Bryce: The Project (Indie Rebels Book 3)

by Miranda P. Charles

  “We’ve done more searches, but there’s nothing else on the Keegan twins,” Aidan said.

  “Maybe someone like Jester’s been cleaning up their records,” Jaxon quipped.

  Bryce nodded distractedly as he read a text he’d just received. It was from Emma.

  Just left the airport after seeing Jill and Myra off. Wanted to let you know that Jill said she’ll miss you WERY, WERY much. She said you were a fun playmate, but Roger was a boring one.

  Bryce frowned. He hadn’t known Jill and Myra were going overseas. He texted her back.

  Aw, I’ll miss Jill wery, wery much too. Where are they going?

  To join my dad in Thailand. Dad wants them with him because he’s really worried after what happened to Uncle Edgar.

  “I have news,” he said with a sigh. “Addison’s fiancée and three-year-old daughter have just flown to Thailand. Emma said Addison’s concerned about them so he got them to join him. I wish I’d known this and we could have sent someone to follow them there.”

  Aidan pressed his lips. “Yeah, it would have been a great opportunity. But it’s good that Emma’s updating you.”

  “Yeah. Apparently, I was a hit with Jill.” He had to admit, he was thrilled about that. Jill was such an adorable little girl.

  Another text came in.

  How’s your day going? Been thinking of you.

  He couldn’t help his smile. He put his hands under his dining table and started tapping his response.

  “Who’re you texting now?” Jaxon asked, chewing his food.

  “Um, Emma.”

  “Are you naughty texting her or something?”

  Bryce let out a snicker. “What are you talking about?”

  “Why are you hiding?”

  “I’m not hiding.” He placed his arms back on top of the table and continued to type.

  “You were,” Aidan said. “Hiding what you were texting and hiding your smile.”

  “I just didn’t want to distract you guys.”

  Holly chuckled. “Are you blushing?”

  “No.” Damn it, his face was heating up more.

  “Holy crap,” Jaxon muttered. “He’s falling for her.”

  “What?” Bryce scoffed.

  Aidan shook his head. “I was afraid this would happen.”

  “Hey, come on,” Holly said with a disapproving look at Jaxon and Aidan. “Haven’t we already established that Emma is totally in the dark about the Fixers? She’s not with them.”

  “She’s still Addison Fern’s daughter,” Aidan pointed out.

  “I was Doug Green’s son,” Bryce said quietly. “So was Jax.”

  Jaxon inhaled deeply. “True, even though I never knew him.”

  Bryce curved his lips to one side. His brother was lucky.

  “I get it,” Aidan said, giving Bryce an understanding but firm look. “Really, I do. But at this point, I would strongly caution you from fully trusting her. We have no idea where her loyalties will lie when it’s tested, especially when we’re not only talking about her being with her father. She has a whole family in the Fixers. There’s her cousin, who asked her to be the maid of honour; her stepmother, whom she admires; and most importantly, her baby sister, whom she loves dearly. Even if, like you, she’d hate to be part of a crime gang, do you think she’d turn her back on them if it means never seeing her sister again? It’ll be a piece of cake for Addison to blackmail her emotionally using Jill.”

  Bryce stared at his mentor. “That’s why we have to save Emma from the Fixers. Then we need to get the whole syndicate behind bars, like we did with the Flowers, and extricate Jill from them too.”

  “That’s an ideal scenario, and we’ll take whatever opportunities arise towards that end. But first and foremost, we have to focus on finding Jester. If we have to make a choice between several results, we have to choose finding Jester over anything else. We can’t jeopardise that over ensuring Emma doesn’t fall into the Fixers, because if we take our eye off the priority—and let me be clear that the priority is finding Jester—the Indie Rebels might end up being so weakened that we can no longer save anyone from anything.”

  Bryce rubbed his face. “You’re right.”

  “And I hate to tell you this. Even though the rest of us are trying out and exploring different scenarios, as far as we can tell, you’re the only one who can crack this case in the limited time that we have.”

  “I know,” Bryce acknowledged. He’d just have to work even harder, even if it meant going over and beyond what he was comfortable doing. He simply couldn’t imagine letting Emma—and Jill—suffer the same fate he had.

  “I don’t envy you, bro,” Jaxon said. “But you know what? Since dating her is part of this whole thing, you might as well throw everything you’ve got into making her fall for you.”

  Bryce looked at his brother in surprise, his breath hitching at his suggestion.

  “You like her, don’t you? If she falls in love with you, then at least there’s a chance that she might choose to side with you at a critical time. The downside is you’ll fall yourself and open yourself up to heartbreak.”

  “I don’t know about this,” Aidan said, frowning. “Emotions have the tendency to create havoc on things. I never recommend making decisions based on emotions, much less deliberately putting yourself in a position where feelings could rule everything. It could be disastrous.”

  “We’re not talking about just any other emotion here, Aidan,” Holly said in a serious tone. “We’re talking about love. We know how powerful love is. It’s what makes people overcome fear to do impossible and courageous things.”

  “Okay, so it worked for you guys.” Aidan pointed at Holly and Jaxon. “But let’s flip the possibility. What if Bryce falls so head-over-heels that he’d choose the Fixers over us because of Emma?”

  “Hey, come on,” Bryce protested. “Are you kidding me? No chance.”

  Jaxon patted Bryce’s shoulder. “He’s my brother. Betraying the IR is like betraying me. I doubt he’d do that.”

  “That possibility is not even worth discussing,” Bryce said dryly. “And, look, I do agree that it’s worth using Emma’s attraction to me to our advantage. It could hasten our progress as well as save her from her family. Addison already said he doesn’t mind me dating her, and I’m sure it’s because of that Five Fingers code.”

  “It’s like abracadabra,” Jaxon quipped.

  Aidan scowled at Bryce. “I’d prefer that you make her fall in love without you doing the same. It’s safer that way. I hope to hell it’s not too late to give you that directive.”

  Bryce let out a wry chuckle. “There’s nothing to worry about, Aidan. I like Emma a lot. But the reason I care so much about saving her is because I see the parallels in our stories. I would have wanted someone to save me before I ended up in the Flowers.”

  Jaxon nodded. “The more Emma falls in love with Bryce, the safer he could be inside the Fixers once he’s infiltrated. Addison wants Emma in the fold, for whatever reason, and having her on Bryce’s side could help enormously, even with intel gathering.”

  “I can handle whatever this plan throws at me,” Bryce added.

  Aidan sighed in resignation. “Fine. As if I have powers to stop you from falling, anyway. So we have to come up with fool-proof plans around this. I’d say you’d have to introduce Emma to some of your friends sometime soon to show her how much you really like her so we can hurry this along. We have to have our stories straight and ensure all our IR identities are well-protected.”

  Bryce nodded, his heart hammering. It was strange to discuss his and Emma’s real feelings for each other—whatever they might be—as part of the plan to oust Jester and destroy the Fixers. But it was a great idea.

  More than that, though, he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to halt his heart careening towards Emma, so he might as well stop using his energy to fight his feelings. Yes, he’d be opening himself up to possible disappointment, even heartbreak. But that was a small pric
e to pay for the success of this whole project—and he could get his girl in the end.

  He grinned. “Well, I better respond to her text then, in case she thinks I’m ignoring her.”

  “Need some tips?” Jaxon asked.

  “On what?”

  “On making Emma feel like she’s the only woman in the world.”

  Bryce huffed in disbelief. “You think I need help?”

  “Hey, we have to be on point with everything from here on in. Time is of the essence, remember? And out of the three men in this room, I’m the only one who’s ever had a successful long-term relationship. A permanent, forever one,” he added, grinning goofily at Holly.

  Holly laughed, placing a palm on Jaxon’s cheek. “Yes, you’re the expert, honey.”

  Aidan groaned. “Seriously, this doesn’t feel like an Indie Rebels meeting about saving the world from a notorious crime gang.”

  “Honestly,” Holly said. “You underestimate the power of love. Wait till you feel it.”

  Aidan rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Anyway, while Bryce is texting Emma to make her feel like she’s the only woman in the world, let’s talk about another case that we might get called to help out with.”

  Bryce nodded, already going back to responding to Emma’s text.

  My day’s going great. Making good progress with a particular project. What else have you been up to today? Oh, by the way, I miss you WERY much too. Can’t wait to see you tomorrow night.

  There. That was sweet enough, wasn’t it?

  And he meant what he’d texted.

  Every. Single. Word.

  Chapter 12

  Emma reluctantly ate the last of the intricate prawn dish she’d ordered for mains. Time had been going by so fast. She couldn’t believe she and Bryce had already finished two courses when it felt like they’d just sat down.

  She’d been having such a wonderful time just chatting and joking around with him that she was half hoping there were more courses to come, but she was already full. Frankly, the excited butterflies in her stomach had tempered her appetite.

  Still, she found the food absolutely delicious, and she was thrilled Bryce had made the effort to take her to this celebrated establishment. “This place is really amazing. I’d keep flying back to Sydney just to come here again, even if they’re our competitors.”

  Bryce chuckled. “That good, huh? I bet you can replicate it easy enough.”

  “After some trial and error, perhaps. I’m too busy for that, though. Besides, it’s nice to have another favourite restaurant. It’s just a pity it’s so far away from home,” she added with a laugh.

  “Have you ever thought of moving here to Sydney—considering this is where you have close family?”

  “My dad did ask me that the first time I met Jill and Myra. At the moment, it’s not something I’m contemplating—unless I find a job at an equally great restaurant where I can continue learning from a chef I admire and respect. I’ve worked in other places where I didn’t learn much while being pushed to the limit, so I’m not keen to go elsewhere at this point.”

  Bryce smiled. “I’d love to taste your cooking one day.”

  “I’d love to cook for you. I’d need a processor to create something complex like this, but I’m sure I can still make something nice with the basic cooking items in my apartment. It’ll be fun to cook for someone.” For you.

  Bryce beamed at her. “That’ll be great. When?”

  She laughed. “I’m free anytime, so you tell me.”

  “Is tomorrow too soon?” Bryce asked in a softer tone.

  “No,” she breathed.

  The intensity of Bryce’s gaze seemed to charge the air all around them. And she could blissfully stare back at him till the cows came home.

  God, she’d missed this man, and she now realised how utterly unsuccessful she’d been at banishing him from her heart. Bryce had a knack of making her feel like the most longed for woman in the world just with that look he was giving her. It was the same way he’d often looked at her two years ago, and it had been responsible for zapping away her usual reticence. And right now, like it had been then, her brain had gone silent with its usual warning on how not to get hurt and disappointed.

  “Take these for you?” a server interrupted, taking their empty plates.

  “Thank you,” she murmured, not taking her eyes off Bryce. It had been so long since she’d openly flirted with a guy she really liked. It felt good, and she didn’t have the will to deny herself this moment.

  “Do you want to see the dessert menu?” Bryce asked with a little smile, like he was thinking of something naughty.

  She bit her bottom lip. “I’m okay, actually. I could whip up a quick dessert for us at my place, if you like.”

  Bryce broke their eye contact to look at the server. “The bill, please.”

  The waiter nodded and left.

  “So,” Bryce said, placing his elbow on the table and resting his chin on his hand. “What do you plan on making?”

  “Do want something good for you or bad for you?”

  Bryce pursed his lips. “I think any handiwork of yours will be good for me.”

  Aw. “What are you smooth-talking me for, Mr. Green?”

  Bryce smiled. “Time with you. Lots more of it.”

  Her breath hitched. “Do you mean you want to ask me out again after this?”

  “Many more times.”

  She gulped, her heart hammering. And fear suddenly rushed to mix in with her excitement.

  Could she let herself get close to Bryce again when they’d have to part later?

  “You haven’t allowed yourself to have fun in ages!” Sharryn’s voice said in her head.

  True. Did she really want to walk away from what she knew would be an incredible experience?

  “Sorry,” Bryce said, frowning. “I didn’t mean to come on too strong. Forget what I said and let’s just enjoy the rest of tonight.”

  She snapped out of her untimely rumination and flashed him a smile. “No. You didn’t say anything wrong. I was just thinking of something…” She waved a dismissive hand.

  The waiter came back with the bill and Emma pulled out her wallet from her bag. But Bryce was quick to give his credit card to the waiter, who immediately ran it through a handheld payment machine.

  Emma estimated the total bill and pulled out cash for half the amount.

  The server thanked them and left, and Bryce shook his head at her.

  “I happen to remember you paid for coffee yesterday,” she said pointedly.

  “Remember you’re making dessert for me? I say I’m getting the better deal here.”

  She smiled. “Okay, then.”

  Bryce helped her out of her chair and into her jacket.

  Boldly, she took his hand. She didn’t want there to be any question in his mind that she was open to continuing to enjoy the rest of the night with him.

  Bryce grinned at her, giving her hand a squeeze and brushing his lips on her temple.

  She sighed. Though she walked calmly with him towards the exit, her heart was doing little skips.

  Oh heck, she was doing it again—falling for him. She doubted she could have helped herself, though. She’d been a lost cause from the moment she’d bumped into his chest at that Chinese restaurant.

  They stepped out into the cold and Bryce let go of her hand to put his arm around her shoulders. “Nippy tonight.”

  “Yeah.” She snuggled closer to him as they walked.

  She was surprised by how perfect this night had gone so far. It wasn’t the expensive restaurant or the glorious food. It wasn’t even the cold weather giving her the excuse to seek his warmth while they strolled. It was just…Bryce.

  She couldn’t wait to make dessert for him—and maybe Bryce would stay the night. She’d love for him to.

  There was one thing that had been niggling her, though. And she’d better ask him about it now to get it out of the way. She’d tried to avoid the topic throughout di
nner so as not to spoil her mood in case he told her news she didn’t want to hear. But this was the best time to bring it up. She’d want nothing else to mar their time when they got to her apartment.

  “Hey,” she said. “I was wondering if my dad has called you.”

  “Only briefly. He said he’ll talk to me about security for the family in-depth later.”

  “Oh.” Her dad liked talking about things later—and the time sometimes never came.

  Bryce glanced at her. “You sound disappointed.”

  “Well, I was hoping he’d at least asked you to put together a plan he could consider the next time you speak. Did he say when later would be?”

  “No. But he seemed enthusiastic about my help. I didn’t feel like he was just politely fobbing me off.”

  Emma perked up. “Oh, good.”

  Bryce squeezed her against him. “Are you worried? Scared of the Indie Rebels?”

  “No. I honestly think I’m the last of the Ferns they’d want to target. Besides, I’m with you.”

  Bryce stopped in his tracks, and her breathing shallowed as he stared into her eyes.

  “Yes, you’re safe with me,” Bryce murmured.

  “I know.” And it hit her just how much she believed it.

  Bryce cupped her face and planted a peck on her lips. Then he took her hand as they resumed their journey to her place.

  All her nerve endings seemed to tingle as they walked. She didn’t need to check to know her nipples were hardening—and it wasn’t from the cold. The desire blooming in her belly was so strong she knew she’d already be so moist by the time Bryce got to take her panties off.

  She suppressed her giggles from her naughty thoughts. God, how long had it been since she’d had the kind of orgasms Bryce had given her at Plank Island? Two years ago, as a matter of fact. Her worthless, cheating ex had been nowhere near as good in bed as Bryce.

  She inhaled deeply, her body suffusing with delicious warmth.

  Bryce sighed beside her and she glanced at him. What was he thinking? Was he looking forward to getting hot and naked with her?