Brick hated doing it, but he had to say it.
“The reverse can be said, Ryan. They could locate and track you. Roo is trained to handle those types of situations. You’re not.” For a second, her eyes shot fire at him, then she cooled.
“You’re right, I’m not. That’s why I think you should let me be the one to open the video in a safe yet public space with one of you. I can protect the data, and you can protect my ass. Isn’t this how it’s supposed to work?”
“Let’s table that for now,” Caine broke into the conversation. “What we need to concentrate on right now are ideal locations to open this video as safely as possible. Suggestions?” The rest of the meeting pretty much went the same way, and Ryan didn’t look happy when she was sent off, leaving just him and the guys in the room.
“She has a point. No way am I as good with computers as she is,” Roo said.
“Not the point. If we allow her out there and the video is a lure or a trap, how long do you think it would take before Perez broke her? How long would it take for you to break her, not even using your childhood history together?”
Roo scrubbed his hand over his face and muttered a curse, quickly sobering.
“Twenty minutes, tops. Ryan is tough and smart as hell, but she’s never been put in a situation where someone deliberately hurt her.”
Caine nodded. “Exactly. I hate to say it, but if Perez got his hands on a resource like Ryan and what she’s capable of, none of us would be safe. That’s what we’re looking at if we go with her plan.”
“So, what is our next move?” Brick asked.
Caine was quiet for a while.
“I think you and Roo need to go out and track locations, and once you find one, set it up. Let’s not give our resident computer whiz time to think about it. Put on the spot, she’ll do what needs to be done, the way we need it to be done while keeping her safe.” Everyone agreed, and Caine was about to call the meeting to an end, but Brick stopped him.
“I need to go out to Campbell.” Caine just raised his eyebrow in response. “We’ve been looking for Olivia Scott, the one who keeps on coming up in Ryan’s searches through Perez’s stuff. She said something earlier, and it has me thinking. What if Olivia Scott isn’t a person but a vessel, like a freighter or a ship?”
“Iraq is landlocked except for a very small portion leading to the Persian Gulf, which is guarded and monitored heavily. I think that’s a bit of a stretch,” Axel responded.
“No shit, asshole, but think about it. If you had to get a person out undetected, you wouldn’t do it by air. The military would be on your ass quicker than shit. Driving through that sandpit brings its own set of barriers and problems. You would only get so far before you’d need to get another source of transportation.”
Axel nodded. “Yeah, I see where you’re going. Once a vessel sets off, all regulatory manifests and whatnot are already completed, but if a body or person was dropped at sea, there would be no record. Same could be said prior to hitting U.S. or Mexican borders.”
“Shit.” Caine stood. “Do what you have to do at Campbell, find out what you can, and if your theory holds any water…” Caine slammed the gavel down, smiling, all of them still looking at him like he had lost his damn mind. Caine shrugged his shoulders. “What? I can make a joke occasionally.”
They all busted out laughing. Brick was walking out the door when Caine’s hand on his shoulder stopped him.
“I’m going to call in a few favors of my own regarding Olivia Scott. Good work. We might actually be making some headway in this cluster fuck.”
Brick didn’t like the praise or the acknowledgment. He was just doing his job, and Ryan had done all the hard work, but he kept walking until he made it to his bike, where Roo was already waiting for him. Hopefully, the hours they would be riding today would clear his fucking head and keep him from feeling like shit for keeping this from her.
Chapter Thirteen
Getting called into Caine’s office gave Ryan the same feeling as being called into the principal’s office. She even shuffled her feet, walking down the hall. It was ridiculous, childish, and not the kind of woman she wanted to portray, but it was what it was. She looked around and actually missed Brick. He and Roo had gone out on a run, and she knew he wouldn’t be back for several hours. Having to face this on her own made her realize how much Brick’s constant presence had bolstered her confidence.
Several days ago, Caine had loosened her restrictions. She was still confined to the clubhouse, but he no longer felt that she needed to be watched twenty-four-seven, so even the prospects who had been following her around for days were off doing other things. When she reached his door, she had to take several deep breaths before she knocked. She didn’t know what she had been expecting, but Caine’s brash voice yelling, “Get your ass in here, Ryan,” wasn’t it.
When she opened the door, he was looking down at paperwork, not paying her a bit of attention. She fidgeted before deciding to take the seat in front of his desk. Even then, it was still a good five minutes before the man looked up. The whole setup was unnerving. Maybe that was what he wanted—to put her off guard. By nature, she was an analytical person but put in this position with just her and Caine in a room, completely silent, she couldn’t analyze her way out of a paper bag, but she tried.
She had always found Caine attractive—tall, muscular, his face gorgeous—but he projected that bad boy vibe with a mix of dark that always made her wary. She knew damn well the man would never hurt her unless she either asked for it or she hurt his club and family. Ryan never had any intention of doing that, so she felt relatively safe… for the moment, at least. Caine reminded her of a caged tiger, one you knew was going to strike when you least expected it and would be helpless to do anything about it. Damn, she really missed Brick. Him she could deal with, although he had the bad boy vibe with maybe just a little of the dark mixed in, too. Unlike Caine, he always made her want to take a taste, whereas Caine made her want to run for the hills. It took her a bit to realize Caine was watching her with eyes that seemed to see everything.
“Give me your take on what Perez’s next move is going to be.”
Not what she expected him to ask, though she didn’t have the first clue what this meeting was about in the first place. Ryan gnawed her lip. She had been thinking about this for days and kept on coming up with the same conclusion. She wondered if Caine and the other guys had been thinking the same thing but hadn’t asked.
“He is going to go after Roo next.”
“Why do you think that?” Caine’s expression didn’t change.
“Every time he logs on, he checks Roo’s phone and correspondence. I think he’s looking for something to use against him. As far as I know, Roo doesn’t have a high school sweetheart, no long-lasting relationships, and there are no babies out there carrying his name. The people closest to him would be the members of this club and my brother.”
“What about you and your mother?”
Ryan sat back, relaxing only slightly. “I thought of that, but since we buried Tiny, Roo cut all ties with me and my mother. There have been no phone calls or visits. From the outside looking in, where let’s face it, Perez is, there would be no reason for him to target my mother or me to get to Roo.”
“I don’t know if I agree with that.”
“Don’t get me wrong, if put in the position where Roo had to protect either of us, he would, but the same could be said for anyone in this club. I also have my own safeguards for my mother and me set in place. There has been no chatter involving the town we live in or us personally, so for now, I’m going to say this is a dead end. We’re a distant association to the club if we can even be considered that at this point. I doubt either of us would ping on Perez’s radar.”
Caine leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers on his chest. “Unless he knew what you are doing now.”
Ryan wasn’t stupid. That bothered her, but she had been careful and planned this for almost a y
ear. Ryan crossed her own arms.
“If I suddenly got on Perez’s radar, that would mean you have a leak in the club.”
“Not necessarily. You’ve been in the bar, and civilians have seen you with the guys. You know as well as I do, enough money and influence can make just about anyone talk. It just takes the right questions.”
“Alright, then let’s play that out first. If Perez is looking at Roo and people have seen me or were asked questions about me, they still wouldn’t align the two of us. Brick, yes, Junior, maybe, but they’re even a stretch. The information would have to be from someone on the inside, close to the club. Like I said, no one is looking for me unless you have information you haven’t shared.”
Caine sat up and smiled. “Nothing I know of for now, but we’re keeping our ear to the ground just in case. I just wanted to see what precautions you’ve taken to protect yourself and your mother. Like I said, the right questions always get the answer someone is looking for, even if they aren’t direct. You should keep that in mind, Ryan. You might be a genius in the tech world, but you’re still naïve dealing with criminals or the shadier elements.”
“So, this was a trick?”
“No, this is getting information and as many pieces of the puzzle I can before I make my next move.”
Ryan glared at Caine but couldn’t deny what he was saying. She was in over her head in many respects, but when it came to information, that was her strong suit.
“You’ve been looking into and seen enough of Perez’s correspondence and researched his organization. His typical M.O. is to use someone associated with his target. Paris to get to London, London to get to Axel.”
“Cin to get to you,” Ryan added, raising her eyebrow, but Caine didn’t take the bait, only nodded.
“Even if all your failsafes have worked, if you decide to stay with Brick and continue the way you have, logically, you would be the next target in Perez’s game.”
And there it was—the real meaning behind this meeting. In Caine’s weird way, he was asking Ryan what her intentions were with Brick. Ryan conceded because what else could she do.
“Logically, yes, but I no longer think this conversation has anything to do with logic. What’s your point, Caine?”
“No point, just making sure you’re aware of what’s going on.”
“Bullshit. I’ve never thought you were a man who beat around the bush to save someone’s feelings, so don’t start now on my account. I can take whatever you dish out. What’s on your mind?”
“Brick lost a part of himself the day he had to leave your brother behind. Hell, we all did, but for him, seeing what he saw, it was amplified.”
Yeah, Ryan could see that happening and felt for Brick and all the guys, but she still wasn’t getting the correlation. Was Caine telling her to stay away from Brick or to stop looking for her brother? Ryan didn’t think she could do either.
“If you were the person lost and left behind, I don’t think he would come back from it. You are good at what you do, but you’re reckless and playing in a game you don’t have the skills or knowledge to even start competing in. Your world is safely hidden behind your keyboard and the screens of your computers. Ours isn’t, Ryan. I think you need to take some time and really think about that before you let things go any further.”
Ryan stood. A part of her was pissed, but there was another part that realized through all of this—her planning, hacking, being with the BRMC—she hadn’t thought of anything more than the short term.
“Are we done?”
Caine stood up as well.
“For now, but think about what I’ve said, Ryan.”
Ryan left the office, not bothering to respond. Her head was messed up, so she did what she always did. She went to her office to dig further into the BRMC and Miguel Perez.
When Brick came in, fresh off the road, she wasn’t any closer to figuring out anything. Caine’s words were still echoing in her head, and the more she delved into the members of the BRMC and Perez’s organization, the more she realized how right he was. These guys were dangerous. None of them sported a clear record, and there was so much violence in their world, she knew it wouldn’t be ending anytime soon. It was who they were and what they did. Axel was the only one who had settled down, but London wasn’t sporting his patch or a ring on her finger. Maybe she was taking this too far and expecting too much, but she knew she was more than halfway in love with Brick. The thought of losing him hurt, but it hurt worse to think he would only be using her. What was she supposed to do or say?
She didn’t say anything that was on her mind, wanting to keep what they’d been doing together light and breezy.
“How was your run?”
“It was alright. I have a lead, but I’m not ready to share just yet. I need to check some of the facts first, but Roo is in place to start running your tests. He should be calling you soon. Told him to give me enough time to get back and to let you know what was going on first.”
Brick looked tired, and looking down at the clock on her computer screen, she realized he’d been gone for almost twelve hours.
He was still just as gorgeous as ever. Her panties instantly dampened with him just being in the room. Was that all the two of them had together, incredible chemistry but nothing else? Ryan realized she might want more, but Caine was right. She had been incredibly naïve. Brick had been there for her at every turn, but she’d been a hot mess.
For once, she wanted to be the one who gave him what he needed instead of taking what she needed. When he sat down at the chair in front of her desk, Ryan got up and walked behind him, rubbing his shoulders. Damn, he might say everything was fine, but the tension in his shoulders told a different story. His groan of approval made her smile as she worked her hands just a little harder, his muscles loosening one by one. She should have kept with what she was doing instead of opening her mouth, but Ryan blurted out what had been on her mind.
“What are we doing here? Do you want me for a few quick fucks or something more?”
Brick let out a sigh that was more telling than words could ever be.
“You want to do this now?”
Ryan stopped massaging his shoulders and moved to stand in front of him, leaning her butt on the desk and crossing her arms over her chest in a complete defense move. She regretted opening her mouth but was unable to stop, wanting the answer.
“Would there be a better time?”
“Listen, I can’t give you the answers you want.” Brick scrubbed his hand through his hair. “I’m not looking for an old lady, and I haven’t done the girlfriend thing in too many years to remember what it’s all about. We click, just leave it at that and let it run its course without trying to put a label on it, Ryan.”
“What if I can’t do that, Brick? What if I want more?”
Brick stood, heading to the door, and Ryan’s heart shattered,
“Then you’re barking up the wrong tree. The only thing I can guarantee you is when I fuck you, it won’t be quick or only a few times.”
Chapter Fourteen
Brick was fuming. Why couldn’t Ryan just leave well enough alone? Why the fuck did she need to label what was going on between them? It had been a couple of weeks now, not a fucking lifetime, and although he’d gotten off that morning, he was still suffering from a severe case of blue balls. The one orgasm in her mouth wasn’t even close to sating what his dick wanted. Hell, the real problem was he couldn’t answer her question because he didn’t know what was going on between them. He’d never had a woman get under his skin like Ryan had—needing to care for and comfort her and have her in his bed any way he could get her there, and not just for sex. This shit was all new to him, and he hadn’t figured out if he even wanted the complication.
Sending a quick text to Caine and the others that Roo was ready to go and to watch out for Ryan, Brick did what he did best—avoided every damn thing and just concentrated on the present. He knew from personal experience if you dwelled in the past
or the future too much, you were bound to get burned. But his mind wasn’t on his side this time, and apparently, neither was his dick. It wasn’t the first time he wondered if there was something to Tiny’s curse. Apparently, his dick didn’t work anymore for anyone except for Ryan. Not the half-naked chicks trying to get his attention or the ones who blatantly asked him to rock their world or do whatever he wanted to them. The truth was, he wasn’t interested in any of them, only one little computer geek with strawberry-blonde hair.
His mood hadn’t improved when London sauntered up to the bar, looking just as tired as he felt. Placing a napkin down, Brick picked up one of the glasses, filling it with Crown, a splash of ginger, and three of Caine’s precious olives before she even said a word.
“Wow, I must be special. I didn’t even have to bribe you or bargain for the olives. What’s up? Wait,” London said, holding up her hand, then shutting her eyes while she rubbed her temples while humming ohms. “Confucius says, a small blonde bombshell has your dick in a knot, and you don’t know what to do about it. That’s simple. Go with it, my brother, and enjoy the ride.”
“I think you’re getting your prophecies mixed up. I’m cool with enjoying the ride. It’s the little blonde bombshell who wants to put a label on it and halt all progress.”
London grimaced. “What did you do?”
Brick glared back at her. “I didn’t do anything.”
“Okay, let me rephrase, what did you say?”
“Nothing, just told her I wasn’t looking for an ol’ lady and to take what she could get.” Hell, even he knew that he’d fucked up, but he wasn’t ready to label what they had. He didn’t want to, and that wasn’t wrong. They hadn’t even fucked yet! A person didn’t live their lives running from setting down roots and avoiding commitments to making a complete one-eighty in only a couple fucking weeks.
Brick: Blacktop Renegades (BRMC Book 2) Page 9