

“What is he talking about, Jaymes?” I asked again, looking between them.

Bryce’s chest was heaving from the exertion of keeping himself in check. The look in his eyes, one that I knew all too well, promised violence and bloodshed.

It was a look that had me on my knees more than once; however, seeing it directed at my little brother made me a little more than apprehensive.

“I said it was nothing.” Jaymes shoved his bag farther up his shoulder as if he was going to bolt and run at any second.

Bryce wouldn’t have stopped him, and I really needed him to stay put, but I decided to push just a little more, “Doesn’t sound like it.”

“Look, I get it. I fucked up, okay? That’s why we should be going to Vosco’s territory instead of slumming it here with your boy toy.” Jaymes looked Bryce up and down and evidently found him lacking. “I mean really, dude? A man bun? Seems kind of douchey.”

Bryce ignored him, looking to me instead as he said, “That’s not going to solve your problems. Valentina and Vosco are currently at each other’s throats just waiting for one of them to give an inch. If she thinks he’s hiding someone who stole from her she’ll have the right to break the truce. That’s not something I can allow you to do.”

“Oh, and you’re just going toallowher to do something, are you? You obviously don’t know Alex.”

“Shut the fuck up, Jay.” I turned away from his shocked face, staring into Bryce’s smug one, warning him, “Don’t be a fucking dick about it. What do you suggest then? If we can’t go into Vosco’s territory, then what are we doing?”

“Valentina has been known to make outlandish deals for information she feels is valuable. I’m hoping I can pull together something before tomorrow night. Then you can set up a meeting with her.”

I shuddered, Jaymes's voice echoing my thoughts, “And what? We’ll just walk right up to her and ask for forgiveness?”

Bryce shrugged, which didn’t do well for my confidence in his plan. “Stranger things have happened with Valentina. If she thinks you have something valuable, then you can at the very least get an audience with Don and plead your case from there.”

“So we’re just supposed to go in there with the information in hand and hope she doesn’t shoot?” Bryce looked at me sympathetically, and I knew I must have looked as devastated as I felt with the situation.

“We’re grasping at straws off the edge of a cliff, babe. Anything you can get at this point is going to be a life raft that looks like a hand grenade.”

And damn if I couldn’t argue with that. I had come to Bryce with a problem. There was noGet Out of Jail Freecard for this kind of thing, especially with the little to no time we had given him to fix it.

His voice was soft as he stepped towards me, his hand coming to cup the back of my elbow, “We’ll get it sorted, Lex.”

There was a sound from Jaymes across the room, but Bryce had all my attention as he ran his fingers down to my wrist. All I wanted to do was press my lips to his, to take his invitation to touch him and wrap my legs around him.

If there was any doubt in my mind as to whether or not he was willing to forgive and forget, it was there in his eyes now. I wished more than anything that Jaymes wasn’t right there watching us because I would have taken it.

I hoped he fucking knew that. I poured the months of want and longing into my eyes and hoped that he recognized it for exactly what it was as I pulled away, my hand squeezing his before I broke from his grip.

“Grab your bag,” I said to Jaymes, walking to the spare bedroom. I dropped mine by the bathroom, and opened the spare room door, motioning for Jay to step inside.

I had planned on going in with him, but the door was in my face sooner than I could breathe. He didn’t exactly slam the door, but he certainly made it clear that he was just as sick of seeing my ugly mug as I was of his. I didn’t bother to fight it.

I turned to watch Bryce as he took my bag into his room, throwing it on the bed. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, fingers flying across the screen as I came in behind him.

Tags: Ashley Michele Paranormal
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